System vs Rebirth

Since they had reached an agreement, Noel and Milfa finally shook their hands, sealing the deal.

Milfa didn't realize that Noel had ended up taking the initiative in their conversation like what Milfa did with the other two captains.

There was one weapon Milfa could use previously, which was to show her loyalty to the Demon Banner Army. As long as she mentioned that her loyalty would remain in the Demon Banner Army, Noel would stop bothering her.

But it was already too late. Noel ended up taking the initiative and forced her to give that promise. There was no taking back after this.

Milfa soon realized that option once Noel fell silent, but she knew it was impossible to redo everything. She could only resign to her fate, swearing that she wouldn't be swayed by Noel.

Though, there was no telling whether she would become one of his vassals or not. After all, even if she wasn't there, Dimitri was still with him.

After that realization, Noel finally lessened the mood by explaining the situation around the facility. This was their original goal after all.

Milfa also saw how meticulous Noel was in his work. He had done a lot of research after his first investigation and even put up a few hypotheses regarding the current situation.

With all the details he provided, it seemed that the rest of the explorations would have an easier time.

After finishing their business outside, they finally returned to the fort. Milfa had to take her time to prepare for the exploration after all. Even with her strength, taking an exploration lightly would cost her dearly.

Though, it didn't change the fact that Milfa was stressed about the agreement with Noel.

She ended up coming to Clara with a frustrated expression.

"Clara. What's wrong with that knight of yours?" Milfa asked with a serious expression.

Clara tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Milfa closed her eyes for a moment before letting out a sigh. She couldn't really talk about the agreement or Dimitri, so she ended up falling silent, not giving any answer to Clara.

Looking at her expression, Clara couldn't help but ask, "I'm sorry. I'm just making this sure… Have my knight brought you some displeasures? If that's the case, I will apologize on his behalf…"

"It's not displeasure… No, I can say it's a kind of displeasure, but that's not it." Milfa scratched the back of her head. "How do you say it… He is so smart that he is scary."

"Well…" Clara remembered all the times Noel showed his wits. It was true that Noel was scary at those times, but it didn't change the fact that his brilliance saved the squad repeatedly, so there was no repulsive feeling in her heart.

Though, there was one joyous moment that she had to celebrate.

The fact that Milfa became like this meant the showdown had ended. Milfa ended up getting annoyed by Noel, meaning she had won the bet. She was laughing inwardly, preparing to get something from Shale.

Though, she added, "I know he is smart. As long as it doesn't harm my squad, I don't really care. Besides, it doesn't change the fact that he has given us a lot of progress in the exploration. So, if you are trying to abuse your authority, even if you are stronger than me, I'm going to stop you."

"No… I'm not planning to do that." Milfa shook her head. "I wanted to complain previously, but there was really nothing I could complain about right now. Anyway, he's quite amazing, so I'm going to use this time to teach him a few things."

"Well, you are the best in the area. So, I'll leave him to you." Clara nodded without hesitation. It was beneficial for Noel to learn from Milfa, so she had no objection.

But little did she know, Milfa was actually smiling inwardly. She had an evil intention behind that 'teaching.'

She thought, 'Just wait, Noel Ardagan. I'm going to 'teach' you so many things.'

Of course, she knew that she was a 'bit' annoying when she taught people. She was smart and sensible enough to see it from others' expressions.

And she wanted to use this as a counterattack. As long as Noel found her presence annoying, he would give up.

As soon as she got the approval, Milfa left the tent, ready for the exploration.

They finished their preparation and recovery two days later. The exploration finally began once again.

Noel was coming with Milfa and got ordered around by Milfa. She left a lot of lectures to the point even a small mistake like moving a small debris and causing a sound that was hard to hear even for a demon would end up becoming a long lecture.

However, what Milfa didn't expect was that Noel took the lectures seriously. He even took note of all the important knowledge hidden in the lectures.

His determination and diligence couldn't help but move Milfa a bit. Despite having the power, connection, and brain to stop her from lecturing him, Noel didn't do it.

Instead, he apologized for all the mistakes he made, whether it was small or big, and continued to improve himself, leaving Milfa speechless.

Fortunately, the exploration had become safer after all those demons came out. There were not many demons left visible inside the facility and the Superior Demons hadn't made any ruckus.

Now that there was no one who sabotaged them anymore, the exploration made significant progress every single day.

And eventually, on the fifth day, they found a lead to the hidden nest underneath the building.

All the people ended up gathering in front of the entrance, which was a giant hole inside one of the rooms. It was on the opposite side of the entrance, so it took them this long to discover it.

Nonetheless, they finally found the nest. As long as they could kill all the demons in this nest, they could finally say that the exploration was completed.

Milfa glanced at Noel and asked, "So… what do you think we should do with this, Knight Iadre?"

Noel was staring at the entrance with a serious expression, formulating a plan in his mind. This was the last phase of the exploration.