"How is your training going?" Raincart asked while walking down the hallway with Noel the next day.
Noel thought for a moment and said, "I should be able to complete my training and do the rest in two weeks."
"I see. Tristan is doing well, and I'll be monitoring his study for now. So, you don't have to worry about him for now."
"Thank you." Noel nodded. His grandfather had been helping him this whole time. Even during the previous stay, he instructed him on a few tricks for controlling his ability. And he could make a breakthrough soon because of his advice.
So, he felt indebted to him. Noel raised one finger, asking, "Grandfather. Do you mind if I teach someone the rune?"
"Come on. Are you thinking of owing me something? It's fine for a grandson to rely on his grandfather. Besides, you're a responsible young man, so there's no need to feel that way." Raincart chuckled while patting Noel's head.
"Well, if I teach someone runes, it will definitely be useful for the Ezenholm Family. Even if you don't want me to thank you in any way, how about accepting it for the sake of mother and father? I feel like they have owed you a lot."
Raincart smiled gratified. He could see that Noel had grown up right. Of course, he didn't have any intention of receiving the gift, but it seemed that Noel would be adamant about it.
So, Raincart said, "Alright. You can do whatever you want."
"Actually, I saw a talented person in the family yesterday. She had a good understanding of runes and progressed very quickly. It's just…" Noel stopped abruptly as if contemplating something.
"Is there something wrong with her?"
"Yeah." Noel nodded with a serious expression before asking with a worried tone. "Do I have a cousin called Maria?"
"…" Raincart became speechless in that instant.
And that reaction was what Noel needed. He said, "While I haven't eaten with the entire family this whole time, I'm still keeping track of the people inside this family. It's just… this is the first time I've seen her…"
Noel had expressed his suspicion. Even Raincart could see that Noel would have no trouble in seeing through his lies either.
Raincart let out a long sigh, saying, "No. You don't have a cousin called Maria."
"Then, who is she?" Noel frowned, feeling something weird about the whole situation.
"Her real name is Livia."
"Livia? Which Livia?" Noel tilted her head in confusion, but after seeing Raincart's troubled face, something clicked in his mind. "Wait a minute… Are you talking about Livia De Greenwood?"
Raincart nodded his head helplessly.
"Don't tell me…" Noel clicked his tongue, annoyed.
But Raincart added, "No. She is not aware of your identity or any of this scheme. After His Majesty heard about your disciple, he sent her to this family in order to become your disciple. She is extremely talented and can learn a lot from you. This means she will become the leading rune master in the kingdom."
"Still…" Noel wanted to rebuke him, but he suddenly fell silent as though there was another idea flashed in his mind.
"I think taking her as your disciple is not that bad either. I mean, I taught the current king, so it wouldn't be weird if my grandson did the same to a royal princess. Besides, there are several advantages you can get."
It appeared that Raincart wasn't aware of this scheme until the princess arrived at his family. But after thinking about it, Raincart deemed that there were things that could be taken advantage of.
Noel asked, "Is there any condition?"
"It's actually at your discretion. As long as she is safe, everything is fine."
Noel asked, "That means I can demand a lot of things from him?"
"Yes. He won't interfere with your teaching. I believe you can see through his intentions…"
"Let her become my disciple and learn runes from me directly. He should be able to see the potential from Damian's result alone, so following me for a few years will give a far bigger result than that. And there is a possibility that he is trying to make her close to me so that I can fall for her or something."
"You're truly my grandson." Raincart nodded in agreement.
"Still, there should be a tuition fee, right?" Noel smirked.
Raincart's serious expression turned into a sly face. He said, "Don't worry. I'm going to extort him for you. You can get all the demon crystals you need to break through to Spirit Grandmaster, including that ice element item. Of course, I will definitely add a lot more crystals for your soldiers."
The serious conversation earlier had turned into a cunning conversation between two sly foxes.
Noel added, "But I still have a condition. I am still going to ask her to do everything and I even want to create a rune school in my territory."
"You don't have to worry about that. Just say that it's for her training and everything is settled. Don't forget that she is known to be extremely smart. She is also a team leader in the Royal Magician Bureau. Her control over her element should be higher than you. There are also several achievements under her belt. As a person alone, she is talented enough to help you manage the territory. And she is only 17 years old."
"Still, she has to go back to marry, no? It's her royal duty."
"Actually, you don't have to care about that. His Majesty has considered her to be more useful to let her do whatever she wants instead of burying her under the political marriage."
"Well, if she can achieve all that when she is only 17 years old, her achievement would be boundless when she is older." Noel agreed with Raincart and the king's opinion. "Still, it's annoying to talk to her politely."
"Say her name again…" Raincart shook his head.
"Livia… no, Maria?" Noel raised his eyebrows, finally understanding why she had given that false name.
"That's right. What you're going to bring is Maria, not Livia De Greenwood. You can treat her the same."
"I see." Noel fell into deep thought. On the one hand, he was a bit annoyed that the king decided to employ this move. On the other hand, he could see a lot of benefits by taking her as his disciple.
Raincart raised one finger, "Actually, there is one more reason why I want you to accept."
"Mhm?" Noel was confused. He tried to come up with an answer, but he couldn't find any other reasons.
However, Raincart was an old noble. He had more experience than him as a lord. So, Raincart said, "The Atracaeca Kingdom's second prince had gone too far. How dare he extorted my grandson with that opportunity!"
Raincart's eyes were emitting killing intent as if he was ready to skin him alive. He added, "Noel, don't forget that you will be a noble. I can see that you have integrity. After hearing your story, I know that you will be trusted since you always deliver your promise. However, if you just let them extort you without paying any consequences, you will be looked down upon. My grandson is not a pushover."
Noel's body couldn't help but tremble. Raincart's tone was strict yet protective. Even if the other party was a prince, Raincart wasn't afraid. This shows how much Raincart cared for Noel.
Even Noel reconsidered his approach. Just like Raincart said, if this matter was known to other nobles. They would simply pull off their trade after he delivered his side of the agreement. His strength could somehow scare them, but it didn't change the fact that he looked like a pushover.
And Raincart didn't want Noel to be looked down on by everyone. With his experience as the head of the Ezenholm Family, he explained, "By taking the second princess of the Greenwood Kingdom, you are showing to the Atracaeca Kingdom that they have lost their chance.
"In other words, you can give those tips and tricks about runes to the second prince, but you can also give a letter of dissatisfaction to their Grand Protector. Just tell him that he is disappointed and only took a slave from his country as his disciple instead of any important people. And Her Highness Livia is that living proof. You should be able to see what kind of thing will happen in that country, right?"
Noel shivered just from that thought alone. In a battle, he was smart and experienced. But Raincart was a veteran in a political battle.
After doing those two things, the Grand Protector would unleash his anger toward the second prince. After all, Tristan had proven to be more trustworthy than their second prince. Meanwhile, the Greenwood Kingdom had a better approach and ended up with their second princess becoming Noel's disciple.
Tristan wouldn't go back to the Atracaeca Kingdom, while Livia would still give a lot of knowledge and information even if she didn't return. Their second prince simply chose a box of gold in front of him compared to the numerous diamonds he could get along the way. It was clear who was smarter and better.
"But won't that cause an international problem… Wait a minute…" Noel stopped talking. "The second princess is going to prevent that from happening?"
"That's right. With Her Highness Livia being your disciple, if the second prince or the Atraceaca Kingdom decided to attack you out of spite, not only the Muivell Kingdom, but the Greenwood Kingdom will also stop them."
"I see." Noel agreed with this solution, but he noticed one more hidden intention. "Don't you think the Zaecuria Kingdom will see all this?"
"Exactly. They don't want to follow the Atracaeca Kingdom's move and decide to approach you with a peaceful method. You can simply promise them related stuff to your rune schools, which allows you to gain a lot of resources from the Zaecuria Kingdom. This will prove to be useful for your development, right?"
"Indeed. I have to fight the royal family and the Supreme Devil Organization so I can get all the support I need just by taking her as my disciple. And with that big movement, other nobles won't be able to look down on me as well. If the organization is trying to harm Livia, the Greenwood Kingdom will wreak havoc."
Noel had learned a lot from this brief exchange alone. This was the first time he learned anything related to politics from an experienced figure. Even his father only told him philosophy.
While strength might indeed be the most important factor in a duel, sometimes, they could avoid all kinds of problems just by taking a step back. They wouldn't be seen as a tyrant who shut people's mouths with their strength as well.
After a brief consideration, Noel whispered something to Raincart. The latter considered Noel's suggestions and whispered another thing.
It seemed that they were satisfied with that arrangement as both of them gave a thumbs up with a sly smile on their faces. It was clear that they were truly blood related.
