System vs Rebirth

Although she could gain a lot by relying on the brothel, Anna didn\'t want to leech off Noel\'s influence in order to finish her mission.

Since Noel had told them that the brothel was on their side, that was enough for her to continue her mission.

In the end, the two had to move separately once again.

Of course, they also decided on one thing. It was time for their next meeting. Considering they had a sudden vacation, it was impossible for them to meet.

Fate had played them, but they weren\'t so free that they would sit together and talk about it before doing their punishment game.

So, the two ended up leaving this matter for another time, which would happen one month after Noel returned to the squad.

But before that, Noel had to face Countess Christina.

He was riding a horse with Rose as they found the city on the horizon. Before reaching the gate, Noel couldn\'t help but ask, "Have you read the information?"

"Yeah. I\'ve studied the report." Rose nodded with a calm expression. To show his support, Harley had given him all the information they had regarding the three nobles.

Noel and Rose took turns studying them.

Rose let out a sigh. "The Countess is a unique woman. Unlike the normal nobles who put the son in the successor seat, the Countess has defeated all her brothers in order to become the successor of the previous Count.

"She is extremely talented as a Spirit Magician to the point that she became the disciple of the Fire Lord. When she was about to become the Fire Lord\'s successor, she decided to step down and return to her family to defeat her brothers and finally become the successor.

"So, using her as a scapegoat for your Rune Book is perfect. Even the Third Prince will acknowledge the idea since you don\'t have many allies at the moment.

"Of course, we have to judge whether the Countess is our ally or not. Her relationship with your father was not so simple.

"The one who helped her avoid the political marriage from her family was your father. In fact, thanks to your father\'s connection and resources, she could be acknowledged by the Fire Lord.

"In addition, after going back to become a Countess, she received a lot of attacks from her neighbors, especially Count Leinberd.

"In the end, she knew that the Ardagan Family was the enemy of the backing of Count Leiberd, Marquis Walford. Knowing that your father is a much bigger man than a Count, she allied with your father to resist both of them.

"You could say that she is always on the receiving end. So, if you want to use that favor to help you against those two nobles. I think it\'s possible.

"Then again, we have to be careful since we don\'t know whether the Countess will ignore you or not, considering your power and influence are still far from your father\'s glory. Have you gone there before?"

Noel shook his head. "No. I didn\'t visit a lot of places when I was still young, simply because I was lazy. Though, I had learned about the situation around me since the books I read were not only some stories or weird books, but also history, cultures, and politics."

Noel thought for a moment. He had the Affection Medal, so it should be easy to determine the other party\'s feelings toward him.

However, he had to be careful this time. After all, he had to reveal his identity in order to meet the Countess and gain her support.

That was why if he didn\'t play it right, he might end up leaking the crucial information.

"Do you think our identity is enough to have an audience with the Countess?" Noel asked.

"That depends on the Countess herself. I could say that our current identity has reached that level, but it\'s still not at the level where it matters in the Countess\' eyes. Unless you have something that can pique her interest, then I don\'t think she will meet us."

Noel narrowed his eyes, trying to find a way for them to meet.

"How about using the Ardagan Family Seal? You should have that, right?"

"I do, but…" Noel fell silent. "If we show that seal, more people will know about us."

In the end, they were trying to come up with a way to pique the Countess\' interest.

It would be much easier to ask for Dimitri\'s help, but he didn\'t want to rely on Dimitri most of the time. At the same time, there was no Sleeping Flower Brothel in this city, so he couldn\'t take advantage of the brothel manager to deliver the message.

Hence, Noel decided to use the Demon Relief Squad\'s reputation and mix it with some lies in order to meet her.

Although this was a risky move that could make Captain Clara judge their loyalty, it should be fine as long as they could somehow take down some nobles. They could simply mix more information to justify their action.

As soon as they reached the gate, Noel and Anna entered the city by giving away their identities as members of the Demon Relief Squad\'s Zero Squad.

They were allowed to enter immediately and obviously, the news of them entering the city reached the Countess\' ears pretty soon.

The Countess, who was taking care of her business, suddenly received the report about Noel and Rose. She frowned.

"The Demon Relief Squad? I don\'t think I have called for their help… And since they\'re using their identities to enter the city, it means that they want to let me know their presence. What are they planning to do?"