The next day.
Noel looked up, staring at the gigantic wall. The air was quite cold, so this tall wall would usually make someone shiver. It looked sturdy and tall, making anyone that planned to attack it lose any hope.
"So, this is the city that is famous for its hot spring…" Noel muttered. "If I remember correctly, the hot spring comes from the volcano's activity. It doesn't smell that nice, but it's enjoyable and relaxing. It can even help heal one's injury, since the heat has been mixed with Spiritual Energy.
"Though, I'm here to meet someone if that person is planning to go here, that is." Noel didn't know whether the marquis was in this city or not. The marquis might not even bother visiting this place, so Noel could only search for him in this city for a whole day.
Unfortunately, the city was quite big due to the size of the visitors. The street was brimming with people and it was hard to find the marquis among these people.
He even wondered how Anna could find him among the people like this.
In the end, he had to use one of his abilities that allowed him to differentiate people. The Charm Medal.
He used the Charm Medal to see everyone's name and didn't bother with the affection since most of them were the same.
Though, he surely could see a lot of people's reaction when he stared at them.
He roamed the street and even went to a high building to get a better view. But no matter the method, he couldn't find any trace of the marquis.
Noel started thinking the marquis wasn't here. There was even a possibility that the marquis had yet to reach this city or had finished visiting the city and returned home.
Even so, Noel was still determined to find the marquis within the time limit. He could think of something else after that.
Sadly, the effort didn't pay off. The sky had turned dark and the street became a bit emptier.
Noel knew that the possibility of him meeting the marquis had decreased. He even became a bit frustrated since the plan didn't work this time.
"I guess I shouldn't have expected too much. After all, Anna told me to come to a good destination if we wanted to meet. She only guaranteed that she would do her best to bring her father. There was even a chance that the marquis didn't accept her invitation.
"In that case, I can only work with the people who are involved in this…" Noel thought for a moment while wandering around.
Surprisingly, Noel felt slightly disturbed by the light that shone brightly from the side. It stopped his train of thought, forcing him to raise his head.
"Hmm?" Noel frowned as he saw the sign of the store.
"Recess Hot Spring."
"Maybe I should relax my body and mind for once so that I can get a better grip on my memory? I'm a bit tired as well…" Noel thought it wasn't a bad idea, so he immediately entered the store.
This was the first time he had experienced a hot spring since he had never paid any visit to a place like this when his parents were still alive.
After paying the entrance fee, he immediately entered the bath. Of course, Noel didn't plan to take off the masquerade.
He surely became the weirdo inside, but he didn't bother with them. His only purpose in visiting this place was to soak in the relaxing hot water.
The warm temperature immediately enveloped his body. The sensation was far different from anything he had experienced so far.
When he was a noble, He had soaked his body in warm water a lot of times since the maid often boiled water for him.
But this hot spring was different. The water was rich in Spiritual Energy. It might be due to the hot water, but the Spiritual Energy felt like it was sipping inside his body and flushing anything in his vein.
"Hmm?" Noel frowned since even Ardagan told him something.
[The water is rich in Spiritual Energy. I'm circulating the energy around your veins and taking advantage of the water property to help your body. Check your Spirit Heart and test circulating the Spiritual Energy from there.]
Noel never expected Ardagan to do something. But he followed the instructions and instantly felt something different.
'This is…' Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. 'The energy movement feels so smooth like flowing water.'
[Do you remember the Body Strengthening Liquid?]
'Yes. Is the water similar to it?'
[Because it's not in the concentrated form like the Body Strengthening Liquid, it still carries a similar characteristic. But because you have soaked in the Body Strengthening Liquid, the effect becomes less effective.]
[Though, there is something that we can use from the current state. The Body Strengthening Liquid has that kind of effect because the Spiritual Energy is concentrated in the water itself. It will be best if you use the water itself to refine your body.]
[But this water doesn't have that kind of concentration, meaning I can absorb a portion of that Spiritual Energy to strengthen your veins along with the Spirit Heart.]
'You can do all that?' Noel was surprised since this was the first time Ardagan was so eager to do something for him.
Before Ardagan could say something, someone actually entered the bath and seemed to be trying to sit next to him.
"Sorry, Young Man. Can I sit here?"
"Sure. No one is there, so feel free." Noel answered nonchalantly while looking down as if he was thinking about something. After all, he couldn't stare at the empty air since people would either feel something amiss or think he was crazy.
Meanwhile, he heard the guy gradually sit down next to him while letting out a gentle moan as though he was feeling good after soaking his body in the hot spring. It was at that time the guy suddenly said something that shocked him.
"To think my daughter would invite me to this place so that I can meet you…"
