"The situation has become stable. The fort might be half-destroyed, but the demons are almost wiped out. The Superior Demons have died and the remaining demons won't be able to stop those people.
"To think he manages to do it…" Kevin Stargaze looked at the fort with a smile.
Since Anna was the one inviting him to the hot springs in the first place, she accompanied him to this place to see the situation as well. She couldn't help but smirk, feeling a bit defeated.
She expected Noel to survive, but she never thought that Noel's plan stretched to this extent.
"As expected… I still can't be compared to him in this area. Even though I have grown a lot, he is also growing at the same pace." Anna made a frustrated grin. On the one hand, she felt excited to know there was someone who could keep up with her pace. On the other hand, she completely admitted her defeat.
Still, there was one thing that had been bothering her the entire time. She glanced at her father and asked, "Father… May I ask what kind of conversation you had with him? What kind of plan did he give you?"
Kevin looked at her for a moment before having a small smirk. "Hehe. Are you curious? Well, I don't mind telling you about it. To put it simply, I told him that if he wants to be my son-in-law, I won't say no."
"…" Anna blinked a few times as if she didn't believe what she had just heard. Soon, her face became a bit red and she hurriedly retorted. "What are you talking about? I have done all that to him. Even though the misunderstanding has been resolved, we can't go with that route…"
"Hahaha. It's true I told him that though." Kevin chuckled. "Anyway, I'm not going to do anything with your relationship. You have been plagued by your teacher's words in the past. But I don't see anything like that in your eyes now. So, I know that all relationships, whether it's a friend or lover in the future, come from your decision. All I have to do as your parent is to support you."
"…" Anna looked down, feeling a bit dejected. She thought she truly couldn't win against her father.
In her past life, she might not be as old as her current father, but their age shouldn't be that different. Yet, she felt like she was still immature compared to her father.
'Tsk. I can't defeat my father in this… If only I had grown a lot in my past life, I would have been more mature… Well, I guess it's fine for now. I can still feel the joy of being a daughter.' Anna made a small smile before saying, "Hmm… Though, I wish that you could tell everything."
Kevin thought for a moment and decided to tell her about Noel's plan.
…
A week ago.
"So, what's your plan?" Kevin asked.
Instead of answering with the plan he had in mind, Noel fell silent for a moment as if he was adjusting his plan. After a while, Noel began his explanation.
"Before telling you my plan, I'd like to confirm something about your power. Can you create a domain like this for a fight?"
"Yeah. I can maintain the domain and no one will realize it. The distortion will make the others think that there's nothing change inside the domain, but once I retract my power, the only thing you see is the aftermath. That's the reason why I'm known as Fleeting Arbiter."
Noel nodded his head. "Then, my plan is to give the Plant Lord an opportunity to cause a ruckus. If he is truly an enemy, then I'm sure that he's going to sabotage the entire operation. In that case, there's no need to hesitate to kill him.
"If he doesn't sabotage the expedition, then the plan will just end up becoming a failure.
"Anyway, I will create an opportunity. Once the Plant Lord causes the ruckus, the demons will surely attack us. I'll try to manipulate all of them to return to the fort and station the Plant Lord outside the fort.
"It will look reckless at first glance, but if I ask Captain Septa to handle his security, he surely won't reject that idea. It will also be beneficial for us as well.
"During that time, I will prolong the battle or change the situation that forces Captain Septa, Captain Shale, Captain Clara, and the Stone Lord to make their moves, leaving the Plant Lord alone.
"I want you to use your ability to create a domain for his execution. Is that possible?" Noel asked.
Kevin put his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought. "The executioner is Dimitri?"
Noel nodded. "Do you know him?"
"Of course. I know people call him Shadow, the former captain of the Demon Assassination Squad. He saved my life a couple of times under your father's order, you know." Kevin paused for a moment. "Dimitri didn't cause a lot of ruckus during an assassination."
"So, even if I erected my domain, it wouldn't be hard to clean up. Though, the only problem would be how you planned to explain it to the Tower Association."
Noel smirked. "Just let the Supreme Devil Organization take the blame."
"!!!" Kevin was taken aback before a smile appeared on his face. "I see. So, you're going that way. I get a good grasp of your plan now. I guess it's as expected from Luke's son. You're truly devilish."
"Please call it smart, please."
"No. I will call you the way I call your father, little fox." Kevin smiled. He patted Noel's shoulder and said, "Alright. I'll follow your plan. Just think of this as the repayment for taking care of my daughter."
When Anna heard the story, she couldn't help but shake her head helplessly. "How could he even think that far?"
"Well, you are the same age as him. All I can tell you is that if you decide to do it, make sure to do it as soon as possible. Don't wait until he shines like the brightest star in the sky." Kevin advised her with a smile.
