Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“No, it’s nothing,” Grani lowered her head and quickly followed him. “It’s just that I have some things on my mind.”

"Oh, what's on your mind?" Xia Yu put her hands behind her back and turned her head to ask, "Can you tell me? Maybe I can give you some advice."

"It's nothing," Grani stuck out her tongue and lowered her head shyly, finally revealing a bit of her girlish cuteness.

"It's just that I suddenly realized my childhood dream had been shattered."

"Everyone goes through this process, it's just that I seem to have gone through it a little late."

“Dreams,” Xia Yu said, looking up at the two bright moons in the sky, “are they about knights and Kazimierz?”

"Hey, how did you know, senior?" Grani's eyes widened.

“I also carefully reviewed the report before the mission,” Xia Yu explained with a smile. “To me, your resume is not a secret.”

“I can even access Skadi’s resume, including the parts that are not normally accessible to the general public.”

Upon hearing this, Skadi, who was walking ahead, twitched her ears, but she did not stop and continued walking forward silently by herself.

“Oh, I see,” Grani nodded. “It’s not surprising that you said that, senior. After all, you and Dr. Kal’tsit are such good friends. The first time I met you, it was the two of you sitting together having a meal.”

Hearing this, Xia Yu awkwardly touched her nose.

In fact, most of the so-called relationship between him and Kal'tsit is just a rumor. In reality, the two of them are simply taking what they need from each other.

I don't know why Kal'tsit allowed these rumors to escalate on Rhodes Island.

Skadi, who was in front of them, nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.

Indeed, to truly understand this person, one must start with Kal'tsit.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but reach into her pocket and touch the keys.

This thing... is becoming increasingly important.

“Senior,” Grani spoke again after a brief silence, “do you understand knights?”

"What does a knight mean to you?"

“A knight,” Xia Yu said, recalling everything she knew about knights.

"Putting aside people's beautiful aspirations, to me, knights are simply feudal nobles."

In their previous lives, knights belonged to the lowest tier of the noble class, usually owning only a small fief (manor). They were full-time soldiers who fought for the lord they served.

But in Terra, in Kazimierz, in a world truly possessing extraordinary abilities, the honor of a knight is even more glorious than in his previous life.

But if we set aside those embellished honors, the knights of Terra are not fundamentally different from the feudal nobles of the previous life.

“I see,” Grani said with a wry smile. “That’s really realistic, senpai.”

"But it's understandable. You're neither Kuranta nor a Kazimierz, so you can look at these things with such a calm perspective."

"But I've always admired knights and Kazimierz since I was a child."

“I grew up in that kind of atmosphere, from the words of my parents, from the books around me, and from the stories of my friends.”

"As I grew up, I should have gradually become skeptical of those stories, but who brought me to Rhodes Island and where I met Nearl?"

"Her existence solidified my childhood aspirations, but perhaps I was too blind to notice the awkwardness in Lin Guang's eyes when I enthusiastically told her the stories I had heard since childhood."

"I imagine my rambling must have been quite a nuisance to Rinko-nee."

156 Eating is the most important thing.

"Actually, it's not that I can't understand," Xia Yu said, looking at Grani's disappointed look. "It's just that they found out Ultraman is fake. Who hasn't been disappointed because of that?"

"Ultraman..." Grani looked completely bewildered. "Uh, what's that?"

“It’s light,” Xia Yu smiled, her tone wistful, “and also a hero, a hero who protects the people in the face of a colossal beast as tall as a mountain.”

Hearing this, Skadi, who was walking at the front, paused and couldn't help but turn around to look at Xia Yu.

"A monster as tall as a mountain?" Grani's mouth dropped open when he heard this. "I can't even imagine how to fight such a monster."

"Do such monsters really exist?"

"Yes, it exists," Skadi thought to herself.

“No, that doesn’t exist,” Xia Yu shrugged. “Just like the evil dragon that steals the princess in the story, there are no knights as righteous and heroic as those in the story in reality, so there are naturally no evil dragons that specialize in stealing princesses.”

“But knights like those in stories do exist,” Grani shook her head, her eyes filled with longing. “Near Light, in my eyes, she is that kind of knight!”

"It's just that most people have never seen her in person!"

So, monsters as tall as mountains do exist, Skadi thought to herself, it's just that most people have never seen them.

Those who have seen them remain silent about their existence.

“I can’t refute that,” Xia Yu nodded in agreement. “Lingguang, she is indeed different.”

But no matter how different she is, or how many knightly tournaments she wins, as long as she keeps her sights on knights, she will never be able to change this corrupt country.

Of course, none of these Xia words were spoken aloud.

He knew he couldn't stand on moral high ground to criticize Lin Guang.

After all, even someone stronger than Nearl didn't try to change the world.

However, he had a premonition that perhaps after he truly understood the world, he would do something.

For example, to ignite a prairie fire.

But not now, not right now.

You can't do it alone.

This is not a great achievement that can be accomplished by a so-called savior.

I don't intend to rely on the Holy Grail to achieve any kind of salvation for all mankind. Well, I'm an idealist.

If Xia Yu really intended to act alone by force, he would definitely become a tyrant.

But Rhodes Island, Amiya, and the operators who gathered around her with their own ideals, perhaps...

Everyone who comes to Rhodes Island has their own purpose.

Perhaps it's just a simple plan to find a job to make a living, perhaps it's for one's ideals, or perhaps it's for someone.

Xia Yu has her own reasons for staying here.

This ship is destined to bring about change to the world, so why not add what you want to this change?

Amiya is still young and has a lot to learn.

Although I am not very skilled and have not absorbed much Marxist philosophy, I can still give her some inspiration.

Kal'tsit wouldn't refuse Amiya having another teacher.

“My previous example was incorrect. Now,” Xia Yu said, pulling herself out of her thoughts, “Do you know what a chivalrous knight is?”

“A knight-errant?” Grani repeated the somewhat unfamiliar word in confusion. “I think I’ve heard of it before, it seems to be… from the Yan Kingdom…”

She stammered for a long time but couldn't give a coherent answer.

“Chivalry is a spirit,” Xia Yu began to explain: “To stand up for the weak, to sacrifice oneself for the greater good of the nation, and to travel the world for ideals and morality.”

"A knight-errant will draw his sword and kill a nobleman for the humiliation he suffers at the hands of a commoner; a knight-errant will vent his anger before the monarch for the sake of his country; a knight-errant will punish evil and promote good for the injustice he encounters on the roadside."

"It sounds wonderful, heroic, right?" Xia Yu smiled. "But, just as knights in stories are almost extinct in reality, how many heroes like those in stories can there be in this world?"

"A common man's anger can spill blood within five steps, but how many dare to stand alone before countless imperial guards and wield their swords against an unrighteous monarch?"

"Those stories of chivalrous heroes are ultimately just things people yearn for. The daily grind of life crushes most people's spirits, so they can only find such joy in their fantasies."

Grani didn't fully understand the Xia language, such as what "injustice" meant, or what "a man's anger can lead to bloodshed" meant.

But that didn't stop her from hearing that unique romantic quality in it.

"Is this the 'knight' of the Yan Kingdom?"

“That’s probably how it is,” Xia Yu sighed. “People always place too many expectations on certain individuals, and these expectations elevate those identities to an unrealistic level.”

"But there are many knights in this world, many who call themselves heroes, but how many of them can actually reach those visions in the clouds?"

"Did you also aspire to be a knight-errant when you were a child?" Grani asked curiously.

"Of course," Xia Yu smiled as she thought of this, "Who hasn't dreamed of being a chivalrous hero?"

He gazed at the bright moonlight before him and sang aloud.

"Zhao guest wears a silk tassel, Wu hook shines like frost and snow."

"A silver saddle shines on a white horse, swift as a shooting star."

"Kill one person every ten steps, and leave no trace in a thousand miles."

"When the work is done, I will leave, hiding my identity and name."

"Leisurely drinking in Xinling, I lay my sword across my knees."

"He offered roasted meat to Zhu Hai and raised a cup to Hou Ying."

"Three cups of wine and I've made my vows; the Five Sacred Mountains seem light as a feather."

"After the eyes are blurred and the ears are hot, a sense of pride and joy arises."