Noele closed her eyes as she stood before her master. A striking silence held the two of them— neither said a word. Not the blonde girl, and not the brown-haired woman. They didn’t speak. They just stood across from each other, listening to the muffled voices of the distant crowd.
The silence would’ve dragged for an eternity. Noele didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know if there was anything to say. But Alia was too impatient to wait for another minute longer.
“Well?” she scoffed. “Spit it out, already.”
“R-right.” Noele took in a deep breath as she tried to steel herself. Alia won’t get mad— she said as much back when I first told her about my Class advancent.
The blonde girl ntally reassured herself. She raised her head and opened her eyes. Slowly, she locked gazes with her master.
“I am now a [Champion Spellsword],” Noele finally said. She waited for a response before continuing— bracing herself for whatever possible reaction there could be.
And Alia just stared blankly back at the blonde girl. “...is that it?”
Noele blinked. “...I should have expected that reaction.”
But she shook her head a mont later and took in a deep breath. She placed a hand on her chest as she explained the problem.
“Alia, you taught how to fight with my own strength, didn’t you?”
“Uh, yeah,” the brown-haired woman replied simply.
“You taught not to rely on the World System— to rely on what I am able to do on my own,” Noele continued in a soft voice. “And yet, I gave in. When I should’ve overco my weakness and fought with my own strength, I relied on an outside power to defeat Nicholas.”
Alia stared at the blonde girl for a mont, before shrugging. “Well, you almost died, didn’t you? You were literally stabbed through the chest. So you didn’t really have a choice. Personally, I don’t really see a problem with that, if I’m being honest.”
Noele pursed her lips. “But I feel like… sothing happened.”
“What do you an by that?” Alia asked casually.
“I don’t exactly know,” the blonde girl sighed as her shoulders sagged. “But I feel like sothing happened— when I was on the brink of death. I’m not sure what it was, but it feels… off.”
She looked down at herself as she uttered the last word. Her gaze was fixed on the palm of her hand. For a mont, she felt like she had no control over her fingers. Noele felt like her entire body went numb as she spoke. But she took in a deep breath and shook away the strange feeling.
“I don’t know, Alia. I am not sure if I made the right choice.”
Noele turned to her master for guidance. And for once, the brown-haired woman didn’t give an imdiate reply. Instead, she placed a hand on her chin as she mulled over the question for a while.
“Arthur approached a few weeks ago,” Alia finally said as she raised her head. “He brought up… concerns. Concerns about his returning Void powers, which I’m sure you’re aware of by now.”
“That’s—” Noele blinked. She recalled the forr Lich King unleashing his powers when he had saved her. It was a fraction of the strength he had shown back before he had beco Arthur. But it was still a terrifying sight to witness for the blonde girl.
She had been worried by it when she first saw it. But she managed to placate her concerns with logic and reason. After all, Arthur was not Ar’elith. He was a different person to the Lich King. Or that was what she told herself.
“Right, I am aware,” the blonde girl said with a nod. “But I don’t see how that relates to what I’m talking about.”
“Arthur was afraid of his powers, Noele,” Alia said as she shook her head. “He was afraid that he was going to cause harm to those he cared about. He was afraid that he was going to beco who he once was again.”
Noele pursed her lips, listening to her master’s words.
“So I’ll tell you what I told him— it doesn’t matter what’s the source of his power or your power. All that matters is that you are stronger now. And with that power, you’ll continue to do good. That’s it, really.”
“But that’s not what I’m concerned about,” the blonde girl protested. “If I go down this route… won’t I beco overly-reliant on the World System?”
“I already told you this before, but that doesn’t really matter,” Alia snorted as she crossed her arms.
“What do you an it doesn’t matter? Look at how strong you are! And you don’t even have a Class!” Noele gestured emphatically at her master.
But Alia just waved a hand dismissively. “The only reason I’m not a [Chef] is because this stupid System won’t let be one. That’s it.”
“But…” The blonde girl bit her lower lip. Slowly, she looked back down at herself and placed a hand on her chest. “What about relying on my own strength?”
“I told you this before, Noele. But you’ve already been relying on the System for most of your life.” The brown-haired woman shrugged. “Relying on it a little bit more now doesn’t make that much of a difference. Especially if you just use it as a tool to improve, rather than a crutch.”
“What do you an by that?” Noele blinked.
Alia sighed and drew her rusty sword. She flipped it around, making the blonde girl flinch. But that wasn’t an attack. Instead, she gestured at the flat of her blade.
“Look at this, Noele. What is this?”
“It’s, uh, your sword?” the blonde girl said apprehensively.
“That’s right. It’s my sword. It’s what I use to fight in battle.” Alia nodded as she raised it to the sky, and its dull surface reflected the sun’s light. “But even though it’s my weapon, I don’t rely on it to fight. I use it, sure. I swing it around, stab a few bad guys. But it’s only a tool.”
Sheathing her blade, the brown-haired woman turned to her apprentice. She thrust a finger at Noele’s chest.
“That’s the sa thing with the System. Use it— not as a crutch. Don’t rely on it as your only weapon. But use it when it is needed, while working on your flaws and weaknesses. So that, one day, you won’t need to use it at all.”
“So that… I won’t need to use it at all?” Noele repeated after her master. She processed the words, and her head spun.
While logically it made sense that that was the end goal, the blonde girl never once considered ever doing that. Or rather— for so reason, she was surprised. She didn’t even know why. It was strange. She gritted her teeth as she looked back up at Alia.
“But I—” Noele closed her mouth. She took in a deep breath, then shook her head. “I still feel like that’s wrong, Alia. I don’t understand.”
“What do you an by that?” The brown-haired woman raised a brow.
“I am not sure how to explain it. It feels wrong to have accepted this Class advancent, but it also feels like foregoing the World System entirely in the future isn’t the right choice either. Even though I know you’re right… even though I know what you’re saying makes perfect sense…”
Noele trailed off as she clenched a fist. Alia narrowed her eyes, listening to the blonde girl blabber on.
“I don’t understand this feeling. I just feel like sothing is off. But I also feel like what you’re saying is wrong, even though I know it’s right. It’s paradoxical. It’s weird. I feel like a crazy person right now. I know you don’t really get what I an. But I just feel… confused.”
The blonde girl lowered her head as she finished. Her master just stared at her for a long mont. Neither of them said a word. Once again, they were captured by a sharp silence. After a minute passed, Alia finally took a step forward and placed a hand on Noele’s shoulder.
“Noele,” Alia said, drawing the blonde girl’s gaze.
“Yes?” Noele asked softly.
And Alia sighed. “I know you’re lost right now. I understand you feel like you’re at a crossroads. All your life, you’ve been attuned to the System. But now, I’m telling you to give it up. Sure, I’m not telling you to leave it behind right now, but even knowing that you have to eventually move on from it must be hard for you to accept.”
“R-right,” the blonde girl agreed hesitantly, unsure where her master was going with this.
“But at the sa ti, you know you have to surpass the System. You know it’s holding you back. That’s why you feel this way. That’s why you feel like you’re at a crossroads— that’s why you feel like you don’t know what to do.”
Noele wasn’t sure if that was exactly it, but what Alia was saying made sense. To a certain extent. But the brown-haired woman wasn’t done. She took in a deep breath, before glancing back towards the crowd in the distance.
Alia nodded at herself, making sure that there was no one within earshot of the pair’s conversation. When she was certain they were alone, she turned back to the blonde girl.
“But what if I told you…” Alia started as she held her apprentice’s gaze. “What if I told you the World System is actually evil?”
And that made Noele freeze where she stood. “What…?”
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