System vs Rebirth

Chapter 117 A Small Talk

”…” Noel didnʼt know what to say. But this affection was something that he missed as well. Whether it was just a small bickering or the true care of his parents, he missed them because he no longer had any parents. ”Well, itʼs not my place to say it, but it seems that you have your reason for talking like that. And I canʼt call it ʼblowing upʼ from my perspective.”

”No. Itʼs blowing up because I have prejudice with merchant profession.” Roel shook his head helplessly. ”My wife was a merchant like them. She wasnʼt a big merchant, but her workers loved her and were loyal to her.

”But one day, she headed to a city and was attacked by a bandit group. Although she managed to return to our home, she passed away not long after. Back then, there were four arrows planted on her body and her right hand was gone.

”Can you imagine what kind of feeling to see your wife like that? And thatʼs because she managed to return… If she didnʼt return, I couldnʼt imagine what kind of hell she would experience as a woman inside a bandit group. And I wouldnʼt even get to see her body for a proper burial. Thatʼs why I went to a small village like this… I didnʼt want them to become a merchant by seeing them in the city.”

”…” Noel recounted what he found inside the bandit hideout. It was truly hell to the point he wondered how those strong women he rescued still had the will to fight for another day. Even when he encouraged them, he didnʼt expect them to keep fighting. That was why he offered that axe.

He understood the reason why Roel didnʼt want his children to follow his late wifeʼs path.

”I just want them to be content by working as a blacksmith after seeing the smile of the people around them. I just want them to like it.” Roel scratched the back of his head. ”It seems Iʼve said too much. I thought about explaining it to you just because you saved them from the bandits… I couldnʼt help it.”

”Itʼs not my place to say this, but my family was a former merchant as well. But they still supported a useless person like me… That might be the reason I gained so much determination just from thinking about it. Thatʼs probably the reason I donʼt hate them. A simple support is all we need.” Noel made a small smile, remembering his parents.

”A simple support huh…” Roel fell silent for a moment before shaking his head helplessly. ”Here I am thinking explaining to you as a simple gesture for saving my children, but I guess Iʼm now getting lectured by you.”

”No… Thatʼs not what—” Before Noel finished explaining himself, Roel interrupted him by saying, ”Thank you. Thanks to you, Iʼve realized something.”

”Youʼre welcome.” Noel also felt embarrassed because he didnʼt think much about his opinion.

”Anyway…” Roel stopped while pointing ahead. ”Thatʼs the mine.”

Noel could see that the mine had been protected by people and there were two people going back and forth while bringing cart filled with rocks.

”Follow me, I need you to protect me while I am mining the ores. There are some Low Level Demons that infested the rocks, so it might be something that you havenʼt fought as a knight in the Demon Banner Army.”

”I understand. Iʼll do my best to protect you.” Noel nodded with a serious expression. He was ready to fight any Low Level Demons, thinking he wouldnʼt lose against them.

However, the reality couldnʼt be any different.

After entering the mine, they headed straight to the lowest level. The oxygen was quite thin compared to the upper level and the temperature was quite high. Even Noel needed to roll up his sleeves.

Roel handed him over a thin cloth to cover his mouth and nose so that he wouldnʼt inhale the dust.

When Roel just started mining, a demon suddenly popped out of the wall.

Even Noel was surprised by this demon because it was truly a rock. The rock looked like a cube but it had eyes and a crystal on its head. The demon seemed to be able to leap from one place to another.

”Itʼs going to hurt if that demon hit you,” Roel warned him as he already began to mine the ore.

Meanwhile, Noel took out his sword and covered it with Sword Aura.

”Hoh? What a sharp sword you have there… I guess I can understand why youʼre able to defeat a weakened Ancient Demon Tree.” Roel smirked.

”!!!” Noelʼs body trembled when he mentioned the weakened Ancient Demon Tree.

”Your face is asking me how do I know about the demon… Well, the letter only told me that the demon was an Ancient Demon Tree. After inspecting it, I could see that the trace of Spiritual Energy is low. If weʼre talking about the real Ancient Demon Tree, the wood should be brimming with Spiritual Energy.

”Even your sharp sword wonʼt be able to do anything with it. So, the material grade has gone so bad that itʼs only as strong as Mid Level Demon. But with my skill, I shouldnʼt have any problem to make you an armor that can protect you from Advance Level Demon. That should be enough, right?”

”Yes.” Noel nodded with a serious expression.

”Alright. You should work immediately. Donʼt underestimate that demon.”

”…” Noel realized that the demon had leaped toward him, so he immediately blocked it with his sword. But soon he realized as his sword was pushed back. ʼItʼs heavier than I thought.ʼ

Noel stomped the ground to gain enough power to stop the charge, making sure the demon didnʼt get past him.

After that, he pushed the demon back and took a deep breath to calm down. Normally, he would attack the demon, but he was protecting someone this time, so he remained in his position and just took a defensive position.

ʼIt seems that heʼs quite proficient in his job. But what about his movement?ʼ Roel thought. He was mining while observing Noel at the same time. ʼThough, I wonʼt underestimate the mineral demon because even if itʼs only a Low Level Demon, its defense is equal to that of a Mid Level Demon.ʼ