"I see…" Noel closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about the report. "What do you think about my grandfather, Dimitri? I believe you haven't seen him when you are still with my parents…"
"Yes." Dimitri nodded with a serious expression. He pondered first before giving his opinion. "With all due respect, I believe that your grandfather is extremely powerful. Even after getting some time to ponder, I don't think I have the ability to defeat him."
"Hoh? Interesting." Noel narrowed his eyes while Rose gasped. She truly couldn't comprehend this family.
Noel's father was the richest man in the kingdom and had an extremely wide network. Meanwhile, his grandfather was someone strong enough to defeat the 'Shadow,' the man who was feared as the number one assassin.
There was also Noel's ancestor and his relationship with the Greenwood Kingdom's royal family.
Yet, despite all this, Noel's parents still decided to get executed. Noel hadn't told her about his uncle, who was once a part of the Demon Banner Army.
Noel had all the big shots gathered in his family, but he was actually reduced to this state. It was simply unbelievable.
Contrary to her disbelief, Noel actually kept his calm as if he had predicted it. "Well, he was a former Royal Spirit Magician…"
"A former Royal Spirit Magician…" Rose was speechless and ended up giving the knowledge she had about it. "The Greenwood Kingdom's power came from their Spirit Magicians. They had a lot of trade with the Tower Association from our kingdom. And a Royal Spirit Magician meant he was the head of all Spirit Magicians in the kingdom.
"And if we're talking about the former Royal Spirit Magician, he was the king's tutor…" Rose shook her head helplessly, realizing the true identity of Noel's grandfather. At the same time, she could understand why his grandfather couldn't help him openly despite having all that power.
After all, the moment he made his move, it could be seen as a declaration of war, which would implicate a lot of people.
Noel glanced at Rose for a moment before returning to Dimitri as if asking him about his opinion.
"Well, I do have some knowledge about him, but even after retiring, it seems that he maintains his sharpness.
"Although I don't know what he has done, I can feel that my life will be over if I make a move against him. I believe he has set some traps without me noticing."
To make a trap without Dimitri's knowledge would put his strength slightly lower than the commander if not equal.
But it was to be expected from the Royal Spirit Magician.
"I see…" Noel pinched the bridge of his nose. "If that's the case, I don't have to worry about my grandfather's side. I know that with his strength and influence, he can do his part without anyone's knowledge.
"And in the worst case scenario, the Greenwood Kingdom will notice it and find me to acknowledge my ancestry. Or their king will probably try to bind me by making me marry into the royal family. After all, being the grandson of the former Royal Spirit Magician gave me enough status to marry into the royal family."
Noel paused for a moment. "In that case, I'm going to tell you about our next plan. Right now, we are planning to head to Styxcanva as well as Tamworth. In Styxcanva, I'm planning to get some knowledge about the Spirits, especially something related to my abilities.
"As for Tamworth, I'm there to meet my father's former subordinate. Then to the nearby town to meet Countess Christina.
"During that time, I have a few tasks for you…" Noel looked at Dimitri. "I don't need you to fight for me right now. But I want you to help me with the surveillance. The moment I enter Styxcanva, I'm afraid the Third Prince will notice me.
"So, I want you to check anyone that is trying to follow me. You don't have to report to me if that person only follows me, but the moment he leaves to report to the Third Prince, I need you to inform me about it.
"Then, I might have to rely on your stealth ability to help me convince the Countess. But for now, I'm going to meet her first to see whether negotiation is possible or not.
"And one more thing… I think it's quite far away from here, but I have thought about a certain Master Blacksmith. I want you to go there and show him some runes.
"I know his skill, and I'm sure you're already aware of his identity since you've been following me from the beginning."
"…" Dimitri fell silent for a moment as if he was shocked that Noel actually wanted to recruit a Master Blacksmith. Then again, with those runes, there was no way a Master Blacksmith wouldn't be so interested.
Noel had even helped his family, so the Master Blacksmith might end up helping him with some conditions.
"I understand. I'll help you with this. There is some distance from that place to Styxcanva, but I think it's possible to finish this matter before you arrive at Styxcanva."
Dimitri nodded in agreement. It seemed that Dimitri was a bit easy to convince as long as it didn't involve fighting, Noel thought. Though, Noel also understood the reason.
Noel couldn't re-establish his family if he didn't have enough strength. So, it was better to focus on getting stronger while giving the rest to Dimitri.
Noel then turned to Rose. "I want you to buy some iron swords for me. They don't need to be special."
"Are you going to give them to the kids?" Rose asked.
"Yeah."
"I know that you're adept at runes, but can you engrave them?"
"Of course not. I'm going to leave them to Dimitri as practice swords." Noel winked playfully at Dimitri.
Obviously, the practice swords were for the kids, but this was also Noel's way of convincing the Master Blacksmith.
He wanted to let the Master Blacksmith experience the wonder of the runes.
