System vs Rebirth
chapter-296

After finishing the item that they wanted to transport, Noel put on his clothes and went back to the cave. The water level had decreased exponentially, since half of the water in the pool had gone.

The previously flooded cave had become dry with only a few puddles here and there.

Noel burned all those puddles of water to make sure the cave was entirely dry. After that, he placed his hand on the water surface before releasing the Undying Fire.

The black flame instantly covered the water surface, but to his surprise, the flame soon died out.

"Huh?" Noel widened his eyes in shock, seeing his Undying Fire who was supposed to be able to continue burning everything to stop. "This is… It seems that everything won't go according to my plan."

Noel sighed. "I can't burn this water down without continuously pouring my Spiritual Energy. Wait a moment, burn? Did I say it to Anna that I could burn things?"

"…" The sweats soon covered Noel's back as if he realized his blunder. No matter how smart Noel was, he was still a fifteen years old boy, whose experience was still lacking. This might be his biggest blunder so far. "Did I just give my identity away?"

Noel gulped down and glanced to the outside of the cave. He had made Anna stay outside the cave, but he still said about burning the water.

"But… Anna should have known about my fake identity, right? That means she is aware of my power as well… Though, I don't know where that knowledge comes from." Noel tried to make himself better, but the mistake truly brought him down this time.

"…" Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the blunder he made this time was in front of Anna, who seemed to have already known about that secret. If it was from anyone else, his secret wouldn't be safe.

But it was said that one's mistake could make them learn, and Noel wasn't someone who took this lesson poorly.

"Uh…" Noel bit his lips. "Have I grown a bit too accustomed to Anna that I start blabbering my secret subconsciously? My father said my mother is someone he can trust completely and shares his secrets with. But Anna and I are not like that…

"If the world knows that I'm able to wield two elements and spirits at the same time, they will surely capture me or kill me. My body and Ardagan are worth to research for.

"Not only the kingdoms, but all kinds of organizations will chase me down. I shouldn't have made this kind of blunder in the future… No, I shouldn't have grown too attached to someone in case I blurt out a secret.

"That's right. I shouldn't have alcohol as well. I might have some tolerance with wine and a little alcohol, but if someone is forcing me out with a large amount of them, I'll be drunk.

"That's why I can't become too close to someone. I, Noel, shouldn't have any woman or drink alcohol from today onward until I reclaim the prestigious name of Ardagan Family."

Anna didn't realize that Noel had actually undergone this similar experience in the previous life. That blunder cost him a lot and he also swore not to have any woman or drink before he reclaimed his honor.

That was the reason why even though Noel was surrounded by women, but he never took any of them.

After that vow, Noel continued burning the rest of the water. He surely put this blunder in his heart, but since Anna already knew, he didn't hide it anymore.

He poured more Spiritual Energy and burned everything inside. Since he couldn't allow it to condense again, he chose to leave the cave open so that the steam could leave this place.

Meanwhile, he also felt that his inside was being torn open. He soon realized that the steam was actually a treatment for their inside.

They might be able to refine their skin by bathing, but they couldn't refine their organs since it would be too much for them. But steam was different. The steam was more mild compared to the concentrated water. If they took this treatment for a few hours, their body would completely transform.

This was the only thing that made Noel happy after his blunder. He left the cave while enduring the pain inside his body, finding Anna who was waiting for him.

"Let's go." Noel said while grabbing the trunk. "We have to leave this place as soon as possible."

"We should close the cave first."

"No, don't." Noel shook his head. "Trust me."

Anna looked at Noel's serious expression and decided to follow him. "Alright."

In this mission, Noel finally realized that no matter how prepared they were, one variable could lead to a change of plan. This might be the first failure of his plan and he sure gained a valuable experience from it.

However, Noel also wasn't aware of what was currently transpiring in the barrack.

Shale was watching over the training of the Apprentice Knights in the training ground before he noticed a few heads taking a peek at what happened inside the training ground.

"So, that's how they're training."

"There are a few who practices with their weapons. There are some who meditate? Why meditate?"

"Who knows…"

Shale furrowed her eyebrows before deciding to go to meet them.

"Look. The one sitting there should be the instru—" Before she could finish her words, Shale suddenly disappeared and startled them by appearing right before them. He moved so fast that they couldn't even follow his movement, making it look like he just teleported to them.

"Wo—"

"Woah?!"

"A ghost?!"

The kids were scared and fell to the ground.

Shale only smiled and asked, "What's wrong with you kids? Why are you peeking at the training ground?"

Shale didn't mind if one took a look at their training. The reason why the training ground was close to the entrance was because the people could take a glance at them and get inspired by their determination. This served as an .

But it was quite rare to see many kids coming at once. More importantly, each kids had nice clothes and tidy appearance as if they were a children of nobles, except for their manners.

In that instant, he remembered the kids that Noel took in which Septa talked about. "Hmm, you are… the street kids that Noel cares about."