"I'm coming in." Noel knocked on Anna's door before entering her room. He carefully entered the room and asked, "How is my voice from outside?"
"It's quite loud."
"So, don't talk too loud here." Noel nodded and brought the chair next to the bed.
With Noel sitting in front of her, Anna lowered her voice and said, "Do you see the situation outside?"
"Yeah. It's pretty horrible."
"Most of them might be old, but some were certainly new, like within a week. Also, the inn is so expensive. I could stay for a week or even two in an inn with this quality elsewhere."
"They're simply taking advantage of their position and since it comes with a risk, so I can understand the price." Noel could understand the price because his family was a merchant family, but the other topic also concerned him a bit. "Anyway, let's not talk about the price."
"Well, I don't know much about it. I actually want to listen to your opinion."
Noel thought for a moment and told her the truth. "Personally, I believe that the guard is trying to warn us. It's clear that there is some kind of problem around here. Is it related to the liquid?"
"That's a possibility as well, considering this liquid also works for demons… But I'm not very sure because the entrance should be sealed."
"Sealed, huh. But what kind of problem will they face in this area? It's true that the demons are rather active around here. The missions we completed during our trip to this place signified an unusual movement from the demons."
"Yeah. I wonder what's happening right now. Should we report this to the Demon Banner Army?"
"I'm pretty sure someone has asked for help. But the problem is we're not here on a mission. Basically, we don't have any reason to help them."
"…" Anna frowned immediately, looking at Noel as if he had just said something unbelievable.
The usual Noel would have helped them after some inquiries, so it was surprising to see him rejecting this problem.
Noticing Anna's expression, Noel's eyebrows twitched. "What?"
"You don't want to help them?"
"No. This is a risk of living here. They're well aware that they're going to face danger if they stay here because of the distance to the border. But the fact they continue to stay here is due to them wanting more money since this place is filled with opportunity."
"…" Anna fell silent for a moment before realizing Noel ended his sentence with a gaze. He was continuously staring at her as if telling her something. Anna gasped and said, "Don't tell me… We are ones of the opportunity?"
"Yes." Noel nodded with a calm expression.
"Are you telling me they're going to poison us and kidnap us?"
"No, no. It's already too much for them. However, we're here bringing a few things, right?"
"Ah! They're going to take our belongings if we die?"
"Yes." Noel confirmed it. "Demons eat us, but not our belongings. There should be people who are waiting for us to die and steal our belongings from their mouth. That's why I don't want to do it."
"I see. I can understand that. After all, they're stealing from us."
"No, they're stealing from corpses. How we become a corpse is not their business. And if we leave any belongings here, it'll become theirs right after. For now, they're afraid of making any move to us because we're from the Demon Banner Army, but if we are not…"
"They're going to send us to our death?"
"Yeah. One way or another. It's simple to create a fake story for the visitors to investigate. Other than fighters like us, who are insane enough to visit the border?"
"That's true. Then, what should we do?"
"It's simple. Let's go tomorrow. I should be able to absorb all the Demon Crystals before midnight, so we'll leave at dawn. Don't give them any information even if it's just a casual talk."
"Understood."
"Also, there's one more thing you need to know…"
"What is it?"
"Don't show any weakness." Noel looked at her with a serious expression as if this was the most important matter.
"What do you…Ah!" Anna nodded in understanding. "Alright. I'll follow your advice. Still, to think you're already this experienced in dealing with these people. I thought you were lazying around this whole time?"
"I'm never a good person." Noel shook his head. He often tricked his own father, so he could get an alone time after all. That was why he was adept in this.
The Ardagan father and son had been trying to trick each other. The former wanted his son to work hard while the latter wanted to skip everything and relax. That was what trained Noel's mind.
"Anyway, that's all. I'm going to be busy absorbing the crystals, so if you don't have any business outside, it's better to stay in your room." Noel rose from his seat while giving his last advice.
"Alright. I'll listen to your words. So, we're going to meet again to have dinner?"
Noel thought for a moment and nodded. "Sure. Just call me if I don't remember."
"Got it." Anna suddenly smirked, trying to tease him before he left. "Since I'm in danger, how about I sleep in your room? This way, we can protect each other."
"No way. This is not my mansion, so the bed is small. If you're going to sleep there too, it'll be too cramped. So, no!"
"…" Anna was speechless because Noel was leaving after brutally rejecting her. However, she also noticed two things from their conversation.
The first one was the fact Noel never considered about letting her sleep on the floor. Though, he also didn't want to sleep there since it was his right. Either way, it was a part of his consideration of her.
As for the second one, Anna couldn't help but smile slyly, muttering inwardly, "From the looks of it, it seems that Noel hasn't prepared anything for the Body Strengthening Liquid… Hehe, you're going to be surprised of what you'll find later. And we'll see who's chickening later."
