"NOEL!"
Rose, who didn't know anything, screamed his name, albeit nothing had changed. She couldn't do anything because she was stopped by so many demons.
This might be the first time she would lament how she didn't have an overwhelming strength like the others.
"Anna Stargaze! What have you done?!" Rose glared at Anna, who was standing still, watching Noel fall.
She also didn't want to do this, but the only way to convince Rose this wasn't a scheme was when they went this far.
Anna felt like she wanted to cry. Her heart was wrenched in pain. Without her memory of her past life, this might be the happiest thing she had done. But after the reincarnation and the things they went through in the past year, it was the exact opposite of happiness.
However, if she broke her character here, everything Noel had done would go to waste. So, Anna bit her lips before glaring coldly at Rose. "I know. And this is necessary. Although our meeting was brief, I did enjoy your company. There is no need to see me off."
Without hesitation, Anna turned around and ran away, not caring about what Rose was going to do next. She had planned her escape route since she had no intention of returning to this group.
She kept running until her feet felt hurt. It was already winter, so it was harsh even for Anna.
Even so, she didn't stop until she reached a safe distance where she couldn't be tracked anymore.
After that, she dropped to her knees as her feet went limp. She could continue running for a few more hours, but the acting took a toll on her mind, heart, and body.
"Ha…"
"Ha…"
She panted a few times, breathing out the cold-wrenching air. She hugged herself and screamed. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"
'This is for the best.' Anna clenched her fists. 'If I didn't 'kill' Noel, his life would be in danger because the Royal Family might send an expert to assassinate him soon. But why… why does my heart feel so much pain?
'In the past year, I experienced a lot of things with him. He had been my greatest ally, covering all of my mistakes. Even with this, we would still meet again next time. I was once separated from him for months, but I never felt this… So, why?'
Anna gritted her teeth. This was the first time she had experienced this pain. Even in her past life, she never had gone through something like this.
'Is this the pain of losing someone you care about?' Anna looked at the sky, noticing the small white balls falling to the ground. It had started snowing as if the cloud was showing its sympathy. It was crying.
'I knew Noel for almost a year. There was a connection between us, but it couldn't be compared to his relationship with his parents. If I had to endure this kind of pain just with this, how much did he endure in the past?' Anna bit her lips.
She didn't realize she had been treating herself as someone closer than a friend or a comrade to Noel. But because she had no experience with it, she thought of him only as her comrade.
'Noel's feeling… My inability to create a better plan than Noel, my relationship with the Spirit, my bloodlust… There are so many things that I have to fix. It seems that despite getting reincarnated, I haven't fixed anything. I have been too ignorant this whole time…
'Just like the Thunder Berserker Spirit said, it's always been about me. I don't know about others… No, it's more like I don't want to know about them…'
Anna placed her hand on her chest. "This pain is the reminder of my weakness. I don't have to experience this kind of pain if I'm strong enough to protect everything. I didn't need to kill Noel if I could protect him…
"That's why this pain will become my witness. O' God of all Spirits, I hereby swear that I'll create a world full of happiness. This time, it's not just about my happiness… But also the people around me. If people kill me because I'm too strong, then I shall get even stronger so that they won't be able to think about it. If people try to kill the ones around me, I shall etch my name into history, so I can protect the people I care about with my name alone.
"This time, I, Anna Stargaze, shall make everything right!"
Anna took a deep breath. After letting out all of her emotions, she felt a bit more refreshed. There was a newfound determination in her heart.
Suddenly, there was a familiar voice ringing in her ears. "The fact you have no flaw is a flaw itself. And no human is perfect, so everyone, including you and me, will have a flaw in ourselves. That's why we come together… It's so that we can cover each other's weaknesses."
Anna couldn't help but smile as she stood up and began to walk.
"That's right. I have my flaws. However, Noel is there for me, covering my flaws. That's why this time, I shall be a person he can rely on, I shall be the person my spirit can trust, I shall be the person to solve their problems… because I know Noel will cover me up, my spirit will help me back, and the connection with the people will become a treasure one day. I shall become a better person than yesterday, and I shall walk on this path until the day my feet can't move anymore."
Anna was determined to face every problem from now on. In fact, this might be the true start of her reincarnation.
….
If Anna found a new determination, Noel actually found a new comrade.
"Huu…" Noel weakly leaned on the tree as a middle-aged man stitched his wounds. He, of course, recognized this man since he had been the one taking care of him since he was a child.
"I can finally meet you again… Dimitri."
