Chapter 22 Doubt

"I'll make you regret for not killing me now, Anna Stargaze."

While looking at Noel's lonely back, Anna raised her hand as if trying to reach him but ended up scratching the back of her head, thinking, 'I messed up. Maybe I should have used a mask or something and gained his trust… No, the moment he learns my true identity, it would just cause the same thing. I need to continue to approach him, but not too much so that he doesn't think I am annoying. Then, I should focus on my original mission, I guess.'

? While Anna led Alfred and Lezlev through the forest, Noel wandered aimlessly for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. He felt like he had lost everything.

'As expected, I shouldn't have any friends. They'll just betray me again and again, especially with that poisonous woman around.' Noel clenched his hands tightly because once again, something that he had was taken away again by Anna.

At the same time, he couldn't ignore what she said earlier.

'Still, no matter how talented she is, Anna Stargaze alone is not enough to influence the royal family to execute my family. There are only two reasons for the royal family to agree to the execution.

'First, they have an arranged marriage. In other words, Anna Stargaze will become the queen herself. However, this is impossible because she won't be here. So, it means they're not married or engaged.

'If that's the case, then there was something hidden in my family. That something threatened the royal family, so they executed my family to seize that 'thing' which I have no knowledge about.

'In other words, Anna Stargaze was just playing a small role here… or even worse, becoming the scapegoat of the royal family. Even earlier, she didn't have any intention to harm me… Is it like she said? There's a conspiracy going on?'

Noel gritted his teeth, not knowing anything. He truly had no idea about what happened. Unbeknownst to him, Anna also didn't have any knowledge about it. She simply spouted some nonsense just to plant some doubts in his heart to make the negotiation smoother.

'Still, I can't do anything right now. I'm too weak to even do anything. The commander also wants me to hide my identity soon, so I should start getting stronger and when I hide my identity, I can begin searching about the clues about my family and the conspiracy,' Noel thought.

"This is the best option for me. But how do I get stronger?" Noel frowned, contemplating. At the same time, the previous scene flashed in his mind.

"Wait a minute. The sword she used earlier…" Noel recalled the sword's appearance. The sword had a muddy silver color. Even with a single glance, he should have realized because the sword was actually the same as all the iron swords that Shale offered earlier.

"It's only a normal iron sword?" Noel gasped. Even his Ardagan had a hard time cutting a monster, but Anna could kill the demon with just a normal iron sword. He was too shocked.

"What's the difference between us? Our swordsmanship? I know that swordsmanship can determine how good you can cut your enemy, but it shouldn't be to that extent. What if… No, wait. Let's take another look at this…"

Noel fell silent and looked down, recalling the scene perfectly. He remembered there was a dim light covering her blade.

That light was made of yellow particles that continuously hovered around the sword. It ended in a flash, but he could clearly remember those particles.

"What are they?" Noel squinted his eyes, trying to come up with some explanations about it. However, there was only one answer to all questions in his mind.

"Spirit."

"Don't tell me, she has made a contract with her spirit too and can utilize its power?" Noel looked at Ardagan and frowned.

He had made a contract with Ardagan and Heisk a week ago but the two always told him to improve his body and swordsmanship first before using their power because it would take a toll on his body.

"Unfortunately, I am too weak." Noel gritted his teeth, frustrated. "It seems that I need to get a strong foundation and body first before I can fight with my spirit… Although I don't want to admit it, that woman managed to block my swing easily. It was clear that her sword mastery and body were stronger than me."

Noel sighed, disappointed. Even so, he also knew how to get stronger from now on.

"Since I'm alone right now, I should move around the forest to find any clues about the Ancient Demon Tree. At the same time, I'll complete my mission in eliminating the demons.

"Although it's impossible for me to kill any demon by myself, I can utilize traps. If I avoid all the demons that might be impossible for me to cut and only target those I can kill with traps, I can do this.

"It might take a long time, but I need to do this. I won't rely on anyone else. When I can use my spirit, I won't bother myself with other people. Still, I think I should accept her proposal earlier… the trainees are considered townspeople since they're living in the town, if I help them, I can finish another mission that will give me more Skill Points to upgrade my ability. Well, it's useless to cry over spilled milk."

After considering everything, Noel shook his head and slapped his cheeks. He had a resolve in his heart, which was to finish this test and survive.

With a clear goal in his mind, he started making his preparation.

Cutting the trees with Ardagan and shaped it like a spike, getting some leaves to hide something, and even digging holes to trap them. Noel was creating all sorts of traps that Shale taught them in the past week.

It took a lot of effort and time, but Noel completed everything and was ready to hunt some demons.