Amelia the Level Zero Hero - Chapter 204

The World System was evil. Well, maybe. Noele didn’t know for sure. Even after consulting with Arthur, a former [Priest], a former Lich King, and a former Vessel of the Voidgod, she still had no answers. He couldn’t help her— no one could. After all, this was such a ridiculous assertion. No sane person would ever utter such a statement. The only ones who would believe such a thing were those who worshiped the Void.

The Sect of the Abyssal Thorns, was a contemporary example. Although, there were many such similar groups in the past. They believed that the World System was an oppressive power, and instead they chose to draw their strength from the Fal-Deus.

They were the only ones the Noble Spellsword could turn to for answers. They could shed some light for her on the truth behind the World System. But there was only one problem with that.

The Fal-Deus— the entity which was the God of the Void and claimed to be the True God of Vacuos— was most definitely evil.

According to Arthur, he had seen its intentions. When it had possessed him, he had peered into its heart. And all he saw was darkness. All he saw was an unending rage. All he saw was a desire to destroy Vacuos.

And Amelia could concur with that fact. After all, she had said that she saved Vacuos from the Voidgod. So the fact that it only wanted destruction was indisputable.

There was no reliable source for Noele to learn more about the World System from. All she could do was speculate based on what those who worshiped the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns knew. That was how she came to her decision today to leave Wolfwater.

It was a decision she had made on her own. She hadn’t told anyone else about it just yet. But she thought it would be appropriate to first confide with the person who brought her back here to her home.

Noele sought out her mentor— Amelia.

It was early in the morning when the blonde girl stepped out of her papa’s farm. She made the short walk to the farming village— or rather, it was called a farming town now, considering its size. Noele took her time as she took in the sights all around her.

When she first made her returned, she observed how Wolfwater had changed drastically since she was a child. The farming village had grown significantly larger after the first attack of the Miststorm Riders a decade ago. And those changes she noticed were still quite new to her.

There were new buildings— more houses and more farms. There was even a large inn for passing travelers, when there had been no proper place to stay for those who were stopping by in the past. And there were even now a few taverns too, while there had only been a single one back then.

However, ever since Noele returned to Wolfwater, she had seen even more changes develop firsthand. There was, obviously, Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant which Amelia started with Xakor. But that was what spurred the sudden growth in the farming village, that clearly made it into a town.

Noele spotted a second inn that had just finished its construction out of the corner of her eye. It was larger than the first inn, made to accommodate the growing number of visitors who were attracted by the rumors of Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant. There was also a new ‘market street’ as they called it growing by the day.

She wouldn’t really define it as a street, by any definition of the word. But there was a section in Wolfwater full of tents where the visiting [Traders] and [Merchants] laid out their goods to be sold.

And lastly, Noele heard word of a sort of town guard being set up. Apparently, Lucas, who was the highest-leveled [Hunter] in Wolfwater, was organizing a few of his friends to protect the farming town from nearby monsters and enforce law and order amongst the visitors.

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So Wolfwater was growing to become quite the hub for travelers, thanks to Amelia and Xakor. Noele would have loved to stay here to continue watching the town grow. Perhaps, one day, it could even become a city.

Although… Noele wasn’t sure how feasible that idea was. But she didn’t want to leave— she wanted to continue witnessing this growth. And yet, she had to.

She had already resolved herself last night. She closed her eyes as she came to a halt right outside of Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant. It was still early in the morning, so the restaurant wasn’t open just yet. However, she could enter as she pleased.

Still, she paused, trying to steel herself. This was something that needed to be done. No one else was capable of doing it. Because she was one of the few who were free from the World System’s influence.

“Alright… let’s do this…”

Noele whispered as she pushed the doors open. She opened her mouth, looking up at her master standing in the middle of the room.

“Amelia—”

And she paused as she heard a cacophonous buzzing thunder back at her. The blonde girl froze at the sight of what she saw. A large shadow towered over the room. A mass of black and yellow figures gathered around, practically swarming over a brown-haired woman standing there.

Amelia looked up as she was covered from head-to-toe by the colony of the baby bastion bees.

“Oh, hey Noele.”

And the blonde girl just blinked. “Uh, can we talk… in private?”

“Well— that’s going to be a little bit hard,” Amelia said in response as the baby bastion bees continued swarming her.

—–

“So, I see you’re still having problems with the baby bastion bees,” Noele said, looking me up and down.

I could barely hear her words over the loud buzzing surrounding me. I looked down at myself. The baby queen bastion bee was clinging onto me, and the rest of her hive refused to leave her. So they surrounded me, following me wherever I went.

This was almost a familiar sight. Except, the last time around this happened, the baby bastion bees were attacking me. It didn’t hurt, of course. I was completely unbothered by their weak stingers. However, it was a lot more annoying than this.

This time around, they were just… there. They didn’t bother me, but they stuck close to me. Sometimes, they’d be flying around me in a swarm. Other times, they would just rest on me— which was honestly more uncomfortable than dealing with their constant attacks.

And considering that they weren’t doing anything other than following me, I didn’t know what I could do. When they had been attacking me, I could just tire them out. But right now, they saw me as their protector. They associated me with their safety. I was their sanctuary.

So I had no way to get rid of them.

“I tried talking to Dorien,” I said as I gestured at the baby bastion bees. Their queen fluttered her wings when she realized I was looking down at her. She was resting on my shoulder like she was a bird or a butterfly. In reality, she was a terrifying-looking bee that was the size of my hand. “He said that I am going to have to bond with them until they can understand me.”

“Understand you?” Noele blinked, looking at me curiously. “Do you mean you have to learn an [Animal Speaking] Skill?”

I shook my head. “Nope— don’t ask me how it works either. But apparently they’ll be able to understand me in the same way Bucky understands us if I spend enough time with the baby bastion bees.”

“I… see.” The blonde girl just furrowed her brows. She was as perplexed as I was.

I didn’t question it. Instead, I shook my head as I leant back against a table. “Anyways, if you want privacy… I can’t really give you privacy, since these guys won’t leave me alone. However, if you don’t mind them, we can talk.”

She stared at the swarm of baby bastion bees as they circled around me. I watched as Noele chewed her lips for a moment, before she sighed.

“And what about Harlan or Edlyn?” she asked, glancing towards the empty kitchen. “Are they around?”

“Nope— I sent them out to stock up on our meat. But Arthur is in the back, getting ready for the day.” I gestured vaguely towards where the bathroom was. It wasn’t exactly a modern place to shower, however it did its job just fine.

“Arthur isn’t a problem,” the blonde girl said as she nodded at me. “Alright… I guess I can tell you this now. But how do I even say it?”

I looked on as she shifted her feet uncomfortably, muttering to herself. I just crossed my arms and waited. Until, finally, Noele was ready to speak. She stood up straight and looked me in the eyes.

And she said, “I have decided— I am leaving Wolfwater to hunt down the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns.”