System vs Rebirth

“Tornado Slash.” Stella shouted while waving her sword, creating a tornado that expanded horizontally. The tornado engulfed the demons and slashed them. Some died, but some were only slightly injured.

At that time, Zion and Paul appeared, crushing all the remaining demons. Rose showed them the path to cross while the rest supported those three.

Jonathan soon returned to the group, reporting. “I’ve returned.”

“Got it. Support us!” Paul nodded. Since Noel had safely arrived on top of the wall, they didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Although Iadre didn’t seem to be as good as Noel in terms of planning, he still had a solid foundation. Paul didn’t realize Noel had been holding back this whole time, so he didn’t look like Noel.

…

While the squad continued sweeping the demons, Noel completed delivering the message to the commander.

After that, he asked, “I heard the Count is here. I need to inform him about our two squads and prepare for the worst-case scenario.”

The commander was startled. They thought the city would be relieved by the two squads, so he didn’t understand why Noel told him they had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

“I’ll tell the Count about it, but for now, please trust our Demon Banner Army. We believe there is a Superior Demon…”

“Superior Demon?” The commander was dumbstruck. ｎｏｖ𝚕．𝚌ｏｍ

From his reaction alone, Noel knew that the commander hadn’t found this Superior Demon. However, Noel didn’t know whether the Superior Demon was hiding or it didn’t exist.

So, Noel had to confirm it with Anna since she was the one luring all these demons to this place.

Noel nodded. “This is just a suspicion, but for now, I have to meet the Count first to explain the situation. Where is he?”

“The Count should be in his mansion!” The commander pointed at the huge mansion on the left side of the city. “That’s the Count’s mansion.”

“Understood. Thank you for your cooperation. If we’re going to retreat due to the Superior Demon, my squad will be informing you and handle the retreat!”

“Y-yes!” The commander completely forgot about their loss, knowing the situation was even more dangerous than he originally thought. He just hoped that the Superior Demon didn’t attack them.

Meanwhile, Noel had gone straight to the Count’s mansion, wondering how he should meet him.

He also had to meet Anna to check on the situation.

But since he knew Anna would be observing the Count, he prepared to go to the Count first.

“Who are you?!” There were still a few guards standing to protect the mansion. They were holding their blades, stopping Noel.

Noel took out his badge and showed them it was real. “I’m Iadre from the Demon Banner Army. I’m here to tell the Count about the current situation, including the possibility of a Superior Demon’s existence.”

“That’s…” The soldiers didn’t know what to say. However, Noel shouted, making them hasten their pace. “This is a serious situation. Do you know that delaying this matter will make the situation even more dangerous? We have to act fast!”

“Please follow me!” One of the soldiers shouted and immediately brought Noel inside. But as expected, he didn’t allow Noel to go inside the mansion directly. Instead, he waited for him right in front of the wooden door while the soldier informed the staff inside.

Soon, a butler came out with a panicked face.

Noel showed his badge and said, “I’m Iadre from the Demon Relief Squad. I’m here to meet the Count to explain the situation. This is an emergency. I have to report to the Count directly! This involves the possibility of a Superior Demon, and we don’t have a Captain that can handle that kind of demon right now!”

The butler’s face became pale as he hurriedly brought Noel inside. “Please come in.”

The butler hurriedly stopped him on the second floor as he knocked on a certain door, informing the situation inside.

The Count instantly gave permission and invited Noel in.

“So, you’re saying there’s a possibility of a Superior Demon?” The Count narrowed his eyes.

“Yes. When we’re dealing with the demon nests from the mission, we’ve found some clues that can lead to a Superior Demon’s existence. Unfortunately, when we got there, the nest was already empty. So, we chased them here.”

“But there aren’t any Superior Demons outside my city.”

“A Superior Demon’s intellect can’t be underestimated. I have watched a Captain fighting a Superior Demon and I know how they’re employing their strength.” Noel stated with a serious tone.

The Count still doubted Noel, but the latter had no benefits in lying to him. And it would give him a reason to get compensation from the Demon Banner Army if it turned out to be wrong.

So, the Count nodded his head and said, “Alright. What do you want me to do? Seeing how you’re still calm like this, it means we still have some time, right?”

“Yes. We’re trying to find the Superior Demon right now. In the meantime, I’d like to ask the Count to evacuate the city. My team is trying to clear the gates, allowing the citizens to leave safely.”

The Count frowned. On the one hand, he didn’t care about the lives of the commoners. On the other hand, he knew that the commoners could act as a shield when he left this city.

After taking the situation into account, the Count said, “In that case, I’ll let my soldiers inform the people about the evacuation. I’ll have to ask your squad to clear the gate so that we have a safe passage to leave. What are you planning to do?”

“I have been tasked to secure your safety. Hence, I’ll be with you right now and check the situation before sending you off.” Noel looked like he would become the Count’s pawn, but he had a hidden mission.

With him staying at the Count’s side, he could easily influence the Count to move away from his office. And Anna would use that time to find all kinds of proof.

Even if she couldn’t find anything, she could ambush the Count, who brought all the important documents with him later.