Two hours before dusk, Livia or, as she introduced herself, Maria was waiting for the mysterious person that taught her yesterday.
There were two books sitting on the table this time. One of them was the Rune Book that Noel wrote while the other one was her notebook.
"Mhm, mhmmm…" She was humming heavily while reading the rune book. "I wonder how the author can write all these things? While it looks like the Spirit Enchantments are the downgraded versions of runes, it's still impossible to find all these completed runes.
"There are a lot of runes that have to be researched first, including the ones without any records from the Spirit Enchantment.
"It's a completely new area. But it appears that the runes want everyone to be able to fight against their opponent without relying on the spirit.
"While the spirits play a big part in one's power, if there is a rune master, who can form runes, at fast speed, they would be able to contend against them.
"Of course, from what I can see, the rune power is only limited to Spirit Practitioner… No, Spirit Wielder. It doesn't have anything stronger to harm a Spirit Master or above."
All of a sudden, a gentle voice echoed in her ears. "That's not true."
"!!!" Livia widened her eyes in surprise. This time, Noel had moved so fast that her plants couldn't detect him.
"Sorry if I startle you." Noel chuckled before raising a finger. "But I don't lie about that. There are stronger runes. Because all these runes are the basic form…"
"Huh?" The shock turned into confusion. How could Noel know about such a thing? Even the Greenwood Kingdom needed a lot of research before they could prove that theory.
Noel sat down on the opposite side and asked, "Since you're in this house, you're my cousin, right? To thank my grandfather, I want to teach someone from this family about runes."
"Thank your grandfather? Cousin?" Livia made a wry smile. She almost forgot that before coming here, her father asked her to act as a part of the Ezenholm Family and stay for a while.
Although she didn't know why he wanted her to act that way, she still had to follow his instructions. She nodded her head, saying, "Yes."
"So, I'll be teaching you about runes during my stay here." Noel smiled before forming a Rune Blast. "This is what I mean by those runes are the basic form."
"!!!" Livia widened her eyes in shock when she saw the rune on Noel's hand. She rose from her seat just so that she could lean forward to take a closer look. 'What is this rune? It's far more complicated than the ones in the book.'
When she traced the strokes on each rune, she said, "This is… It consists of at least fifty more lines than the runes in the book. The Spiritual Energy contained in each line is also twice, if not three times stronger.
"With each line that strong, the power that it can exert is at least a hundred times greater than the basic runes. It's possible to harm a Spirit Master or even a Spirit Grandmaster with this rune."
As one would expect from the second princess, her reputation was truly well deserved. She managed to assess the runes in just a short time. While her talent was different from Tristan's, her talent still suited the runes.
Noel nodded his head and continued with the explanation. "The Spirit Enchantment is only one of the uses of the runes. There are several other ways to utilize the runes. For example, you can form the runes like this and apply it, right? And there are things that can be summoned and controlled by using runes like this…"
Noel changed his rune into Rune Sword. As a result, a sword created by pure Spiritual Energy floated above the rune. It began flying around as if it was alive.
Livia couldn't believe what she saw. She had never thought that the runes could be used like this. Even Damian didn't tell her anything about this type of rune.
"How do you know about all this… Wait… that's a foolish question." Livia couldn't believe it, but the proof was right before her eyes. There was no one who understood the runes other than the author of the rune book himself.
He had shown her all the hints contained in those advanced runes and knowledge. There was no need to introduce himself. Livia shivered, recalling all the questions she had yesterday. While the questions weren't that weird, her eagerness somehow made her embarrassed.
She said, "I… apologize for my rudeness yesterday… Noe… Mr. Noel Ardagan."
"Really? Hasn't Noel Ardagan died in the Muivell Kingdom?" Noel chuckled.
"That's what has been known, but they haven't received any report about your body, meaning that there is no proof. Damian's got a lot of important knowledge just by following a man called Iadre. And with the relationship between the Ardagan Family and the Ezenholm Family, it's no wonder you call Sir Raincart, your grandfather. If I link everything, it won't be hard to deduce that you're the real Noel Ardagan."
"Sir Raincart?" Noel squinted his eyes, judging Livia. If she wanted to show that she was a part of the Ezenholm Family, she shouldn't have addressed him that way.
But Livia actually placed her hand on her chest while saying with a calm tone. "Yes. I wasn't aware of the reason why I sent it here. But after knowing that the real Noel Ardagan is currently staying in this mansion, everything is clear. I believe it is rude for me to hide my identity anymore."
"Despite the fact that you will have the chance to become my student and learn a lot of things about runes as Maria?" Noel asked, slightly impressed by her action.
"If I continue as Maria, I might be able to get all that. However, as soon as you find out, not only you but the Ezenholm Family will dislike the royal family."
"Then, does that mean you're going to leave right now and just step away from this opportunity?" Noel asked another question.
Livia shook her head. "After realizing my father's intention, I don't think I can back away."
"You should know that I've made an agreement with the Greenwood Kingdom previously. And our relationship is just a mere business partnership."
"Yes. However, I believe that taking me in will prove to be advantageous to your position."
Livia and Noel stared at each other. The former tried to explain the reason despite fully knowing that Noel wanted to accept her. On the other hand, Noel was questioning her despite already agreeing to the arrangement.
"So, are you planning to force your way to become my student? A royalty becoming the student of a commoner?" Noel smirked. This was a tricky question.
However, Livia actually went beyond Noel's imagination.
"I believe that words alone won't be sufficed…" Livia suddenly lowered her head and stated, "Please let me become your student, Mr. Noel."
"!!!" Noel was dumbfounded. A noble had their dignity to maintain, so they couldn't bow to the commoners easily. However, the royalty was even stricter about this. After all, the royalty carried the pride of the entire kingdom.
If they lowered their heads easily, the entire kingdom would become a laughing stock.
Yet, the second princess, who had a lot of achievements and represented the kingdom far better than some princes or princesses, actually lowered her head to plead to Noel to take her in.
This showed enough of her determination.
She stripped away her pride and lowered herself down to the very bottom just to become Noel's disciple. It was a hard thing to do even for a noble, let alone a princess.
Noel could finally see the real reasons for the second princess' achievements.
He raised one finger, "Even if I'm planning to become a noble, I'm still a commoner. Don't you think your action is a bit excessive?"
"If my action can let my kingdom prosper, I won't hesitate to do it. But… I would be lying if I said I don't have any interest in it either." Livia took a deep breath and expressed her real intention. "Why do we have to be bound by our social stratification when our home is threatened? Why do humans have to fight against each other when we have one common enemy?
"Pride, greed, lust, or whatever. It can be used as a reason, but while we're fighting among ourselves, the demons are still going to hunt us. The nobles can wield their power and wealth to assemble a lot of people to protect them. The royalty can escape easily with the power they have. But the common people can only accept their death if the demons attack us with their full force right now!
"If lowering my pride or even sacrificing my life is the only price, I think it's pretty cheap. That's why…" Livia lowered her head again. "Please accept me as your disciple. I wish no more than the common people to have the power to fend for themselves."
Noel was amazed by her speech. This was the first time he found someone who directed their attention not on the people, but on the demons. As she said, the demons were their common enemy.
Noel naturally knew this, but he was still a human. He asked, "Are you trying to force me to accept you for the sake of morality? If morality could be used on everything, the royal family wouldn't have executed my parents."
"I'm aware. I will do my best to satisfy all your conditions."
"All my conditions?" Noel squinted his eyes while scanning her body.
Livia understood that gaze, but she didn't have any change of expression. "Yes. Please put any conditions."
"…" Even Noel was speechless about this determination. Unless he directly rejected her… no, even if he rejected her, she would continue pestering him in the future. It seemed that the most dangerous thing was not the royal family's scheme but to actually meet her in person. It was because she was this kind of person that the king was convinced that his plan would succeed.
'I guess I haven't learned enough about people's characters.' Noel could only sigh at his mistake while adding, "Fine. I will accept you as my student. I'm planning to open a rune school as soon as I become a noble anyway. However, I have several conditions for you to fulfill."
"I understand. Please state them. I'll do my best to satisfy all of it."
"I'll just write it down."
In the past, Noel had been showing his determination, plan, and courage to get people's approval like Dimitri, Harley, or other pillars of the Ardagan Family. But this was the first time he was moved by someone's determination.
