"It seems that everything is going well." Dimitri said while asking, "But are you so sure that he won't take back his words?"
"Well, I will be convincing them, but I'm not going to force people to join. After all, the current state of the Ardagan Family is very clear. Only those who are willing and endure hardship with me can be fully trusted." Noel shook his head helplessly.
"So, it doesn't matter if he joins or not?"
"It's true that I want him to join, but if he doesn't, as long as he remains neutral, I won't have any reason to harm him or whatsoever." Noel glanced at Anna. "So, what will you do now?"
"I will probably go to my last mission and advance to Platinum Rank. Since Nicole reports the situation to my father, he will probably prepare the challenge like blackmailing someone to accept it. Though, I'm pretty sure that I will be fighting that traitor." Anna's expression turned cold, reminding him about the arbiter that joined hands with the Supreme Devil Organization.
"His position should be unstable right now, so I think it's good to strike him." Noel agreed.
"How about you?"
"You told me various information before. While I don't want some information, it's true that I have gotten a clear image of my destination. For now, I will go back to the Demon Relief Squad and ask Captain Clara to go alone. Then, I'll probably head to the headquarters to get everything."
"In that case, I'll choose a mission near the headquarters, so we can meet again."
"Yeah. I can't help you with your mission though."
"It's fine. Then, you're going to another kingdom after that?"
"I think?" Noel thought for a moment. "I could use the Rune Body to form a group of elite soldiers for the Ardagan Family. But I still need people to do that. So, I'll visit Harley to find the remnant of the family to see if I can get some people back. Then, I'll leave this kingdom… probably visiting the Greenwood Kingdom on the way back to make my movement unpredictable."
"That sounds good enough. Right now, you have disappeared for a few months, so people won't know where you are." Anna nodded in agreement. "In that case, we shall meet again in the Demon Banner Army Headquarters."
"Yeah." Noel nodded.
"In any case, take this." Anna gave the bottle that Khalid had given earlier.
"How about you?"
"I have taken a few for the people close to me." Anna winked while lifting the bottle, showing the bottle wasn't filled to the brim like earlier.
"Alright then." Noel nodded. "Be careful, will you?"
"You too."
With this, Noel and Anna went separate ways for a while.
Anna was planning to return to the Inquisitor Headquarters to receive the advancement mission. Meanwhile, Noel wanted to get Clara's permission to leave the group.
…
But as he expected, the moment he mentioned it, Clara immediately said, "No!"
Currently, Noel was standing in front of Clara.
She already had an annoyed face before the meeting. It seemed that a lot had happened in the last few months.
"To think this is the first thing you say after returning here." Clara covered her eyes. "Do you know what happened during the time you left?"
"No. I haven't inquired about it yet. Other than checking the others, I immediately went to you." Noel shook his head.
"Then, I'll tell you about this." Clara took out a map. There were four big circles in the Muivell Kingdom. The blue circle was located in the north. "This circle is the Demon Banner Army. As for this one…"
Clara pointed at the red circle that was located next to the blue circle and seemed to be intertwining with each other. "This one is the Supreme Devil Organization. In the past few months, we experienced a lot of conflicts, small and big."
"Two of our Captains had died due to their plan."
"What?!" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Two of them?"
"Yeah. The Demon Spear's Captain Yatan and the Demon Recovery Squad's Captain August. Both of them have passed away due to the scheme of the Supreme Devil Organization. Of course, we have fought back as well. We have killed one Devil Saint and a lot of Devil Bishops. The commander and the only Spirit Transcendence Devil Saint had fought a few times. Currently, both of them are injured quite heavily."
"However, we've heard a rumor about the Supreme Devil Organization raising Laufey Ardagan's strength in order to become the second Spirit Transcendence."
"!!!" Noel gasped. "Are you saying…"
"The moment he becomes the second Transcendence, the balance would be tipped over. So, I can't accept your request."
"Still, don't you think this is a perfect opportunity for all of us?" Noel asked.
"What opportunity?"
"Laufey's target is me. If I leave the kingdom, his aim will be directed to the other kingdom. It will definitely cause a lot of confusion in the Supreme Devil Organization. During that time, the Demon Banner Army can recover its strength for a bit."
"Are you saying you're planning to become the bait?"
"Won't it be perfect?" Noel asked. "Besides, I'm planning to erase my presence during my visit, so they won't be able to catch me."
"Are you serious? Do you know what will happen to you the moment they find you?"
"Yes." Noel nodded. "In the end, I'm planning to use the Demon Banner Army to rebuild my family. Since I don't want to leave any debts behind, it's not wrong for the army to use me to recover their strength. So, I think this is a fair trade."
Clara gritted her teeth. There were a lot of things that made her angry, but she never thought Noel would choose to become bait.
"Even if you don't do it, I can simply spread the information with my own method. So, I only need your approval to leave alone."
"How about Rose? Are you going to abandon her?"
"If she still wishes to follow me, then I'm not going to abandon her. However, the situation has turned for the worse, so we will have to see if she has a change of heart."
"…" Clara was rubbing her forehead frantically as though she had a headache thinking about this matter. "One last question. If you satisfy me with your answer, I will grant you my permission."
"Alright." Noel agreed without hesitation.
"How are you planning to become a noble? Are you planning to defeat Paul?"
Obviously, the best way to become a noble was to become a Vice Captain or a Captain. Even the Royal Family couldn't refuse that matter.
So, he had to defeat Paul, if not her, to become a noble. However, Noel smiled and whispered his plans to her.
Clara was dumbstruck, never expecting such a possibility. It seemed that Noel had been preparing for that the whole time. This way, he could leave without damaging the Demon Relief Squad too much.
"You are insane; you know that?"
"I know. But if I don't go this far in this chaotic situation, I will be swallowed alive. I refuse to die that easily."
Clara contemplated for a few minutes before saying, "Alright. I'll grant you the permission to leave. However, on one condition… You have to return within six… no four months."
"Four months is a bit too short, but I think I can manage." Noel agreed. "Alright."
"You can meet the others and have them explain the rest of what happened all around the kingdom and retrieve the permission letter from me two days later. It seems that your trip this time gives you a lot of benefits…" Clara sighed.
"Of course. I'm planning to become a Spirit Grandmaster before becoming a noble after all." Noel nodded and politely bowed. "I'll take my leave then."
After reaching an agreement, Noel went back to meet the Zero Squad. According to Clara, due to the situation, Clara would be the one accompanying them. The Zero Squad was the core of every Demon Squad, so working together with their captain would reduce the possibility of them dying. So, Noel wasn't that worried.
However, the Royal Family seemed to be playing this whole time. Even though they were sending their people to help the army, they didn't seem to take the Supreme Devil Organization seriously.
Anna said that in the Alternate World, there would be a huge fight between all influences in the kingdom. She meant that even the Tower Association would be involved in this big fight, making the situation extremely chaotic. However, this was the exact reason why Noel could reinstate the Ardagan Family.
In addition, he was planning to gather the remnant members of the Ardagan Family. Dimitri said that most of them were like Harley. They had hidden themselves among the common people, but never slacked a single day in honing themselves. They believed that the Ardagan Family would be rebuilt sooner or later.
As the successor of the Ardagan Family, Noel planned to gather them once again. Although the Ardagan Family wouldn't be the same as the one when his father was in the lead, he had his own vision to take this family to the peak.
After talking a lot with the other members, it was time to leave. Rose was sad that she couldn't follow him on this journey, but she had expressed her intention to follow him to the Ardagan Family, which meant there was no change in her heart.
That was the reason why Noel could leave with a smile on his face. This was a necessary journey and Noel was ready for it.
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