"Is he that strong?" Richard narrowed his eyes. This was the first time he saw Noel releasing that powerful fire after all.
"It seems that he hasn't used this power in front of you. Seeing how he agreed to my proposal and baited me to accept his condition, he must know he would win if he used this method. What a monster." Igor gritted his teeth, impressed and annoyed at the same time.
If Noel was in the Demon Hunting Squad, he would have shone brightly. There was a high chance that he would become the next Captain of this squad.
Still, Igor had Richard and Shawn. They might be lacking at the moment, but they were improving rapidly. So, he believed he could leave the base to them.
After making sure Richard wasn't angry or anything, Igor finally presented his right arm that stopped the flame earlier.
"This is…" Richard gasped, taken aback by the arm's condition. He could see steam on the surface of the hand as if the fire was just extinguished. He approached it with his palm, feeling no heat coming from it. "What is this flame? To think it's so strong when it's not even releasing a blazing fire."
"I'm not sure, but it's clear that Iadre possesses this kind of power. Now that I think about it, what's the reason for using his masquerade?" Igor asked while wrapping his piping hot arm with the towel.
"I'm not sure, Captain. However, it's clear that he's good, and seeing his talent, it might cause the kingdom to fight over him just like Anna Stargaze.
"I'm afraid the reason why he's hiding his face is because he wants to remain unknown," Richard explained his observation. Though, he wasn't sure either.
At the same time, he noticed Igor's serious expression and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you being silent, Captain? If it's the normal you, you would have gone to spread the words out of spite. This way, you can force him to use that favor to stop you from spreading the words around."
Igor shook his head this time. "It's not good to provoke that guy. Even I can see that much. Although his current strength is not good, his talent is top-notch.
"The moment he's strong enough to oppose me, he might come for my life. That's why it's better to let him be unknown for the time being.
"Instead, what we should be doing right now is a reform in the Demon Hunting Squad." Igor seemed to have gained some inspiration from Noel. It actually stunned Richard.
"What do you mean, Captain?" His Captain never did something like this since he always thought power was the most important.
But Igor sighed, "I don't have a concrete plan. It's just… seeing their battle gives me some inspiration that I can't say out loud. I want to see whether it's possible or not.
"At the end of the day, we are the Demon Hunting Squad. We hunt demons. However, no one is saying that we have to hunt demons by using brute strength. I have a fuzzy picture in my head, but I'm sure it can help us become stronger."
"I see. In that case, let's gather all our thinkers to see whether they have an idea or not. Since Captain is planning to listen to them, I'm sure they will give us all kinds of ideas." Richard nodded in agreement. There was no need to reject the change if they could get stronger.
Shawn gritted his teeth and slammed the table. "You two have been ignoring me this whole time. You still owe me an explanation, Captain. Do you think I will lose to that fire?"
Igor shook his head helplessly, not knowing what to say. "Shawn… What we're doing is hunting. There is a difference between sparring and hunting. I'm sure you have felt it as well… That flame might melt your hands if you touch it.
"Unless you have enough Spiritual Energy, that flame will continue to spread until there is nothing left to feed it."
"But—" Shawn wanted to complain, but Igor glared at him, stating with a cold tone. "Sometimes, there is a time when you have to admit defeat if you want to get stronger. You should use this chance to find a way to get stronger instead of watching your rival!"
"…" Shawn couldn't say anything to rebuke him.
"For now, you should go back to your room and we'll discuss what we're planning to do with them tomorrow. I hope it won't be something weird."
"…" Shawn was still unwilling, but in the end, he left the city, not knowing anything.
While they were thinking about what happened earlier, the Demon Relief Squad threw a small party for Noel.
But after that display of power, it seemed Paul had begun to realize Noel's real identity. And he was actually visiting Rose to talk about it, considering Rose gradually moved on after Noel appeared.
Of course, Noel was explaining the reason why he hid the fire phoenix to the rest of the group.
They had to accept his ridiculous reason since he just wanted to avoid hurting them.
In the end, they agreed with the explanation before Rose brought up the plan to deal with the Supreme Devil Organization and the Demon Farm.
They were discussing the details since they had to present their idea to Igor, the strongest man in this area.
So, they had to make sure they convinced him.
…
The next day.
Igor had agreed to discuss their plan to handle the Supreme Devil Organization, so both Zero Squads and Captain Igor gathered in a single room.
Igor crossed his arms while asking, "I have heard about the situation concerning the Supreme Devil Organization. I'm planning to deal with them as well, but I have to bring a lot of opponents while protecting my home. This is exhausting."
Rose nodded and began her explanation. "Alright. This is the plan we'd like to suggest…"
