System vs Rebirth

"This trunk?" Shale inspected the trunk and noticed it was sealed by ice. "What's in it?"

Noel thought Shale could be trusted, so he said, "An important liquid that can strengthen one's body. I'm planning to show it to the commander."

"…" Shale couldn't really allow such a thing, since it would look like anyone could meet the commander as they pleased. But Shale still remembered how the commander asked him to take care of Noel.

Since there was a special relationship between Noel and the commander, Shale said, "Alright. I can ask the commander about it. However, if you're doing this to not get spotted, just the fact that you're bringing a big trunk in the city is already giving away that information."

"What they see was a trunk, they didn't know there was a liquid inside since we covered the icy seal with clothes. As long as I could make something out of the remaining trunk, people would think I used it to make those." Noel explained.

"That's understandable." Shale thought for a moment and said, "I got the idea for you. Anyway, I'm going to discuss this with the commander first. Wait here."

"Understood. Thank you, Sir." Noel politely thanked him.

Shale walked to the main building to meet the commander immediately. Noel might claim a fake stuff, but he wasn't someone who would easily be deceived by a quack, so Shale chose to trust Noel in this matter.

Ultimately, Noel was the one who had to take the responsibility, so he didn't mind calling the commander.

…

"So, that's how it is…" The commander closed his eyes for a moment after listening to Shale.

"Yes, Sir." Shale nodded. "I personally believe that Noel is a smart kid. However, I'm still unsure whether he is telling the truth or not. I'll chase them away if you don't want to meet them."

The commander thought for a moment and rose from his seat. "Alright. Lead me to their place."

"Understood." Shale was quite surprised that the commander really believed everything that Noel brought.

Shale didn't know that the one who took care of Noel wasn't the commander, but the third prince. Although the commander was mostly neutral, it didn't change the fact that he was the third prince's subordinate. As long as the third prince didn't force him to do something beyond his code as a knight, he would help him as much as possible, including taking care of Noel.

He also remembered that the first time he got involved with Noel was when the Ancient Demon Tree appeared.

Noel wouldn't bring this matter to him if it was just a small matter, so the commander decided to meet Noel again.

They reached Noel's location in a few minutes, finding Noel and Anna sitting on the trunk.

"Commander." Noel and Anna stood up and immediately placed their right hand on their chest, saluting the commander.

"At ease." The commander nodded with a calm expression and glanced at the trunk. "Something inside that trunk? Looking at the ice that acts like a seal, it seems to be a liquid, which means Shale didn't lie."

"This is Body Strengthening Liquid. If you take a bath in it, you can refine your body. We have tested it and our strength should be doubled after that." Noel explained.

"What? Doubled?" Shale widened his eyes in shock.

"Yes. Not only that, but after taking a bath in this liquid, it'll smoothen the conductivity of your skin. In other words, you can let the Spiritual Energy flow better outside your body."

"Are you serious?" Shale was stunned. "Where did you get this liquid?"

"Geolythic Mountain. There seems to be people after this as well and I'm suspecting them to be from the Supreme Devil Organization. This is not a baseless claim because I can see that the demon's movement is actually coordinated… Even the Advanced Level Demon behaves not like a demon, but like a pet."

"Advanced Level Demon as a pet?"

"Yes. I'll give you the report later. But for now, please confirm the liquid."

The commander was the first one to make his move. He bent down his knees and said two words. "Fly. Break."

Suddenly, the ice started floating as if detaching itself from the trunk. After raising for one meter, the ice shattered into pieces before disappearing into thin air.

"…" This was the first time Noel saw the commander's ability. Unlike Anna, who was saved by this ability last time, Noel was too occupied with the Ancient Demon Tree, so seeing how his ice obeyed the commander truly startled him.

The commander ignored his shock and dipped his hand into this water, instantly feeling the pain like it was cut by many swords.

"Mhm?" The commander didn't have a change in expression. He calmly pulled his hand back and looked at it. "Is this poisonous?"

"No. That's the process of strengthening your skin." Noel shook his head.

The commander furrowed his eyebrows and tried to revolve his Spiritual Energy before muttering, "The conductivity is indeed getting better. I see, it seems that the longer your skin touch this, the better its effect."

"Yes. After a while, the effect will diminish. So, I suggest that once you get used to the pain, it's time for you to stop." Noel nodded.

"I see. What's about the rest of the water? I'm pretty sure that this is not the only water you found…"

"As I said earlier, the Supreme Devil Organization was planning to get it too. So, I took everything I could get and left that place after burning the rest of the water. The demons in that mountain acts on behalf of them, so we couldn't solve this problem any other way."

The commander paused for a moment before turning to Shale. "The one near the Geolythic Mountain is Hendry, right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Inform Hendry to check the rest."

"Understood."

Before they finished their conversation, Noel added something. "Sir, the situation in that area is a bit abnormal. There are many Advanced Level Demons there. I'm afraid the one controlling those demons…"

"A far stronger person… Devil Bishop? Or even Devil Saint?" Shale narrowed his eyes.

"Tell Hendry to bring his Demon Hunting Squad to eliminate all threats in that area." The commander corrected his order as soon as he heard the situation. "Also, involve Septa in this. It seems that the Supreme Devil Organization has the ability to control those demons. Advanced Level Demons are still manageable, but it's going to be dangerous if they go for Peak Level Demons."

"Understood!"