System vs Rebirth

Bang!

Anna slammed the door closed while rushing to the windows. She didn't realize that she had crushed the paper in her hand.

As soon as she reached the edge of the window, she felt a bit more relaxed, finally grasping the whole situation.

"Wait… Did I just crush it?" Anna looked at the paper while rubbing her cheek. "Why was I that annoyed?"

Anna felt silent. On the one hand, it felt nauseating. On the other hand, she didn't understand the exact reason why she felt that way.

"Why did…" Anna paused, recounting everything that happened. And the reason was a simple letter. "Noel is just getting a few disciples. Is there anything wrong with it? Of course, I haven't taught anyone, and I don't think I should pass on my fighting skills just yet. However, Noel is different. He is teaching them runes. At the current stage, only Noel has a good understanding of runes, so it would be better to spread that knowledge."

Anna thought that Tristan and Livia were just something that would occur sooner or later.

She tried to recall the information about his disciples.

"Now that's weird… I don't think I have heard anything about Noel's disciples. In fact, Noel shouldn't have gotten any disciples in the previous life." Anna noticed something was wrong.

"Why does Noel want a student? That's because there will be people to help him in Rune Body. So, having a student means Noel can work on something else. It's just…"

Anna grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down a few words.

Rune Academy.

Students.

Rune Body.

Elite Soldiers.

"Noel wants to create Elite Soldiers reinforced by runes. In the past, those elite soldiers were known to be ferocious and unbeatable. A hundred of them could easily destroy an army of one thousand demons.

"After that achievement was spread, Runes became extremely popular to the point the nobles would lower their heads as long as Noel accepted them. And that was where the Rune Academy came from.

"Noel used the Rune Academy to build up his wealth and influence. If I'm not wrong, the entire northern area of the kingdom was within his control.

"However… not a single one of them mentioned anything about Noel's students. In fact, the one who taught them was Rose, who became the first director of the Rune Academy.

"In other words, where did these two people come from?"

Anna couldn't comprehend Noel's reason. On the one hand, she thought that having students would be necessary since it could take off Rose's burden. On the other hand, there seemed to be another reason.

"Tristan won't be able to do much because of his common background. But Princess Livia is different. She has the background, knowledge, and influence to do it… Does that mean Rose will be allocated to another position?

"Then again… Why would Noel…" Anna thought of something. "Don't tell me… Noel had never gone to the Greenwood Kingdom in the past. After all, his achievement was lacking compared to the current situation. So, he was stuck in the Demon Banner Army for a long time.

"But because I changed the course of history, Noel had the time to visit his grandfather… That's right. His grandfather was actually the tutor of the current king… It must be because of his influence that the Greenwood Kingdom took Noel seriously. They might have been aware of Noel's ancestry. Does that mean their Greenwood Royal Family wants Noel to return as royalty by marrying a princess?

"And it's not just a normal princess…" Anna didn't know why, but she got annoyed once it reached Livia.

She couldn't help but remember the times with Noel. At every moment, Anna could lean her back on Noel, knowing that he would protect her. She then used her strength to protect him.

That was how they had survived this whole time. And their rivalry was so strong that they pushed each other forward.

But what would happen if everything changed? She was still Noel's ally. However, what if when she needed him, the one she met was Livia? What if Livia actually stopped him from talking to Noel?

What if Noel wanted her help, but Livia didn't allow him? That was probably the intention of the Royal Family. They wanted Livia to stop their interaction.

At the same time, another question appeared in her mind. Why would she be annoyed by that? She and Noel might be an ally, a friend, or a comrade, but there was nothing really going on between them.

Even with their relationship, it didn't change the fact that she was responsible for his parents' execution, even though they were actually fake. The people also knew that she had killed him and exiled him despite everything was his plan.

She had done all that. The people only knew that Noel and Anna saw each other as enemies. It didn't bother her before, but now that Livia came into the picture, she couldn't help but think, what if all those deeds were used against her?

"Why… why would I become this uncomfortable upon knowing that I can't be by his side anymore? Isn't it just returning to what was happening in the previous life? The only difference was the fact that Noel and I know that we are not enemies."

That was right. In her previous life, Noel always frustrated her by all the 'tortures' that she had been put through. However, everything changed in this life. She knew how kind Noel was, how reliable he could become, and everything he did for her.

"At first, I was just trying to change Noel so that he wouldn't kill me anymore. I wanted to show him that I had realized the mistakes of my previous life. So… since when…" Anna's expression turned serious. "...since when did I think Noel will always be there…"

It wasn't that weird for Anna to think that way. After all, in her previous life, Noel was always there to fight her. In her current life, Noel was there to support her.

It was because Noel was always by her side that she never thought she had taken the time they were together for granted.

That was right. There wasn't a single woman in Noel's life in the previous life. But now that everything had gone better, Noel could start thinking of having someone.

The thought that someone wasn't her somehow annoyed her.

"I…" Anna clutched her head. She wanted to say, 'I don't want anyone near him,' but stopped after realizing how ridiculous it was.

Yet, she wondered why that thought would appear in her mind.

They had experienced a lot of things together. The struggles they faced together, the problems they solved, or even the bickering they always had. They somehow put a smile on her face.

"I never thought about this before…" Anna muttered. "What if we won't be together anymore? What if our situation forces us to become enemies? No, I don't want that. Don't tell me… I want Noel?"

The only image that appeared in her mind was the little kiss she planted on his cheek back then. She asked him for another bet to tell their secret. But why would she do it? She could be more sincere by lowering her head or kneeling on the ground. But why would she choose that action instead of everything else?

"I…" Anna's face reddened. She recalled all the times she got flustered from all Noel's actions. Back then, it was just Noel trying to trick her or annoy her. But if she didn't have any feelings for him, she wouldn't even react.

That was why Anna had realized something that had never appeared in her mind before. "I… like Noel."

Yes. Once she noticed that she had taken everything for granted, she could see everything more clearly. She had a feeling for Noel, but there was something else that buried that feeling.

It was guilt. She had done everything wrong in her previous life. Noel should be able to kill her in one way or another in the previous life; he just simply chose not to.

On the other hand, after gaining this rebirth, she forced Noel to change. She never tried to talk it out and just stopped Noel's every attempt until he changed. Even then, the one thing that changed him the most was the letter left behind by his father.

If he didn't know that everything was a lie, Noel might still try to kill her.

That was why an overwhelming guilt had buried her feelings this whole time with a thought, 'Do I really deserve him?'

"I am…" Anna hung her head low while uttering, "…so stupid. Why can't I realize this soon? I should have talked to him a lot. I…"

Anna gritted her teeth. She wanted to scold herself, but that would change nothing.

"Do I still have time to change it? Do I still have the opportunity to change it? Please… someone answer me…" Anna bit her lips. "I want to apologize to him. I want to talk to him about everything. I want to let him know that I like him. But is it too late?"