System vs Rebirth

"Huu…" Noel let out a breath of relief as he landed on top of the castle wall. The hunt that lasted for more than a month had finally ended.

He had killed numerous demons to the point where he couldn't count them anymore. The system wasn't there as well.

Standing next to him was Anna. Unlike him, Anna was more focused on the city when she reached this wall, staring at the bustling city despite the cold winter.

There were still a lot of activities going on. Considering all of them were commoners, it was an amazing achievement. The lamp lit up the road, making the atmosphere look warm. Some vehicles were carrying the snow and heading outside the city as if it were about to dump the snow.

However, the snow had actually stopped yesterday. That was why Noel and Anna returned.

The soldiers had yet to notice them, so they immediately jumped off the wall. The first thing they needed to do was check on the city's situation.

They had left this city for a while. Dimitri might have given some reports, Noel had to look at the detailed report.

"It seems that I have to be buried in my office for a while." Noel let out a long sigh while walking to the mansion.

"Should I help you with the paperwork?"

"No. If you want to help me, there are several things you can do. For example, monitoring the city, going to Roel's workshop, and dealing with all the practical stuff. That's right. I think Tristan and Livia have finished with the train, can you handle their Rune Body training?"

"Oh!" Anna nodded. "I can do that. Then, we'll split up. I've hogged you for myself for more than a month. That should be enough for our honeymoon."

"You call that honeymoon?" Noel chuckled.

"Haha. Anyway, I'll handle all those matters, including the preparation to go to the Zaecuria Kingdom. Since this is an official visit, we have to go with our carriage."

"Yeah. I'll leave it to you." Noel nodded.

Anna immediately left his side since she had several destinations. While it was true that they were exhausted from a long hunt, the last few days weren't that intense, so they had no problem working right away.

Still, after more than a month, the ones who changed were not only them, but also their people.

When Noel was about to open the door of his mansion, someone actually opened it from the inside. It was Sandra

If it was a coincidence, Sandra would look surprised. However, Sandra's expression remained calm as she politely bowed to Noel. "Welcome back, Master."

"…" Noel was the one who was surprised. "You know I've returned?"

"This maid only knows one thing. It's that you and the lady will return after it stops snowing. Looking at the master's habit, you will definitely return one day after and during the day because there is still a lot of work to do," Sandra replied. Even the way she spoke had changed. She used formal speech so that the other maids would do the same even though Sandra's status was much higher than theirs due to her relationship with Tristan.

And the fact that she could predict him made her look even more reliable. She was a bit similar to Dimitri. Of course, the strength they had was different. Even then, Sandra had actually become a spirit practitioner.

With his spiritual energy, he could also sense hidden weapons underneath her skirt as well as her back.

It seemed that Dimitri was training her to be his successor in the future.

Noel couldn't help but smile, satisfied with her hard work. "Where are Charlotte and Rose?"

"Ma'am Charlotte has just left to inspect the UD site. Miss Rose is working in her office."

"Tristan and Livia?"

"They're currently discussing the Rune Academy," replied Sandra while helping Noel take off his coat as if knowing that Noel wouldn't ask anything else and just head to the office.

Noel nodded. "In that case, I will go to my office right now. I'll have tea while working."

"Understood." Sandra acknowledged the order and stepped back.

Noel never expected that Sandra was in the middle of her development to become a head maid. Once her strength and her experience improve, she might end up becoming a future pillar of the family. Her status wouldn't be so far from that of Tristan. It seemed that he made the correct decision when he brought both of them away from the Atracaeca Kingdom.

Sandra wasn't the only one who would become one of the pillars in the future. When Noel returned to his office, Rose, whose office was next to him, immediately knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Rose already had several documents for Noel. Of course, she had sorted the mountain of documents on Noel's table so that he would have an easier time looking at them.

"Welcome back, Noel. It seems that you have a bountiful harvest in this hunt."

"Yeah." Noel nodded.

"I'm going to start my report if you don't want to get some rest first." Rose smirked.

"No. It's fine. I have been away for a while, so I need to handle all these matters as quickly as possible. For now, let's start with the winter's casualties as well as the construction."

"Instead of that, I believe you need to hear this first. The saintess would like to meet you. She is planning to leave this city."

"Now that I think about it, she should have gone back by now." Noel nodded. Before telling her to call the saintess, Sandra arrived at the room, bringing him his tea. She was so quick as if she had prepared everything from the start.

And because of that, Noel had another idea. "Sandra. Can you call the saintess to meet me here?"

"Understood." Sandra nodded while placing the tea on the table.

Looking at her leaving, Rose couldn't help but say, "She has grown a lot in the past month."

"Yeah. You might need to do the same… or else, the first one to succeed a pillar position will be her."

"I don't really mind. It's not about a race after all…" Rose chuckled as if she didn't get bothered by something that simple. Charlotte had truly drilled everything into her, considering that their position required them to remain calm at all times.

"Well, let's get back to the topic." Noel waved his hand.

"Alright. The casualties this town suffers during the winter are...