"Then, I'll excuse myself." After receiving the information from Septa, Noel nodded and immediately excused himself. He felt scared of this guy, who seemed to know everything.
Anna also followed him while thinking about this Septa. His power was truly beyond her imagination.
Looking at them, Septa glanced to Shale and asked, "Are they truly Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze?"
"What's wrong with you? Yes, they are."
"This is weird. According to the information, Anna Stargaze was the cause for his family execution, but I didn't see any hatred from Anna. And Noel seemed to believe Anna to be the cause. That hatred hidden underneath his heart… I can't imagine how he hides that." Septa squinted his eyes.
"Are you investigating them?"
"Not really, but it's kinda weird." Septa shrugged.
"You haven't been born at that time, so I guess you don't know the past relationship between Marquis Stargaze and Count Ardagan. I heard they were best friends."
"Then, the execution was a betrayal from Marquis Stargaze?"
"I don't know. There might be something deeper in it. But that's not a place I can stick my nose into. You should focus on the matter at hands as well."
"Yes, I know. Still, it's such a shame. Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze. With their current situation, it seems like they won't stop until one of them is dead. Both of them are quite talented… In fact, more talented than me. I bet both of them can easily become a captain class before 20 years old."
"I can kinda see their potential, but I'll just let the youngsters to handle their own problems." Shale shrugged. "For now, what do you truly think about those three cases?"
"Noel's suggestion is correct. After checking the memory in my mind, the markings seems to resemble Spirit Enchantment, so I'll bring a Master Blacksmith for the investigation. As for the Supreme Devil Organization, it's a hassle since there seems to be someone hiding among us."
"Among us? Among captains?"
"Yeah. That's itself a problem. You can suspect me, I can suspect you or anyone else. That's why this one will be a difficult problem. Last but not least, the Supreme Devil Organization is targeting us with the third problem. If they cause bandits emergence with demons from all directions, what do you think will happen?"
"We have to mobilize all our troops, leaving the fort defenseless. So, that's how it is…" Shale nodded. "It seems that their target is to destroy us as the beacon of this kingdom. We have been protecting the kingdoms from most demons, so if we're destroyed, there's a chance the kingdom will collapse."
"That's not all, Shale. Do you truly understand why I'm so fixated on Noel Ardagan?"
"Hmm?" Shale was confused for a moment before noticing the connection between them. "Are you suspecting…"
"No. I'm not suspecting Noel to be backed by the Supreme Devil Organization. But Noel, who has a grudge against the Royal Family and Marquis Ardagan, will surely become a great pawn for them. Now they know the existence of Noel and his talent, I'm afraid they're going to approach him soon."
"!!!" Shale widened his eyes in shock, but that expression soon turned grim, knowing the severeness of this matter. "What are you planning to do?"
"That's for me to know. As I said earlier, everyone can be the suspect. If I can't do anything, it means I'm the suspect. If I tell you and the information leaks, you're the suspect. If I report to the commander and the enemy knows what to do with me, the commander is the suspect. For now, I can't say anything to others about my plan." He shook his head.
"Are you joking with me? Captains like us aside, you're suspecting the commander?"
"That's why I don't want to talk to you about my plans. For me, everyone is suspicious no matter who they are. I even found a record that the Supreme Devil Organization had made a contact with the Royal Family."
"What? Even the Royal Family? Do they know how will it implicate them? The Supreme Devil Organization is not the enemy of our kingdom, but the enemy of the world."
"Yeah, yeah. That's all I can tell you. For now, I'm going to put my all in investigation."
"Alright. I understand." Shale nodded. "By the way, what's the deal with the kids? You're going to be their teacher?"
"I found out about those kids yesterday. They were quite an interesting bunch. Their sword style was actually a dance. Can you imagine dancing with a sword?"
"Dancing with a sword?" Shale raised his eyebrows. "You serious?"
"It's shocking, right? Their movements are a bit too big, but I'm going to fix some of their moves. It's their job to perfect their own dance. If they truly succeed, you might see a beautiful but deadly dance."
"Well, that might be worth seeing." Shale nodded. "Anyway, you should go back soon. I have to continue teaching the kids."
"Hehe, alright, Instructor." Septa smirked.
"Shut up. Someone will do it next year."
"Yeah. The gorilla will be the one teaching next year applications."
"Gorilla? You serious? Now, I'm starting to feel bad for next year's kids." Shale chuckled.
Septa shrugged and started walking away.
…
Meanwhile, Anna couldn't help but tease Noel after hearing that information. She smirked and asked, "So, you were there, Noel! I don't see your figure anywhere. The only Apprentice Knight I saw there was someone with a mask, who was never a part of our generation. Don't you think it's suspicious? It's suspicious, right?"
"I was there though, but not directly in the plaza. I watched it from somewhere," said Noel with a poker face.
"Really?" Anna chuckled. "Well, we'll leave at that. So, who is the woman with you?"
"What's wrong with your questions? Are you suspecting me to be someone else?"
"Hehe…" Anna smiled playfully. "What if I am?"
"That's ridiculous. And you even act like a wife catching her husband's adultery." Noel shook his head in disappointment. Whenever he used the wife and husband card, Anna would always back down and stop talking.
But surprisingly, this time, she continued, "Then, should I punish the husband by not cooking for him for a whole month."
"I don't care." Noel shrugged and walked away. "That's all. We're going to meet at the ancient ruin two months from now."
"…" Anna was speechless because Noel was weak against this type of attack. She thought he would react embarrassed like the time they met in the plain where he went to another route just to hide his embarrassment. But she suddenly noticed something. "So, that's how it is. It seems Noel has some relationship with that girl… Am I just the third wheel here?"
"…"
