System vs Rebirth

Because of his curiosity, Noel ended up borrowing a room from Layla and sat down in a lotus pose to meet Ardagan. This matter disturbed him too much because the connection between them could interrupt his bigger plan. So, he needed to resolve this matter as soon as possible.

After meditating for a while, Noel finally entered his consciousness where Ardagan had been waiting for him.

With a serious face, Noel stood in front of Ardagan and said, "I believe that you already know what I want."

"Yes. But Master, I can only answer to what you want to know. You have to directly ask me that question." Ardagan acknowledged the question but still asked Noel to give the questions.

"Then, I won't hold back. What's the connection between you and the Moon Goddess."

"I can't say."

"You can't say?" Noel squinted his eyes, pressuring him for the answer. He also started suspecting Ardagan who had been helping him this whole time. "Do you know what you did earlier?"

"Yes." The talking sword slightly tilted its body as if a human nodding their head.

"It's clear that you're trying to make me protect her. That influence is too much even for me… It's said that a Spirit won't lie, so Ardagan… I'll ask you. Are you trying to take over me?" Noel didn't hold back with his question.

If Ardagan said no, it would mean he would never do it. If he gave him the answer in a roundabout way without answering the question, it meant he had a hidden intention and Noel had to suspect him. There was even a possibility where he had to abandon Ardagan's real body.

Ardagan answered as if he already knew Noel's doubt. "No."

"…" Noel fell silent when he heard that answer. Ardagan didn't seem to be lying. But the fact that he managed to influence him earlier made Noel fear that Ardagan would be taking over him in the future. And it was clear that there was a connection between Ardagan and the Moon Goddess.

Then, he recalled the discussion about spirits. Thinking he could understand the connection between them by knowing more about spirits, Noel asked, "Then, what is the spirit itself? What are you? How does spirit appear in our body? Are we truly born with a spirit residing in our body?"

Ardagan fell silent for a moment. "As an apology for what I did earlier, I shall tell Master one thing.

"Spirits are divided into five ranks. They are Normal Spirit, Superior Spirit, Beastly Spirit, Demi-human Spirit, and Humanoid Spirit."

"Five ranks? This is the first time I've heard something like this."

"Because no one knows about these ranks. Even your ancestor doesn't know it. Heisk is considered to be a Demi-human Spirit."

"Demi-human? What's that? Is it something like a human?"

"The body is a spirit but the appearance looks like a human." Ardagan explained. "Her actual body is like a tiny human with a pair of wings, the Icy Spirit of the Northern Plain, Heisk."

"Hmm…" Noel thought for a moment, trying to connect the information with the relationship between Ardagan and the Moon Goddess. He asked one more question, "Then, what rank are you? A humanoid spirit? But you don't look like a human at all, you are a sword."

"I'm none of them."

"None?" Noel widened his eyes in surprise.

"I might be a spirit, but I was originally a sword. My first master granted me a life, thus allowing me to become a spirit."

"Becoming a Spirit? You can become a Spirit? Who is your master?"

Ardagan fell silent as if he was refusing to answer. Instead, he gave him something that piqued his interest.

[Mission: ???]

[Description: ???]

[Reward: Spirit Information Part 1]

[Penalty: None.]

"Is this your way of telling me that I shouldn't learn the information?"

"No. You have the right for the information, but I can't give it to you right now."

"Curiosity kills the cat, you should know the phrase, right?" Noel narrowed his eyes. If he knew about this phrase, Ardagan who remained in his mind should also be aware of the meaning.

Ardagan acknowledged it. "Yes. That's why I'm telling Master that you have the right to the information."

"Is there something stopping you from giving me the information?"

"Yes."

"And you can't tell me anything about it?"

"Not really. I can give you some clue on how to attain that information. It's to appease Master's curiosity as well. I am your Spirit, so I shall support you to the best of my ability."

"A clue?"

"Yes. It's related to the Moon Goddess as she also has that information."

"!!!" Noel suddenly linked up the connection between them. "The desire to protect, the Moon Goddess… Are you telling me to become a Holy Knight so that I can protect the Saintess? And in exchange, the Moon Goddess might give me some information?"

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"I know more than anyone else that Master wants freedom. By telling you to become a Holy Knight means I'm controlling your life."

"And that's why you don't give me a mission about it."

"Yes. However, you can help her from time to time since both of you have the same path which is to help people in need. Whether you want it or not, it's entirely up to you. Don't forget, Master. The only person who knows some exclusive information about Spirits is you. If Master has no desire to be controlled, you can pass on the information and continue living like you always do.

"You can even wait until you have settled everything and have some time to seek some information. You have the freedom to choose."

Noel lowered his head in contemplation. On the one hand, Ardagan was right. He truly had the freedom to choose. Because no one had this kind of information and the world still continued as usual, it was clear that the information wasn't important enough to affect the world. But it should be mind blowing to him just to satisfy his curiosity.

That was why there wasn't a need to rush to discover this knowledge. At the same time, Ardagan had given him enough explanation that his future was still in his hand, not in anyone else's hand, including the Moon Goddess and the Saintess.

He was free to exact his revenge or everything else.

"I have more questions now than when I first came here. But my doubt has truly been answered. If I chase for that information…" Noel glanced at Ardagan.

"It'll take a lot of time."

"And I precisely don't have that kind of time." Noel nodded in understanding. "Well, it's not too late to learn more about spirits after I finish my revenge. Then, two last questions, do you know how to hide that reaction?"

"Two ways. Simply retract my body to the Spirit Seal or Suppress my Spirit Seal by channeling the energy from Heisk's Spirit Seal."

"Okay. Then, let's finish this conversation with this question. Do you have any connection to spirits other than the one in the Saintess' body along with the Moon Goddess?"

"Yes. But Master doesn't need to worry that you can't do anything. Even if you kill the Saintess, no one can stop you. The connection between spirits are different than that of a human."

"…" Noel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He truly had many questions in his mind, but it was enough to solve his current doubt. "Okay. That's enough for now. In the future, I hope that I can learn more things."