Noah lowered his head slightly in a shallow bow.
"I am Noah of the Science Team."
"The Science Team?"
"Yes. My teacher is Bill."
"Bill's disciple?" Budo was visibly surprised.
He and Bill were not close.
In terms of rank alone, Budo stood far above the commander of a re research unit, and they had no personal relationship to speak of.
But he did hold a basic respect for Bill, because the old man too was soone who devoted himself entirely to the Empire.
"You said you were investigating this place, correct?" Budo continued. "Then tell —do you know anything about the Danger Beast disturbance in this forest?"
Noah's face remained unchanged.
"It's because of this mist, it contains poison. Danger Beasts are probably more sensitive to danger, so they fled the area—"
"I know that," Budo interrupted. "That's not what I'm asking! What I want to know is whether you've found out why this poisonous mist appeared. The mist here used to be harmless."
'So that was it.'
Budo had either been here before, or else had knowledge of the Lost Forest from military reports.
Still, there was no need to panic.
In a situation like this, all Noah had to do was...
"I don't know." Noah shook his head. "It happened too suddenly, and with my current knowledge, I'm at a loss as well."
"I see."
Budo studied Noah's expression, but found no obvious lie.
"Fine. More importantly, do you intend to return to the Capital next?"
"Yes."
'Just as I thought.'
No matter what, Budo was never going to believe that a child as young as him could be responsible for sothing like this.
As long as he said he didn't know, that would be enough.
"In that case, I'll give you a lift."
'What?'
Noah looked up in surprise.
Then he saw Budo's armored hand reach toward him.
He didn't resist, because he sensed neither malice nor killing intent from Budo.
The next mont, his body beca light, and Noah found himself tucked under Budo's massive arm, his feet leaving the ground.
"..."
"W-wait, Great General Budo? Don't tell you're going to—"
Whoosh!
A shrill wind roared past his ears, and the scenery below began changing so rapidly that Noah imdiately realized what was happening.
By the ti it all stopped, everything on the ground looked like a miniature model.
Then Budo's voice reached him again over the wind.
"Back on the ground, you were the sa. You saw that I could fly, yet you didn't seem all that surprised."
Noah glanced at him, while using Appraisal again.
'I see.'
'So that's how he flies.'
It wasn't simple flight through lightning manipulation.
He was using a magnetic field.
'As expected of the Empire's strongest.'
Even without understanding the scientific concept of magnetism itself, he had developed a technique like this.
That was the kind of control and application over power that only a high-level fighter could achieve.
There was very little conversation during the trip.
Thanks to the advantage of aerial movent, the two of them crossed two hundred kiloters in just twenty minutes, arriving before the Capital's main gate.
Seeing that Noah was neither flushed nor out of breath, and that he remained calm, Budo could not help but recall that even his elite subordinates had not been as composed as this boy during the sa experience.
"Thank you very much, General Budo."
"No. I brought you back because there is sothing I want you to relay. Tell Bill to investigate the abnormalities in the southern forest. The Danger Beast disturbance is too suspicious. It may well have been deliberate—possibly the work of anti-Empire forces."
"..."
'Compared to his rough appearance, he is ticulous.'
Noah nodded and agreed, then parted ways with Budo.
Only after putting so distance between them did he finally feel himself relax.
There was no doubt about it.
Budo was suspicious of him!
At most, the man had only believed half of what Noah said. Even at the very end, Budo still regarded him with suspicion—perhaps even caution.
That might have been because Noah had appeared there in the first place.
Or perhaps because Budo had seen through so part of his true strength.
Or perhaps simply because of Noah's calm attitude.
It could also just be the way Budo treated the Science Team in general.
Budo was very strong.
At the very least, Noah was not confident he could defeat him in a direct fight. There was not a single place on that man's body that could be called an opening.
Even when facing a child as young as Noah, he had not relaxed.
He truly embodied the phrase always on the battlefield.
No matter when or where, he carried himself as if he were standing in the center of a war zone.
A temperant like that made him a born general—sothing that could never be replicated through training alone.
He could manipulate lightning, and even create magnetic fields to grant himself flight.
In terms of raw power alone, Noah's current Weaver magic still could not surpass him.
If the two of them fought head-on, the one who would most likely fall into a disadvantage would be Noah.
Fortunately, they were not enemies.
If anything, they were almost on the sa side.
'So... is that man the pinnacle of power in this world?'
No.
Probably not quite.
Although Budo was indeed strong, judging only from what the Truth seeker's appraisal showed, he still had not reached the level where he could rival an upper-tier Level 5 adventurer.
"Well then... I got back a day earlier than expected."
What should he do now?
If he had traveled by carriage, it would have taken him at least a full day to return to the Capital.
In truth, even if he had not t Budo and caught his ride, Noah would still have used aerial movent himself to return.
Now, thanks to Budo, he had co back ahead of schedule.
"In that case, I might as well stop by House Leiden..."
To Noah, Laims was the only elder he had in this world.
Although that relationship itself was only a false one, Laims really had helped him a great deal.
Noah was not the kind of person who forgot favors.
He had always been thinking of so way to repay him.
...
When he returned to the Leiden estate, he had not even stepped through the door before—
"Young Master Noah, welco back."
It was not just a greeting from the maids.
There was a bow as well!
It was almost as if they were treating him like a real noble.
Noah felt a little helpless, but he had no easy way to change ideas that had already taken root so deeply in other people's minds.
If one had to say what was strange here, it was not them.
It was him.
"Thank you for your hard work."
That was all Noah could say in return.
After returning to House Leiden, he realized that after staying in the forest for so long, even though he could use Weaver to keep himself clean, he still wanted to soak in a bath and properly relax.
As he headed in the direction of the bath, he heard the soft sound of girls chatting and laughing from inside before he even got close enough.
The maids were bathing.
His steps halted, and he prepared to turn away.
But just as he turned around to leave, footsteps suddenly sounded from above, on the rooftop.
The sound was faint, but the presence did not escape him.
'Moving across the roof?'
'A thief?'
'An assassin?'
'Who could it be?'
'And that direction is...'
'...the bathhouse.'
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