System vs Rebirth

Chapter 1155: Security

”Madam.”

Leysha raised her head. ”Silvester? Whatʼs wrong? Is there a problem with our progress?”

”The young master would like to see you and Raven.”

”Mhmm? Me aside, Raven? Why would he want to see Raven?” Leysha frowned.

All of a sudden, Lukeʼs voice echoed from the side. ”Thatʼs probably because he wants to expand the territory. If Iʼm not wrong, he was granted demon territory when they promoted him to the rank of Marquis.”

”Expansion?” Leysha tilted her head in confusion. ”I still donʼt understand why he would need Raven for expansion. Isnʼt Howard the best one to do it? I mean, he will train a lot of soldiers.”

”No. Once your territory is big enough, you need three divisions. The first is the normal army to stop other nobles or other external threats. The second one is the information division, which takes care of all the espionage work. The last one is the internal division that will take care of the security and stability of the territory.”

”Mhmm? Did we have something like that in the past?”

”No. Our territory wasnʼt big enough to require the third division. The army was enough to do all the work, and Raven was the one behind all the arrangements.”

”So he wanted to see Raven for his advice?”

”Probably.”

”I see. Iʼll go with Raven then.”

…

It didnʼt take too long for them to actually meet. Considering Noel and Annaʼs current strength, it wasnʼt that hard for them to find them as long as they knew their general location.

When Leysha arrived, she noticed that there was another person aside from Noel and Anna. She thought it would be a family meeting, but that didnʼt seem to be the case.

There was an awkward atmosphere because they hadnʼt met for a while. She hurriedly started a conversation, following up on the last thing they talked about. ”Congratulations for your marriage.”

Noel nodded with a calm expression. ”I miss you, Mom.”

Leyshaʼs expression melted. She walked to Noel for a hug. ”I miss you too…”

She also hugged Anna, while Noel warned while glancing at Annaʼs stomach, ”Be careful. Donʼt hug her too tight. Itʼll be bad for her…”

”Huh?” Both Anna and Leysha widened their eyes in shock.

”Congratulations?” Silvester and Raven blinked their eyes a few times.

”What? You are pregnant? I have a grandson?” Leysha dropped her jaw.

”Unfortunately, I have to lie…” Noel sighed while looking at his mother with a sad expression, indirectly implying that he would have to lie about his grandparentsʼ deaths.

”Thatʼs…” Leysha panicked while looking left and right. ”W-What? What do I do now?”

Leysha didnʼt know what to do. On the one hand, she had to take care of her grandson. On the other hand, she couldnʼt leave this place.

”Donʼt panic, Madam.” Silvester facepalmed. Now that he had regained his composure, he noticed Annaʼs confused face and realized that it wasnʼt true. ”Young Master. I donʼt think itʼs good to lie to your parents.”

”Ah?” Leysha snapped.

”I canʼt lie, but they can fake their deaths. Alright.” Noel rolled his eyes. ”Besides, itʼs not like Iʼm lying. I didnʼt mention any pregnancy.”

”…” Silvester couldnʼt refute any of those claims. In addition, he noticed that the awkward atmosphere had disappeared, which was probably his aim.

”You dare to tease your mother? Why do I feel like your mouth has become foul? Have you been corrupted by those idiots in the palace who can only think about their pride, greed, and power?”

”You shouldnʼt do that, Noel.” Anna shook her head helplessly.

Noel only shrugged while looking away.

Anna smiled gently while saying, ”Mother. Iʼm not pregnant yet. Iʼm sorry that itʼs because of me that we have to wait.”

”No, no. Donʼt apologize…” Leysha waved her hand.

Now that Anna had taken care of Leysha, Noel sneakily walked to Raven.

”There is something Iʼd like to ask.”

Raven nodded. ”Iʼm already aware of the situation, Young Master. Are you planning to create a system to take care of security?”

”If you already know about it, then our conversation will be simple. Do you have any suggestions?”

Raven thought that Noel planned to recruit him. He thought about rejecting it. However, Noel seemed to have known that would be the outcome and didnʼt bother to ask. Instead, he wanted to know about an alternative.

”It is indeed going to be effective if you want to expand your territories. By creating this division, the soldiers can focus on external threats such as bandits, terrorists, or demons. In addition, this division wonʼt only maintain security but also help people.”

”Help people?” Noel frowned. ”What do you mean?”

”There are a lot of problems in the city as you might already know. Thieves, hygiene, and slums. This division can take reports from the citizens and investigate things in the city. They can also handle other problems such as fire, collapsing buildings, or small other works.”

”Mhmm…” Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. As expected, talking to Raven was indeed the correct choice. He never thought that this division could do all that. Noel raised a finger. ”Unfortunately, there is one problem. I donʼt have anyone capable of leading that division.”

”If thatʼs the case, I have someone to recommend.” Raven nodded. ”We used to work together in the past. He should be working as a mercenary right now.”

”Mercenary, huh?” Noel frowned. ”Will such a person join us? I donʼt mind about their background, but mercenaries are quite hard to handle.”

”Donʼt worry. His name is Colice. He is currently the leader of a small mercenary group called Small Thorn. If you mention my name as well as your purpose, I think he will accept your offer on the premise that you also take his subordinates. Indeed, theyʼre a rough bunch, but theyʼre not bad people.

Once theyʼre integrated with this division, Iʼm sure that their behavior will change to suit their needs.”

”Mhmm…” Noel nodded. ”Alright. Iʼll try to find that person. The problem is that… the city might not be the only one he needs to take care of. He will have to look after all the roads that connect the cities.”

”Is it regarding your invention?”

”Yes.”

”If thatʼs the case, you probably need a regulation first.”

”Iʼm currently trying to recruit that person.”

”Then, you will need the same invention with faster speed, higher durability, and a lot of offensive power. Just like we need a better horse to chase after someone with a horse, you will need the same thing with higher quality. To be honest, Colice will be able to answer all of these questions.”

”I see.” Noel thought for a moment before glancing at Silvester.

”Y-Yes?” Silvesterʼs body tensed up.

”Iʼm just wondering if you have some time to pass the message to Charlotte or Dimitri for me. Sadly, Iʼm planning to go outside this time and wonʼt come back for about a month.”

”…” Silvester smiled wryly. ”I understand. Still, I might not be able to sneak inside. I can feel a lot of spirit grandmasters inside of your city…”

”Donʼt worry. There is a secret tunnel leading to my mansion.”

”If thatʼs the case, Iʼll take care of it.”

Noel then discussed all the details and everything he wanted to pass on.

It took them an hour, but they finally settled everything. Even Anna had talked a lot about their lives after marriage with Leysha.

Of course, the expansion was a serious business. Leysha had promised to pass on this matter to Luke. They might have to relocate or adjust their plans after all.

Andreas was sitting silently on the side. One or two hours didnʼt really matter to him as long as Anna and Noel went to the Beast Kingdom.

Finally, Noel, Anna, and Andreas were ready to leave after finishing all their business here.

Before they left, Leysha called him in a soft tone. ”Noel, Anna.”

”Yes?” Noel turned around while Anna tilted her head in confusion.

”Congratulations for killing an ancient demon. You two have gotten stronger.” Leysha smiled. There was a sense of pride and joy in her voice. The kid, who was lazy and needed to be protected, had grown into a man much stronger than her. Still, no matter how strong he had become, there was one thing that she couldnʼt stop saying. ”Take care.

Try not to get hurt.”

A smile formed on his face. ”Yes, Mom. Weʼll be off.”

Anna politely bowed her head.