"Heh, it seems that someone finally knows how to come back." Stella smirked. Even though her words were sharp, her tone was that of teasing.
"Ahaha…" Noel rubbed his cheek embarrassedly. It wasn't that he forgot about them. He simply had a lot of things to do in order to protect himself.
"We've heard about it. It seems that you are going to become an Earl." Ben waved his hands. After talking to Rose, he had grown used to this problem. At the same time, their bond with Rose was far longer than Noel's, so Noel leaving might be sad, but it wasn't unbearable.
"Yes. I believe everything has been set up perfectly, so I should receive that title."
"Isn't it amazing? A captain usually only gets the Count Position. But you get one rank higher…" Zion nodded in approval.
"Well, we might not be able to talk to you casually anymore." Stella looked sad even though she just loved to tease him.
"You don't have to be formal with me." Noel chuckled. "Though, this might be the last time I can see all of you like this."
Paul patted Noel's shoulder. "We're aware of your situation, and your life as an Earl would become even more dangerous, so please be careful. We'll be fine over here."
"Thank you. Sorry that I didn't talk to you about my plan. I couldn't afford to have a lot of people know about this plan, or the Royal Family would notice and prepare another plan against it."
"It's fine. Just take care of Rose for us."
"Of course."
Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of things to talk about. There were some parting words, but they felt it wasn't really a parting.
Noel had even emphasized that he might need their strength sooner or later. So, they would meet each other from time to time.
Rose had explained everything to them, so the squad fully understood Noel's situation and plan.
"Still, I'm quite curious about what happened to you in this one year. It seems that you have become a Spirit Grandmaster." Paul looked at Noel up and down, examining his strength.
"Yeah. I became one not long ago." Noel nodded with a serious expression. "I can finally understand why the Spirit Grandmaster becomes the biggest transition stage."
They knew that Noel could defeat Peak Level Demons easily when he was a Spirit Master. So, there was no doubt that Noel could challenge a Superior Demon once he reached this stage.
That was why Stella couldn't help but say playfully, "That's right. Paul wants to hit you once before you become a noble."
"Wha—" Paul was startled and hurriedly explained, "What are you saying? I was just—"
"I understand." Stella stopped Paul with a few nods as though she knew what he wanted to say.
Noel chuckled. "Hahaha."
"By the way, I'm quite curious about what happened… What kind of struggles have you gone through this whole year?" Rose asked. As his vassal, she was curious about his experience, thinking this would allow her to understand her lord better.
"I don't have a lot of time, but I think I can briefly tell you about my story. If you don't mind, that is…" Noel calculated the time and agreed with Rose.
Surprisingly, Stella swiftly retreated and picked up a chair for Noel, saying, "Here you go."
"…" Noel was speechless, but the others only laughed it out.
Ultimately, he told them about how he ventured deep into the Demon Territory. It was a thrilling experience where one wrong move would spell his doom.
At the same time, they were surprised to know that Anna was there with him alongside the Greenwood Kingdom. It was a combination no one had expected.
However, when Noel showed them what he had learned from Old Ru, they were stunned.
On the one hand, Noel wanted to show them about the Rune Body and even drew it on their bodies. On the other hand, the time wasn't appropriate. It would be better for his students to do it since it would increase their experience and knowledge about runes.
After Old Ru, Noel began recounting the experience in the Atracaeca Kingdom. They were surprised that Noel was chased by two Devil Saints and felt sorry that they couldn't be with him at that time.
More importantly, they were annoyed when the second prince extorted Noel just for the sake of simple cooperation.
Unfortunately, Noel couldn't really tell them about what could lead him to become an earl or how he chose his territory. After all, the Royal Family might realize his intention and change their approach in order to ruin him.
After talking for more than three hours, Noel finally bid goodbye to the rest of the team. This time, he was accompanied by Rose as they were about to head to the capital.
Clara, Paul, and the rest of the zero squad stood in front of the gate, watching them disappear into the horizon.
…
Capital City.
Not long after a celebration of the birth of the strongest and youngest Arbiter in the Muivell Kingdom's history, the city was shaken once again by the inauguration of Noel Ardagan.
They had released the information about the youngest and strongest Captain whose achievement was beyond that of Anna's Stargaze.
Anna might become the youngest Spirit Grandmaster and have that undeniable strength. However, Noel wasn't losing. He might be late by a few months, but his speed wasn't that far from Anna. More importantly, Noel had two spirits, unlike Anna. In addition, Noel was known to be a lazy person who never trained his body before getting exiled to the Demon Banner Army.
It could be said that in terms of speed, it was a draw.
Of course, they had never seen Noel fight personally. Meanwhile, they had witnessed Anna's undeniable strength and defeated an Arbiter that had reigned for a few decades.
Unexpectedly, they were shocked when they heard Noel's achievement. As the founder of Rune System as well as killing a Devil Saint, no one could say anything that he was given the noble title.
And the most ridiculous thing they heard was that Noel was given the Earl Title, surpassing his father in one go. Because of his personal history, it was clear that Noel had surpassed his father.
Still, there was a doubt in their mind. Luke Ardagan was known to be the wealthiest and kindest person who donated a lot of his wealth to the people while remaining the richest. On the other hand, Noel reached this position with his strength. There were some rumors stating that Noel had the potential to become a tyrant.
Despite Kevin's efforts to release some good rumors about Noel's deeds and achievements, he couldn't defeat the Royal Family. They spread the rumors about Noel's strength, causing their decision to look right in the people's eyes.
There was a chance that Noel would become a tyrant and cause instability in the kingdom. Hence, the Royal Family rewarded him or, more like, exiled him to the border where he would be targeted by them, the demons, and the Supreme Devil Organization.
The royal family had given their stance, stopping Noel Ardagan from growing.
The other nobles didn't know what they should do. They wanted to meet this incredible young man, but they were aware that their action might cause the Royal Family to eliminate them as well.
Still, for normal people, what they cared about was the fact that Noel was going to become an Earl as well as his achievement.
They fully understood how Noel could become a noble.
There was another festival created to greet Noel. They couldn't help but wonder how the lazy person changed into a god-like figure in common people's eyes.
They didn't realize that Noel had entered the capital without anyone knowing. Just like any other person, he entered without flaunting his status.
No one would realize it was him even without a disguise.
After a long journey, Noel could finally step inside the capital city without disguise.
Kevin offered him a place to stay, but because of Anna's situation, Noel had decided to stay independent to avoid revealing their plan.
Rose was the one handling everything like his clothes and appearance, so that no one could look down on him.
Unfortunately, due to his plan, the Demon Hunting Squad couldn't accompany him since the only thing they would attract from people was ridicule.
…
Thirty days after the announcement, it was time for Noel to make his entrance.
"You look good." Rose smiled, appreciating the young man before her. She gave a thumbs up while continuing, "You'll definitely stun everyone. Go out there and show that you are the head of the new Ardagan Family."
Noel smiled. "I know that I'm still lacking as a lord, but thank you for accompanying me this far, Rose."
"Hahaha. I, too, don't have any experience in governing a city. So, we're the same." Rose politely bowed his head. "I hope the fortune blesses you with its presence, my lord."
With a determined face, Noel replied, "Yeah. I'm going."
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