"You are allowed to rest and remain inside the base for six months. That's all. You're dismissed." Clara waved her hand, telling the Zero Squad to leave. Even she didn't expect this kind of attack. She was concerned about Paul's condition. In fact, if she were in the operation, the Vice Captain of the Demon Beholder Squad wouldn't die, and Captain Igor would still have two arms.
Noel and the others politely nodded and returned to their cabins. Their expressions were dark. This defeat was not because of Noel or whatever. They were simply not strong enough to handle the enemies. In fact, without Damian's help, they would've been wiped out when three Spirit Grandmasters chased after them.
Noel was walking back to his room with his head hanging low. He also kept checking the mission.
[Mission: Repaying One's Kindness.]
[Description: Anna has helped you a lot, it's time to repay her. A Rune Swordsman has always been clear with debt and gratitude. Help her finish her advancement mission in Creek Village six months from now.]
[Reward: Force Control.]
Noel couldn't help but shut his eyes. This might be the first time he had failed a mission. He failed to assist Anna in her advancement mission. In fact, this setback might cause her to fail to become an Arbiter within the allocated time.
However, he finished a different mission.
[Mission: Anna's Secret]
[Description: Make Anna tell you her secret by any means necessary.]
[Reward: Anna's Secret and Hermit's Location.]
[Penalty: None.]
'Hermit's location?' This completely perplexed Noel, making him wonder what kind of hermit he was. The location was also deep outside the border. There was a high chance that they would die the moment they chose to come. So, he didn't know why they would go to this place.
Noel furrowed his eyebrows while going back. He also had to consider everything, especially the defeat. He never thought that the Supreme Devil Organization would do something like this.
But when he returned to his room, he saw Anna eating noodles. She crossed her legs, not showing anything that reflected her status as a noble. Though, it seemed that she still finished everything in her mouth first and put down the fork before waving to Noel. "It seems you're done."
Anna came with them for a lot of reasons. She was injured heavily and had done a lot of things for them. So, Noel brought her to the city so that Clara could take care of her. It seemed that most of her injuries had gone, thanks to Clara.
More importantly, Noel was still considering what Anna wanted to do. He still remembered the time when Anna asked him out.
"Do you want to go somewhere with me? Just both of us. It's going to be dangerous, but I believe we can overcome the challenge. If we succeed, we will be able to gain enough strength to change our current situation."
Noel thought for a moment and said, "Yeah. I'm done. I have been thinking about this, but I think it's better to understand what kind of journey you're planning to have first."
Anna nodded without hesitation. "Well, I'm planning to leave the border."
"Huh? Why?"
"To find the Sword Saint's disciple."
"…" Noel was completely speechless. There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but her expression was telling him that she was serious.
"Is it related to what happened in that other life?"
"Yeah." Anna pointed at him. "In fact, he was related to you. I don't really know the details, but I fought you at that time and I somehow managed to push you back for once. The battle was near the border and you somehow disappeared from the world for a year before reappearing before me."
"I didn't know what happened, but back then, you brought back a man to help you. That person was using a Sword and the way he moved was similar to yours. I'm sure he is not your disciple, so he must be Sword Saint's disciple."
"I mean, I can kind of understand it. But why do you want us to leave the border to find him? Yeah, you said it's going to be a dangerous trip. Leaving the border alone is already extremely dangerous. But I still haven't found any reason why we have to find him right now." Noel furrowed his eyebrows, thinking this was a bad idea.
"No, there is a good reason for this. Actually, that kid is not a human!"
"Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "Not a human?"
Anna nodded. "That kid is from the legend… the race that is said to be inferior to humans because their blood is mixed with animals in order to create a stronger species."
"Wait. Don't tell me, you're planning…"
"Yeah. I'm planning to visit the kingdom that hosts them. It's far from us, so the trip will take a long time and it'll be extremely dangerous. However, there is something special about them."
"Their races are utilizing their Spirit Power in a different way!" Anna lifted up her shirt a little bit, exposing the Spirit Seal on her waist. "Look at this. I try to replicate the way they use their power."
Suddenly, a few lines emerged from the Spirit Seal like that of tree roots.
"Every time they use their power, the Spirit Seal will look like this. And in that instant, they will receive a surge of strength. I never saw you using something like this, but I had seen you doing something similar. So, I believe this trip is necessary if we want to gain a huge boost in our strength."
"Wait a minute!" Noel suddenly thought of something. "When did I receive him?"
"When you were a Spirit Master."
"Then, their kingdom is located…"
"Northeast to our kingdom. Though, I don't know the exact location since a lot of information has been lost."
"Mhm…" Noel made an awkward smile. "I think I didn't visit their kingdom. Instead…"
Noel brought a map from the shelf and opened it, pointing at the Hermit's location. "I might go to this place and meet someone from their kingdom."
