[Silver Ash] - Become The Strongest In Another World
CHAPTER 221: The Confusion

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After a long journey, Noelle finally only needs one more station to reach her destination.

The train he was riding was now stopping at a local station in the city of Nif, one of the major cities close to the Republic's capital.

The town of Fencen to Norlle itself is not too far from the capital, but trains have to go through a detour to avoid dangerous areas.

Travel safety was taken into account long before the rails were installed. The route that the railway would go through had been researched and would not have any dangerous monsters. Therefore, the journey Noelle has experienced so far is relatively safe.

The train will stop at this station for several hours to fill up the fuel supply. During that time, passengers are free to do anything.

Noelle took into account the time she had, and was confident that she would not be late even if she relaxed more.

With her hands tucked into each pocket, Noelle walked out of the carriage, and into the waiting room at the station.

Noelle intended to drive around, but Noelle had flagged several locations that were most likely dangerous.

According to what Noelle heard, the city of Nif is currently in a food crisis that makes the people of the lower class can run amok at any time. Therefore, his healthy and rich appearance will not fit in that place.

Noelle will just go to an area she thinks is safe, and make sure her feet don't move on their own toward a foreign place like they once did.

It would have been better to stay quiet in her room, but it made Noelle feel tired in another sense, so she decided to look for other activities outside.

Downtown wasn't very safe, so Noelle definitely avoided that. As for the suburban section, Noelle only had a few options.

The choice he likes the most, is to go around the forest on the outskirts of the city, then visit the lake there.

Noelle sat on the bench she found by the side of the road, and immediately spread out the map in her hand.

This was the complete map he had bought while still at the station. There was a great river separating the city into two great landmasses, and the only link for the two lands was a huge bridge whose own length Noelle could not have foreseen.

The bridge is definitely the biggest architecture in the city. That's why people often make the city of Nif as a tourist destination.

Noelle's destination forest is not far from the station, so it won't take long to get there.

"I think it's good to relax a little … "

Noelle glanced at the corner of her gaze, and found a few people who were chatting with each other. However, they would occasionally glance at Noelle, making Noelle the subject of their observations.

Their distance was a bit far, but it was clear that it was not a problem for Noelle who was sensitive to people's observations. Moreover, his ears could hear almost everything that those people were talking about.

"I didn't think they would really follow me here … "

Noelle sighed then folded her map, then stood up and walked in the opposite direction from the location of those people.

They were all people sent by Monica on the orders of the inspector, and they were here trying to figure out a way to pull Noelle into the case they were investigating.

Noelle knew that from all their conversations since then. As agents sent by the police, they clearly do not understand the so-called guarding mouth around the target.

"Now what should I do … "

Avoiding them is easy, but Noelle's destination is revealed when Noelle is raided by questions in the interrogation room. Which means, they can find it whenever they want.

His current goal is to send Erwin a letter, and join the group. That way, he could form his own reputation and make many connections that would benefit him in the future.

If she really wanted to avoid these stalkers, then Noelle really had to change her goal. He had to spend more time, which was not worth the risk.

Changing goals is foolish, given that he is racing against the current time.

Noir was still in a sealed state, but no one knew when he would be free. Noelle also could not loosen her vigilance towards the so-called creature. Noir can appear at any time regardless of Noelle's situation and condition.

When compared to letting them follow and watch him, it was clear that the choice of changing goals would be much more detrimental.

There was also the option of eliminating them all .. Noelle unhesitatingly rejected that choice. He wanted Noah Ashrain's name to be as clean as possible. Noelle does not want her new identity to have a criminal track record, moreover it will be related to agents from the police.

(At least they won't jeopardize my goals, so I guess the best option for now is to let them follow me. But ... I have to get rid of them immediately if I start feeling something is wrong.)

Although annoying, Noelle did not mind the two or three stalkers. He can accept them to some extent, but as much as possible Noelle wants to avoid getting involved with a murder case on the train.

(Yahh, then it's decided.)

Noelle raised one corner of her lips, then put both of her hands into the pocket of her coat, and continued walking towards her destination.

The number of people sent to follow him were three people, it was not too many, but Noelle could still utilize them in certain situations.

If Noelle was involved in some danger, then she could use all three to become 'supporters'.

It's a simple plan, but it should go well. However, lately Noelle has become increasingly pessimistic about the success rate of her plans. It was all due to his meeting with Noir.

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Now, Noelle thought about it. The distance between the lake he went to, with the train station actually very close. He reached the lake just by thinking of a 15-minute walk.

What's more, the road is also good, not too crowded, but also not short of visitors.

It was autumn at the moment, so the scenery around the lake could be considered beautiful. The fallen leaves are reddish orange, accompanied by a walkway from the ground that is not too wet, and not too dry.

Noelle deliberately sat leaning against a tree on the edge of the lake. Around him, there were many old men who were spending time fishing.

Although the food crisis has made them suffer, natural produce such as self-fished fish is free here. They can make the fish as a food supply.

The reason Noelle took this place rather than the place used by the family, was because here it was quieter.

Locations commonly used by families for vacation are clearly more crowded. There were many merchants and children there, and it was no match for Noelle who came with the aim of calming her mind.

The place that these uncles used for fishing was the perfect place. They were all silent without saying anything, waiting for the bait in their hook to be eaten.

Noelle straightened her legs, then closed her eyes while letting the wind blow her face.

Then, he felt a movement beside him. It came from an old man who looked like he was 70 years old.

He is very old, but he is still healthy. His movements were not awkward, and he prepared his fishing hook calmly.

Noelle opened her eyes and saw this all from the side. He would not be amazed at her.

So far, Noelle had only known one elderly person with a healthy physique like this person, and that was her great-grandfather when she was still Izaya.

Even though he was a century old, he was still able to move smoothly, doing activities like a normal pensioner.

"Autumn is always a good time to relax. Do you agree with me, young man? "

The man smiled at Noelle who had been watching him since.

"I think so .. Although I actually prefer spring."

The old man's eyes widened. From the beginning, he had not expected that Noelle would answer him. He smiled warmly, then threw the fishing line that had been fitted with bait into the water.

"You know what, son? Fishing is an activity that requires a lot of patience and calmness. But, in times like these, I always wanted to tell someone about my experience. Do you want to hear this old man's story? "

" … I may not be able to hear everything. I still have to continue on the journey later."

"really? Then it doesn't matter."

The old man closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them and stared at the calm surface of the lake.

"You know, I've always wanted to tell you about how lucky I am."

"I have always had great fortune, and I have not counted how many times I have been saved by it."

"But, do you know? Every time I have a stroke of luck, there will be someone else whose life suffers. It's like I'm swapping my misfortune for someone else's luck."

"Which surprised me even more, I only realized this after it happened."

Noelle initially said nothing. He only listened to this man's story without interrupting. However, his last words attracted Noelle.

"What events? "

"Do you know about the Crystal Plague? "

No way Noelle didn't know. It was a name he had heard recently.

Noelle nodded. "I know very little. It was an old occurrence, a disease that made the sufferer turn into a crystal, right? "

"Yes." Yeah." The man nodded his head once, then continued, "At that time, I was really just an ordinary person who knew nothing, caught in the panic of thousands of people."

"When the extermination was being carried out, I fell into a river with a swift current. It dragged me all the way to one of the cities in the Elfrieden Neutral Region."

"I didn't really realize it at the time. But, the longer I stayed there, the more I became convinced; my luck needed a crash to replace my misfortune."

Noelle was silent for a moment, but then she interjected, "Are you considered the unlucky bearer there? "

The man smiled wryly. "so. Everyone always has bad luck when I'm with them, but I'm the only one who's always lucky there. Ohh, I got one."

The man immediately stood up and pulled his fishing rod, and before long, a medium-sized fish appeared snagged in his fishing hook.

He sat down again, then put the fish he had just caught in the bucket, before finally telling the story.

"In the end, everyone hates me. I decided to go alone before they all kicked me out. Since then, I have always kept my distance from others, deciding to live in a place where no one knows me."

"And here you are now, yes .." Noelle muttered, and then replied with a brief nod from the man.

"But .. Isn't that sad? " noelle asked as she hugged her own leg and turned to the man.

"Whatchu mean? "

Norlle knew exactly what he wanted to say. This old man, he felt a resemblance to her.

"I don't really understand it, but .. From the way you said it, I'm sure you're close enough to all of them saving you."

Noelle did not have many people she could consider close, but she had experienced it not long ago.

Leaving the people he considered to be family, wasn't it a very hard decision? Even now Noelle still feels that she really wants to return to Olivia's side.

It might not have been a problem if from the beginning this old man was a person who did not care about his feelings or those of others, either, but Noelle was convinced that this old man had great concern for those close to him.

The man continued to smile, then closed his eyes. He then lowered his head and looked at the calm surface of the lake water. There, his face was perfectly reflected, showing the face of an old man who had already passed the peak of his glory.

"Of course it's heavy for me. But ... With this curse of luck and misfortune .. I won't be able to be with them. That's why, I left them so they wouldn't have any more bad luck. Rather than having to see them all suffer because of the curse I have, wouldn't it be better if I were the one to leave? That's how I thought when I left them."

" ……… "

Noelle did not reply, and instead fell silent while also staring at the calm surface of the lake.

"Humans can change. That's what one of the people who saved you said first."

"I didn't really understand it at first, but now I know what it means. Everyone can change, if they dare to do so. I dared myself to separate from them, even though I didn't want to. Even though the act sounded simple, it had brought a huge change to my life. That's what the change I found."

"What about you, son? Have you ever experienced the same thing? "

The old man turned his head and showed his friendly smile to Noelle. Despite that, Noelle simply continued to stare at the surface of the water as if she was thinking of something.

Shortly after, Noelle finally made her move. His head was raised, and now he stared at the branches and leaves of the hanging trees.

"I guess so. Recently ... I left the person I care about. My family ... I had to leave it because of some things even though I didn't want to do it."

"I really don't want to part with him, but circumstances force me to do that act. I had to leave him, that's my mind. If I continue to be with him, then great danger will only befall him. I don't want that, which is why I left him alone."

"And? Are you sorry? "

This question left Noelle speechless without being able to answer. Even though the answer had only one word, it felt heavy to say.

A long silence overwhelmed him, but soon he replied, "No."

"I have no regrets. Because in reality, I left so he wouldn't get involved in danger. This is a necessary sacrifice. If I regret it now, then everything will be a mess."

The old man chuckled lightly for a moment, then opened his eyes and stared at the tip of the fishing rod that was still silent with no response.

"That's great. But can I correct it a little? "

"? was?Please."

Noelle turned her head slightly and was ready to listen to the correction from the man, but the words she was about to say were something Noelle never expected.

"You should not use yourself as a negative subject in your reasoning. You said that if you were, then he or everyone close to you would be in danger. But, do you think he can accept that? "

"I don't know about her nature, but I'm sure that she's not the one who would let the person she cares about walk away from her for such ridiculous reasons. He'll be in danger just because of you? To someone who hung his life on you, those were very cruel words."

"Don't tell me you're the reason why he's gonna be in danger. Because if you see her again someday, then you'll be sorry."

"Am I .. Will I really see her again? "

Noelle had never thought of this possibility before. She has an eternity that leaves her unable to die of age or accident, and the same goes for Olivia.

In that case, after all the problems were resolved .. Would she be able to meet with Olivia again?

Noelle started to think about it seriously.

"Of course you can see him again. You still have a chance, and you can't waste that chance."

"Then ... What reason ... Should I use? "

The old man smiled wryly and refocused on his lure. In between her focus, she still had time to answer Noelle.

"About that, you have to think about it yourself. Everyone will have different reasons, but my advice is not to make yourself a negative subject in your own reasons, because it will make the people who care about you sad."

" ……… "

What was the reason for leaving Olivia? The question started to spin in Noelle's head. He was really confused thinking about the answer.

From the beginning, the reason she left Olivia was because her existence could bring danger to the girl. However, the words from the old man made him rethink his reason.

If what this old man said was true, then Noelle really had to change her way of thinking.

Olivia certainly did not want to see Noelle demeaning herself by being a negative subject in her reasoning. However, if not so, what reason could Noelle use?

Noelle thought about it for a moment, but did not manage to find any answer. The old man beside her smiled at her.

"No need to rush. You can find your own reasons as time goes on. Like I said, everyone can change, and that includes you. You can change, and your way of thinking will also change as your experience grows."

"You still have plenty of time to live, unlike this old man. Therefore, take your time to do what you want. That way, you'll discover what it means to be yourself."

" ……… "

Changes in a person are sometimes difficult to notice. In fact, sometimes there will be people who do not realize that they have changed.

Noelle felt herself to be smart, but she did not even understand the meaning of the old man's words, which proved that she was still very lacking in experience.

How else, despite being psychologically 30 years old, in fact he only ever lived for about 15 years in each life. This made him unable to gather any real experience as an adult.

(Maybe not now, but someday .. )

Noelle finally sighed and closed her eyes while enjoying the gentle gusts of wind that were hitting her body.

On the side, the old man had stood up and pulled his fishing rod, successfully catching one more fish.

At that moment, Noelle finally opened her eyes, and glanced to the side. What he saw made him instantly widen his eyes.

Around the old man's neck, precisely at the bottom of his nape that was covered in a shabby shirt collar, there was a blackish-purple crystal lining his skin.

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