System vs Rebirth

"Why did she tell you not to go?"

"Huh?" Noel was confused as to why she asked this question. However, Stella elaborated on her question further. "I mean, from all the words she can use to warn you, why does she ask you not to go? Maybe there is something she sees…"

"Now that you say it…" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. 'Why did she tell me not to go? She should be aware of my fighting strength. I also have a few trump cards, such as Dimitri. She should be aware of his presence since they met during the expedition.'

'Does that mean the enemies are far stronger than we expect? Still, her father should have told her about Dimitri's true identity. In addition, we have two vice captains and two captains.'

'Even with this lineup, she's telling me not to go instead of warning me to be careful. It means she has deemed the condition to be far worse than I imagined. In fact, our groups might be defeated completely.'

While Noel was in deep thought, Stella left the room to get some clothes for Anna. This way, Noel could take off the cloth on his eyes.

'Is it a trap?' Noel furrowed his eyebrows. 'But our lineup should be strong enough to escape from a trap. We also have the Demon Beholder Squad, which can locate any traps, and the Demon Hunting Squad. Unlike the Demon Extermination Squad, which boasts to having the strongest firepower, the Demon Hunting Squad is good at tracking their prey.'

'It seems that we can only proceed here. But since this might be a trap, then I have to add another twist to the situation. Should I ask Damian and Dimitri again? If possible, I don't want to rely on them too much so that I don't become too dependent.'

Noel scratched the back of his head. He didn't have an answer.

It didn't take too long before Stella returned with a set of clothes. She also said, "Iadre. Zion came here not long ago, but I told him that there was a problem with the mission. So he is going to call the rest of the members to return to the inn. We're going to be late for this mission, but I guess it's better than sorry."

"Yeah. That's a better option. The two captains will surely not like our warning, thinking we're too paranoid. So, I have to come up with something that can assure people's safety."

Noel let out a long sigh. No matter how he thought about it, he didn't have enough time to come up with a plan.

"What should we do with Anna? I mean, I don't think the group wants to meet her." Stella asked. She also didn't want to see her here. Just taking care of her wounds was already too much for her.

Noel nodded and said, "I have a connection here. I'll ask her to watch over Anna while we're on our mission."

"Got it." Stella agreed with the arrangement. "In that case, we can use my room to talk about the situation."

"Yeah." Noel hurriedly left the brothel and talked to the manager, asking her to watch over Anna.

But when they returned to the inn, the group actually gathered in Noel's room instead of Stella's. They seemed to be glaring at Anna while Rose was sitting on the bed, as though she was stopping them from harming Anna.

Of course, even if Rose told them about what truly happened between Noel and Anna, they would still hold some grudges.

And when Noel returned, they became a bit skeptical.

"Iadre." Paul stepped forward, glaring at him.

Noel also stopped in front of him without getting scared. He was already prepared for this.

"Putting your relationship with her aside, I think we should talk about her appearance here, right?"

"Of course. However, the most important thing is the mission. It seems that Stella has told you about the situation. So, I'm going to ask you instead. Are you sure you're going even with the warning, fully aware that this might be a trap?"

"Even if I support you, it's impossible to stop the mission." Paul shook his head.

"That's why we have to be extremely careful with this mission. I've thought about it, but I can't find a way to let all of us escape. There is simply not enough information."

Paul scratched the back of his head. He had to consider the mission and the teammates' well-being, so this matter put him in a dilemma.

He raised two fingers. "Two hours. We'll stay here for another two hours. If she wakes up by then, we can get more information from her. If she doesn't wake up, you have no choice but to go with the plan. I'll take care of the problem about our late arrival."

"!!!" Noel was surprised that Paul still accommodated him despite the situation.

Paul added, "Use these two hours to think of something."

"Understood." Noel nodded with a serious expression.

Paul asked Zion to deliver the message to the rest of the people since he was the fastest. In the meantime, they were waiting in another room, leaving Anna with the brothel manager.

Noel also explained the situation so that the others knew and tried to come up with something.

Unfortunately, Anna didn't wake up in the next two hours. Noel had no choice but to follow the original plan, even though it was a bit late. Since it was Paul's decision, he would be the one to apologize for their late arrival.

Noel thanked him and apologized to him since all this was caused by him. In the end, all he could think about was Dimitri and Damian. They would be his trump card. However, he would judge the situation first.

Finally, they arrived in front of the bridge that connected the city and Creek Village.

The two captains already had annoyed expressions on their faces. While Paul was apologizing to them, Noel came to Zion and whispered, "I want you to loop around the mountain to find the secret passage. You're faster than Anna, so you should have no problem leaving in case something goes wrong."

Zion nodded.

Despite knowing this was a trap, Noel and the Demon Relief Squad had no choice but to walk into it.