Noel had expected this ever since he revealed this power. He knew many people would be interested in it, including the Third Prince.
That was why he had prepared a few types of answers to dodge this question.
"My apology for not being able to satisfy your request." Noel looked down as if he was disappointed he couldn't give it to him.
"Hmm? You reject me?" The Third Prince frowned. His calm face instantly darkened.
"Yes. Before explaining the reason, I'll be telling you about how I got this knowledge."
"Go on." The Third Prince narrowed his eyes, putting on some pressure on Noel.
Noel explained, "First of all, the Third Prince should be aware of the Spirit Enchantment Book that the Greenwood Kingdom has, right?"
"Yes. I'm aware of it. That's the great inheritance of the Greenwood Kingdom." The Third Prince nodded with a serious expression.
"Then, you should know about my family."
The Third Prince paused for a moment before saying, "Your mother's family?"
"Correct." Noel nodded, confirming it. "My mother's family, the Ezenholm Family, is close to the royalty. My grandfather was a royal magician and the king's tutor. And a few months ago, I visited them…"
The Third Prince realized why Noel talked about it. "So, you're saying your grandfather told you about it?"
"That's not it." Noel shook his head. "I was lucky to take a glance at my grandfather's note in his analysis about the Spirit Enchantment."
"Hoh?" If what Noel said was true, then his knowledge would be incomplete. He only had that note and had never seen the actual book, which might be different. In fact, that could explain why Noel's Spirit Enchantment was different from the normal Spirit Enchantment.
Whether it was due to his talent or luck, Noel managed to come up with a Spirit Enchantment that was somehow stronger than the one present.
In other words, the knowledge Noel had might be incomplete, but he might have gone in the right direction. So, what Noel wanted to say was that he needed more time to perfect it so that he didn't get the blame if the Third Prince got injured because of the incomplete version.
However, there was also a possibility of Noel's lying. He just wanted to get the Spirit Enchantment for himself, raising his evaluation.
That was why the Third Prince had to consider his words thoroughly before responding to Noel.
He wanted the Spirit Enchantment Noel had because it was not only useful to recruit blacksmith or even Master Blacksmith, but it would work to pull in normal people as well.
This was when Noel added, "Of course. Once I have perfected the knowledge, I'm planning to create a book containing all the information.
"I believe the Spirit Enchantment shouldn't be limited to blacksmiths or high-status people. Instead, the Spirit Enchantment should be spread so that even a commoner can use it.
"I have seen many things after joining the Demon Banner Army. That's why I know the commoners have the right to get this kind of knowledge as well.
"After all, our true enemies are not the kingdom, the Supreme Devil Organization or any other influences. Instead, it's the demon.
"If we equip the commoners with this knowledge, we'll be able to gain an army to rapidly expand our territory, putting other kingdoms in shame.
"And after that, the other countries want to take a piece as well, making them either eliminate me or give many benefits to the kingdom for the sake of this knowledge."
The Third Prince remained silent this whole time. He thought Noel was a justice idiot who wanted to eliminate all the demons in the world. At the same time, he still preserved his business nature by giving some leverage to him.
As Noel said, even if the Third Prince had this knowledge, it would be useless since Noel could perfect it. Even if he tortured Noel for this information, the progress would be stagnant for a long time. What if Noel actually fled to another country?
There were countless possibilities such as being poached by another country, killed because of information leakage, and so on.
So, the safest path would be to allow Noel to perfect it secretly. In the meantime, he needed to gain some influence in the kingdom so that he could protect himself when others demanded knowledge from him.
This way, Noel could get some protection and he could get benefits for himself. There might be a chance for him to become a King.
Still, the most important thing was the fact Noel was a justice idiot. The fact that he was justice-oriented meant it would be easy to control Noel in the future.
He didn't know Noel was smiling inwardly, thinking, '…Or so you thought. I don't have much leverage right now, but I'm going to get some advantages first so that you have no choice but to give me some information and pull me to your side. At that time, I'll have a lot of opportunities to investigate you.'
The Third Prince was unaware of Noel's thoughts. He might look innocent, but he was actually as shrewd as his father, who even fooled the Third Prince with his death.
The Third Prince contemplated for a moment before giving his answer. "I understand. I'll give you time to perfect it. However, I'll be watching you. I hope that you don't betray my trust."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you for your trust. I'll do my best." Noel dropped to his knee again.
The Third Prince waved his hand. "You're dismissed. Remember those three things. I'll contact you again after you become a Spirit Master."
"Yes. Please excuse me." Noel calmly stood up and left the room.
Meanwhile, the Third Prince smiled, muttering inwardly, 'It doesn't seem he is as wise as his father. However, his talent is quite good. Not only is he good at fighting, but his unique perspective on Spirit Arts gives him a new insight into Spirit Enchantment.
'The tree is not ripe yet, so I'll wait a bit longer. Noel Ardagan… no matter what you do, you're going to be playing in my hand.'
