“I want to ask that too. Do you think it’s possible for you to convince me?”

“!!!” Noel’s body trembled, feeling an indescribable oppression from him. It felt like this invisible pressure wanted him to kneel down.

“Who…” Anna gasped, thinking, ‘I didn’t sense him at all. How did he sneak up on us? My instinct is telling me that this guy is extremely dangerous. In fact, Dimitri and the others won’t hold a candle to him. He must be at least a Spirit Transcendence Stage Expert. No, he might be even stronger. I can’t measure it accurately, but his strength is similar to the time when we were at our peaks.’

Anna realized that the hermit turned out to be stronger than they expected. In the previous life, both of them were at the peak of the Spirit Transcendence Stage. It was to the point that no one could stop them anymore. No, it was that they were the only ones that could stop each other from going rampant.

That was probably the reason why Anna and Noel had to be killed. There was simply no one who could control them anymore if they reached the legendary Spirit King Stage.

And this mysterious person actually had a similar strength to them at their peak. It was simply unbelievable.

The old man had a warm smile on his face. His head was bald as though all the hair on his body had fallen. He wore a white robe that covered his entire body.

‘Did I just make a mistake by bringing everyone here? But Noel did gain his cooperation in the previous life…’ Anna gulped down.

Meanwhile, Noel was frozen as though he couldn’t say anything. One wrong answer might result in his death.

“What’s wrong? Do you think you can convince me not to kill you for trespassing in my area? I’ve been listening to your conversation this whole time, so you should know that our races are different. Just for that reason, it’s enough for me to kill you.” The old man smiled.

Noel wanted to open his mouth, but he couldn’t do it due to the suppression. He realized that the old man was preventing him from saying anything. This might be a kind of test from the old man. After all, if he wanted to kill him, there was no need for this farce.

Still, it didn’t change the fact that Noel had to find a way to escape from this suppression.

‘Ardagan!’ Noel called his helper for one reason. He changed his title from a fighting title to the Affection Medal.

Name: Hildlru

Affection: Good (70/100)

Description: Someone who has a deep affinity with you.

Noel was stunned for a different reason. Despite all his words, the affection he had toward him was the exact opposite. It felt like this old man was his long-lost friend who finally reunited with him again.

It might be because of that sense of relief that the corner of his lips began to curve upward.

Even the old man raised his eyebrows, not expecting Noel to smile.

But because of that shock, he subconsciously retracted a bit of the suppression. Noel took that opportunity to open his mouth, saying, “Please don’t joke around, Sir Hildlru.”

“!!!” All people, including the old man, were shocked. They didn’t know how Noel could actually call the old man’s name. And judging from his shocked expression, the name was correct.

“How do you know about my name?” The old man asked while squinting his eyes.

However, the affection medal would never lie to him. Even though his actions looked like this, the affection actually increased.

Name: Hildlru

Affection: Excellent (71/100)

Description: Someone who has a deep affinity with you.

Noel was surprised that there would be someone like him. It looked like the old man had already known him before he even came here. And for that reason, he had to understand why, as it would be the key to solving this situation.

Noel took a deep breath and said, “You should already know about me, Sir. If you know me, why can’t I do the same?”

“…” The old man fell silent for a moment before stepping forward. He started laughing as his Spiritual Energy began to leak out of his body.

“!!!” Dimitri gritted his teeth and clenched his blade. He opened his mouth, ready to use his True Spirit Body.

But before he could say anything, the old man glared at him and said, “Don’t do anything stupid. If you make a single move, we can see who is faster, me killing him or you saving him.”

Dimitri bit his lips, having no choice but to lower his blade.

The old man smiled and said, “You made one mistake, brat. You said I know you… That’s not true at all. I don’t know anything about you, but I do have a little connection with you.”

Noel fell silent. He thought the bluff would work, but it turned out to be backfired. However, the old man seemed to give him another chance.

He added, “Humor me with this question… Are you an ally or an enemy?”

The answer was obvious. If he answered, he was an enemy, the old man would definitely kill him. But all of them wondered if the other option was the correct choice.

Surprisingly, Noel had no hesitation in answering him. “None. As of now, we are neither enemies nor allies. We are just two individuals, but there seems to be a deep affinity between us.”

‘Huh?’ Anna didn’t expect that answer. Yet, the old man’s eyebrows seemed to twitch for a split second. It ended so fast that others might not notice it, but it was certain that Noel’s words were affecting the old man.

“Hahaha… Interesting.” The old man laughed out loud. “If that’s the case, follow me. Since you have gone all the way here just to meet me, I should entertain you a bit. It’s been a while since I have met someone after all.”

“…” Anna’s body slightly shook after hearing the last sentence. They had come here knowing that Noel would meet the Sword Saint’s future disciple. Yet, the old man actually told them that he hadn’t met anyone.

But that reaction was what the old man was looking for.

“Hoh? It’s you, huh?” He glared intensely at Anna.

Anna’s body froze, not knowing what he saw on her. But he suddenly whispered low enough so that only she could hear.

“Do you enjoy your second life?”