"Do you think I don't know your plan? You're planning to use the demons and me to go to the Blood Berserker so that I will die because of him. Is that how you're planning to kill me, Noel? It seems you haven't learned anything."
Anna shouted out loud so that everyone could hear it, especially Rose who was following them.
They had put a lot of distance before doing this, so they had some time.
But for Rose, this was an absolutely heart-breaking scene.
In that instant, her heart dropped and her face became pale. Anna and Noel looked like a cute couple when they were doing things together. That was why the thought of them fighting each other, like the rumor, had disappeared from her mind.
She never thought that the rumor was true. These two were just hiding it this whole time.
"Anna Stargaze! What have you done?!" Rose shouted in anger. She wanted to reach them, but the distance was too far. At the same time, the demons were alarmed as they chose to attack her instead of them. "Kh!"
Rose had a hard time fending off these demons. Although she was a Spirit Master, her fighting ability wasn't that high. She couldn't obliterate all these Low Level Demons in an instant.
And the duo had reached the end of their performance.
Noel's face became pale, but a smile soon appeared as if he didn't mind all this.
Anna was also hurt by doing this alone. She couldn't help but remember what Noel had told her earlier.
"Anna, I want you to stab me with your sword to make it more believable. Rose will surely watch us, so this is the perfect time to do it."
"Stab you with a sword? Isn't the plan just throwing you off the cliff?"
"It's not enough. Even if you push me off a cliff, it won't kill me. It will be a different case if you weaken me to the point I can't do anything."
"But stabbing you with my sword…"
"Please." Noel looked at her with pleading eyes. This might be the last thing he asked before they went their separate ways.
"…" Anna ultimately agreed to this plan. Noel believed in her skill in avoiding the vital, so the wound was treatable, considering Dimitri would be there for him.
And Noel gave her the line to speak to fool Rose.
Anna gritted her teeth, remembering their conversation. She thought about rewinding the time again, not choosing this path because her hands felt heavy and her breath became rough. She just wanted to throw up after stabbing the person she respected the most.
'It was said you wouldn't realize your feelings until you lose it… And I think I understand that feeling right now…' Anna muttered inwardly. She wanted to cry, but if she didn't act here, Rose wouldn't believe everything. So, she could only give Noel a cold gaze.
On the other hand, Noel was free to express himself. He smiled at her and weakly raised his hand, touching her cheek gently. He said everything she wanted to say. "My father told me I won't realize my feelings until I lose them. I think I remember that feeling once again. I once lost my parents and realized how I should have treasured them before it was too late.
"And now, our fate, once intertwined, has now become loose and gone separate ways. I had come to realize that when I was with you, I felt assured. I could give all kinds of plans for our success because I knew you were there."
Noel glanced to the side. Although Rose had stalled the demons for a moment, some of the demons had turned back to them.
Hence, Noel said his last words. "Anna… If there's a second chance, I hope that we can meet again, not get entangled in all kinds of schemes… Just you and me… together."
Noel moved back, pulling out the sword himself as he weakly fell off the cliff. He had said everything he wanted.
The memories of them together resurfaced in his mind. At first, Anna was a truly hateful person. He only wanted to kill her.
That was actually the truth. Anna was indeed a terrible person if she didn't have a memory of her past life.
However, Noel had seen her change in the one year they were together. And he came to realize that he enjoyed Anna's company. She was reliable, strong, and a bit childish but mature at the same time.
A bad person wouldn't always be a bad person. And it took a strong heart to change it. People would have given up on their rationality and believed Anna should die because of their weak hearts and temper. But Noel was different.
At this last moment, he couldn't help but remember what his father had once said.
"Listen, Noel. It's easy for us to wish for people to die. But it won't solve the problem. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… If the world is filled with bloody revenge, then that will be the time for the world to collapse. He killed my father, so I killed both of his parents. He killed my entire family, so I have to kill all the people related to her… The blood will continue to flow like that of a river. And when you reach the end, the cost is your everything… your family, your wealth, your people, your emotions, your body, your everything."
"But if I forgive them, he will think I'm weak and kill more people. What should I do, Father?" The young Noel asked.
Luke smiled and gave him one more message. "Being a good person does not mean you have to put up with other people's wickedness. But… a strong person knows the solution. If you're in that position, what will you do to solve the hatred?"
Noel closed his eyes, smiling.
'It seems my father has been preparing for me this whole time… As expected, I truly want to see you next time…' Noel looked at Anna with a longing face. '…but this time, there's nothing behind us. My father's scheme, the Ardagan Family, the Stargaze Family… It's just you and me, Noel and Anna. See you… Anna.'
Noel expressed all his emotion in his last smile. No matter how dense Anna was, there was no way she couldn't understand that expression. She clenched her fists until the nails pierced her palms.
There was nothing they could do. This was their path.
Noel wanted to apologize to Anna for making her do something like this. But he also had to apologize to one more person.
Before he fell, Noel glanced at Rose with a small, weak smile, saying, "I'm sorry."
Rose was horrified as she called his name desperately, hoping everything was just a dream.
"NOEL!"
