A series of roars echoed in a plain. As warned, the situation near the border had been chaotic lately. In this trip, Noel had been encountering many wild demons that appeared here and there.
Luckily, Noel could easily handle them since most of them were only Low Rank Demons. Even Mid Level Demon wasn't able to hold a candle to him.
Noel's strength surprised even Alanton, as this wasn't the ability that a normal Apprentice Knight would have at this point of time.
After defeating all the demons and gathering their Demon Crystals, Noel returned to Alanton and asked, "Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah." Alanton was startled. "Thanks to you, I'm fine right now. You're strong."
"It's nothing worth mentioning. I still have to become stronger and stronger." Noel shook his head calmly.
"Ahaha." Alanaton scratched the back of his head. If it was any other generations, Noel's strength would have been at the top. Yet, Noel actually thought he was still lower than someone. It was a surprise even for him.
Then again, he heard a rumor that Anna Stargaze also came to the Demon Banner Army, so he thought this was the reason for Noel's attitude.
"Anyway, I'll be relying on you to escort me to Slavina Town."
"Is the road situation always ?" Noel asked.
"Not really. Usually, the road is filled with bandits instead of demons. But regular escorts should be able to handle the problem. Lately, there are many demons roaming around. I think those demons are wiping the bandits too, so no bandits should show up in our trip because of the demons."
"Hmm… That sounds like countering poison with poison." Noel glanced at him.
"Countering poison with poison, huh. That's a quite good comparison. The bandits are like a poison since they rob, kidnap or even kill people around. And the demons are only acting with their instinct, so they cause a lot of problems again.
"But the demons are hard to handle as well, so I guess we have to wait until the Demon Banner Army understands the situation around here. If I'm not wrong, you're the one investigating this problem, right?"
"Yes. Well, I have to meet about the informant first who seems to have some clue about this situation."
"I see. I hope that this situation can be solved as soon as possible."
"I'll do my best." Noel nodded.
"Still, young man, why do you choose to join the Demon Banner Army? I heard that you have to undergo a harsh training. Looking at your behavior and etiquette, I can see that you're from a wealthy family, possibly a noble." He asked with pure curiosity.
However, Noel simply waved his hand and politely refused to answer. "Sorry, but I don't think I'll answer that question."
"Ah, I apologize. I was just…" Alanton scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed. But he added inwardly, 'He's also wary about letting out information. It seems that his situation is that bad that he has gotten accustomed to this kind of situation?'
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Noel decided to keep his distance from Alanton. Noel thought that though Alanton was asking questions as if he was curious and concerned about him, the questions themselves were precise and seemed to be able to see through his situation.
Hence, he chose to maintain some distance so that he wouldn't get into trouble.
It took them a whole day to reach Slavina Town. Noel had defeated more than thirty Low Level Demons and five Mid Level Demons. It was a lot compared to a journey he usually had.
Without hesitation, Alanton used his stamp as the mark of completion, allowing him to finish an Individual Mission. With this, as long as he could figure out the situation, he would complete another mission.
"There you go. Thank you for escorting me." Alanton smiled and handed him the proof.
"I was simply doing my job." Noel nodded and waved his hand. "Then, have a good day."
"You too." Alanton waved his hand, seeing Noel off. After observing him for a whole day, Alanton realized that Noel was a hardworking guy, so his next destination would be the army instead of getting some rest.
As he expected, Noel headed straight to the army barrack to inform them of his arrival.
'This is my first time to meet the original army. If I'm not wrong, the Demon Banner Army is operating differently, so I don't know how this army will process my matter.' Noel thought as he found the gate leading to the barrack.
It might be due to the strength of the Demon Banner Army that they didn't need guards to stand in front of the gate, but this was the first time he saw guards keeping people away.
When he reached the gate, the guards immediately crossed their spears against each other as if blocking the entrance.
"Halt. This is the Army Barrack. An ordinary civilian can't enter!" One of the guards stated with a strict tone.
"I'm here to report my presence for a mission. I am from the Demon Banner Army. Here is my token." Noel took out the token to prove his identity.
"!!!" The guards widened their eyes, recognizing this token. The right guard hurriedly corrected himself. "We apologize for stopping you. However, I need to inform my superior first."
"Please do so." Noel nodded in agreement.
He then immediately entered the barrack and returned with a middle-aged man who seemed to supervise the entire barrack.
"Mhm?" The middle-aged man furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't expect that they sent someone this young for this dangerous mission.
"I am Magellan, the supervisor of this branch. I heard that you're from the Demon Banner Army. For what reason do you visit us?"
"I'm here to investigate the disturbances near the border." Noel took out the mission paper and handed it to him. "This is the proof."
When Magellan opened the mission, he confirmed the mission. But he suddenly dropped his jaw when he saw the person in charge of Noel.
'Shale, the Demon Exterminator Shale? Such a person won't easily send a guy to his death, so it means he has some confidence about this kid. Well, this is the matter of the Demon Banner Army, even if this kid dies, it's not my problem.' Magellan thought for a moment and handed the proof back to Noel. "I have confirmed the mission.
We have got the information as well, but it's better to listen the whole information from the informant himself since there might be some misunderstandings since we don't usually deal with demons."