Chapter 163


    “Because of me?” Noele blinked, staring at the three adventurers.


    She recognized Nichs the Noble Knight. And while Kale and Sienna weren’t familiar to her exactly— she had never even heard of them— she knew that adventurers were oftentimes a part of a team. It was rarer at the higher levels. Especially S-ranks. They tended to work alone.


    But the blonde girl didn’t doubt that Nichs was different. He was a charismatic and kind person, after all. So it would make sense that he, of all S-ranks, would be in a team. Although she found it a little bit odd she had never heard of it.


    Noele shook her head. She was getting distracted with extraneous details.


    “What do you mean you’vee here because of me?” she asked, repeating her question.


    Nichs walked up to her side, shaking his head. “As I have said, Noele the Noble Spellsword— can I call you Noele?”


    “Uh— of course!” Noele practically eximed as she nodded. But she bit her lower lip a momentter, flushing at that embarrassing disy. She didn’t want the Noble Knight to think she was just some <em>fangirl.</em>


    She was an A-ranked adventurer. And not just that, she was on the cusp of bing an S-ranked adventurer in terms of levels. Although she was pretty sure she was able to beat one in a fight thanks to Amelia’s training.


    So she had to act with the decorum expected of someone of her status. She had to keep her cool. Steel herself, and act like she didn’t care that she was talking to Nichs the Noble Knight himself. Taking in a deep breath, she nodded slowly and squeaked.


    “Y-you, um, said you heard about me?” She flushed as the words came out of her mouth an incoherent mess.


    Nichs nodded with his charming smile, taking her hand. Noele wanted to shrink back when he did. He was her idol— he was who she strove to be.


    …other than her sister, of course.


    But he was who Nora had striven to be. So Noele had always looked up to Nichs. She had wanted to meet him again, when she had be an S-ranked adventurer. So this encounter felt a little premature, but the excitement she felt was still there.


    “I did hear about you, and that is why I sought you out,” he said, sping both his hands over her right hand. “I have an offer I’d like to make you, Noele.”


    “You… you do?” Noele’s heart pounded in her chest like a [cksmith]’s hammer. She waited with bated breath as the Noble Knight nodded.


    Before he drew back. “But, before we speak about that—”


    She blinked, feeling her heart rate slow. Nichs gestured past her— towards the hive of the bastion bees.


    “Let us converse in a more… private ce, if possible. I do not wish to further disturb those sacred monsters.”


    Noele stared at Nichs for a moment as the heat in her cheeks vanished. She nodded, covering her face in embarrassment. “...right. That’s a good idea.”


    And from the side, Kale waved another malim fruit in the air. “A ce with food and drinks, please.”


    —--


    It took a bit of convincing, but Noele managed to get Han and Arthur to temporarily open Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant for the day. Well, actually, it didn’t take much convincing at all.


    Neither of the men had anything else they were going to do for the day, and since they were just going to serve drinks, they were fine with this arrangement. Noele did promise them she wouldpensate them greatly for this favor. So the most difficult part came even before convincing them— but finding them.


    However, when she did, she managed to get a private ce for her conversation with Nichs the Noble Knight. After all, he was an S-ranked adventurer. And not just that, he was a rather famous one at that. He had a reputation for being quite the people’s champion. A hero who would charge into danger if it meant saving a single life.


    He would have been swarmed by a crowd in an instant if he walked around Wolfwater for a few minutes. The fact that he had somehow discreetly snuck into the farming vige already eluded her. ording to Garron, he hadn’t even seen Nichs arrive, and the Steel Tank had been standing guard near the restaurant the whole time!


    But that was expected from an S-ranked adventurer. And now, Noele sat with Nichs in the corner of the room as his team waited at the bar with Garron, Arthur, and Han. It was so she could have a private conversation with the Noble Knight. But she could hear them from the other side of the room. Although… that was probably because of how obnoxiously loud Kale was.


    “So this is the malim juice, huh? It’s pretty good, but I’d say the fruit itself tastes better!” the plump man said as he mmed an empty mug onto the table.


    Garron pursed his lips, replying simply. “I was under the impression that a malim fruit was inedible…”


    <em>“It’s fucking trash!”</em> Kale eximed as Arthur winced.


    Noele shook her head, turning to Nichs. He chuckled as he took a sip of the malim juice.


    “Ignore him— he can be quite crude when he’s drunk,” the Noble Knight said as he shook his head.


    The blonde girl frowned. “Wait, but I haven’t seen Kale drink any alcohol yet.”


    “Indeed. But he shall get drunk soon, give it time,” Nichs replied.


    “So you’re saying it’ll get even worse. Got it.” Noele sighed, rubbing her temples.


    It had been a few hours since she had met the Noble Knight, so she was getting used to being around him. Of course, she was still stunned to be able to meet the adventurer she respected the most. But she was slowly limating to it. At least, with how she acted on the outside.


    Internally, she was still screaming, wondering if he even recognized her from all those years ago. It almost seemed like he did. But she didn’t know for sure.


    “Anyway,” Noele started, trying not to stutter, “what was it you wanted to offer me again?”


    It was a simple question. But Nichs hadn’t made the offer after mentioning it a while ago. In fact, he had not even alluded to it once again for whatever reason.


    His eyes flickered as he stared down at his malim juice. “Ah, that.”


    Noele shrugged, trying to look casual as she nced around the room. “I mean, if it’s not important, we can talk about something else.”


    “It is certainly a matter of import— at least, for me,” Nichs continued, taking another sip from his drink.


    A long silence passed. Noele fidgeted in her seat, before looking back up at the Noble Knight once more. She chewed her lips as she forced herself to speak.


    “And what is it, Sir— I mean, Nichs?” She quickly corrected herself.


    Nichs sighed and leant back into his chair. He raised his head, looking up at the ceiling of the room. He looked like he was mulling over it for a moment, before he took in a deep breath and met the blonde girl’s gaze.


    “Do you want to join my team?” he finally asked as his eyes glinted.