"Mhm…" Noel gently moaned while opening his eyes. It was still in the middle of the night.
It might be due to them getting pretty excited to know he was still alive, they ended up waking up this late.
Noel closed his eyes to imitate how they were sleeping so that the rest of the kids would follow his action.
He gently rose from the floor, looking at the kids. They had pushed away their beds and used their sheets to create a thin mattress so that they could sleep together.
So, Noel didn't carry them to their individual bed.
Instead, he made sure that none of them had trouble sleeping before walking out of the room as quietly as possible.
When he reached the backyard to get some air, he found Rose sitting under the moonlight, staring at the sky.
There was a smile on her face as if she had made a fun memory in this place.
"You're still awake?" Rose smiled at Noel.
"Of course. If I don't try to sleep, the kids will continue until dawn. They are still growing up, so they should get some sleep." Noel shook his head helplessly. "Though, I'm wondering the same about you."
"Hmm…" Rose's smile became even bigger as she gently glanced at the house as if looking at the kids behind the wall. "This place is peaceful and filled with happiness. I can clearly see how attached they are to you."
"Well, I never thought I would be that attached either."
"Yeah. Though, You seem to have a lot of fun with them."
"I can't deny that." Noel walked to her and asked if he could join her.
Rose nodded while saying, "Though, I wonder what you will do for the kids? They look so ready to avenge you…"
Rose couldn't deny it. She, too, wanted to kill Anna before, but when everything came to light, she stopped thinking about it.
Although she didn't like Anna, it didn't change the fact that Anna had contributed a lot to Noel's plan. And there didn't seem to be any conflict between Noel and Anna. So, she dropped the idea of revenge.
"I think you should worry about their motivation. Revenge usually drives people to a great length… That should be the reason why their strength has improved drastically in the past few months."
Noel didn't reply to her statement for a while. It was clear that he knew about their motivation, but looking from his eyes, he seemed to be concerned about something else.
Noel asked, "Do you think Revenge is the best drive to power? I don't think it is. It's true that you can grow stronger exponentially… After all, that is what makes me this strong in the beginning."
Noel remembered how the revenge thought forced him to keep training. However, the moment he got confused by his desire to get revenge due to his father's note, he felt he had lost something important.
He was lucky to find a new goal or he would have suffered a huge backlash. He might fall from grace and couldn't get stronger for a while.
So, Noel had another worry and this was what he actually wished for the kids. "Actually, I wish that the kids could grow up without any thoughts of revenge. I want them to do everything they want, not be driven by any person.
"When they first danced in front of me, they were completely awkward and had no idea. The confusion completely overwhelmed their smiles.
"But after learning a lot about the Sword Dance, it felt like they were smiling a lot. They enjoyed it.
"As long as we lived in this era and kept getting stronger, we are bound to kill a demon or a person. To endure such a cruel thing, we have to at least enjoy what we are doing or using.
"I simply wish for them to not lose their smiles." Noel made a sad smile, showing how concerned he was.
"I see." Rose nodded. She could understand his concern before turning around, saying, "I think you should say it to them. Eric and Erica, right? The leader and the manager of the group."
Noel's heart skipped a beat as he turned his head around, finding the two peeking from the corner. They were only curious, so there was no intent sent through their gazes.
Noel would certainly feel them eventually, but Rose had beaten him and informed him about these two kids.
"!!!" Eric and Erica panicked, wondering what they should do now that they had been found out.
"Ehehe…" Eric and Erica came out while scratching the back of their heads, embarrassed.
"We didn't mean to eavesdrop…" Erica tried to explain. She noticed Noel leaving, so she tried to follow him. Eric noticed Erica's movement, so they ended up going together.
Noel looked at them and waved his hand, calling them.
The twins ended up going to Noel. They wanted to apologize, but Noel had already said, "I guess you have heard everything. So, what are you planning to do after this?"
"That's…" Eric and Erica exchanged looks. They hadn't thought about it. Their only thought was to get stronger before avenging Noel.
It wasn't something that a kid could easily come up with, so they ultimately shook their heads.
"I see." Noel smiled. "It's something that you have to choose eventually. But I have to warn you that your goal and destination should come from you, not anyone else. Don't let anyone convince you, understand?"
"Yes, Big Brother." Eric and Erica nodded furiously.
Eric couldn't help but raise his hand. "Big Brother. There is something that I need to ask you… that is, if you don't mind."
As if knowing what Eric wanted, Erica tried to stop him. "Eric!"
However, he had already piqued Noel's interest, so Eric had to say it. "I have been wondering how far we have gone. It's true that we have gone beyond 'children in the slums', but we don't know much about the world, especially how strong we are.