"!!!" Everyone was shocked to hear that Noel could fix their water problem. Even Anna didn't expect this and suddenly remembered what made Noel famous in the past.
'That's right. Noel always saved people like a disaster relief while solving the problems. It seems that he's going to magically pull out water or something.' Anna narrowed her eyes, observing Noel.
"You can provide that much water? Do you know how much you need to feed more than four thousand people?" The captain doubted him immediately since the idea alone was insane and no one in their right mind would believe such a thing was possible.
"I do have my way, so shut up. Just talk about the problem here!" Noel sighed. He wanted to finish this problem as soon as possible because he wanted to check something.
However, the Saintess still grabbed both of his hands, stunning everyone.
"Huh?" Anna was dumbstruck because that action would only be taken by those who believed him.
The Saintess' hands were shaking, but her tone was filled with gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you."
"…" Noel felt her anxiety and said, "If we want to distribute the water as quickly as possible, I think we should discuss about the problem first. Don't you agree?"
"Y-yes!" The Saintess nodded her head furiously. This time, she was the one to give the explanation. "Actually… The enemy this time is quite tricky."
She raised her hand and created a translucent shield next to her. However, there was a huge black spot that had contaminated a third of that shield.
"You can think of this shield as my power."
"So, a third of your power has been contaminated or something?" Noel squinted his eyes. Anna also became serious as it turned out the corruption had begun.
"Yes. The demon seems to be an Advanced Level Demon. I'm not sure myself, but according to Knight Romanez, the strongest knight of this Earldom, the demon is a kind of fungus. The fungus seems to be able to affect one's mind. And those demons have been infected by the fungus… We have tried to confirm it and if you try to take a look at those demons, there should be a fungi somewhere in their bodies. It's the proof that they have been controlled."
"So, its power is a kind of parasite that can corrode one's mind."
"Yes. Because it can't attack my mind, it's aiming for…"
"Your power." Noel finally understood the gist of the situation.
"Yes. If it continues, I'm afraid that my power will be demonified and eventually go to my mind."
"So, that's how it is." Noel asked a few more questions. "Alright. I only have three more questions."
"Please ask anything. I'll answer it to the best of my ability."
"How does it affect one's mind?"
"Infected. If you have any wounds where it can enter your body, you'll be affected."
"So, not only that the enemy is an Advanced Level Demon, we have to kill it without getting injured."
"I'm afraid so."
Noel glanced at Anna. "Is that possible?"
"Oi, oi. You're kidding, right? We're not at that level yet. Although if both of us combine our strength, we will be injured even if we manage to kill that demon."
Noel was pondering his plan while the knight captain couldn't believe the absurdity of their discussion. 'Seriously? These two kids can actually kill an Advanced Level Demon? And they're still at Apprentice Knight level? Is this a joke or something?'
While Noel was thinking, Anna gave a suggestion. "We can fight without any injuries as long as…"
Anna was glancing at the Saintess as if she was implying that she would take part of the battle.
"Do you want to use my ability to prevent any injuries?" The Saintess furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, I do have confidence in defensive ability, but my offensive ability isn't reliable. So, all the thing I can do is to block something."
"Yes. That's all. Leave the offense to us." Anna nodded. "What do you think, Noel?"
"That's possible, but…" Noel looked at the Saintess with a worried expression.
"It seems that I can't hide it. I don't have much Spiritual Energy left. And by the time it recovers, I need to use the barrier during the night to let the soldiers rest."
"Anyway, I can see that the town has many people."
"Are you asking them to fight as well?" The Saintess asked while furrowing her eyebrows. "All the men have been forced to become a soldier, you know. There are only women, children, and elderly left."
"So, where are they?" Noel kept pressuring this matter.
"They… they are inside the houses or the temple to hide in case the demons break through."
"Huh?" Noel's eyebrows were twitching, annoyed. "Why are they not helping?"
"But they are…"
"I don't care what is their condition. As long as they can move, they're expected to help! If they can't fight, then they can carry water to the people above or near the wall. They can carry arrow, weapon or rocks. They even can tend the wounded. If they can help, then they should help. We're risking our lives here."
"But…" The Saintess wanted to refute him, but Noel added, "So, are you a male?"
"Ehm, no."
"Then, is she a male?" Noel pointed at Anna.
"No." The Saintess shook her head.
"Then, there's no problem with women. And it seems that this old guy is considering us as children, so I don't want to hear any excuses about children either. As for the elderly, they can tend the wounded. There are even some old people standing on top of the wall, right? You don't have to fight, but you should contribute in a time like this." Noel sighed.
"This…" The Saintess truly had no way to rebuke him because everything made sense.
"I'll provide them with water. And with their help, the soldiers will have an easier time on top of the wall. That's why they should be able to preserve their stamina and keep fighting through the night.
"During that time you should recover your Spiritual Energy so that tomorrow, we can leave the city and fight the Advanced Level Demon. As for today, Anna and I will be locating the Advanced Level Demon.
"No matter how hard it is, tell them to endure it for one day." Noel looked at the Saintess. "And the one who can tell them is the one who has protected them this whole time. It's you, Saintess Layla."
Layla fell silent for a moment. Noel's argument was solid and made sense. Listening to his speech even gave her some determination and energy to finish this problem as soon as possible.
It took her a whole five minutes before she decided.
"I understand. I'll try to convince them."
