Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Chapter 165

Noele couldn’t believe her ears. The words rang in her mind— like the loud tolling of a bell, reverberating throughout her body. She wanted to stumble back, even though she was sitting down on a chair. It was like she was slapped across the face. It was like she was struck to the soul.

She blinked a few times, trying to break out of her stupor. But she couldn’t steel herself. Not when the lens which she viewed the world was cracked, and all she saw was broken glass.

Before her sat Nicholas the Noble Knight. An S-ranked adventurer, but more than that, he was the very man she and her sister had admired. He was the inspiration behind their adventurer Titles.

When he showed up here in Wolfwater, Noele had been ecstatic. However, now, she wished she never met him. Because he was nothing like the man she thought he would be.

“Seriously,” Nicholas continued as he leant back in his seat. He swept his gaze over Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant, and he wrinkled his nose when he saw the chicken resting in the corner of the room. “I can’t believe you’d willingly go out of your way to stay in this backwater place.”

He shook his head as Noele just looked on, barely processing his words. She was stunned into silence. There were so many things she wanted to say in response. But she couldn’t even muster up the strength to speak.

The Noble Knight sighed, rubbing his temples. “I understand that this is your home, but surely you don’t plan on staying here for the rest of your life, right?”

He stared expectantly at her. That managed to prompt a reply from the blonde girl, even though she was still in shock.

“I— I mean, I am just visiting right now, but…” she trailed off. Slowly, she got her wits about, and she stared uncertainly at the man sitting across from her. “You’re joking, right?”

She hoped this was all a joke. That it was a prank he was playing on her. Unfortunately, the truth hurt, and she was living in reality.

“There is nothing to joke about, Noele,” Nicholas said as he held her gaze, his voice unwavering. “You call yourself the Noble Spellsword, but there is nothing noble about living in this squalor. You cannot grow if you are surrounded by those who are not at least your equal, can you?”

Noele bit her lower lip, stopping herself from lashing out with any unnecessary remarks. This was Nicholas the Noble Knight. He was not just some jerk like Jax the Forsaken Archer. Surely he had to have some rhyme or reason behind what he was saying, right?

“That’s true… but only to a certain extent. I have met plenty of people who are lower-leveled than me who have helped me grow stronger.” The Noble Spellsword explained, shaking her head.

She was mainly thinking of Amelia when she said that, however the statement also applied to a plethora of others. Unfortunately, instead of even giving any credence to her statement, Nicholas just scoffed.

“Like who?” he asked, a skeptical look on his face.

“Garron,” Noele replied simply. She gestured towards the doorway, where the burly man had exited the restaurant. “He’s a B-ranked adventurer, but training with him has helped me become who I am today.”

Nicholas raised a dubious brow. “You mean the Steel Tank? I’ve heard of him. I must say, I am not impressed. No notable feats, no real Dungeons cleared…”

The blonde girl’s eyes widened with each word the Noble Knight said. Her breathing grew shallow, and her gaze darkened. The confusion within her quickly turned into annoyance, but she still tried to suppress her feelings, reminding herself that she was talking to the idol.

“Certainly, there are the few no-name Dungeons he delved into with a small expedition.” Nicholas waved a hand dismissively. “But overall, nothing comparable to what you have done. He is genuinely quite… pathetic—”

And Noele snapped.

“That’s enough!” she exclaimed, rising to her feet and slamming a fist on the table.

Splinters of wood shot across the room, and her drink spilled on the ground as the table smashed in half. From the other side of the room, Bucky perked up. Arthur frowned from the bar, and Harlan poked his head out of the kitchen. Neither Kale nor Sienna visibly reacted.

But Nicholas blinked, and Noele glared at him with a furious gaze.

“I’m not going to sit here and listen to you insult my friends,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’ve had enough here.”

She didn’t even wait for his response. The blonde girl couldn’t even meet his gaze. Blinking away her tears, she spun around and marched out of the restaurant.

—--

Noele barely made it out of Wolfwater before collapsing to her knees and breaking into tears. She had wanted to march all the way back to her home, but she failed, and now she was standing in the middle of the gravel road, crying her heart out in public.

Fortunately for her, it wasn’t crowded today. There weren’t very many travelers passing through— probably because Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant was closed for the day. She barely gave it a thought. All she could think of was how much of an asshole Nicholas had been.

A million questions raced through her head. But this time, it wasn’t of excitement, but of confusion and anger.

Did Nicholas even recognize her? Was he being serious when he said all that? How could he possibly believe what he said, despite being such a kind and noble man?

Her vision blurred as she tried to wipe her tears away. But she couldn’t staunch her sorrows. And all she saw was a distant memory. Her first time at the Adventurer’s Guild. When she met Nicholas the Noble Knight so long ago, he had shown her such a kind face.

Even though Nora had barely been a C-ranked adventurer, he had gone out of his way to greet her. He had gone out of his way to give both sisters a personal tour of the place. And yet, he was now telling the blonde girl that he despised individuals like her back then?

Had it all been a facade? Was it all a lie? What other motives could the Noble Knight have for being so… fake? Surely Noele hadn’t dreamt up those memories, right?

Noele didn’t know the answer to any of these questions. But it seemed evident enough— she had been a little girl back then, so perhaps her memories had been flanderized. She had romanticized the brief time she spent with a man she didn’t even know. Because of that, she placed him on a pedestal. But now, she was faced with reality, and it hurt her.

She ached knowing that she had once idolized the Noble Knight. It upsetted her knowing that she was inspired by such an arrogant fool. He had insulted Garron. Not just that, but Nicholas had put down her home. Her friends.

And more than anything, he had insulted Nora.

Noele’s sister had admired Nicholas more than anyone else. To think that he saw the Noble Sworddancer in such a light… it hurt Noele so much.

So she just knelt there as her tears continued to stream down her cheeks. It was humiliating for her to call herself the Noble Spellsword and still bawl in the middle of the road like a baby. But she didn’t care.

A few passersby gave her an odd look, but she ignored them. The blonde girl would have remained crying there forever— in fact, she didn’t even know how long she remained in that position— until she heard a set of footfalls approach her from behind.

She didn’t know who it was. All she wanted was to be left alone. But a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder, forcing her to look back up.

Noele didn’t know who she hoped to be there. Perhaps Garron. Maybe her parents. Or even Amelia. But it was none of them. Instead, she saw Nicholas standing there with a smile still on his face.

“Leave me alone,” the blonde girl growled, trying to shrug him off.

“Look, Noele—” he started as he tried to soothe her.

But she snarled at him. “You insulted my friends. You insulted my family. I don’t care if you’re an S-ranked adventurer, and I don’t care if everyone else in the world loves you. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

He stood there, silent. He stared at her as the smirk was wiped off his face, and he sighed. He knelt down next to her as she glared at him. But he still spoke reassuringly, shaking his head.

“That was a joke,” the Noble Knight said, meeting her gaze. “I was joking.”

And Noele blinked a few times. “W-what?”

All she could do was look at the man in disbelief. He chuckled, running his hand through his golden locks.

“That’s right, I was just trying to lighten the mood. Obviously, I would never be the type of person to say such a thing.” His eyes glinted as he spoke, and Noele stared at him. “Please, I am not that crass.”

“I… are you being serious right now?” the blonde girl asked as a sense of relief washed over her.

Oh, he was joking, she thought, wanting to sigh in relief. But as she met the Noble Knight’s gaze, she caught herself. Even if she wanted to believe what he was saying was true, she couldn’t just believe it outright. That would be so foolish of her.

Slowly, she rose to her feet as Nicholas continued to laugh.

“Come on, now. I was joking. You didn’t have to take what I said so seriously.” He nodded at Noele, before helping her wipe her tears from her face. “But I was being serious with my offer.”

“To join your team?” Noele scrunched up her brows, still suspicious of him.

“That’s right,” he said as he glanced back down the empty road. There was nobody there except for his two teammates. Noele didn’t even know when they got here. “I still believe that you deserve to be in an S-ranked team. So please, would you consider joining us?”

The Noble Spellsword once again wanted to say yes. However, she was less enthusiastic than before. She was far more discerning. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced between Sienna’s stoic gaze and Kale’s carefree demeanor.

“I… I told you, I am not sure if I want to leave Wolfwater anytime soon just yet. Especially with a group of people I just met. And that ‘joke’ you made earlier— I didn’t find it funny. At all.”

It was a curt response. But she was still rather upset at what Nicholas had said. Even if it was truly just a lighthearted, non-serious comment.

Nicholas stepped closer to her as she tried to shrug him off. “But you’ll get to learn from me— from us! We can teach you a lot. We can help you become an S-ranked adventurer, just like us!”

“What can you even teach me?” The blonde girl shook her head. “I’ve managed just fine before I met you this time around.”

“This time around?” He raised a brow, and she scoffed.

“So you really don’t recognize me,” she said, brows snapping together.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Noele. Recognize you? Of course I do! You’re the Noble Spellsword—” he started.

And Noele turned away from him as she scowled. “Just leave it. I’m not going to join your team. We’re done here.”

“Noele…” Nicholas whispered as a shadow swept over his gaze.

He opened his mouth, taking another step forward, inching even closer to her. He took in a deep breath as she lowered her head. She refused to even look at him.

We’re done here, she told herself. Just leave me alone.

Nicholas sighed under his breath as he stepped even closer. “You’re really making it difficult, aren’t you?”

“What are you even talking about?” Noele spoke through gritted teeth, still refusing to look at him. She opened her mouth to continue. “Didn’t you hear me? We’re done—”

And she froze before she could finish her sentence. She heard the unsheathing of a blade. A cold metallic object pressed against her back, and an aching pain ran across her body. She placed a hand on herself, feeling the touch of a warm liquid there.

She looked down, seeing a rapier poking out of her chest.

“What…?” she asked, before the blade slid out of her.

Noele collapsed to the ground, looking up at Nicholas as he drew his weapon back. He snickered as he shook his head at her.

“It would have been so much easier if you just listened. Now, all your friends are going to die along with you.” The Noble Knight spoke casually, the smile on his face never vanishing.

And darkness overwhelmed the blonde girl’s vision.