Before he even knocked on the door, there was a voice coming from inside.
"Come in. The door is not locked." The tone was calm but had a pulling effect as if it was trying to attract him.
"…" Noel was startled and confused at the same time. However, he still opened the door and entered the room, finding a middle-aged man waiting for him.
The middle-aged man had long white hair. His eyes might look gentle, but Noel could feel sharp, observing gaze from it. Despite having a small smile on his face, he didn't have any welcoming aura.
His clothes were simple, only a plain white shirt and long black pants, matching his white hair.
As soon as he saw his appearance, Noel fell to one knee, lowering his head. "Noel Ardagan greets the Third Prince."
"Hmm?" The middle-aged man frowned. He didn't expect Noel to kneel down that soon, so he asked, "I believe we haven't met yet. So, did your father tell you about me?"
"No." Noel shook his head.
"But it seems you know who I am… You're not going to answer me like it's just because my hair is white, right?"
Noel hesitated for a moment before explaining his thought process. "The letter in my room is the first reason. If it's your subordinate, we won't be meeting in this place since they don't need the 'best' place to talk to me.
"Of course, the white hair played a part in my judgment, but I also took a look at your age. Your age shouldn't be that different from the current king.
"Last but not least, your eyes. I can feel that you are 'familiar' with me instead of knowing me. The former comes from the information and story, while the latter comes from reports. So, it gives two different types of gazes. Thus, the conclusion."
The Third Prince paused for a moment before clapping his hands a few times, impressed by Noel's performance.
"Interesting." The Third Prince smiled. "Stand up."
"Yes, Sir." Noel stood up and straightened his back. He maintained his poker face, but he was still observing his movement, making sure he didn't do anything to him.
The Third Prince raised three fingers. "I come personally for three reasons. First of all, you're currently too weak to even be useful. Of course, I can understand that you just started training a year ago.
"However, I'm going to need you very soon. Hence, you have to reach Spirit Master within two years. Judging from your progress, it doesn't seem to be a hard one, right?"
"I'll do my best." Although Noel was confident he could become a Spirit Master in just a few months, he couldn't really give him the assurance. After all, the Third Prince might consider him as someone who was overconfident in his ability.
The Third Prince observed him for a moment as if he wanted to see whether the answer just now was sincere or not. After a while, the Third Prince continued, "Before becoming a Spirit Master, I won't be contacting you.
"You'll know the reason why I need you to become a Spirit Master first before receiving a request from me. I'm sure you'll do it, right?"
The Third Prince asserted some pressure with his words. He wanted to see whether Noel would be loyal or not. His father was loyal to him, so he took care of Noel this whole time, expecting Noel to be loyal as well.
Although Noel was still suspicious of the Third Prince, he still lowered his head and declared, "The Third Prince has given me all the chances and opportunities during my time in the Demon Banner Army's headquarters. I'll be repaying everything, with interest."
"With interest, huh? As expected of the son of a merchant." Third Prince was a bit dissatisfied with how Noel didn't answer with only "Yes." After all, it would mean Noel had full loyalty to him. Still, the fact that Noel was the son of the richest merchant in the kingdom, he could understand why Noel said these words. It seemed he had a habit from his family.
"Then, the second reason for my visit is to give you a goal during your stay in the Demon Relief Squad.
"The goal is simple. You have to become a Captain in less than five years. Instead of becoming a lesser noble, it would be better if you get your position as a Count back and re-establish your Ardagan Family.
"If you can achieve it within five years, I promise you that you'll be getting your family's land back."
Noel was quite surprised by this reward. Although he had enough confidence to become a noble, he still couldn't guarantee he would get his family's territory back. After all, the Royal Family wanted something from his family like Dimitri said.
But if the Third Prince planned to do some work behind the scenes to guarantee him his former land, it would work great.
Although the business had been failing in his territory due to the lack of a lord, it didn't change the fact he was most familiar with the territory. Rebuilding it wouldn't be as hard as making one from scratch.
It didn't take long for him to be interested in this deal. It was a win-win situation. Noel could get his family territory back and the Third Prince had the future richest person in his palm.
Noel had no reason to refuse. "I understand. I'll do my best to become a Spirit Grandmaster and succeed a Captain's position before becoming a noble."
"Good." The Third Prince nodded, satisfied. He had seen all the reports about Noel's progress, so he expected a lot from him.
At first, he thought about giving him a ten year time limit, but since Noel could become a Spirit Wielder in just one year, he halved it instantly.
After receiving a satisfactory response, the Third Prince raised his voice. "As for the last… I won't hold back this time. Tell me the secret of your Spirit Enchantment."
