Demon Relief Squad.
"What do you mean we're going to accept another person here, Captain?" Stella shouted while slamming the table. She still couldn't forget about Noel, so she didn't have the heart to accept another person.
Clara, on the other hand, wanted to say the new person was Noel but with an alternate identity. But she thought it would be amusing if they realized it themselves, so she didn't say anything about it.
It was a good payback for Noel, who made her Zero Squad like this and created more trouble for her since she had been going back and forth to the headquarters. Of course, she took into account his contribution to saving her Zero Squad. So, she just let him settle everything with them.
"I've got the recommendation letter from the commander himself. It seems that the commander has been suppressing the information about him.
"According to what I've heard, this guy is quite good as well. He has a connection with a Master Blacksmith. He's slightly older, but his strength has reached Spirit Wielder recently.
"If Noel and Anna weren't in this generation, he would undoubtedly become the first rank. His talent seemed to be similar to Septa's. Other than that, he had saved people too, so he was quite fitting with our squad."
"Another Spirit Wielder? Since when has the Demon Banner Army received a lot of talented people?" Paul frowned, feeling something was wrong.
Clara shrugged. "I don't know. Though, his identity is truly a problem. If his identity is revealed, I'm afraid that the Supreme Devil Organization will hunt him down. So, make sure you don't reveal his identity."
"What? He's a target of the Supreme Devil Organization?" Paul looked down, contemplating. There were a lot of reasons why one could become the organization's target.
But more importantly, for him to be targeted as soon as his name was heard meant he was already on the 'must-kill' list of the organization.
Since he had to protect his group, Paul couldn't help but ask, "Do we have the power to protect him or something? What should we do if his identity is known to others? We can't really abandon him, right? I'm sick of losing a good comrade."
Clara nodded. "Of course, you don't have to protect him or something. If you want to do it, you're free to do it. But you don't have an obligation to risk your life for him. As long as you're not deliberately revealing his information, that is enough."
"I see." Paul glanced at Ben. "What do you think, Ben?"
"I don't really mind. From the looks of it, this guy doesn't seem to be planning to stay with us for a long time. In fact, I feel like he's using us as his stepping stone. So, why not?"
Clara raised her finger as if remembering something. "That's right. He wants to be a noble, so you can say that way."
"I see. It's not that weird for someone wanting to be noble." Ben nodded in agreement. "By becoming a Vice Captain, you can receive a baron title from the kingdom if you choose to join the nobility. If you are a Captain, you're equal to a count. Even better if you're among the strongest captains since you can become an Earl. Above that, it's better if you marry into the royal family."
"Yeah. Since we're only stepping stones, there's no need to get attached so deeply." Paul agreed. He didn't want to feel so down like after losing Noel again, so he chose to put some distance from this new guy.
"When is he coming?" Zion asked.
"It should be around this time. We're staying in this Ricomoro Town for another five days. He should reach here within those five days."
"Got it."
They nodded. Though, Stella was showing her displeasure the whole time. No matter if this was a stepping stone or not, Stella still couldn't get over Noel's death.
Still, the one who got hit the hardest wasn't Stella. It was Rose.
Noel had fulfilled her revenge even if it cost him his life. He was even the first one to suggest the revenge plan. Her feelings for Noel were much deeper than anyone else here.
When she saw Noel's death, Rose didn't leave her room for a whole week.
The moment she heard about this new guy, she just remained silent as if she was devoid of emotion. She just couldn't bring herself to be attached to anyone else, thinking she would just kill them.
If she didn't share her story, Noel's death wouldn't have happened.
After that announcement, she simply stood up and left the tent.
"Oi, Rose! Where are you going?" Paul asked her since Clara was still with them.
However, Rose didn't say anything.
"That's fine, Paul." Clara shook her head, letting her go.
"Well, I can kind of understand her feeling right now. She has been blaming herself for Noel's death, saying this wouldn't have happened if Noel didn't think about her revenge." Jonathan let out a long sigh.
"We can only give her some time. Hopefully, she will be able to recover soon." Paul nodded with a heavy heart.
There was actually one thing they didn't expect. It was a meeting between Noel and Rose.
Rose had just left the tent, walking aimlessly for a while to get some air. She just wanted to calm her heart.
"Huu… I was rude again to the captain and the others…" Rose let out a long sigh. She didn't want to cause problems for them, but she just couldn't help it.
She leaned on a tree while staring into the sky, thinking about how to get over Noel's death and stop causing trouble for the rest of the squad.
It was at this time she heard someone's footsteps.
She glanced to the side, finding a young man wearing a masquerade. He had short blond hair and a pair of blue eyes. His sword was white.
He was the complete opposite of Noel, who had dark hair and a black sword. Yet, her instinct was telling her it wasn't their first encounter.
Both of them involuntarily locked into each other's eyes.
At that moment, something clicked in their mind.
