System vs Rebirth

Chapter 1226: Negotiation

In the dark, Noel was led across the labyrinth of the castle. The layout was complicated, but at the same time, it was lightly defended as though it had been instructed to avoid a lot of people.

After walking down the hallway for more than thirty minutes, he finally reached a door at the end of the hallway.

The admiral who brought him here knocked on the door and said, ”Your Majesty. Noel Ardagan is here.”

”Come in.”

The admiral opened the door as per order, revealing the familiar king and Fradania.

The king smiled. ”Welcome, Noel Ardagan. It has been a few months since we last met.”

”Iʼm grateful that you are welcoming me to your castle.” Noel politely greeted him.

”Though it appears that you are accompanied by an old man instead of a beautiful wife.” The king made a joke to lighten the mood.

”That is indeed true.” Noel nodded as both of them laughed. The admiral could only look at them as if he had been betrayed.

”Please come in.” The king extended his hand.

Noel nodded and sat down casually without even the kingʼs permission. It was normally not acceptable, but not a single person bat an eye. His status as a marquis wasnʼt the one that enabled him with such a behavior, it was his strength as the spirit transcendence.

The kingʼs expression turned serious. ”How do you like the ship?”

”The ship is very good. I have inspected it and will draw the runes starting tomorrow.”

”Should I have high hopes for this expedition?”

”Of course. I come here not to die after all.” Noel nodded.

”Still, are you sure that if we manage to complete this expedition, you donʼt need anything, Marquis Noel?”

”Yes. As long as the Zaecuria Kingdom fulfills their agreement, I am satisfied.” Noel nodded.

”However, the people will think my kingdom is stingy for not giving you anything, especially after you have made such a huge contribution.” The king squinted his eyes. He knew Noel must want something else.

Noel knew the king wanted to bait him into biting it by mentioning about the record. However, Noel had another plan.

”If thatʼs the case, is it possible for the Zaecuria Kingdom to do something for me?” Noel asked with a calm expression.

”And that is?” The king smiled.

Noel raised one finger. ”I just wish that you are able to secure the coast of the Greenwood Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom in the near future.”

”!!!” The king and the others were so shocked that their jaws fell to the floor. They couldnʼt believe what Noel had just asked.

If they did something like this, the Greenwood Kingdom and the Atracaeca Kingdom would think of it as an aggression.

”Marquis Noel. Are you asking my Zaecuria Kingdom to go to war against those two nations? I am not scared, but I donʼt think the Zaecuria Kingdom will take that action.” The king squinted his eyes, pressing him to abandon that idea.

Noel simply raised one finger. ”Iʼm just talking about the future. In the near future, there is a time where the people have to unite.

”It doesnʼt matter if you are from the Atracaeca Kingdom, the Zaecuria Kingdom, or the Greenwood Kingdom. If you donʼt come together, you will die.”

”!!!” The admiral and the guardian turned grim. They wondered if Noel just made it up.

However, the king asked, ”I see. Instead of waging war against those two kingdoms, you want us to watch their back?”

”Exactly so.” Noel nodded.

”How does that benefit us?” The king asked. ”Youʼre saying that weʼll be destroyed if we donʼt unite, but our Zaecuria Kingdom has the capability of going to a new land. Iʼm only saying this to you.”

”You wonʼt. After all, there is no safe place in this world.” Noel shook his head. ”Once the four kingdoms lose, the demons will become even more rampant. Unlike humans, the demons can move much more freely all around the world. And it is not limited to the four kingdoms. The world we know so far is nothing but a glimpse.

I donʼt know if you believe it or not, but you, me, and everyone else in the four kingdoms are like a frog living inside a well.”

”!!!” Noel simply implied that there would be more lands to discover. However, if they had to retreat and rebuild everything from scratch again, it would take forever to discover more lands.

Rather than running away because it wasnʼt worth it, it was better to join hands and shift their vision to the entire world.

Still, the king added one more thing. ”However, you can only say it that way because currently, you and your wife are the most talented people among the four kingdoms. You should have heard a story about a hero fighting against the demons.

”The hero continuously fought the demons and finally defeated the evil. It was a good storybook for children, but when you look at it politically, you will realize that this hero, who now has the power to threaten the world, will become the next target.

”The people donʼt know how to control the hero. They wonʼt be able to sleep peacefully because the only thing that maintains the peace is the heroʼs goodwill. Once itʼs over, the hero can destroy the people he protects the whole time.”

The king was indirectly implying that Noel and Anna would become those heroes. lʼ-

”Spirit Oath. Iʼm sure you know what that is.” Noel smiled as if he had expected this kind of question. ”Iʼll make an oath through the spirit that after repelling the threats, I will close down my border. Once my wife passes away from old age, Iʼll leave the four kingdoms. I understand very well what kind of existence I am, and thatʼs why Iʼm willing to do this.”

What the king didnʼt know was that he still had a way to preserve Annaʼs soul, which would accompany him during his travels. Besides, by the time she passed away from old age, they would probably have a grandson or even a great-grandson. The Ardagan family would have been prosperous.

The Spirit Oath was an ultimate binding oath where one couldnʼt lie and would lose their spirit if they broke the oath.

The king had no choice but to agree when Noel showed his sincerity like this. He was unaware that Noel never really cared about the four kingdoms. After all, his goal was to be the most free person in this world. Free from politics, obligations, and roles.

The king nodded. ”Alright. Youʼve mentioned that you are planning to look at the record. Iʼll give you the golden authorization to look at our records. That is basically the same as my authorization, which means there is no restriction on what records you want to see.”

”!!!” The two people beside him looked concerned, but the king added a question, ”By the way, Marquis Noel… Are our enemies scary?”

”Much scarier than you can imagine. No matter how strong I am, I wonʼt be able to defeat them by myself.”

”I see.” The king nodded. ”Thank you for dispelling my doubt. Do remember that the Zaecuria Kingdom is not on your side or any other kingdomʼs side, we are on the side of humanity.”

Noel stood up and politely nodded his head.