[Silver Ash] - Become The Strongest In Another World
CHAPTER 242: Finding the Trace

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Noelle absentmindedly looked around her, but everything looked as normal as her true state.

His mind was still unable to comprehend this, but somehow he could understand that something shocking had happened.

While Noelle was still confused, Felice who had been sitting and waiting for Noelle from the side then greeted her.

"Are you conscious? "

Noelle sat down and an overwhelming pain instantly struck her head. It made him reflexively hold his head and gnash his teeth in an attempt to hold it in.

"Don't worry. The effect will not be too long. You'll be fine after resting for a while" Felice said with a faint smile.

Noelle was already able to hear and understand the situation, but she still did not speak. According to Felice's explanation, this was a symptom of normal side effects after one made a contract with a god.

This effect could occur because the constitution of the human body and soul was not suitable enough to hold the power of a god. In Noelle's case, the effect wasn't too severe as she was already quite used to something like that.

Most importantly, Noelle was still able to maintain her consciousness, and the slump that Noir had once given along with that little bit of authority was not revived. Noelle didn't want to hear all of her personality put up a rebellion.

Felice carefully helped Noelle walk out of the altar room, and sat down on one of the chairs in the clerk's room.

"Normally someone will take up to half an hour, but you even complete the contract in less than twenty minutes. That's amazing."

That compliment Felice let out without the slightest objection. He really admired how Noelle could quickly make a contract without any problems.

(That's because certain bastards forced me to do it .. )

After all, as someone who understood the situation the most, Noelle was simply unable to smile like Felice did.

What had just happened felt like a dream to him.

"By the way, Noah .. With whom did you make a contract? "

" ……… "

This was a question that really confused Noelle. He doesn't know what to answer.

Noelle had a premonition, if she mentioned the name Noir here, then there would only be bad things happening.

Well, then, what can I do. He could only disguise it with other gods.

" … I—"

However, just as he was about to do that, the words he wanted to say were suddenly stuck in his throat. He could not name any other name at all. Until as—

『Free. One thing you can't fake is the name of a god.』

—Noir voice suddenly appeared.

Noelle anticipated this. In any case, he made a contract with the guarantee of releasing Noir from his seal. It was no wonder Noir's voice could suddenly appear in his head.

(Then what should I do? )

If the god's name couldn't possibly be faked, then how would he have to answer Felice? Lightly admitting that he made a contract with the 'God of Cunning and Domination'? It was the dumbest thing Noelle ever heard.

While she was confused, Noir's calm voice came back, and gave her an answer.

『Tell him that you made a contract with King Siasat Minerva.』

" …?! "

A familiar name in his ears.

The name of the god cannot be faked. What does that mean, the name that Noir just mentioned is his own name? Likely so. However, there was another conclusion that Noelle made quickly.

Noir is the entity that controls the authority of 'Domination'. So, 'He' could have 'dominated' the rule itself to forge the name of a god.

After all, Noelle didn't ask much for now.

It was because he knew that the situation had not improved. He had just made a contract with Noir, but that could not be seen as a good thing.

"I made a contract with King Siasat Minerva. Do you know anything about 'Him'? "

Felice thought for a moment, but she then shook her head. "That's .. I may have heard it somewhere, but I don't remember. You can check it out yourself in the archive book later."

"So, yes .." Noelle seriously muttered while nodding her head. Slowly the pain in his head began to disappear.

"Rather than that .. I guess you made a contract with the right god! Her honorary name is perfect for you, Noah."

After Felice said that, she smiled at Noelle and walked towards the locker where she kept her clothes instead.

"Do you want to rest first? Or go straight home? Tian had already allowed me to stay in another apartment room because my room would be the location of the investigation, but I still had to clean up the new room a bit."

Felice without changing her clothes first immediately put the thick coat on her body, and turned to look at Noelle.

"Then, can I help you? "

"It's my pleasure to accept your offer." Felice replied with a bright smile on her face.

At least he looks better than he did this morning. It seemed that all the anxiety that was bothering him had disappeared somewhere.

Noelle smiled faintly, then took her coat.

"I'll help you, but there's still something I have to do elsewhere. Do you want to wait? "

"What do you want to do? " ask Felice.

Noelle stopped moving for a moment, but immediately replied shortly after. "I want to check the information that the Bounty Hunters have gathered. I hired them, remember? "

"Ahh .. So you're going there? I want to come along, but .. I have to prepare a few things before we start the cleanup. Sorry for not helping."

Felice lowered her head in regret. However, Noelle only responded with a brief skirt.

"Don't worry about that. Precisely .. I feel bad about having to make you wait. In any case, I still have to give the Captain and Tian a routine report."

Noelle wasn't planning on telling Tian or Dolf for now. He was just about to tell the two of them after he got the information from the Bounty Hunters he hired.

"Do you want me to help you with the report? "

"No, there's no need. I can do it myself."

As much as possible, Noelle did not want Felice involved in this. The problem looks simple on the outside, but it's actually very complicated because he doesn't have the right way to explain it.

During this time, Noir just kept quiet, as if he was watching a movie and observing every character playing.

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On her way to the house she had rented to be the report's delivery address, Noelle instantly changed her appearance to that of Grei Noctis who had once appeared in a bar.

He couldn't just walk away with his performance as Noah Ashrain, because he knew there would be some observers there. They quietly watched to see the true figure of Grei Noctis who was considered mysterious.

Getting those Bounty Hunters to know his identity as Noah Ashrain is a bad thing. One small problem will experience the butterfly effect and produce a larger effect than before.

After turning into the flax-haired Grei Noctis figure, Noelle immediately stopped right in front of a building, and her hands quickly searched through the mailbox, then took everything inside.

Noelle wasn't very hopeful with the contents, but she still wanted to get something valuable out of this.

Starting to check each letter one by one, Noelle finally finished selecting, and got some letters that were likely useful.

Another letter that he thought was useless quickly burned in his hand and turned into ashes.

"There are only four letters left. I just gave you the mission yesterday."

Instead, Noelle was amazed by those who managed to find a lot of information in just a short time like this.

Noelle walked into the house, and sat on the sofa preparing to read all the letters.

He lit a candle nearby, and opened one of the letters.

The content of the letter was not very long, but it included some important details that Noelle was looking for.

The information that Bounty Hunter managed to get was a history of the activities Feran Cerces did in the 24 hours before he stumbled on the embezzlement case.

Noelle noticed every name on the list, and started memorizing it. Then, he opened another letter and checked the contents like just now.

The information deposited to him this time contained a list of acquaintances Feran Cerces in the last 2 years. There were not many name changes from the list that Noelle had read before, but there were a few additional names that were actually officials of government agencies.

In addition, his message also lists a list of routine activities that Feran Cerces has had over the past six months.

In the list of activities, there are some things that are suspicious. One of them, is a routine activity that he carries out every certain time.

"He will visit this park every two weeks, namely the first Friday at the beginning of the month, and the third Friday of the same month. Two meetings each month … "

"Who she met is still unknown, but there are indications that she has only ever met three different people. Each of them appeared at different times, as if it had been agreed upon with each other before."

Noelle crossed her legs and placed her left hand on the back of the sofa head, then focused on looking at the letter with a smile.

Then, his gaze was fixed on the last two paragraphs.

"The "secret meeting lasted only four months, after which no meetings were held. At least, that's what the guards said."

"Two months after the last meeting, Feran Cerces was found leaving with his suitcase. He was accompanied by two men, who were said to be male, and went to a nearby train station. That was his last appearance. After that, he was never seen again … "

Noelle seriously started thinking about everything.

When compared to all the previous paragraphs, the last two paragraphs clearly have very different meanings.

Feran Cerces only held secret meetings for four months, or exactly eight meetings in total. After that, there was no indication that he had ever had another secret meeting.

The person who came to him at each meeting was also a different person. Just by looking at this, Noelle could already see the pattern very clearly.

Feran Cerces allegedly had secret meetings eight times, and with three different men. They appeared in an erratic order, and there were even times where the two men met him at one time simultaneously.

Most likely, the three men were not the 'dark couple' of Feran Cerces. Noelle suspects that the three have a deep involvement with the Swallow Life Order.

In this case, it was clear why they had never met again after eight meetings; they were aware that they had already been observed.

The problem is, who is watching them? It was not wrong if they felt wary of the guards and the surrounding population, but the gestures actually made them look more suspicious.

There was another conclusion Noelle made. Noelle had thought that the guard who was the source of this information gave false testimony, but.

Before her case was revealed, Feran was a socialite woman with a good reputation in all circles.

He was favored by the officials, and even the guards on duty.

In short, there was no reason to suspect him at that moment.

Indeed, a socialite woman who is too liked is also a source of anxiety by many parties. They consider Feran to be suspicious and have hidden intentions. But that's the only reason they have.

If that is the case, then there are already countless socialite women in the country reported on a wide variety of charges.

Obviously, it wasn't the officials who did it, and the guards didn't seem to give false testimony either.

That is, Feran, and his three colleagues stopped their secret meeting, because they had felt supervised by a foreign party that Noelle did not know. After disconnecting such a connection, they switched to using hidden mail-sent communications.

That's how they've been in touch with each other for two months.

Later, at the last point it is stated that Feran went to a certain train station accompanied by two men. Most likely, the two of them were comrades that Feran had been in contact with all along.

Unfortunately there is no date stating when Feran Cerces went on the train. If anything, then it would be easier for Noelle to make a conclusion.

For now, Noelle will make the final event the final point for Feran, before his existence is discovered by Noelle herself.

"I don't care how these Bounty Hunters find the information I'm looking for, but. For now, let's focus on the problem at hand."

Noelle sighed and opened the last letter she put on the table.

Three letters had been opened, and it was fortunate that all the information in them was interconnected, and gave him many advantages.

Noelle removed the wax seal on the last letter, and began to read the contents. After she reached a certain point, Noelle immediately lowered her position and bowed while staring intently at the letter.

"According to the testimony of a witness who followed one of the men in the time after a secret meeting, he realized that the man had suddenly disappeared after turning a corner at a crossroads."

"There were also witnesses who claimed that they saw hordes of humans in strange black robes covering their entire bodies. The witness had heard what one man he followed, 'Donek'."

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"I think .. I'm getting closer … "

Noelle frowned as she tried to manage all the information she had just received.

At its core, all this information he got could help investigate Feran Cerces and everyone he worked with.

"Feran Cerces boarded the train with two men who had met him in secret .. This fits with my conjecture that the killings on the train were carried out by more than one or two people … Which is the problem, I still do not know the appropriate time background … "

There is no clear time statement that makes Noelle unable to arbitrarily conclude. If the time when Feran was found it was the time adjacent to Noelle who found him, then that would be a good thing. But, what if it actually happened at another time?

"There's no clue, yes .. Then, I guess the only thing I can do for now is to do my own investigation."

Noelle put the letter back on the table, pulled out an emergency communication device, and began to connect it to Dolf.

Instantly, a telepathic bond is formed.

(Captain, I've found some information that matches Feran Cerces. I did make my own conclusions, but I think I found the right information. It also fits with what I've been through.)

For a moment, there was no response from the other side, but then Dolf's heavy voice appeared on Noelle's head.

{Good work. Send me the written report later. For now, you call Tian and tell him everything you find. This will help everyone's investigation process.}

(Understood.)

The emergency communication device is still in the development stage, so the telepathic duration is still very limited. That was why, Noelle had to explain everything in short order.

After the telepathic bond was severed, Noelle took out two sheets of paper and began to write down all the information she had just found. He also included additional information regarding him successfully making a contract with 'King Siasat Minerva'.

The first sheet will be a written report to be sent to Dolf, while the other sheet is a report that he will send to Tian.

It didn't take long for Noelle to copy the important points she found. After that, he turned on his communication device again, and connected it to Tian's device.

Other telepathic bonds are formed.

(I want to report something. How can I send it to you? )

Tian was currently in the western area of the city. He is also busy investigating with Louen and Rita. There was no way Noelle would come to him alone just to send him a letter.

{I gave you a paper a while ago. Pour a drop of your blood there, and burn the paper using your own magic. My familiar will get out of there.}

Without questioning anything, Noelle directly did so according to Tian's instructions.

Tian had given him some papers when he had just joined here. Fortunately Noelle had not thrown it away because she was told it was important.

After the paper was burnt to ashes, dozens of magic threads intertwined with each other appeared, and the figure of a black cat suddenly formed between the threads.

That black cat was a familiar belonging to Tian. And he had a piece of faded paper wrapped around his leg.

Noelle took the scroll, and instead gave the paper to the black cat.

The black cat bit into Noelle's paper, before disappearing into the air.

Noelle was not too surprised by that, and instead looked at the paper scroll she had just received.

That is additional information regarding the case investigated by the Lunatic Order 26 years ago.

Not much is attached, maybe because there is not much information that can be obtained. However, this one piece of information seemed to be more than enough.

The report stated the involvement of a civilian with the case at hand. Not much information can be obtained from it. The only thing that is known of that person is his name.

His name is Gild. His life history says that he once lived in one of the countries in the Neutral Region of Elfrieden. He is still alive today, and was last seen in the Republic's capital, Alten.

Noelle smiled coldly as she narrowed her eyes as she looked at the information. At the same time, the faint sound of laughter he could hear echoed from the depths of his mind.

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