Fortunately, the wait didn't take too long.
Noel and Anna returned five days upon their arrival.
"That's how it is. The Advanced Level Demon has been taken care of and the city is now safe." Noel finished his explanation with a calm nod, assuring him that everything was fine. He also brought back the letter from Earl Hawkins.
Of course, he sang praises for Anna, which was quite a huge shock for Shale.
Normally, the one who would be praised was none other than Noel since Noel's action and conducts made them happy. So, Anna shouldn't be the one to be praised. It wasn't because she wasn't worth the praises, but Noel was simply that good.
'Hmm. Why is the earl praising Anna? Noel should be the one dealing with the whole problem if we're talking about this pair. I guess the name of Noel Ardagan is a bit too big for a city. They're more educated compared to the villagers, so I guess there are many people who don't think highly about Noel. That's probably the reason why the earl is praising Anna. Well, it's not my problem.'
Shale nodded in understanding. "I have confirmed the completion of this mission. The points will be transferred to you tomorrow. And with this, you have completed half of the requirement. Two Individual Missions and Three Group Missions…
"With this pace, I believe you will be able to finish the requirement in the next five months. You might even set up a record. Do you plan to graduate early?"
"Graduation?" Anna raised her eyebrows. "What are we doing after the graduation and what's the benefit?"
"Graduation is simply recognizing you as a full-fledged knight of the Demon Banner Army. With this, you can get the benefits of being our knight. As you know, our reputation is quite huge.
"When you show yourself as a full-fledged knight of the Demon Banner Army who is in a mission, the city you pass will have to give you the best accommodation they can offer.
"In return, you have to complete the mission as soon as possible because the city will be able to observe you to know whether you're doing your job properly or abusing your privilege.
"Other benefits comes in the form of horses. You can request to the lord of the city to provide you with a horse in order to travel. Of course, you have to return it later through our partner, the Londwell Mailing Service. The charge will be handled by the Demon Banner Army.
"Of course, a full-fledged knight has more duties than an apprentice knight. For example, the army can station you somewhere. As you know, we're fighting against the demons all around the kingdoms, so we have to send you on a mission personally.
"If you're able to get some achievements, you can be promoted later on. And the benefits will be far above the full-fledged knight. I mean, a full-fledged knight is like an elite knight that nobles can have. Someone above it is beyond what you can think. Of course, you can't simply leave the army that easily. You have to complete some missions if you plan to leave the army so that we won't suffer much.
"The missions itself aren't that hard. The people who usually leave the army are those who don't have courage to pursue the path further, basically cowards. But even with them filling those quotas, the completion rate is around seventy percent."
After listening to Shale's explanation, becoming a full-fledged knight sounded good. And if they could become a captain or even higher, the benefits would be beyond their imagination.
"What's about you, Sir Shale?" Noel couldn't help but ask.
"You don't know who he is?" Anna widened her eyes in shock. This was a common knowledge for nobles, so it was quite surprising that Noel didn't know him. But she also remembered that Noel was ignorant at the start, so it calmed her heart a bit.
"You know who he is?" Noel tilted his head in confusion. "Sorry for being ignorant, alright?"
"Demon Extermination Squad, one of the five elites squad of the Demon Banner Army. It's said that this squad can take down numerous demons by themselves. There was once a man who challenged a thousand demons. He killed all of them by himself. At the orange sky and a river of blood, the man stood on top of the mountain of corpses… He is latter known as the Demon Exterminator Shale, one of the top fighters in the Demon Banner Army." Anna explained with a sigh.
"That was just the past. I'm nothing but your instructor right now, so chill." Shale shrugged. "By the way, Noel, lend me your ears."
Noel thought Shale was going to punish him from lacking of common knowledge, but Shale actually passed the message Rick told him.
After that, he said, "That's all. Since I've received the proof of completion and explained all that stuff, you can leave."
"You're not going to tell us the benefits for becoming someone at your level?" Noel asked.
"Are you planning to become someone like me? I think you have another path in front of you, right?" Shale smirked.
The benefits itself was obvious to Noel. After listening to the explanation, when someone reached Shale's level, even Noble wouldn't dare to treat him badly. Lower class nobles like Baron or Count even had to meet them personally if they visited. They might not be a noble themselves, but if they actually left the army, the nobles would be flocking them to have them marry their sons or daughters.
Still, Noel had a different path than Shale. He didn't plan to become on a simple knight. He wanted to rebuild his Ardagan Family. And for that reason, he would need to leave the army after racking up some achievements.
Noel then sighed and politely nodded to him. "I understand. Thank you for the explanation. I'll be returning to my room."
"En." Shale nodded.
Of course, Noel had to return to his room since he had to pick up a masquerade to meet the siblings.
