The next day.
Zion, Stella, and Rose immediately headed straight to the lake to do their job. The rest were taking their time around the city while Noel and Anna had decided to go around together.
"To think that you manipulated the conversation like yesterday." Anna smirked.
"Mhm…" Noel nodded, remembering what Paul said before. He kind of felt bad since if what Paul said was true, he didn't have to resort to manipulation. "Either way, there is something that I want to hear from the people around here."
"What is it?" Anna's expression became serious, wondering what kind of information he had received.
Noel thought for a moment before smiling back, "Just follow me around."
"Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue. Though, she kept following him to see what was going on.
Noel walked around the town and found a stall of fruits. He came to this stall without hesitation. His expression was filled with a smile as if he was enjoying the town. "The fruits look good."
"Oh my. You have great eyes. We picked this not long ago, so they're still fresh." The woman chuckled, flattered. She also noticed Anna who was next to him.
The moment Noel said, "How much for a bag?" the woman grabbed the bag while saying, "It's 5 copper. You don't seem to be someone from around here. Do you come to this place recently?"
"Yes. We're just sightseeing around here." Noel chuckled while raising one finger to tell her he wanted one bag.
"Oh, do you like this place?"
"Yes. I love the sight when I arrived here. The valley was truly beautiful."
"Is that so? It would be even more beautiful if not being harassed by the demons. Recently, there were a lot of demons attacking this place."
"What? Isn't that dangerous? Aren't you going to leave this place?" Noel asked with a shocked expression.
"No way. What can a woman like me do to leave this place? This place is a blessing for a woman like me since I can take care of the farm and sell it like this. Besides, this place has the esteemed Water Lord that takes care of us, so we love this place."
"Oh! From the looks of it, the Water Lord really takes care of his people here. I haven't even found any slums in this city unlike other towns."
"It's because the Water Lord takes care of us well. In fact, a third of the people who live here are former slaves. He bought us and released us, granting us protection. I heard there was someone who got in trouble with the Water Lord when creating trouble for us. So, this place is a blessing for all of us."
"Is that so? The Water Lord seems to be a genuinely good guy."
"Of course! I'd rather help the fight against those demons and remain in this place instead of searching for another home." The woman nodded with a proud smile.
"This seems to be a truly wonderful place. I'd certainly love to visit this place again when it has become stable."
"Yes, you should do it." The woman agreed without hesitation. "Since you're traveling with your girlfriend, then let me give you a bit of service here."
The woman put in two more apples before giving the bag.
"Thank you so much. Are you sure about this?"
"Of course. Please take it." The woman chuckled.
"Thanks." Noel nodded and gave her five copper coins. He then held Anna's hand and gently dragged her away.
Anna didn't understand what he was doing this whole time.
"What are you doing?" Anna's eyes were glued to the hand held by Noel. She never thought Noel would be this bold. He didn't even correct her when she called her his girlfriend.
"You haven't noticed what I want to do?" Noel widened his eyes in amusement. "Well, I'll tell you about it, but for now, just act like this until we reach the next block."
"Mhm…" Anna nodded while furrowing her eyebrows. Of course, her gaze hadn't moved even an inch. She wondered why Noel acted like this and she also felt a bit frustrated for being the only one flustered about this.
As soon as they took a turn, Noel slowed down his pace while extending the bag, asking her to take some to eat. He also had let go of her hand so that she could grab one.
"…" Anna grabbed one without saying a single thing.
Noel, on the other hand, began to explain his action. "When you are a merchant that wants to open a branch in a city, you usually go around the town first and even spend some money to understand the town's situation.
"The commoners might feel pressured if they know we're nobles, so it's better to talk casually with them. There's no need for manners or whatever we've learned as noble. This way, the commoners will feel safe and casual.
"That's where we begin to strike up a conversation with them. Just praise the city and the lord for seeing their reaction. If they're looking repulsive or their answer seems a bit stretched, we know that the lord is not praiseworthy. And if they're looking proud like that, we know that this city is in good hands.
"Of course, one person is not enough. We're going to spend the whole day talking to people in all directions to listen to their stories. This way, we'll be able to hear unbiased opinions. I hope that your stomach doesn't give up anytime soon. We'll be having a lot of food after this." Noel smirked.
"Well… I don't really mind since all the fat will be gone after some training. But I still don't understand why do we have to do this…"
"It's simple. I want to check the Water Lord's character. If he's trustworthy, it means he isn't related to the current enemy. If there are a few bad rumors, we have to be suspicious of him and the plan might change. That's why."
"Oh…" Anna nodded in understanding. She truly learned a lot the longer she was with Noel. It was very different from what she had learned from her teacher.
She couldn't help but hear her voice when remembering her. The voice gave a shiver in her mind.
'You're a noble. Commoners will always be beneath you, their lives are in your hand. If you don't like them, you just have to kill them.'
Anna's breath became heavy all of a sudden when she hallucinated blood on her hands, the blood of the commoners she had just killed.
'That's right. This is the pleasure of a ruler. They're not humans, they're just tools for you to use.'
"Anna?" Noel's voice suddenly entered her ears.
Her body jolted and her head looked up. She realized she had stopped walking.
"What's wrong with you?"
Anna made an awkward smile and said, "Nothing. I just remembered something bad, but that's not important right now. Let's go around the city. I'm curious how you talk with others…"
