"Master. I don't think this is a good idea." Dimitri furrowed his eyebrows. He had listened to Noel and Anna about their plan to meet the hermit.
The plan was still very basic, considering they didn't know much about the situation. But after looking at it, the risk was simply too great.
Even Damian joined the discussion, considering he had to follow Noel for a while.
After considering a lot of things, Damian expressed his concern. "This is a reckless plan. First of all, you don't know much about everything outside the border. Of course, as a part of the Zero Squad, you should have gotten enough experience outside, but your mission doesn't stray too far from the border."
"Meanwhile, this time, you're planning to cross various unknown terrains to reach this place. I can't really accept this plan, fully knowing the risk." Damian shook his head helplessly."
"Yes, Master. I agree with him. This is extremely risky." Dimitri sighed as though he had a bad memory about it. "When you ventured into that area, there would be a lot of extremely powerful demons. Without supplies or manpower, you wouldn't last long."
Noel nodded in understanding while Anna raised her hand. "To be honest, we don't need supply. We can get something to eat by hunting the demons. If you're worried about water, Noel can purify water. I'm also an expert in hiding and locating the enemies thanks to my Spirit, so I can find a perfect place to hide during the night."
"Alright. We can consider it done, but what about the manpower? You wouldn't last long if you fought a lot of demons continuously."
Noel thought for a moment and asked, "What if you followed us, Dimitri?"
"I, of course, will follow you if that's your decision. However, you have to be aware of how reckless you are!" Dimitri clenched his teeth. "You have been targeted by the Supreme Devil Organization, so—"
Before Dimitri finished, Noel interjected him. "That's exactly the reason, Dimitri. The Supreme Devil Organization is currently targeting us. The Demon Banner Army is trying to match their movements and make a counterattack."
"This is the perfect opportunity for us to cross the border and leave the kingdom. Since they are going to target us, if we can't improve our strength drastically, we'll die sooner or later. I can't really rely on you all the time. Since we have a small group, we can kill and absorb a lot of demons, allowing us to raise our Spiritual Energy Reserve. And fighting in the frontline like this will hone our skills, consolidating our foundation."
"I am aware that it looks reckless. However, if I am not reckless, I'm afraid that I won't be able to do anything." Noel sighed. His face was filled with disappointment. He must be thinking about the recent failure where he couldn't even do anything.
Dimitri glared at Anna and said, "You must be the one poisoning my master's mind. How are you going to bear the responsibility?"
Anna was aware of his worries. But she didn't plan to back down. Noel once managed to overcome the journey and become stronger when he was only a Spirit Master. And with her helping him, they should be able to reach that place.
Hence, Anna declared with a serious expression. "If anything were to happen to Noel, I would follow him to the underworld. You can even kill me in the most brutal way possible."
"…" Dimitri was startled, never expecting this kind of determination to come from Anna. It seemed that no matter what he said, they weren't planning to back down.
Noel thought for a moment and asked Damian. "Do you think it's possible for you to follow us?"
"No, you should be asking whether it's possible for me not to stop you from going on this reckless trip!" Damian coldly stared at Noel. Noel was the source of the runes, so obviously, he wanted him alive. He wanted him to keep getting stronger and give him more information about it.
Noel took a deep breath and added, "Does that include the fact that this trip can actually teach me about the new way to utilize the runes?"
"Hmm?" Damian furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"This trip is a bit special. If I succeed, it can become the foundation of a new type of rune. If you were to help us, I would definitely share it with you."
"…" Damian suddenly fell silent when Noel mentioned the new type of rune. If it was only a new rune, he would surely reject it. But a new type meant an entire category. There would be a huge potential for a new type like the Rune Engineering and Rune Spell.
Still, this was extremely risky. No one in their sane mind would agree to such a trip, considering even a Spirit Grandmaster like him might die if he wasn't careful.
"Of course, I will add ten more runes as a down payment. If you still think the trip is too dangerous, you can quit halfway. With your strength, it shouldn't be that hard to go back and return to your kingdom, right? You have taken the concept of Rune Engineering and a few runes from the Rune Spell as well. So, the choice is yours."
Damian furrowed his eyebrows. This was a hard matter. If he left and somehow died, it would be a great blow to the Greenwood Kingdom. If he didn't follow Noel and he somehow succeeded, he would lose a huge opportunity.
Damian thought for a moment and said, "This is not a matter where I can decide by myself. Even my kingdom carries a risk when I die. Hence, I have to inform the royal family about this first. If possible, I would like you to wait for two weeks."
"That's impossible." Noel shook his head. "We'll be leaving in one week. How about this, meet us outside the border between the two countries. If you haven't appeared for three days after the promised time, we'll consider you not joining us."
Damian considered the plans and agreement for a bit before nodding his head. "Alright. We have a deal. Even if I don't join you, I'll surely come to inform you about it. We have to set a location to meet, though."
"Yeah. That's what we're going to do."
