The next day.
Noel and Rose were sitting in front of the Countess. Countess Christina was a woman with long red hair. She appeared to be in her early thirties. Despite having to work under a lot of pressure and prejudice while taking care of her children, her complexion was good and there was no wrinkle on her face yet.
She appeared to be confident and bold. She looked at them while furrowing her eyebrows as if judging them and their characters.
After all, Noel and Rose had entered the mansion in a way she frowned upon.
There was a letter on the desk that separated them. She asked, "I'd like to ask the meaning of this letter, two guests from the Demon Relief Squad. I hope that you can give me a satisfactory explanation."
…
One day prior.
After settling down in their inn, Noel gave a letter to Count Christina. Of course, he had to use the Demon Relief Squad's name in order to force the Countess to read the letter.
As expected, the letter was given to the Countess immediately.
"Ma'am. We've received an urgent message from the Demon Relief Squad. What should we do?" The maid entered the room in a rush, holding an envelope.
"Hmm? The Demon Relief Squad?" Since she had just received the news of them entering not long ago, she kind of expected this kind of letter to come. After all, they wouldn't reveal their identities unless it was necessary. Hence, the Countess extended her hand. "Give me the letter."
As soon as the maid handed the letter, she ripped the envelope apart and read the letter.
"The Demon Relief Squad would like to inquire about a few things with Countess Christina regarding the recent rumor about the Supreme Devil Organization. Since this matter is important, we'd like to have your cooperation."
"!!!" Christina obviously had heard that rumor, but it wasn't her territory. So, she didn't know why the Demon Relief Squad came to her. And this task should normally go to the Demon Beholder Squad, so it was weird to see this type of letter from the Demon Relief Squad.
She couldn't help but crush the paper while gritting her teeth. "What are they doing? This is so ridiculous."
Recalling that letter truly made her feel sour. She glared at Noel and Rose in front of her and stated, "Listen here. I don't care if you are from the Zero Squad of the Demon Relief Squad or even the captain of that squad. If you can't give me an explanation right now, I'm going to judge you myself and let your captain come here if she wants you two back!"
Noel smiled as if he didn't feel threatened. He had seen the Countess' affection and realized another thing.
Because he was using the second identity and the Countess wasn't aware of his true identity, the affection he received was Hostile.
Although it meant he didn't have any idea about her true feelings for Noel yet, the Countess should give him her honest feeling because of the shock of the revelation.
That was why he had to see her first reaction as well as the affection to make sure whether she was on their side or not.
"I hope this is good enough for the explanation, Countess…" Noel smiled while taking off his masquerade. His blond hair and blue eyes had turned back to black while Noel's white sword turned black. This was the only thing he needed to prove his identity.
"You—!" Christina widened her eyes in shock, not believing who she had just recognized. "Those black eyes and hair along with that sword… You are Noel Ardagan, the last Ardagan…"
"Thank you for recognizing me, Countess Christina." Noel smiled. There was another reason for his smile. He managed to see the change in her affection.
Name: Christina Welfeirm
Affection: Indebted (80/100)
Description: Someone who will sacrifice a lot of resources to repay you but won't use her life to help you.
Name: Christina Welfeirm
Affection: Worry (90/100)
Description: Someone who doesn't want any trouble because of you.
The affection changed twice. The first one was when she was shocked, which was her true feeling. She recognized his identity and the debt that she couldn't repay to his father.
But after regaining some composure, she thought about her territory and the implication of being connected to Noel. Hence, the affection was worry.
The fact that Noel came to her meant there was an important business they had to discuss. Whether it was a good thing or not, she simply didn't want to do it because it would involve the Royal Family. She didn't want to implicate the whole family after all.
She gritted her teeth and pointed at the door. "I'm going to forget about the problem with your letter and pretend you never visited me. However, you have to leave right now."
Noel understood her reaction. However, he placed Ardagan on the table while stating with a strict tone. "I am Noel Ardagan. I might be here to take advantage of my father's glory. However, I don't come here without a good proposal.
"I only want you to hear about it. Whether you want to cooperate with me or not, I shall respect your choice."
Seeing Noel's grim expression, Christina fell silent for a moment. On the one hand, listening to him wouldn't hurt. After all, she still had the right to reject.
On the other hand, if this matter was super important, she might get implicated just because she heard it. After all, ignorance was bliss.
Christina looked down for a moment, contemplating. She truly felt indebted to the Ardagan Household. But their former glory had vanished, so except for the fact that she felt indebted and wanted to repay them, there was no other reason for her to accept it from a political point of view.
That was why Christina was in a dilemma.
But Noel gave her an offer that she couldn't refuse.
"If you can help me, I'm going to get rid of the nobles that try to harm your territory. What do you think?"
