System vs Rebirth

'This is not good…' Noel muttered inwardly. 'If changing the medal causes a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy, it means I can only change my medal in a place where no one can find me. Or at least, I have to use it when the people who observe me are far enough or not sensitive enough. Even better if I can camouflage it…

'I guess I can understand the reason why Spiritual Energy fluctuates. Ardagan has warned me before that he gives missions, medals, and abilities depending on the amount of my Spiritual Energy.

'In other words, each medal has taken its own portion of Spiritual Energy in my reserve. Changing the medal means I have to take out the first medal and put on the second one. That transition is the cause of the fluctuation.'

Noel figured out the reason with the information he had pretty easily. But this also concerned him because he had to prepare for everything before he made himself look suspicious.

Just like when he wanted to meet his father's former subordinate, he had to use the Affection Medal before they met so that he didn't realize he was doing something.

Though, at that time, he was forced to see everyone's affection, like Rose's or even Dimitri's.

This action might cloud his judgment at that time. So, Noel had to control this Affection Medal strictly and avoid abusing it despite its overwhelming benefit.

Noel took a deep breath before stretching his body. He also emitted a little bit of Spiritual Energy as a cover while he was changing his medal back.

This way, the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy might still be there, but the others would think Noel was trying to do something.

This action startled Rose a little bit, but Noel soon retracted his Spiritual Energy and hurriedly let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong, Noel?" Rose was concerned because Noel hadn't said anything after she answered his question.

Noel only made an awkward smile as if he apologized for releasing his Spiritual Energy. He said, "Sorry, I'm fine."

Rose frowned. She misunderstood Noel's action, thinking Noel was being affected by something that ended up making him leak his Spiritual Energy. But she didn't know what kind of thing would have such an effect. Poison? Curse? Illness?

Rose wanted to ask Noel's condition, but the latter seemed to have no intention of answering her.

So, she ultimately dropped the matter in her head and asked another question. "Do you need something? I can get it for you."

Noel shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

He walked to the bed and sat on it as if he was tired. He looked at Rose and asked, "Did I release my Spiritual Energy earlier?"

"Yes." Rose nodded, confirming it without hesitation.

"I see. Thanks." Noel made a small smile and tried to change the topic. "Anyway, since we have received another mission from the commander, we have to be quick this time. There is no change of plan as of now, but depending on the situation that we might encounter there, I might have to completely scrap our original plan.

"There is a possibility that I don't have time to explain everything to you, so be prepared to improvise."

"I understand." Rose nodded but still felt a bit hesitant because she was worried about his condition.

Unfortunately for her, Noel didn't have any intention of solving her doubt at the moment.

He had a lot of things to think about because of this new Affection Medal. It truly could change how he viewed the world.

Even if he didn't use it, he might think about using it, believing that as long as he had it, he could see through anyone's intention.

So, he had to sort out his feelings and thoughts so that he didn't make a mistake in the future. But he was just a human, so he knew he was bound to make a mistake one day.

Hence, he also prepared for the action he had to take if he made that mistake.

Because it required a lot of focus, Noel ended up faking it by going to bed.

"Good night, Rose."

"…" Rose didn't know how to respond when she saw Noel acting like a sick person. She wanted to help him, but Noel felt so distant to the point she had to leave him alone in this room. "Alright. Good night. If you need anything, just inform me."

"Yeah. Thank you."

Rose thought he was sleeping, but Noel used every second of that night to think about his future and the restriction he placed on the Affection Medal.

He would still use the medal, but he would try not to use it on his allies easily.

As expected, the Affection Medal was bigger than Noel expected. There were countless possibilities that would cause harm to him, so a single night wasn't enough to sort his thoughts.

But to make Rose less worried, he acted like usual, as if telling her that a good night's sleep was all he needed to recover.

In the morning, Noel gave the complete task to Dimitri. He wanted him to invite a Master Blacksmith as well as give the practice swords to the kids. This was Noel's present to the kids while using them to convince a Master Blacksmith. It was truly two birds with one stone situation.

After that, Noel returned to the administration office. He didn't want to meet the commander or the Demon Barrier Squad's captain.

He went there to exchange his contribution points with some money and Demon Crystals to absorb along the way.

Rose also wanted to get stronger so that she could continue to follow him, so she got some more Demon Crystals. Although she should be increasing her abilities and strength instead of the Spiritual Energy Reserve, Noel didn't say anything because the runes would gnaw a bit of her reserve.

After making their preparation, Noel and Rose finally left the fort, heading to their new destination, Styxcanva.