"Fu… I'm full." Anna leaned back, feeling relaxed.
"Your manner has completely changed…" Noel shook his head helplessly. Unlike Anna, Noel still sat straight and didn't explicitly show his satisfaction.
"Hehe…" Anna scratched her cheek, embarrassed. "Since we're done eating, should we start?"
"Before that, let's place the bet. What will we bet this time?"
"If I win, you are going to massage me. I'm tired, you know." Anna made a smug smile as if she was planning to enjoy her time here.
Noel shook his head helplessly and said, "In that case, if I win, cook me something for tomorrow."
"Your favorite?"
Noel nodded.
"It's a deal." Anna smirked. "So, who's going to start?"
"We'll reveal one piece of information after another. And…Ladies first."
"Tsk." Anna clicked her tongue. But since she was confident with the amount of information she had, Anna stated, "Before that, do you know anything about Arbiters and the Inquisitor Organization?"
"I haven't heard about the organization, but I've heard about the Arbiters. There are twelve Arbiters, with your father being one of them."
"That's right." Anna nodded. "Arbiters are basically the Kingdom's hands. They're enforcing the rules and maintaining the stability of the kingdom. They're usually high-ranking nobles or super talented individuals related to the royal family like my teacher, the royal magician, or the Marshall.
"As for the organization, it's basically a similar place to the Demon Banner Army. You're to focus on racking up achievements and getting stronger so that you can challenge an Arbiter and take their spot."
"I see. So, what's the information related to this?" Noel nodded in understanding.
"It seems that the Royal Family involves my teacher to put pressure on my father so that he marries me to the crown prince. I don't care about marriage, but there is a catch here.
"Judging from my father's expression, it seems that they're pressuring him with your family. Yeah, I'm talking about how he forced the royal family to exile you instead of executing you. Once again, I'm sorry."
"…" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. This was always a sensitive topic for both of them. But after three months of not meeting her, Noel didn't want to put too many thoughts on unnecessary stuff. Instead, he wanted to think about how the information benefited him.
"I see. It seems that your father was truly involved with my father's plan. I also have to apologize for making you involved…"
"No, no. I should be the one to apologize for asking to execute you."
"Let's drop this matter, shall we?"
"Mhm."
Both of them agreed, so Noel changed the topic. "Alright. We can now believe the letter my father left behind a bit, considering he shows such a reaction."
"Ah, right. He also showed a reaction when I told him I had killed you."
Noel frowned. Although he was his best friend's son, it didn't change the fact that his current condition was due to him. In other words, Noel harmed the Stargaze Family's position indirectly.
But from the way Anna described it, the marquis didn't seem happy. Instead, he looked disturbed.
Noel couldn't really determine his stance with just this. But he knew the marquis was deeply involved in his family's matters.
After confirming it, Noel gave the piece of information he got about the Third Prince.
"I met the Third Prince two months ago. Are you aware of the royal family's individual strengths? How is the king's Spirit Level?"
"Hmm? I'm not sure, but if I remember correctly, the king is only a Spirit Wielder because he has been doing a lot of work."
"Then, it makes me suspect the Third Prince." Noel narrowed his eyes. "Can you believe that the Third Prince can easily sense my presence?"
"Huh?" Anna looked down. Although Noel wasn't that good at hiding his presence, he, by no means, was bad at it.
To easily spot Noel, Anna realized the Third Prince was stronger than she thought.
'A Spirit Master or even a Spirit Grandmaster… It seems that after losing to his brother, the current king, the Third Prince continues to hone his Spirit Arts. This is weird… I don't think the royal family will grow that big unless they're a big genius… At the same time, I have never heard of the Third Prince being a genius in the Spirit Arts.'
Noel nodded, agreeing to her statement. It was suspicious, but he didn't really have any proof.
"Then, it's back to me…" Anna recorded the information in her mind and stated the second piece of information. "Although my teacher forced me to join the organization if I wanted to escape the marriage, it didn't seem she agreed with everything the royal family wanted. In other words, there was a chance that she wasn't on the same side…
"No, more like she was on their side because it still benefited her. If the royal family couldn't give her any more benefits, she might leave."
Anna had seen it as well in her past life. The Third Prince worked together with her teacher. However, she didn't know whether the Third Prince gave her more benefits or she still worked for the royal family under the pretense she was the Third Prince's ally.
But having suspicion was enough for both of them. They might not have any concrete proof, but they had just started their investigation three months ago. And they didn't meet with them directly for a long time, so it was impossible to gain any concrete proof.
Since that was the case, Noel added, "Well, I have a chance to get closer to the Third Prince. He told me he wanted me to do something after I became a Spirit Master."
"Hoh? A Spirit Master? Interesting." Anna looked down, recalling the information about Noel. She wondered what the Third Prince wanted him to do. Since it required him to be a Spirit Master, she recalled all the big things that happened when Noel was a Spirit Master.
"How is it? Do you have any more information? If you don't, let's see who wins this time." Noel smiled.
"I'm not done yet."
