"Noel. I'm not sure if I should say this or not, but in the previous life, I have never heard anything about you utilizing the water with a ship or something."
"Hmm?" Noel thought for a moment. "Well, I'm not very sure about it. There might be a difference in details that you didn't notice like the connection, the speed, and the value of the runes. Just like how you're the one coming up with the idea of having lamps with runes, I might have a different idea that ends up causing it to be unable to be completed or something."
"Fair enough." Anna nodded. She remembered the explanation about time from the Thunder Berserker Spirit. All those variables were the ones shaping the future.
"Either way, I want you to focus on the future trip. Injury is not allowed." Noel smirked. "If you're injured, I'm going to punish you or something."
"Eh? You're going to punish an injured person?" Anna rolled her eyes but soon laughed. "Then, if I come back without any injuries, are you going to reward me?"
"Shouldn't you compensate me for suddenly leaving?" Noel harrumphed.
Both of them glared at each other before laughing out loud.
Noel said, "In any case, I have to prepare for the incoming expedition, so I'll be visiting Layla. You should remind us here that for the time being, we don't know if there are other spies or not."
"Got it."
…
Just like how the messenger from the Third Prince had arrived, the message that the Moon Temple had sent to the elders had also arrived.
In the Moon Temple Headquarters, five people were sitting behind a round table.
"So, what do you think?" One of thewearing elderly men asked.
A middle-aged man, who was wearing a knight armor, said, "If there is a technology that can allow us to replace the horses, I think it's worth it. We have spent a lot of money on a horse, and it's troublesome since we have to protect the horses. There's even a chance that they will be killed or injured. Isn't that right, Archbishop Noah?"
An old man wearing a red-colored priest robe nodded in agreement. "That's true. We can direct that resource to another place. Besides, the report told us that there are other inventions, right? If that's the case, won't it mean that we have a chance to find something better? I think I agree with Paladin Lloyd."
Another elder replied, "Still, mobilizing two paladins and the Saintess itself… It's too big of a move."
"You shouldn't think that way. The Saintess is the backbone of our temple. And if you look at her request, I think I can understand what she wants." The last elder nodded his head in approval.
"His request is Paladin Lloyd and Paladin Aurelia. Paladin Lloyd is the calmest one and quite smart, so you might be able to learn a thing or two during your stay there. But the most important thing is Paladin Aurelia. She was a former noble with a high education. If she and the Saintess join hands, they might be able to get important technology from the inventor of the rune." Archbishop Noah pointed at Lloyd. "The question is, do you wish to go?"
"That's…" Paladin Lloyd fell into deep thought. On the one hand, it would be meddlesome to stay in one city, especially a half-destroyed one. On the other hand, it was reported that the lord was planning to build a water supply that every single house could get without even going out of their house. It made him curious.
"No. I think there is one most important thing." An elder stopped them with a grim tone. "If we create a new headquarters, the territory is bound to expand. Take a look at the location of Lounstein."
"Hmm?" Everyone couldn't help but look at the map. Lounstein was located at the northern border of the Muivell Kingdom. It was situated not that far from the Greenwood Kingdom, which had close ties with Noel.
And with their help, the territory would expand. If Anna and Noel joined hands and reached Spirit Transcendence or even higher, there was a huge chance that the expansion would be at the scale they never imagined.
In other words, the Muivell Kingdom's territory would become so big that it might cause the Lounstein territory to be located in the middle of the kingdom. In other words, the Saintess was gambling on an even far future where Noel and Anna became so strong that they set their eyes to retake the lands from the demons.
Since they invested in Lounstein as quickly as possible, they would definitely be able to reap some of the benefits.
"Did… the Saintess see this far?" Even an old man like Archbishop Noah felt like his wisdom was inferior to the Saintess.
"Who knows? We all know that the Saintess is a unique individual. She often looks like an airhead and just a genuinely kind person, but if you know her a bit more, she is like someone who can see the future. I guess that's the reason why the Moon Goddess took a liking to her."
"The problem is that Noel Ardagan and Anna Stargaze have to survive the ordeal. It won't be easy, considering their enemies are the royal family and the Supreme Devil Organization. We won't take part in that turmoil, but we'll definitely help him fight the demons. As long as we maintain our neutrality, even if they are defeated, we can still bail out without too much of a loss."
"So, no one is against creating a headquarters there?"
"I think that's fine for now. It's not like we're in a hurry."
"Yeah. We can only go there after a few months, so let's use these few months to make the necessary preparations."
"Indeed. In that case, let's recall Paladin Aurelia and have her be prepared for the next mission."
When they looked like they had made their decision, someone suddenly slammed open the door while shouting, "Emergency. We got an urgent message from the Saintess!"
"Huh? What's going on?" Archbishop Noah stood up. Even Paladin Lloyd was holding his scabbard as if he were ready to fight.
"The Saintess is about to go on an expedition to kill a lot of demons. And there's a high chance that it's related to the Supreme Devil Organization. The Saintess will take care of the demons and the Earl will be eliminating the organization. She said the expedition would be in two days."
"What?!" Archbishop Noah trembled. Even for the Saintess, it looked so reckless.
"Are you kidding me? What the hell is the Saintess thinking?"
"Does he not know that the Supreme Devil Organization has a lot of Grandmasters and those Devil Saints?!"
"No. This must be the Earl's plan."
"But should we send reinforcement? This is still far too reckless."
Archbishop Noah turned to Paladin Lloyd and asked, "If you use your full speed, can you reach her within two days?"
"No. We're too far. Even if I go right now, I still need four days… That's without rest in between." Paladin Lloyd shook his head. He said, "Wait. Where is Paladin Aurelia right now?"
"She is…" The bishop looked at the map and gasped. "She is in Marquis Havister's territory. She can fly and if I roughly calculate the distance, she should be able to reach her within one day."
"Immediately send a fast bird to her location and tell her to directly go to the Saintess! Hopefully, she is enough to help the Saintess… and make sure to restrain that Saintess from doing something like this in the future!"
"Kh…"
"Hurry!"
"Y-yes!" The messenger hurriedly rushed to send the message.
All the people in the room became annoyed due to the recklessness. They never thought the Saintess would do something like this. They hoped the bird was fast enough to reach their paladin.
"It might tip the power balance if Paladin Aurelia is there. So…" The bishop turned to Lloyd.
"I know. I will just assemble the volunteers, priests, and knights for the next few months. She requested one branch and one headquarters, right? If that's the case, how many people do we need?"
"If we're talking about a branch… No, let's make it a bit more special so that it's like we're doing them a favor. Send five priests and seventy knights. Depending on the situation, we'll send a few of them to the main city. As for the headquarters, let's send eight… no, ten priests and one hundred fifty knights. If possible, ten of them should be spirit masters. We can't send too much to maintain the power balance."
"In that case, I will take care of the preparation. We will measure the city first before calculating the number of volunteers."
"Alright."
They finally came to an agreement after the shock the Saintess had given them.
…
A few hours ago.
Noel and Layla were sitting in front of each other. Layla was calmly sipping her tea before asking, "So, may I know the reason for you to meet me?"
"If I say my life is in danger without your help, what would you do?"
"Noel. The Moon Temple is going to help you, but please remember that we're here to help your territory, not satisfy your greed." Layla replied without a change of expression.
"I guess so." Noel nodded as though he had expected this. "That's why I came here with a proposal. I'm about to rush to kill a lot of demons and it's related to the Supreme Devil Organization. I'd like you to kill the demons while I handle the organization."
"Hoh? For you to raise such a request, the price that you need to pay is high, you know. After all, the Moon Temple is usually passive and will remain in the city for protection. We are never this aggressive."
"I know. That's why I'm going to only ask you, not the Moon Temple. I am making this proposal to Layla Leinfoth. I will be making you an automatic carriage before we head to the main city. You can test it however you want since it's yours."
"Hmm…" Layla fell into deep thought. The offer was quite nice, but it was still too low to change their policy. "I'm afraid I can't do as you wish. I heard that the Spirit Enchantment is the downgraded version of the rune. They can be used to reinforce things. So, how about making me a personal carriage?"
"A carriage? You might as well call it a mobile fortress." Noel sighed. "It's too high."
"In that case, we will provide the material and assemble it ourselves. You are only responsible for reinforcing it. Of course, we want it to be automatic."
"The design is slightly different from the normal carriage, so in the end, I have to bring my own expert to make the carriage."
"Then we will take a step back. Since this will be the flagship of our Moon Temple as well aahe symbol of our cooperation, we'll provide the materials. And during this expedition, I don't mind receiving only twenty percent of the loot. If that's not enough to satisfy you, then I will also bring a small elite unit as well as a powerful fighter to help… Hmm, a paladin should be enough, right? And I will play along with that charade of yours."
"And now, you're increasing your offer too high. You know that I don't like debt, right?"
"Oh my. Was my life worth that little? Without you, I would have died or even been controlled by that demon. How about this? You make this carriage a top priority. That should suffice."
Noel sighed. "Alright. I will agree to this condition."
"Also… please beware of plant type demons. You should have witnessed their horrifying uniqueness."
"Speaking from experience?"
"Of course. Plant type demons are rare because the plants' consciousness is far too low compared to animals, so demons have a hard time infecting them. But a high level plant type demon is going to be far more terrifying. The Supreme Devil Organization might have been cultivating them or something. It's just speculation, though."
"Thank you for the warning."
