*Thump!*
"To think I need to take care this useless nobody," said a guy with a full metal armor covering his body. He pushed a man off the carriage and spat on him.
"This is a result after a small viscount family offended the royal family as well as the Stargaze Marquis Family."
"It's just the usual fight for the throne, the losing side faces their extermination since they can't submit to the current king."
"The family was executed. I heard his parents beg the royal family to spare their only son."
"No one has ever heard anything about him. He doesn't excel in sword, magic, or even literature. The royal family is a sadist, ain't they? They exile this useless guy to the Demon Banner Army. He won't live long."
"Sssshh… We don't want anyone to hear that. Let's just leave right now since we've sent him here. Someone should pick him up later."
"Right."
After realizing they said something wrong, the two soldiers left in a haste, not wanting to deal with this matter anymore.
A skinny-looking youth with a handsome but tired face clenched the red-colored sword in his hand. He was Noel Ardagan, the only son of Viscount Ardagan.
'Just you wait. What you have thrown away will eventually come back to you.' Noel gritted his teeth and looked at the red colored sword in his hand, muttering in a low voice. "Father said the key of our family revival is in this sword and I need to get stronger first before heading to the former third prince."
Noel remembered the oath he took when he was a child. "I am Noel Ardagan. In front of the family heirloom I swore I shall become the master of Ardagan who everyone could be proud of."
*Kacha!*
A cracking sound echoed in his ears as his body trembled out of surprise. He widened his eyes and stared at this red sword with a dumbfounded expression.
A red light dimly glowed from the red jewel embedded on the sword's hilt before a blood colored aura flew to the back of his right palm as though it was a fluid.
"Wha—" Noel instinctively dropped the sword to the ground and pulled up his hand, not knowing what kind of substance had just come into his hand.
There was no pain spread in his hand, making it look harmless. But Noel couldn't be so sure.
He lowered his head and checked his hand, only to find a red colored cross appeared on his hand.
'What is this symbol?' Noel frowned, looking left and right wondering whether anyone saw what just happened. He didn't expect it to be this way, so he just took an oath there.
Luckily, the two soldiers dropped him two hundred meters from the town's gate and no one was around.
Curious, he touched the symbol with his forefinger. As if responding to his touch, the symbol let out a glowing light and projected a small translucent screen.
[System of Honor]
[Training]
[Medal]
[Career]
[Status]
[Shop]
The moment he saw this screen, his head instinctively turned around and checked the area again. After all, this was bigger than what happened earlier.
The screen on his hand could be seen easily by anyone even from afar.
Without hesitation, he ran toward a tree not far from his position, hiding his body as well as the screen. Even though he wasn't as talented as those geniuses, he was, by no means, a fool.
Everybody around him would be suspicious had they seen the screen. There was even a chance his hand becoming a target.
While running away, he also found the screen actually followed his hand's movement.
He put his hand in front of him, lining it up with the tree behind him so that no one could see the screen from the city's direction.
After he thought no one would see him anymore, Noel observed the screen and asked himself. "What is this? Since it's coming out of my hand, can I touch it?"
Curious, he extended his hand and touched the screen.
*Thud!*
It felt as if he touched a solid surface and because he had pressed the 'Medal' panel, the screen changed. All the panels disappeared and a few words appeared in the screen.
[Honor: 0]
Medal: Good Citizen Merit
Requirement: Help 5 Townspeople
Reward: Good Citizen Medal and 2 Honor Points
***
Medal: Military Service Merit
Requirement: Kill 10 Demons
Reward: Military Service Medal and 3 Honor Points
"…" Noel was stunned when he saw all this, not because the screen changed, but because of the requirements. It struck deep in his heart as he remembered what happened in the past.
"I heard from my father that the ancestor was a normal commoner that rose through the rank from his merits. He often helped other commoners, nobles, and people in need. Of course, he was also a good commander on the battlefield, but it was a kind of military merit too."
It was easy for Noel to correlate what the ancestor did to these missions. With how small the requirement of these medals and how big the ancestor did in the past, it was clear this wasn't the end.
There would be more medals in the future which would give a more dangerous task.
"I see. So, this is the reason why my ancestor did all those meticulous tasks. It was all for this." Noel clenched his fists. "In other words, father should have known something about this. That's the reason for handing me this sword. He wants me to rebuild our noble family like the ancestor!"
Anger, excitement, sadness, and happiness mixed in his heart. On the one hand, he wished his father could tell him more about all this and that they didn't need to die. On the other hand, he was confused why his father didn't use this power to escape from the execution.
"Either way, my goal hasn't changed. I'm going to make those who kill my parents pay! Wait for me." Noel swore while clutching his fist, showing his determination. "Especially, that Anna Stargaze. She's the main reason why they killed my family. Only her I won't ever forgive. I will…"
…
Stargaze Family.
"Your name!" Anna's body suddenly trembled as her body rose from the bed. "Eh?"
She was utterly shocked as she realized that her hands became smaller and her skin became a lot more tender.
'This… this is my room?' With just a single glance, she recognized the place. The position of the table, the bed color, the window… Everything looked fresh in her memory.
Anna looked toward the side, specifically the mirror, and saw her young, beautiful face.
"I was actually reborn?" Anna was speechless. The memory of her dying together with Noel was still fresh in her mind.
…
"Noel Ardagan! Why did you destroy the royal family?! Do you know how much the people will suffer from the demons?!"
A shout erupted under the rain, followed by a thunder as if reflecting her anger.
A sturdy-looking youth with a handsome face and unyielding aura stood in front of her. His calm face became even colder and aloof when she uttered those words.
He was Noel Ardagan, the former Marquis Ardagan.
"There's no need for that corrupted kingdom to continue. You think they were willingly fight against the demons? You're too naive." Noel shook his head in disappointment. "I always thought of you as my archenemy this whole time, but I realized that you were just a mere puppet controlled by the demons. I lost my interest in you. As long as you leave this land and stop getting controlled by the demons, I will spare you and your family."
His eyes were locked on this desperate woman.
Even though her golden hair was wet and blood flowed out of her mouth, her pretty face still made the girls around her feel jealous.
"You're the one who don't know anything!" She shouted back, releasing all her anger. "Do you think you know it all? You think you're right, but you turn out to be wrong."
"You can keep believing in your ideal. I don't care for I have seen everything." Noel raised his sword. "If you don't disappear right now, I won't hesitate to fight you. After killing you, I'll destroy your family."
"So be it!" She gritted her teeth and raised her sword. A red flame gushed out of her body, emitting an intense heat in this cold rain.
Suddenly, the temperature became colder as the rain droplets gradually froze. Noel's gaze became extremely cold as he leaped forward.
Not wanting to lose, the woman also approached him with her burning sword.
The moment their swords clashed, blue and red light flickered. The rain droplets refracted the light and brightened this plain.
The flowing blue and red light created an overwhelming pressure in the area, cracking the ground and sending a shock wave away.
Noel considered her his archenemy simply due to her strength. Even with all his strength, he never once defeated her.
However, everything was different this time. He had prepared a trump card this time.
With the sword on his right hand, Noel reached for a necklace with his left hand. "Anna. It's time for you to die."
The blue jewel on his necklace shone brightly, blinding both of them. Even though their eyes closed, both of them still pushed each other sword, trying to gain some advantage while Noel waited for the blue jewel to show its might.
Little did he know, Anna wore a similar necklace that shone together with Noel's necklace as if they embraced each other.
Suddenly, both of them felt a stabbing pain on their chests as they couldn't help but spat a mouthful of blood.
"Gah!"
They both opened their eyes no matter how bright the light was, only to be shocked of what happened.
"Master!" Anna's eyes widened and her jaws dropped, not believing her master to appear here to kill Noel.
"Your Highness!" The same applied to Noel. This person was an important person in his life, yet, he never realized he was the person he saw as a friend to be smiling at his last moment.
After all, Anna's Master thrust her sword through his heart until it pierced through Anna's heart. The same as Noel's best friend and lord. He killed Anna with a single stab in her heart along with his right chest.
Anna and Noel fell to the ground at the same time, realizing they had been betrayed by the person closest to them.
"Finally, both monsters have died. Now, there's no one who can stop us." The man smiled and looked at Anna's Master. "It's their fault for getting too strong."
"It's as you predicted, Your Highness. I may not be as strong as my student, but please let me serve you, Your Majesty." She bowed politely.
"We shall return… together."
A smile appeared on her face as her figure disappeared into thin air like the man before her, leaving the Noel and Anna to die.
Noel gritted his teeth and glared at Anna's pale face before his eyes shifted to the jewels on their necklaces.
"I see. He used me this whole time." Noel muttered in a low voice. "You were right. I should have trust no one."
This might be the first time they were in front of each other without having a fight. She closed her eyes with regret while saying, "No. I was wrong as well. They might have planned to kill us this whole time. I shouldn't have fought against you… If only I could go back, I wanted to fix my past."
"It's just your wishful thinking."
"Yeah. Can you… tell me why did you want to kill me?" Anna asked her last question, knowing they both couldn't last any longer.
"My… name…" Noel tried to answer her but his vision turned back as he lost the last bit of energy left in his body.
"Your… name…" Anna muttered those last two words in her last breath.
…
In the instant she regained her memory, her mind completely focused on Noel and his last two words. "That's right. His name… His name is Noel, Noel Ardagan. Wait, Ardagan?"
Suddenly, a lot of memory flashed in her mind. This was the memory of her younger self. And there was one part that told her about Ardagan. It was her convincing her family to join hands with the royal family to destroy Ardagan Family.
With that memory stuck in her mind, her face became pale as Anna clutched her head. Her back was covered with cold sweat. "I was the one who caused the downfall of the Ardagan Family… No wonder he couldn't forgive me."
"Should I kill him right now? No, no. Noel Ardagan was a man with good reputation. He helped people in need and did more good stuff, but more importantly, his strength was strong enough to scare the demons. He is more useful when he is alive."
There was only one solution appearing in her mind.
"I might need to risk my life to solve the hatred between us because after that, his strength is enough to become this kingdom's hero."
Unbeknownst to them, both Anna and Noel clutched their right hand on their chest and said at the same time.
"I will change him (kill her)!"