"Ha…"
"Ha…"
Noel was panting as he stormed inside a small wooden house and saw a simple backyard where a few kids clashed their swords.
The loud 'bang' from the door alarmed the kids as they immediately raised their weapons to stop whoever dared to trespass on their house.
But to their surprise, the one that stood in front of their gate was Noel.
"Eh?"
"Big Brother Noel?"
"You're back?"
The kids were confused and shocked at the same time. They were happy they could see Noel again, but they still couldn't believe Noel would visit them again, especially with his busy schedule.
Meanwhile, Noel was actually angry. His anger wasn't directed at the kids but at the Demon Barrier Squad's captain.
…
A few minutes ago.
"They're gone," said the captain with a poker face as if it wasn't his problem.
"What? They're gone? Have they left the city?" Noel was desperate to know about their situation. If they truly died, he wanted to avenge them.
It turned out he misunderstood him.
"No. The commander has taken them away and given them another place to live. So, they're gone from this barrack since they're training there." The captain answered while furrowing his eyebrows. "By the way, who are you? Why are you asking about the kids?"
"I…" Noel stopped. He wanted to say he was the one taking care of them, but it was better to not say it to avoid leaking some information. Instead, he told him, "I am Iadre, a knight from the Demon Relief Squad.
"Before the previous caretaker, Noel Ardagan, fell on a mission, he asked Rose, a colleague in the Demon Relief Squad, to take care of them. So, we were here to check on their conditions."
Noel had one concern that made him hesitate with this guy. The fact that he answered the question before asking about their identities already made him look easy to fool. So, it wasn't good to tell him about a secret.
"Oh, I have heard about Noel Ardagan from the commander and Shale. He indeed went to the Demon Relief Squad." The guy nodded in understanding.
It seemed that he didn't care much about the kids or Noel and just wanted to confirm their relationship.
In the end, Rose apologized for all the commotion and immediately left with Noel to ask about the kids' house from the commander.
As expected, they had to go through the normal administration office and get the information not long after. The wait made Noel a bit anxious.
When he finally knew where they were staying, he rushed toward them and slammed open the door.
There was a lot of confusion on their faces since they didn't recognize him. But the moment he opened his masks after closing the door, the kids were dumbfounded.
"Big Brother Noel!"
The kids couldn't help but drop their weapons and rush to Noel.
"Wo—" Noel wanted to stop them, but their physical ability was already much greater than he remembered, so they ended up tackling him to the ground.
"Why are you making a commotion?" There was a female's voice coming from the back.
Although the voice had a higher pitch, Noel still remembered the familiar tone and way of speaking.
And when that female finally turned around the corner, their gazes met.
Yes, it was Erica.
She was holding a knife full of blood as if she had just murdered someone. And with her darkened expression and anger, it truly felt like it was the case.
However, her expression completely changed when she saw Noel. "Big Brother…"
She froze for a moment and checked her appearance. She tried to take off her apron, but the first thing she realized was the fake that her knife was already missing.
"Eh?" Erica turned her head around to find her knife, only to see a tall woman next to her.
"You shouldn't move around with a knife in hand." It was Rose. She didn't forget to remind her.
Erica suddenly took a few steps back as if she was trying to gain some distance, measure the enemy's strength, and plan a counterattack.
"Hmm?" Rose noticed her footwork, but what shocked her the most was how smooth it was. Her movement felt light and connected as if she was flowing water.
It was simple yet elegant. This might be the first time she had seen something like this. Then again, she remembered Noel told her about the Sword Dance. In essence, it was a dance, so this movement was to be expected.
"Who are you?" Erica became vigilant, not feeling her presence this whole time.
"Hello, I am Rose. I am Noel's teammate in the Demon Relief Squad."
"You are his teammate?" Erica frowned. "But isn't Big Brother's teammate that noble lady?"
"I think Noel should be the one to explain the situation to you. For now, you just have to understand that I'm Noel's senior in the squad and I don't plan any harm. I simply follow him here."
"…" Erica looked hesitant but still dropped her guard while glancing at Noel as if trying to get his confirmation.
Noel made a wry smile as he tried to stand up after these kids dragged him to the ground. After noticing Erica's gaze, he nodded to her.
"Alright, let's stop this for a while, shall we? Let's gather in another place so that we can have a peaceful talk." Noel gently pushed the kids away.
In the end, Erica told the kids to move away while she returned to the kitchen. She was cooking with a few other kids earlier, and it seemed she had become more fired up as if she wanted to make a feast for Noel.
She didn't tell the others about Noel yet since she didn't want someone to get injured while cooking. Meanwhile, her twin brother, Eric, ended up leading the rest of the kids and guiding Noel to their living room.
This was their new house, so he wanted to see whether they were living well or not.
