The last treasure chest was actually hiding two books.
"These are my swordsmanship and footwork. I have written everything there. I want you to find a talented individual for me and give him/her these two books. I want someone to inherit my swordsmanship."
The two books gradually fell on top of Noel's hands as he was overwhelmed by these two books. This was the Sword Saint's swordsmanship they were talking about. No one would pass the opportunity.
However, he had to find a talented individual, so he had to choose carefully.
"But my eyes for people might not be good…" Noel shook his head helplessly. "I don't want to disappoint you."
"It's fine. I believe you, so you have to believe in yourself." The Sword Saint smiled, assuring Noel. "Will you do it for me?"
"If you don't mind by how long it might take me, then… yes. I'll do my best."
"That's good enough. I have passed everything to you, so I'd like to ask you one last request."
"What is it?"
"Burn my coffin and corpse with Ardagan's Undying Flame. I don't wish my corpses to be studied by anyone else. Can you do that?"
"But shouldn't you be…" Noel was shaken by the request since it was a bit too much for him.
The Sword Saint patted Noel's shoulders. "I have died, so there's no need for me to continue lingering in this world. If my body is not burned down, my soul will continue to stay here, trapped until who knows when. So, please…"
Seeing the Sword Saint's expression made Noel's heart felt heavy. However, he could feel that the Sword Saint had no attachment left in this world. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I understand."
It was a heavy decision, but this was the last respect he could give.
"Thank you." The Sword Saint smiled and sat on top of his own coffin, waiting for Noel.
Noel lowered his head first and said out loud. "Thank you for everything, ancestral uncle."
"Your path will surely be an arduous one, but continue to march forward. You are different from your ancestor, so just pursue your own path. However, this is one last piece of advice from me… Never waver and see it through, no matter how painful your path is!"
Noel kept lowering his head as he released his Undying Fire, starting to burn the coffin as well as the corpse inside.
The Sword Saint's body became even transparent as it was truly the time for him to leave this world.
There wasn't any trace of sadness in his heart.
He looked up and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking in his head. 'I have lived my life to the fullest. I have lived by the sword and contributed to the building of an era. I met a best friend that I could rely on everything, I had a sister who made me feel home, and in my final days, I was even able to meet trustworthy sprouts of the next era, the boy who inherited Ardagan's system and the girl who was a reincarnated person, I can't walk in the future they will shape, but I'll watch over them from up there. With this, I have no regrets left.
'At last, I go to where my brother and sister await.' The Sword Saint opened his eyes as the image of his best friend and his sister flashing before his eyes, showing how much he missed them. He smiled. 'Sorry for making you two wait for so long.'
Noel gritted his teeth and declared out loud. "I see the ancestral uncle off!"
Noel shed some tears. Even though this meeting was brief, the Sword Saint truly gave a big impact to his life.
It took a few seconds for the fire to burn everything down. Noel knew that he had to move on. After giving another bow to where the coffin originally was, Noel finally straightened his back and took a deep breath to calm his heart.
After that, he walked to the items he put down earlier. He stored the books, the rings, and the pills in his bag before checking the room once again, making sure he didn't leave anything. Only then did he start going back.
It took Noel a while to reach the exit, so he used all that time to make sure there was no trace of him shedding some tears. He didn't want to appear weak in front of Anna, but then again, he was slightly embarrassed for crying because of the illusion. Anna even saw him like that.
'Still, I have promised that I'll investigate my family's mansion with Anna. As the ancestral uncle said, Anna isn't supposed to be in the equation, yet, she becomes the center of attention. This means someone puts her into that position for something.
'And that person might be my father. Does that mean he wants Anna to lead me to where he is? But even Anna doesn't know anything about the mastermind, so I highly doubt she's qualified. No wait, Anna still has her father, Marquis Stargaze.
'If Marquis Stargaze is actually an ally, Anna might be the key for me to meet the marquis. But I don't know whether Marquis Stargaze will play dumb or not, considering I have no information or any cheap to make him say everything truthfully. Maybe I can make Anna my hostage? Then again, I need enough power to do that. Even if Anna acted together with me, he wouldn't believe if my power was lower than her.
'Either way, it seems that Anna is an important piece in this entire scheme. And the clue is somewhere in my mansion. No, maybe there is indeed a hidden room in that place. At least, I know what to do to go forward. My next destination has been set.' Noel's expression became serious as he steeled his resolve to infiltrate his family mansion.
"…" Noel squinted his eyes because he didn't realize he had reached the exit as the blinding sunlight made his eyes feel burning. He glanced to the side and saw Anna waving her hand.
