As Douglas explained, it seemed that the pillars of the Ardagan Family had been waiting for Noel and Dimitri the whole time.
Although Noel was supposed to have died in Anna's hand, they still followed the instruction that Noel's father had given them.
The order was to wait for five years, which was the time limit, before something big happens.
However, if Noel somehow managed to gain the power and influence to become a noble, they would become Noel's vassals.
Douglas had told Noel about all the matters that his father had passed on. Still, he couldn't believe that Anna was Noel's ally, even though she had brought the Ardagan Family to the brink of destruction and even killed him.
Noel explained to Douglas and the other pillars that Anna had changed. This time, she would become their reliable ally that would influence the royal family.
The royal family still believed that Anna still hated them after all. So, if she managed to become an Arbiter, even the king had to consider her opinion seriously.
Although they were still a bit doubtful of Anna, they had to put their trust in her because Noel believed so. In addition, Dimitri told them about the relationship between Anna and Noel, making them understand why there was such trust between them.
It was surprising, but Douglas, Balott, and Charlotte had agreed to rebuild the Ardagan Family.
Balott was a middle-aged man who had been working around as a freelancer, giving advice to a lot of merchants. When Noel visited him with Douglas and Dimitri, it took him an instant to immediately recognize Noel as the master of the family.
However, due to his job, he had to remain in that city for a while. After all, it would become troublesome if he suddenly disappeared and incurred the wrath of all those merchants.
Luke was his mentor, so Balott understood how the merchants worked. Instead of following Noel, Balott decided to remain and gather some money for the initial fund.
On the other hand, Charlotte had a hard time keeping up with them due to her age. Charlotte was already in her late fifties. Unlike the others, she didn't train her body at all.
Hence, she had agreed on three things with Noel. The first one was how she was going to the new territory. Because of the distance and danger, Charlotte decided to go with Douglas.
She needed a carriage, so everything was prepared according to her will and Noel gave all the necessary money for their travel.
The second promise was about how she agreed to train a successor. After learning about Rose, she had no qualms. Rose had exceptional eyes, which would allow her to take a good look at the surroundings. Rose also had the power and ability to protect herself.
As long as she trained under her, Rose would definitely become Noel's left hand, handling all the matters within the territory.
Charlotte turned out to be someone who had been working for his grandfather. But unlike his father, his grandfather was a bit lacking in terms of talent. Although he governed the territory fine, it was also his fault that the Royal Family got some advantages against them.
When Luke took over the family, he consolidated the power of the Ardagan Family and grew it to the point where the Ardagan Family was considered the wealthiest family in the kingdom. In addition, their span of influence was so wide that a lot of nobles feared them.
Only those who were backed by the kings would dare to fight against the Ardagan Family, like the Count and Marquis, whom Noel had exterminated previously.
Of course, due to the hole that his grandfather made, Luke was forced to make a decision that changed the course of the family. To avoid creating more holes where the Royal Family could control them, Luke decided to destroy the Ardagan Family and let Noel build anew.
This turned out to be the real reason why the Ardagan Family had to be destroyed. Noel never thought that his father had been preparing for this so that the Ardagan Family could remain strong.
His father might not have any plans to go against the Royal Family, but it didn't mean that he would let the Royal Family decide their life and death.
Of course, there were several other factors that reinforced the course of the family, such as Laufey Ardagan, the state of the family, the Royal Family, and other smaller problems.
Unfortunately, when Noel asked about the 'hole' she was talking about, Charlotte claimed that she didn't know anything about it. She only relayed what Luke told her back then. It seemed that only his parents knew about the 'hole' that made the foundation of the Ardagan Family brittle.
Last but not least, Charlotte discussed the matter of the pillars. Charlotte wasn't that against reassembling the former pillars. In fact, they could easily rebuild the family by gathering them.
However, it wouldn't be Noel's power. Noel was simply gathering what Luke had in the past. If he wanted to truly create the new Ardagan Family, Noel needed new pillars under his command.
They could be like Rose where the old pillars taught them and let them succeed in their position. Or Noel could find other people to fill in the new spots.
Only in this way would Noel's family could look like the new Ardagan Family.
Noel agreed with her. Unlike Dimitri, who had been watching how he fought against the challenge in front of him, the others didn't have any knowledge or information about Noel. They only knew that Noel was the successor of the Ardagan Family. And it only came from Dimitri's existence.
In other words, the reason why they followed Noel this time was not because of himself. This weak bond would eat him sooner or later.
He acknowledged the fact that he had been focusing on his strength but never tried finding the people that would become his vassals later.
When Noel thought about it, he couldn't help but think of a few people.
The Master Blacksmith was one of the strongest people that would join his rank. He thought about asking him to become one of the pillars, but he reconsidered it after learning from Charlotte.
He thought about giving his children a chance to learn from Balott since they were a merchant.
There were also matters regarding runes, which could become a new pillar. Noel also remembered the group of women he had saved back then. They could learn from Douglas.
After thinking about all his encounters, Noel couldn't help but wonder who actually had joined him in the alternate world. At that time, Noel refused to hear it from Anna because it would just influence his decision. But this thought made him curious. Of course, if he wanted to replace the pillars, he would need a lot of people.
Fortunately, Anna claimed that Noel managed to make a strong family that could stand in the midst of the chaos that would soon plunge the kingdom.
Noel was thankful for Charlotte's insight. Despite a brief meeting between them, Noel had learned a lot about how to govern his territory and manage his family. It was no wonder why Charlotte became the Overseer of the family.
Unfortunately, Noel couldn't stay too long in the kingdom since he didn't want to let Laufey catch him.
He could only give money to Charlotte and let her arrange anything she needed, Noel finally bid farewell to Charlotte and Douglas before heading straight to the kingdom in their south: Atrecaeca Kingdom.
Muivell Kingdom, Greenwood Kingdom, Atrecaeca Kingdom, and Zaecuria Kingdom were the four kingdoms that governed humanity.
Muivell Kingdom was known for its military might from the Tower Association, the Arbiters, and the Demon Banner Army. The Greenwood Kingdom focused on their research on the Spirit and Spiritual Energy, allowing them to become the leading Spirit Magician. Their knowledge was said to surpass the Tower Association.
Zaecuria Kingdom was located in the southeast of the Muivell Kingdom. It was said that this kingdom had water that stretched to the horizon, which was called the ocean or sea. They were more advanced than the rest because they focused on taking advantage of the weird natural resources. That was why a new profession like Alchemist was born.
The one Noel was planning to visit was the Atrecaeca Kingdom. This Kingdom had a different landscape than the rest.
A huge portion of the kingdom was actually covered in sand called desert. Most of the people were situated further south, where the temperature was the lowest and fit for vegetation.
However, some were still living in the middle of the kingdom. It was said that due to the harshest conditions, the people in this kingdom were more robust than the ones in the Muivell Kingdom.
With a lot of exotic animals, they fought together with a beast. This way, they were known for their unusual way and toughness. If the Muivell Kingdom and the Atrecaeca Kingdom ever clashed, no one knew who would be the winner.
And Noel was planning to go to this kingdom to search for the fateful person.
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