[Silver Ash] - Become The Strongest In Another World
CHAPTER 268: Lecca's Problem

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A lot of things happened last night, but it didn't bother Noelle in the least.

After sleeping all night, his mind became clearer, and the horrible feeling of being stared at by the unknown entity had disappeared.

In her room that had been cleaned, Noelle was busy stretching her body, and after finishing, she went straight out of the room, towards the church that was not far from there.

His body was followed by a black mist, and his clothes instantly changed into church robes.

Today, Noelle gets a weekly assignment to serve the church. He had to help with morning mass, regular cleaning, and charitable giving for homeless people.

(I never thought there would be a day when I would serve the church.)

Noelle let out a light sigh, as light as the steps she took. This work he did not do because of the difficulty, but because of the commands that must be obeyed.

There is a stark difference between a native worker and a volunteer worker. The striking difference was that the volunteers had no emblems worn on their robes. For Noelle herself, she had a church emblem, so one couldn't possibly mistake her for volunteering.

The church itself was quite large in size, and when it got there, Noelle immediately took a path that only members could walk.

There were many rooms in this secret passageway, and he went straight into one of them. There, several others were waiting. Just like Noelle, they were also members of the Lunatic Order who were sent to serve weekly duties in the church.

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"

"No, we're also new" said a woman who may be the same age as Noah.

Noelle smiled at all of them, and sat down on one of the chairs after putting her things on the table.

Shortly after, an old man dressed as a priest appeared.

One by one the members, including Noelle, stood up as the priest walked into the room.

"Sit down" said the old priest with a faint smile.

The door of the room instantly closed, and not a single conversation would leak out. After confirming all the security, the old priest looked around, and nodded.

"As usual, your task has been determined. You can see the schedule for yourself later. But, remember not to be too noisy, because we're having guests from the center today."

(Guests from the central church? )

He must be an important man. Not only Noelle, but everyone thinks so.

One of them raised his hand and asked, "Excuse me, sir. Who's guest? I'm afraid we won't be able to recognize him later."

That's obviously a problem. However, the priest just smiled.

"You remember the case of the Swallow Life Order chase that was done a few days ago? We managed to secure the bodies of someone named Moldy and Silis. Allegedly a member of the Swallow Life Order and the Hermit Cult."

"Yes, then? "

Does that have anything to do with it? Thought the person while tilting his head slightly.

"The guest who came today was the one who would 'interrogate' them. I'm sure you've heard his name. He is [Lion of God], Lady Ilya."

It was a name Noelle had never heard of. However, seeing the shocked reactions of the people around her, it was clear that this woman called Madam Ilya was an important person.

The applause from the priest broke up the commotion, and everyone finally calmed back down. The priest then looked around once more, and smiled gently.

"All right, that's all. You can start working on your assignments now, and remember to work with the volunteers."

"Good! "

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The first task Noelle gets is to help clear the prayer room after morning mass.

There's not much to clean, so the task is relatively easy. After Noelle finished everything, she chose to sit down and rest for a while.

The atmosphere in the prayer room really made it comfortable. It was calm and quiet, but it did not give a goosebump. Noelle momentarily closed her eyes as a gentle gust of wind swept across her face.

He opened his eyes, trying to see where the wind was coming from, but there was no one.

Before him, the beautifully sculpted statue of Goddess Zelica was still silent, without any movement, like a stone statue. However, the sound of knocking appeared suddenly from the side, and Noelle inevitably turned her head there.

In a chair not far from her, there was a woman dressed as a priest who had been modified slightly into the shape of a nun's dress. The woman fused her palms together, looking very serious as she prayed.

A piece of black cloth closed her eyes, making Noelle instantly think of Lucia. For a moment, she thought it was Lucia, but then she realized that her hair and body proportions were different.

The woman then took off her hand, and turned her head towards Noelle. Although she might not be able to see through the cloth, she could still clearly sense Noelle's whereabouts.

Smiling softly for a moment, the woman then got up and walked silently towards him, making Noelle raise her vigilance.

"Noelle Lynneheim" said the woman suddenly.

Noelle did not move, and calmly replied to the woman's 'gaze. Of course, he remained vigilant. His hands were ready to take weapons at any time to attack.

"Your Majesty would like to speak with 'His'," the woman continued.

Needless to say, Noelle already knew what she meant.

Frowning slightly, Noelle let Noir share body control with her. Instantly, a black crown appeared above his head, and the rest of his body changed following Noir's characteristics.

At that very instant, Noelle could feel the figure of the woman in front of her shrouded in a strange aura. It feels calming, but also scary. The feeling was so contrasting that the already alert Noelle could only frown while feeling the trembling all over the body.

However, his mouth moved on its own without him noticing.

"Keh-hehe, haven't spoken to you in a long time, Wolf. Should we celebrate this reunion? "

That sentence alone was enough to make Noelle understand him.

There was only one existence he thought of when he heard the word wolf. Especially, it must be an existence equivalent to Noir so Noir said so.

The Vesperi Goddess Zelica. His existence was equivalent, or even higher than Noir. She also remembers Olivia's description of an eight-legged wolf with two twins.

Noelle subconsciously moved her eyes and looked at the figure of the woman, whom she had assumed was [Lion of God] Ilya.

There was no change to her appearance, but it was clear that the one who spoke now was not Ilya, but Goddess Zelica herself.

"Yes, it's actually quite surprising to see you roaming around freely here."

'He' smiled, but Noelle clearly felt another meaning behind his smile.

Noir must have also realized that, as he just laughed and narrowed his eyes while looking at Ilya who was possessed by Goddess Zelica.

"I'm not free yet. The seal you all gave me was too powerful, so I relied on this brat so I could feel a little freedom."

During that conversation, Noelle did not say anything. He just kept quiet, listening to all their conversations while trying to understand every single intent behind it.

This was a conversation between two gods, there was no way it would be a simple conversation.

"Well, tell me what you want. I bet you didn't come down here just to greet me, did you? "

Noelle's body moved on its own, and this time she crossed her legs, while putting her right arm to the top of the seat's disguise.

Seeing that, the reaction from Goddess Zelica was just a faint smile. The pale white skin, and the lustrous black hair of Ilya perfectly matched the image of Goddess Zelica he had seen.

"With your theft authority, I want you to help me."

"And? Whatisit? "

"I'm sure you already know. Lecca's been stolen."

Noelle doubted her ears.

Lecca is the name of one of the natural satellites orbiting the planet. There might be something else called Lecca, but when Noelle heard that name, the moon in the sky was the only thing she thought of.

What the hell is going on? Before Noelle wanted to ask that, she could feel her vocal cords trembling loudly.

"Hehe .. hehe …. Lost Traveler, huh? "

(Lost Traveller? What the fuck is that name? )

It was a strange name, but from the way Noir said it, Noelle was convinced that it was no ordinary name.

Ilya who was being possessed by Goddess Zelica then nodded. The smile was still on display, but it had become colder than before.

Before he could think of the reason, Noir spoke again.

"It's a pity, but I can't help you. Like I said, I'm still not free from the seal you've made."

Noir did not at all offend what advantage he got from this. Instead, she complained about her being still sealed.

"That's it, huh? Unfortunately I will not be able to free you. After all, you've taken over my authority there."

Noelle remembered. Noir once controlled the dream-bearer fog in the Mist Garden, and got everyone into the collective dreamland. The answer seemed to fit with what he had thought.

Noir really has taken over the power of Goddess Zelica there. In that case, it was already impossible for Goddess Zelica to interfere, since her strength did not even include the elements that formed the seal.

"Hehe, then there's nothing I can do for now."

"You're right. Then, excuse me."

The aura shrouding Ilya suddenly disappeared, and the real Ilya was now standing before Noelle. He smiled and bowed slightly, then walked away.

The prayer hall returned to its soothing silence, and Noir instantly restored body control to Noelle.

This is a good time to ask.

"Hey, what's really going on? "

The voice that reverberated in his mind answered with a laugh.

『You remember my lesson last night? Lecca is the wolf woman's Noble Armament, which you know by the name of Zelica. Its form is a large castle in the second month.』

(So Noble Armament really has a diverse shape, yes .. )

Noelle was already not too surprised by the shape like a crown, but she did not expect that there was an existence that Noble Armament belonged to her took the form of a castle.

『Hehe, since Noble Armament is basically an embodiment of one's heart and soul, it has no definite form. Lecca Castle is one of them, but you will be surprised to see Noble Armament take on the form of a world itself.』

(. .. That would be a terrible thing.)

"Yes …. Why is yours a crown? And what's his name? "

『My name is Cinder Crown. Why is it a crown? I don't know, I myself was curious about that.』

Noir knew the answer, but he had no intention of telling Noelle that. That thought was the result Noelle got after analyzing Noir a little.

Compared to that, figuring it out for yourself seemed much younger.

Cinder Crown, if interpreted to the local language would be 'Crown of Abu'. It had a meaning that Noelle did not understand.

『Keh-hehe, no need to bother thinking about it. The meaning of Noble Armament is not something so important.』

That's not true. Noelle wanted to argue, but she couldn't.

The embodiment of one's heart and soul, it was impossible for something like that to have no meaning.

There must be something hidden behind it.

(Yahh, I don't think that's my business right now.)

Noelle is interested in finding answers to that question, but she has other priorities now.

"Hey, who's the Lost Traveler? "

Based on what Noelle had heard, Lost Traveler was the existence that managed to steal Lecca, the Noble Armament belonging to Goddess Zelica. That should have been enough for information, but he was interested in the situation.

Moreover, this was a situation where Goddess Zelica had to ask for help from a figure who had her and the other gods seal.

『She looks like a little one who often talks to you through that rat.』

An existence similar to 'He Who Loves Fairy Tales and the Past'. Then surely the answer would be the Outer Gods.

" … What was the purpose of stealing Lecca?

『The answer is very simple. All the outer gods who came from the cosmos wanted to descend to this planet, but they could not because there was a thick layer of barrier that Chronoa created and defended by the gods.』

『Unlike the little rat and the old man who could outsmart the way down here, they simply could not think, and their authority also did not allow them to force their way in. But in contrast to Lost Traveler, he can force entry by sneaking.』

"Sneaking around? "

The wrinkle on Noelle's forehead became deeper and deeper. This conversation became more complicated than he thought.

『That's what's going on. Lecca is off the planet, so Chronoa's barrier doesn't cover her. Therefore he could take possession of her from the werewolf. And by doing that, he can get down to the planet little by little.』

" … Isn't that bad? "

A situation where one of the outer gods tried to force his way down to earth, it was a difficult thing to accept. It was too horrible that Noelle did not want to imagine what the impact would be like.

Even though gods could not exert any direct influence in this physical world, they could still exert influence by way of making one's listening contract.

Surely, there must be one or two people who were crazy enough to make a contract with an outer god.

"Then, what are you gonna do? "

Noelle already knew that Noir had rejected Dewi Zelica's request for help, but still she couldn't help but ask.

『Hehe, for now there is nothing I can do. My present circumstances do not allow me to bear anything as big and as far as Lecca, the Noble Armament of that wolf woman.』

That means he can do it in top condition. Noelle glanced to the side, occasionally trying to detect anyone approaching the prayer hall.

After making sure no one was there, Noelle immediately stood up, preparing to continue her work while still listening to Noir.

『Don't worry too much, Noelle. The wolf woman was not so weak that she would instantly give up after her Noble Armament was stolen. Besides, I plan on helping her a little in the fight later. But of course, before you can do that, you must strengthen your control over authority.』

" … So in the end I got involved, yeah … "

This was no longer a problem that humans had, but rather the entity of the gods themselves. From the beginning of her birth, Noelle never thought that her life would move in this direction.

But, it didn't matter even though he had to deal with all of that. Provided, he did not lose anyone he wanted to protect. The gods are crazy, maybe some are crazier than Noir. If they had intended, they could have instantly destroyed everything behind Noelle.

Upon realizing that, Noelle subconsciously straightened her back, and hoped that something like that would never happen.

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