"That's the only way for us to survive the current problem, huh…" Noel frowned. "From the way she phrases it, there might be a huge disaster that strikes the kingdom.
"It will be so chaotic that we can't guarantee our own lives. That's why we have to become stronger…"
Noel didn't know what kind of disaster Anna was talking about, considering he didn't know anything about the future.
But since Anna had a hard time looking at the future because of many changes that occurred along the line, it was clear that Anna only guessed most of them.
"I see…" Noel took a deep breath. "Well, I'm planning to rebuild my family, so becoming a noble is a part of my plan. But if I become one, she might have to become an Arbiter if she wants to stay equal to me…"
Noel smirked. He knew what he had to do in the next one and a half years. Although the time was a bit too tight, he should be able to do it.
Without wasting any more time, Noel immediately used his fire to reduce the letter into ashes so that no one could see the content. He then came out of the headquarters.
They'd got some time off from Clara after the expedition, so he used it to go to a remote place where he could meet Dimitri.
As expected, now that Dimitri had sworn his loyalty to Noel, Dimitri appeared before Noel called him.
"Master." Dimitri bowed his head politely. Instead of 'young master,' he called him Master, indicating his current status.
Noel nodded. "There are a lot of things I have to do… But I need to inform you of one thing. In one and a half years, I'm going to become a Spirit Grandmaster. It might look reckless, but I'm not going to neglect my foundation. At the very least, I have to be able to defeat an opponent stronger than me even with this speed."
As expected, Dimitri was shocked to hear about his plan.
"Master. It's not that I don't believe in you. In fact, becoming a Spirit Grandmaster is easy. As long as you can absorb enough Demon Crystals and train your body to the point it can adapt to that level of Spiritual Energy, you can become a Spirit Grandmaster."
"But without practice and abilities, you would be extremely weak. Becoming a Spirit Master at this speed has shown Master's talent, but Spirit Grandmaster is on a whole different level, considering most people are stuck in this stage. That's why…" Dimitri became worried.
Noel shook his head. "I have thought about it. Besides, there is another reason why I wish to advance this way. By making it look reckless, the Royal Family will think that I'm just desperate and not as strong as the other Spirit Grandmasters. This way, the probability of them conferring the family name is higher."
"Ah!" Dimitri understood the conflict between the Ardagan Family and the Royal Family. They obviously wouldn't give Noel a chance to rebuild the family if they knew Noel would harm them. But it didn't apply to a fool. As long as Noel looked like a fool, they wouldn't think Noel was a huge threat.
That was why Noel had to keep up with his act.
After understanding Noel's intention, he was less worried but still couldn't approve of such a decision.
Noel added, "I will do it even if you tell me otherwise. Instead, I will show you that I'm a man of my word. If you still think it's not enough, then you can stop me once again."
"Anyway, I have a few tasks for you." Noel raised three fingers. "First, I want you to go to the Master Blacksmith and create a Rune Armor. I want to create an armor that is suitable for a woman since you will send that armor to Anna. It seems that I owe her a bit too much, so I want to turn the situation around, you see."
"Of course, wait until I have received the reward from the squad before leaving this place."
"Secondly, I want you to check the situation around me. I'm sure that the other kingdoms have begun their move, especially the Greenwood Kingdom."
"It seems that this is the time I make some contact with them. At the very least, I can understand their kingdom's specialty. Just meeting them alone is enough to cause some misunderstanding. It's risky, but the reward should be worth it."
"Last but not least, I want you to gather the resources and research that the Ardagan Family has. I'm going to become a lord soon, so I have to prepare myself."
Dimitri thought for a moment. He could understand the orders since everything was necessary for the development. Though, he was a bit skeptical about giving a Rune Armor to Anna, considering it would be the first Rune Armor that would be worn by a person.
Even if he wanted to repay her, that was a bit too much. He looked at Noel's expression before asking, "I apologize if I'm being presumptuous, but I have to inquire about your relationship with Miss Anna Stargaze, Master. What do you think of her?"
"Huh?" Noel widened his eyes, stunned. He never thought Dimitri would ask something like this. He even used honorifics for Anna.
"There is nothing between us. We are simply a partner in crime, trying to escape from the grand scheme of things." Noel shook his head helplessly. He already had a headache thinking about the kiss, so he didn't want to talk about it.
But Noel's reaction was enough to tell that he had considered it carefully.
"Well, I don't have any reason to stop you. Though, you have to remember that you have become an adult. Once you rebuild the Ardagan Family, you should know about the first problem a noble family will face…" Dimitri paused for a moment. "Anyway, I have received your orders. I shall complete it as soon as possible."
Noel nodded. Since he had finished his business with Dimitri, he had to give another task to Harley since he needed a lot of information.
But before that, he was summoned by Clara to receive the reward from the expedition.
