System vs Rebirth

"The last problem will be the soul. Even if I manage to tackle the first two problems, we need to find a way to bring the soul into this body." Khalid explained.

Noel raised his eyebrows. "You don't have to worry about the third problem. I'm asking this because I have a connection to do that."

"Oh!" Khalid didn't know what was going on, but if Noel could really solve the third problem, he just had to focus on the body.

He thought for a moment before asking, "Is there a deadline for this project?"

"The quicker the better, since we have to perfect it. However, if I have to say, the deadline will be your lifespan." Noel pointed at Khalid. Considering he was much older than them, Khalid wouldn't have more time than them.

So, it would be Khalid's life project.

Khalid nodded. "I understand. If that's the case, I will do it."

"Thank you." Noel smiled. "If you need funds, you may call Balott. I'll draft you a letter that authorizes you to draw as much funding as you'd like from the treasury."

"Are you sure about giving me that letter? I might end up misusing it…"

"I know the temptation of money. For this research, you may get as many funds as possible. I don't wish your research to be stopped by the lack of funds because we're not sure whether we can do it or not.

"If you want to purchase things for other projects, you can splurge on yourself a bit.

"If there's a problem that the people in this family can't solve, tell me directly. I will hunt down some demons or whatever."

Khalid fell to one knee. "I accept your order. Thank you for trusting me, my lord."

Noel nodded gracefully. "Anyway, focus on the pill for the time being. We can't disappoint the duke after all."

"I understand." Khalid paused for a moment. "There's something I'd like to ask, my lord. I might be overstepping my bounds with this question, but are you sure it's alright to give the pill to Duke Lorelei?

"I find him a bit too hypocritical. He is said to be neutral, but behind the scenes, he's working with the princess. He is said to not want to mess with the kingdom, but he's throwing himself to you after knowing about the pill."

Noel chuckled. "The duke is hypocritical?"

"My apologies."

"No. You can think of it that way. No. It's not weird for you to think of it that way. However, if you know the duke a bit more, you realize he is actually not."

"…" Khalid still couldn't see it. "Could you enlighten me, my lord?"

"The duke is a man of principle. People who see the duke might think that he's hypocritical. However, the duke has never broken his principle. That man might be shrewd, but he maintains his integrity. In that case, I ask you, what is the duke's principle?"

Khalid fell into deep thought but couldn't find any answer.

"His principle lies in the future of the kingdom." Noel gave the answer for him.

"!!!" The moment he heard the answer, Khalid felt like he was being struck by lightning. He finally understood why Noel thought the duke wasn't hypocritical. He was just shrewd.

His principle was for the sake of the kingdom. In other words, if the kingdom would prosper in the future, he would do whatever he could to achieve it.

After realizing that the third princess was a person that could lead to the future of the kingdom, he joined hands with the princess.

Meanwhile, he realized that neither the current king nor the third prince would bring prosperity for the kingdom. That was why, even in the previous war of the throne, he remained neutral.

By working together with Noel, the duke could see the future prosperity. That was why he acted that way.

Hypocritical? No. He was just tricking all the people around him to make him look that way. Meanwhile, he continued to strive for his own goal.

In the vision he saw, becoming a spirit transcendence was a necessity. That was why he dropped his pride and begged for the pill.

Once people realized the duke's true nature, they finally understood why this person could become the most powerful duke in the kingdom.

"At the very least, I know that his bottom line is that humans are superior to demons. So, you don't have to worry about him becoming our enemy." Noel nodded, assuring Khalid.

"I understand. My apologies for asking such a strange thing." Khalid lowered his head.

"Is there anything else?"

"No. The pill should be ready before the trip. He should come here to swallow the pill and let me gather some feedback. Once it's done, I will continue to the third pill before commercializing all these pills. Of course, I will be working on the homunculus project while I'm at it."

"Alright." Noel nodded.

After giving another bow, Khalid finally left the room.

Noel had finally finished everything that needed to be done for the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, Anna and Layla continued working hard for the charity organization. They first announced the creation of the organization so that people knew that Noel was following the tradition of the Ardagan family to help the people.

As a result, his name would soar even more. It was to the point where Noel's name was just second to the king for his people.

People were looking forward to how Noel utilized the airships. In the end, Noel decided to use two airships for the organization's operation. The rest would be allocated for domestic and international flights. Unfortunately, until Elaine finished with the laws, he couldn't utilize them too much.

Of course, Noel poured in more money to create a landing spot in multiple territories. It was an offer they couldn't decline.

As everything was set up beautifully by Noel, time passed, and it was finally one day before Anna's departure for the demon territory.