System vs Rebirth

"So, do you want to talk about your reincarnation, little girl?"

"!!!" Anna's body shook as she looked at Old Ru in shock. "You…"

"You should have suspected it already. If you haven't, then I don't know why I should drop you more hints after all this."

"…" Anna paused for a moment before asking, "Are you the reason behind my reincarnation?"

"Yes and no." Old Ru slightly turned his head to the side as if asking her to follow him.

They walked to the living room again. Anna didn't notice it previously, but there was a picture frame of Old Ru and his grandson. But unlike the current Old Ru, the one in the picture had a shell like that of a turtle.

"This is…" Anna gasped.

"As you can see, I am a turtle, while my grandson is a wolf. But that doesn't matter for now since I'm only going to tell you about the time." Old Ru ended his statement with a question. "How much do you know about your reincarnation?"

Anna wondered if it was alright to tell him about it. But considering the other party already knew about it, he should have pretty much guessed everything. "I only knew that I somehow got reincarnated after I died because of a betrayal."

"Was Noel involved?"

"He died with me."

"Then, what did he say at his last moment?"

"He only told me about his name."

"I see." Old Ru looked at Anna with a disappointed expression. "It seems that you were a big jerk in your previous life."

Normal people would definitely get angry because Old Ru insulted them all of a sudden. However, Anna had accepted the past and nodded in agreement. "You are correct."

Anna's expression was calm and tranquil. Her smile genuinely came from the bottom of her heart.

Of course, she felt disappointed in herself and wanted to remove her past. However, her past shaped the current her and gave her this strength. She could regret it all she wanted, but it wouldn't change. Since there was no other path, she could only move forward.

'I had done a lot of bad things in life. I had killed numerous people indiscriminately. I had made a lot of people suffer just because of my instinct and feeling. In fact, I shouldn't belong here as my sins were so great that I should be placed in hell for eternity.'

'Yet… despite all that, he came to me. We fought against each other, not realizing that both of us influenced each other. I never backed down from his challenge. He never gave up on me no matter how deep I had fallen.'

'If there is something I want to do after all this, at the very least, I want to help him achieve his dream. This is my atonement, my resolve, and my gratitude.'

Anna took a deep breath and showed a complex yet simple smile.

Old Ru couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise. He smiled back and said with a relieved tone. "I can see why he gives you that chance."

Old Ru pointed at the picture and said, "I am one of the Guardian Deities of the kingdom, known as Longevity Guardian. As a turtle, I can live a lot longer than most people. And my ability is related to time. Even if you see me like this, I am already four hundred years old."

Anna was slightly startled, but she soon calmed her down, thinking this was the only possibility and an answer to why he was so strong.

"The shell on my back is the only thing that has witnessed all my journey. It has been exposed to my power for as long as I can remember. Eventually, that shell becomes an artifact that stores a massive power of time.

"As you have probably guessed, the power of that shell is to turn back time. And around two years ago, the shell… disappeared." Old Ru instantly gave the answer, showing that he was the one who truly gave her a second chance.

However, Old Ru continued, "But from what you've told me, Noel didn't bring you to this place like this time, right?"

"Yes," Anna confirmed without hesitation.

"Then, you should have thanked Noel instead of me." Old Ru smiled. "I have guessed a few things. I know that I will be teaching Noel. I don't know the reason why I chose to accept him in my previous life, but I can guess a few reasons."

"More importantly, I should give him my shell in order to help my grandson. You can consider it as a payment too. I told him if he failed to protect my grandson, he should use this shell to restart the time and not fail again."

"In the end, that shell was used on you. I don't think he is the type who will break the promise, so I know that he has successfully protected my grandson."

Anna paused for a moment. "Yes. There were a lot of problems, but he successfully protected him. In fact, their relationship was so close that your grandson became the Sword Saint's disciple… The Sword Saint from one thousand years ago."

"Is that so? It seems that my grandson had a great time with him." Old Ru smiled. He pointed at Anna, "In that case, what are you going to do with this information?"

"Actually, I don't understand the reason why Noel chose me." Anna shook her head. "I was a jerk and was not as smart as him. I might have paid some attention to the matter of the world, but I didn't remember every single thing. I still believed that I didn't deserve this chance. In fact, the world would be better if he used this chance on himself."

"I am not him." Old Ru shook his head. "The only person who can answer that question is himself. Why don't you ask him instead?"

"As much as I want to ask him about it, I don't know if I'm prepared for the answer." Anna looked down.

"Then follow your heart. He doesn't seem to be someone who will do something without a reason. So, if you want that answer, the best thing you can do is to stay beside him for as long as possible until you can uncover that answer."

Anna looked down with a disappointed look. It turned out she had been receiving a lot from him without her realizing it in the past. That was why he said she was naive, ignorant, and other similar things. It was true.

"Why…" Anna sighed.