Chapter 188

Chapter 188

Noele closed her eyes as she stood before her master. A striking silence held the two of them— neither said a word. Not the blonde girl, and not the brown-haired woman. They didn’t speak. They just stood across from each other, listening to the muffled voices of the distant crowd.

The silence would’ve dragged for an eternity. Noele didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know if there was anything to say. But Amelia was too impatient to wait for another minute longer.

“Well?” she scoffed. “Spit it out, already.”

“R-right.” Noele took in a deep breath as she tried to steel herself. Amelia won’t get mad— she said as much back when I first told her about my Class advancement.

The blonde girl mentally reassured herself. She raised her head and opened her eyes. Slowly, she locked gazes with her master.

“I am now a [Champion Spellsword],” Noele finally said. She waited for a response before continuing— bracing herself for whatever possible reaction there could be.

And Amelia just stared blankly back at the blonde girl. “...is that it?”

Noele blinked. “...I should have expected that reaction.”

But she shook her head a moment later and took in a deep breath. She placed a hand on her chest as she explained the problem.

“Amelia, you taught me how to fight with my own strength, didn’t you?”

“Uh, yeah,” the brown-haired woman replied simply.

“You taught me not to rely on the World System— to rely on what I am able to do on my own,” Noele continued in a soft voice. “And yet, I gave in. When I should’ve overcome my weakness and fought with my own strength, I relied on an outside power to defeat Nicholas.”

Amelia stared at the blonde girl for a moment, before shrugging. “Well, you almost died, didn’t you? You were literally stabbed through the chest. So you didn’t really have a choice. Personally, I don’t really see a problem with that, if I’m being honest.”

Noele pursed her lips. “But I feel like... something happened.”

“What do you mean by that?” Amelia asked casually.

“I don’t exactly know,” the blonde girl sighed as her shoulders sagged. “But I feel like something happened— when I was on the brink of death. I’m not sure what it was, but it feels... off.”

She looked down at herself as she uttered the last word. Her gaze was fixed on the palm of her hand. For a moment, she felt like she had no control over her fingers. Noele felt like her entire body went numb as she spoke. But she took in a deep breath and shook away the strange feeling.

“I don’t know, Amelia. I am not sure if I made the right choice.”

Sheathing her blade, the brown-haired woman turned to her apprentice. She thrust a finger at Noele’s chest.

“That’s the same thing with the System. Use it— not as a crutch. Don’t rely on it as your only weapon. But use it when it is needed, while working on your flaws and weaknesses. So that, one day, you won’t need to use it at all.”

“So that... I won’t need to use it at all?” Noele repeated after her master. She processed the words, and her head spun.

While logically it made sense that that was the end goal, the blonde girl never once considered ever doing that. Or rather— for some reason, she was surprised. She didn’t even know why. It was strange. She gritted her teeth as she looked back up at Amelia.

“But I—” Noele closed her mouth. She took in a deep breath, then shook her head. “I still feel like that’s wrong, Amelia. I don’t understand.”

“What do you mean by that?” The brown-haired woman raised a brow.

“I am not sure how to explain it. It feels wrong to have accepted this Class advancement, but it also feels like foregoing the World System entirely in the future isn’t the right choice either. Even though I know you’re right... even though I know what you’re saying makes perfect sense...”

Noele trailed off as she clenched a fist. Amelia narrowed her eyes, listening to the blonde girl blabber on.

“I don’t understand this feeling. I just feel like something is off. But I also feel like what you’re saying is wrong, even though I know it’s right. It’s paradoxical. It’s weird. I feel like a crazy person right now. I know you don’t really get what I mean. But I just feel... confused.”

The blonde girl lowered her head as she finished. Her master just stared at her for a long moment. Neither of them said a word. Once again, they were captured by a sharp silence. After a minute passed, Amelia finally took a step forward and placed a hand on Noele’s shoulder.

“Noele,” Amelia said, drawing the blonde girl’s gaze.

“Yes?” Noele asked softly.

And Amelia sighed. “I know you’re lost right now. I understand you feel like you’re at a crossroads. All your life, you’ve been attuned to the System. But now, I’m telling you to give it up. Sure, I’m not telling you to leave it behind right now, but even knowing that you have to eventually move on from it must be hard for you to accept.”

“R-right,” the blonde girl agreed hesitantly, unsure where her master was going with this.

“But at the same time, you know you have to surpass the System. You know it’s holding you back. That’s why you feel this way. That’s why you feel like you’re at a crossroads— that’s why you feel like you don’t know what to do.”

Noele wasn’t sure if that was exactly it, but what Amelia was saying made sense. To a certain extent. But the brown-haired woman wasn’t done. She took in a deep breath, before glancing back towards the crowd in the distance.

Amelia nodded at herself, making sure that there was no one within earshot of the pair’s conversation. When she was certain they were alone, she turned back to the blonde girl.

“But what if I told you...” Amelia started as she held her apprentice’s gaze. “What if I told you the World System is actually evil?”

And that made Noele freeze where she stood. “What...?”