In the dark, Noel was led across the labyrinth of the castle. The layout was complicated, but at the same time, it was lightly defended as though it had been instructed to avoid a lot of people.
After walking down the hallway for more than thirty minutes, he finally reached a door at the end of the hallway.
The admiral who brought him here knocked on the door and said, "Your Majesty. Noel Ardagan is here."
"Come in."
The admiral opened the door as per order, revealing the familiar king and Fradania.
The king smiled. "Welcome, Noel Ardagan. It has been a few months since we last met."
"I'm grateful that you are welcoming me to your castle." Noel politely greeted him.
"Though it appears that you are accompanied by an old man instead of a beautiful wife." The king made a joke to lighten the mood.
"That is indeed true." Noel nodded as both of them laughed. The admiral could only look at them as if he had been betrayed.
"Please come in." The king extended his hand.
Noel nodded and sat down casually without even the king's permission. It was normally not acceptable, but not a single person bat an eye. His status as a marquis wasn't the one that enabled him with such a behavior, it was his strength as the spirit transcendence.
The king's expression turned serious. "How do you like the ship?"
"The ship is very good. I have inspected it and will draw the runes starting tomorrow."
"Should I have high hopes for this expedition?"
"Of course. I come here not to die after all." Noel nodded.
"Still, are you sure that if we manage to complete this expedition, you don't need anything, Marquis Noel?"
I don't know if you believe it or not, but you, me, and everyone else in the four kingdoms are like a frog living inside a well."
"!!!" Noel simply implied that there would be more lands to discover. However, if they had to retreat and rebuild everything from scratch again, it would take forever to discover more lands.
Rather than running away because it wasn't worth it, it was better to join hands and shift their vision to the entire world.
Still, the king added one more thing. "However, you can only say it that way because currently, you and your wife are the most talented people among the four kingdoms. You should have heard a story about a hero fighting against the demons.
"The hero continuously fought the demons and finally defeated the evil. It was a good storybook for children, but when you look at it politically, you will realize that this hero, who now has the power to threaten the world, will become the next target.
"The people don't know how to control the hero. They won't be able to sleep peacefully because the only thing that maintains the peace is the hero's goodwill. Once it's over, the hero can destroy the people he protects the whole time."
The king was indirectly implying that Noel and Anna would become those heroes. .net
"Spirit Oath. I'm sure you know what that is." Noel smiled as if he had expected this kind of question. "I'll make an oath through the spirit that after repelling the threats, I will close down my border. Once my wife passes away from old age, I'll leave the four kingdoms. I understand very well what kind of existence I am, and that's why I'm willing to do this."
What the king didn't know was that he still had a way to preserve Anna's soul, which would accompany him during his travels. Besides, by the time she passed away from old age, they would probably have a grandson or even a great-grandson. The Ardagan family would have been prosperous.
The Spirit Oath was an ultimate binding oath where one couldn't lie and would lose their spirit if they broke the oath.
The king had no choice but to agree when Noel showed his sincerity like this. He was unaware that Noel never really cared about the four kingdoms. After all, his goal was to be the most free person in this world. Free from politics, obligations, and roles.
The king nodded. "Alright. You've mentioned that you are planning to look at the record. I'll give you the golden authorization to look at our records. That is basically the same as my authorization, which means there is no restriction on what records you want to see."
"!!!" The two people beside him looked concerned, but the king added a question, "By the way, Marquis Noel... Are our enemies scary?"
"Much scarier than you can imagine. No matter how strong I am, I won't be able to defeat them by myself."
"I see." The king nodded. "Thank you for dispelling my doubt. Do remember that the Zaecuria Kingdom is not on your side or any other kingdom's side, we are on the side of humanity."
Noel stood up and politely nodded his head.