System vs Rebirth

“Aren’t trump cards meant to be used to flip the situation around?”

Paul was impressed. This was the first time someone was giving this kind of plan to him, but remembering how he came up with a plan during the demon siege, it was clear that Noel was capable of doing something like this in an instant.

Paul closed his eyes for a moment, contemplating. The others were also trying to think about this plan. They might not be as good as Noel, but by no means, they were dumb.

The plan made sense. Although there were some flaws in this plan, they were just minor flaws that could be fixed by their individual contribution. So, they nodded their heads, agreeing to this plan.

Paul was the last one to give his nod because he had to consider the lives of his group as well as the stability of the Demon Relief Squad. If their plan failed, they had to handle the consequence to the point they had to face their own demise. So, they needed to be careful here since retreat was also an option.

“…” Paul thought for a moment and asked, “What’s the nearest squad from us?”

Rose hurriedly moved away to fetch the map from her bag and pointed at two spots. “The first one is Demon Barrier Squad, which is located in Skizo Town, two days away from here. The second one is Demon Extermination Squad, but Captain Shale is…”

“In the headquarters, huh…” Paul pinched the bridge of his nose. “Our Demon Relief Squad is a week from here, so I guess we can only rely on the Demon Barrier Squad…”

With all the information they had, Paul finally made a decision. “We’ll delay our work for five days. The first day, we’ll have Rose, Stella, and Zion to check the condition of the lake and scout around the area.

“The second day, we’ll measure the intensity of the poison and do some rough calculations. On the third day, we’ll try to make a simulation to drain all the water.

“In the fourth day, we will try to drain a portion of the water and the fifth day will be the battle day where we go all out to bring out the enemy.

“As for the reinforcement, I’ll send the message to our branch located in Lumino City to request backup from the captain of the Demon Barrier Squad. It’s only one day away, so the time should be enough.

“The letter… Noel, you’ll go with me and write the letter, explaining all the plan. You’re the one coming up with this ambush plan, so you’ll tell them about the exact plan. As for the rest, you’re free to move around the town and gather more information if you can. Unless you’re needed that day, you’re free.”

They exchanged nods, showing their support for this plan.

“Good. Let’s do it this way then.” Paul nodded with a serious expression and dismissed the group.

Since dusk was about to come, they didn’t do any work today. Instead, they simply toured around the city to get some fresh air.

Meanwhile, Noel and Paul were discussing the letter. Noel had written the content about the ambush, which got Paul’s approval.

“This is good enough, I think.”

“Paul… I know you must have noticed it. Why did you still support me?” Noel asked.

Paul raised his eyebrows in surprise before scratching the back of his head. He patted Noel’s back and said, “You’re a member of our Zero Squad, and I’m its vice-captain. It’s obvious that I have to support you with all my might. Even if the chance of an assassination attempt is less than fifty percent, I’ll still try to bring the reinforcement.

“Zion and Jonathan have told me about your circumstances. It seems you’ve been fighting alone this whole time. Although I don’t know what’s your relationship with Anna, who murdered your family, I know that you don’t have many people to rely on.

“That’s why I’ll become one of those people for you. Our squad is a peculiar one… Jonathan has that gloomy appearance because of his dark past, Stella has a bright smile on her face, but she’s the one who struggles the most. Rose wasn’t born with those senses, it was because of her harsh living conditions that her senses were heightened.

“Zion might look like that now, but in the past, it would be good if he could even eat something every two days. Ben was a slave, and he would be beaten if he couldn’t do everything because his owner wasn’t that wealthy to afford another slave to do another job. And even I had my own share of problems.

“Yet, despite all that, everyone could shine brightly and help people around us. We all know each other weaknesses, yet, we don’t use them to our own advantage to bring each other down. Do you know why?” Paul smirked. “It’s trust. And I trust you, Noel. So, you, too, should trust us… trust the Demon Relief Squad. We’ll support you.”

Noel looked down. His heart felt heavy, but a smile couldn’t help but appear on his face. The squad was truly a unique one. And this might be the reason why they were there to help people. 𝐛𝗲𝐝𝐧𝗼𝐯𝐞𝐥．𝐜𝐨𝗺

He had lost that trust when his family was executed. He thought people approached him because they wanted to do something, so he could no longer trust anyone, including Anna. If not for her persistence, he wouldn’t have started trusting her.

Although he didn’t say it, he felt it might be fine to place his trust in others for a bit.

Noel nodded and handed the letter with a smile. “The letter is finished, so…”

“Yeah.” Paul didn’t say anything more. He simply took the letter and left the room, leaving Noel the time to think.

…

Unbeknownst to them, Noel wasn’t the only one who thought about this plan. As a Valley Master, the Water Lord also had some suspicion about the culprit and an assassination attempt.

That was why he had asked for the Demon Relief Squad to help him… the ‘Whole’ Demon Relief Squad. That meant the invitation included their captain, Clara.

Clara was standing in the branch of the Demon Banner Army located in Lumino City.

“It seems that the storm is approaching. To think that even one of the twelve masters of the tower association would ask for my help…” Clara smirked. “I wonder if any of my squad will realize this plan and notify me… I’ll be disappointed if they can’t figure this out.”

However, there was one miscalculation that no one would ever realize. In the past life, the Demon Relief Zero Squad was exterminated. Even Anna didn’t know whether Clara had participated in this fight or not.

No matter what, the Zero Squad was still crushed by the enemy. And Anna had been changing the past life this whole time. The accumulated effect that had yet to take place would begin to unfold.

Could Noel and Anna actually change the fate of the zero squad?