Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

However, this result obviously does not conform to some people's ideas...

When the assassin was eliminated, a group of people quietly left the scene.

Cintela noticed that the Helmetless Alliance had vanished silently from the meeting room. Was the mission over? Or...had the people they needed to monitor left?

As the Platinum Lord, she actually knew not much more than those soldiers. Since she had not received any information at all, it meant that this was most likely an action of the Qingjin Organization, or... it was even possible that it was an action commanded by the Black Iron Lord himself?

Xinteleya shook her head. Maybe she was thinking too much. How could it be possible... It had been a long time since the Black Iron Lord had taken action.

Chapter 55: Mom

Kuro returned to Noah silently and reported the assassin's actions.

Even Noah broke out in a cold sweat when he learned that Maria had nearly suffered the same fate as himself as a child. If you want to destroy someone quickly, the best way is to make them a mineral patient. Having experienced it all himself, he knew how vicious this method was. Who on earth would target the Linguang family like this?

Honestly, she honestly thought the Linguang family wasn't that disliked, right? And what interests had Maria infringed upon these people? She had originally thought they'd just eliminate Maria early, and using Kuro as a safety net just in case, but it seemed like these people were truly intent on destroying Maria.

The nature of this is completely different. If it was just an ordinary business war, if she simply didn't want to see Maria advance, she wouldn't have to ask too many questions. But if it was so vicious, then it was completely different.

Kuro had never seen Noya's expression so solemn before he spoke, "I crushed the assassin's hand bones and then kicked him again. He didn't die, but I guess he'll be inseparable from you for the rest of his life..."

Kuro patted Noah's wheelchair, "Do you need me to get him from the hospital?"

"...It's probably too late." Noah knew how these assassins were treated. A failure of this magnitude would likely have already been dealt with. Going to the hospital now would only allow him to collect his body. "Don't worry, if they've attacked once, they'll definitely attack again... and we can't rule out the possibility that it's the No-Horn Alliance."

"Not the Helmetless Alliance." Kuro shook his head. "If it were the Helmetless Alliance... they would definitely choose crossbows over daggers."

"What if this was intentional?" Noah frowned. "Maybe this is how they clear themselves?"

"If there was an assassination attempt on Casimir, the No-Head Alliance would definitely be the first suspect. This level of disguise is too easy to see through." Kuro shook his head. "Noya, you're a little unsteady."

"...I..." Noah realized that he had been a bit emotional. If he thought about it carefully, he realized that in the case of Casimir's assassination, the Helmetless Alliance was undoubtedly the first suspect. The fact that they used a dagger wouldn't affect the matter. "But... we can't completely rule out the possibility of the Helmetless Alliance, right?"

"...The most important thing is," Kuro said, "the assassin is an infected person."

"..." Noya fell silent. Indeed, there were no infected within the No-Horn Alliance. Perhaps because the No-Horn Alliance frequently targeted infected individuals, it was virtually impossible for them to recruit them. Otherwise, it would be disastrous if they defected. She pondered for a long time before shaking her head. "Let's leave it at that for now... To be honest, I'm not sure whether the enemy is targeting Maria or me, but if this assassination attempt fails, there might be another one right away... Let's do this."

Noah said, "Let Maria stay here, along with Zofia and Uncle Mainna. We have enough rooms anyway, so let's just treat them as me, how about that?"

If there was a safest place, it would definitely be where Kuro and Maina were. Noya didn't rule out the possibility that this group of people were trying to assassinate Maria because of their relationship. Since they were going to attack Maria even when they were separated, she might as well just take Maria in and protect her. "Kuro, are you okay?"

"I have no objection." Kuro shook his head. "But Noah, you have to understand that next time you'd better not send me out so casually."

"...I have Uncle Maenna and Viviana by my side. I'm fine."

"..." Kuro stared at Noya, causing her to get goosebumps all over her body. In the end, she could only raise her hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, I won't do this next time. Kuro, please stay with me, okay."

"Yeah." Kuro smiled slightly, "That's pretty good."

"...Ah." Noah felt like an employer with no status. He was scolded by Kuro after sending him out on errands. He didn't know who the employer was. "I'll call Maria first and arrange dinner tonight. I'll cook for her."

"?"

"...What's wrong? Can't I just cook?!"

"No... I've never seen you cook, Noya." Kuro's words were true. While the house had a kitchen, it was covered in dust and rarely used. Noya's diet was typically specially delivered, meticulously adjusted by a nutritionist. Forget about Noya cooking herself, not to mention her physical limitations and the risk of injury. Did she even know how to cook?

"...First time is new, second time is familiar." Noah twitched his lips. "I've been listening to a few radio programs recently, and I think cooking is pretty easy."

"...That's what all newbies think," Kuro sighed. "I don't think it's good to waste food."

"Gu..." Noah pouted, "Forget it, if you don't want to cook, then don't cook. I'm going to make a phone call first. Kuro, you wait outside."

Noah pushed the wheelchair and asked Kuro to wait in the office, while she went into the specially prepared bathroom. As soon as she entered the bathroom, she covered her chest and hunched over. She didn't show any performance in front of Kuro just now, it was all her acting. As soon as she entered the bathroom, she vomited. The sense of terror almost grabbed her heart. The malice she felt was exactly the same as the malice she felt in the kidnapping case in the past.

She had actually realized that the group of people who were targeting Maria were the ones who planned to kidnap Margaret and herself that day... including the act of smearing Originium dust on their weapons.

This group of people...definitely this group of people.

Noah clenched her fists. Turning her into this was not enough...did he want to turn Maria into this as well?

Just thinking about the consequences, Noah felt like she was falling into an ice cave. She knew too well what the consequences would be if she became a mineral patient. If the suffering she had experienced fell on Maria... she couldn't even imagine what the consequences would be.

If I hadn't prepared Kuro as my insurance, if Kuro hadn't stopped me in time... if... if...

She was so scared that Maria was just a step away from tragedy.

The fear and pain that she had just suppressed seemed to be oppressing her heart. She didn't know if she felt something. Although Noah herself couldn't see it, the shadow behind her appeared in front of her. The shadow looked at the frightened Noah, at the girl who couldn't control her trembling body. The shadow stretched out its hand, but it didn't touch Noah, but the hand stayed on Noah's head.

The hand trembled for a moment, but still did not fall.

It finally lowered its head, stretched out its arms, and took Noya into its arms, but Noya could not feel this embrace. This embrace was illusory and could not be perceived, but she stopped trembling.

A feeling of security spread in her heart, just like when she was a child and was hugged by her mother... although she could no longer remember her mother's face.

"……Mother……"

Chapter 56: The receptionist who was kept in the dark

After finally calming down, Noah sent an invitation to Maria and Zofia as she had said before. She had always thought that what happened to her was just an accident. After all, the investigation at the time showed that it was a group of roving bandits who committed the crime, and these bandits were quickly caught. As for the result, of course, it was a direct death sentence. She originally thought that everything was over.

Margaret was safe and sound, only she suffered from oripathy. This result did not make Noah feel aggrieved. On the contrary...she was very happy to be able to protect Margaret.

Margaret is Yolanta's daughter. If anything happens to Margaret, Noah will never forgive himself in his life, and he will not be able to face his aunt whom he regards as his mother.

However, when she discovered the same malicious intent as before, and when Maria was about to follow in her footsteps, she realized that these guys might not be just bandits at all. The clues were clear: the person who had transferred points to Plastic Knight was very likely the culprit this time.

As expected, by the time Noya arrived at the hospital where the assassin was being held, he had already died from his injuries. Kuro couldn't have made such a mistake; he was essentially silenced. Noya only had time to see the assassin for the last time. According to Kuro, the assassin was only about twenty years old, looking childish. However, upon examination, it was discovered that he was in the advanced stages of oripathy, likely a discarded pawn.

Although there were casualties during the melee, the Knights' Tournament would not suspend the competition for such an incident. Maria received the points for the melee, and if nothing unexpected happened, she could enter the main competition after two more matches.

As long as they enter the main competition, the Lin Guang family’s dilemma will be solved.

Then these two games will be the final obstacles that can prevent Maria from entering the playoffs.

Maria became the Linguang family's long-range cavalry... To be honest, Noya never thought Maria could reach this level. She had thought she would lose in the first few competitions, but she didn't expect her talent to be inferior to Margaret's. Especially after being taught by Zofia and Mainna, her growth was truly impressive.

But Maria was also targeted, and this assassination in the melee was just the first attempt.

There will be no melee in the upcoming matches. If someone really intends to make the Linguang family lose their knight title, then there will definitely be problems in these two matches.

As a spokesperson, Noah can know the schedule in advance, but she cannot manipulate the schedule... Although she is responsible for the preparation of the Knight Championship this time, the schedule is completely in the hands of the Knight Association.

In the past, spokespersons could manipulate... or rather, influence the competition, but only Noya was restricted from doing so. This time, the driving force of the competition was not Noya's. Her only role was to maintain the smooth progress of the Knights' Championship.

Sure enough... although he was pushed to this position, most people just saw him as a blind man who was easy to manipulate.

They were deprived of their due power, and under the pretext of sharing their own pressure, the Chamber of Commerce made it clear what both the good and the bad were.

"...To be honest, my initial thought was... just to let Maria have a go. Even if she loses, I can still get Viviana to accept Maria. Granting her a knighthood wouldn't be difficult."

Noya said to Kuro, "But I might be wrong."

"You underestimated that little girl's determination..." Kuro shrugged. "You only thought about using this method to maintain the noble status of the Linguang family, but you didn't consider whether the child would be willing to accept it."

"Yes, I sent her to the competition—but now it's me who wants to take her home and hide her. She's really good, beyond my expectations, but I let her be targeted by 'that group'."

Noah lowered her head and spoke in a depressed tone. She really didn't expect that this group of people were still there. They had targeted her, Margaret, and now Maria.

The most terrifying enemy is never the one that is visible, but the one that hides in the darkness.

Noah didn't know how to defend herself. If she let Maria withdraw from the competition, would it stop them from continuing their plan to hurt Maria?

She also didn't know... If something really happened to Maria, what should she do? How should she face Margaret and Yolanta...

Maybe I shouldn't have supported Maria in the competition from the beginning...

Noah shook her head. "I'll try to talk to Maria, hoping she'll withdraw from the competition. I'll ensure the Linguang family's noble status isn't lost, but that's all I can do."

"She won't agree to that, and you know it."

"...Then I'll talk to Uncle Maenna and Zofia. Anyway...she can't go on."

Kuro was right, Maria was not the type to give up halfway, but if the Chamber of Commerce only had ill intentions towards Maria, he would still have a chance to maneuver, but if they really wanted to take Maria's life... what should he do?

Noah doesn't want to gamble...

-

"Insufficient authority..." While Noah was still considering how to get Maria to withdraw from the competition, Xinteleya fell into deep thought. In the previous competitions, many members of the No Helmet Alliance appeared in the audience, but as a platinum leader, she did not receive any notification.

But when she went to check, she found that her authority was not enough to query the information of this operation.

"If even a Platinum Lord like me doesn't have enough authority..." Cintela muttered to herself, "I'm increasingly starting to think the No Helmet Alliance is a rubbish company... maybe I should just quit."

My authority is not enough, which means that in this operation, I need at least the Sapphire level to know the full plan.

What's the plan... so secretive? Did I get this platinum throne for free? Why did I have to hide it from her?

Although she had Roy's contact information, she knew that Roy would not tell her. In other words, Xinteleya could only pretend that she knew nothing.

It felt really bad to know that my own organization was doing something, but I was completely clueless. I was just a small leader after all, right? Did I have to keep it a secret?

I’m tired…

Cats are better. They won’t lie to me and they won’t assign me tasks that are too difficult for me to do.

As a platinum champion, Xinteleya is very clear about her own strength. She is better than those below her, but if she compares to those above her... that would be humiliating to herself. If her strength could match Margaret's, why didn't she just win the championship directly?

My strength is stuck here, I can’t go up or down.

Holding the cat, although Xinteleya was still very uneasy, she temporarily put down the burden in her heart.

"What else can I do? It won't cause any more trouble. I can't possibly have to fight the Radiant Knight alone later, can I?"

Chapter 57: Talking at cross purposes

Maria was still in training. She had suffered quite a few injuries from the previous melee, but after she woke up from a good sleep, her waist and legs no longer hurt, and all her wounds had healed.

In the past, she definitely did not have the physical condition to recover from wounds so quickly, but after the melee yesterday, she really felt like she was reborn.

Although she couldn't say that she had fallen in love with fighting, at least she no longer rejected it.

Perhaps only by participating in it can you understand why my sister is so powerful. My sister challenged the entire knight competition on her own, although she also said that she regretted not challenging the Black Knight...

But Maria was very happy, especially during the battle with Sona. She had a rare experience of communicating with others through fighting. It seemed that those words did not need to be said with the mouth, and they were understood enough when the weapons collided with each other.

It's a pity that although Sona persisted with her until the end, she didn't leave her contact information. It was a rare opportunity to meet a knight worth making friends with, but she didn't seize the opportunity. Perhaps this was the only thing that made her a little upset.

But as long as I keep moving forward, nothing bad will happen afterwards!

As long as they enter the main competition, the Lin Guang family's noble status can be retained, and Sister Noah will definitely be very happy, after all, she has always supported me.

If it weren't for Sister Noya's support, even if she had secretly competed, she certainly wouldn't have been able to receive Uncle Mainna's guidance, let alone win until now. Thinking of Sister Noya, a warm smile appeared on her face again. When Sister Margaret was away, she could also protect Sister Noya well. Maybe Sister Noya would ask me to be her bodyguard in the future. Then, she and Sister Noya could always go out and play together.

Being able to be by Sister Noah's side is like a dream...

Maria imagined pushing Noah's wheelchair, going out to see flowers, eating together, and chatting about other things. Margaret would definitely be very busy in the future, so it seemed like I would be the only one accompanying Noah's sister. Maria thought her idea was reasonable. When Margaret was busy with work, she could always be by Noah's side, helping her with various things.

For example - for example... taking a bath together?

Maria blushed, and the sword in her hand deviated from its trajectory. She put down her shield and touched her burning face. "No...I can't help it. Sister Noah can't bathe alone... Maybe she will really need my help in the future."

She seemed to have completely forgotten that there was a Kuro beside Noya...

Maria, lost in her thoughts, hadn't noticed the presence of another person in the training ground. Kuro hadn't entered the grounds at Noya's request, as she wanted to talk to Maria alone. She slowly pushed her wheelchair down the path to Maria's side. She didn't rush over immediately, but stopped the wheelchair where it was. This was Zofia's garden, Maria's training ground. It hadn't been tended to for a long time, and the ground was overgrown with weeds. If Kuro hadn't cleared a path the last time he came, Noya wouldn't have been able to get in alone.

At this time, Maria seemed to have just finished training, and the sound of the training sword being swung could no longer be heard.

Noah was thinking about how to start. What she was about to say would definitely be a blow to Maria. Although she would definitely make it up to Maria, first... she needed Maria to agree with her proposal.

Noah, who was very good at business negotiations, was speechless at this moment. After all, he was not facing a business rival, but Maria, whom he had always loved and spoiled as his own sister. His words would undoubtedly hurt the other party. To put it even more seriously, his words would probably make Maria feel betrayed.

After all, I was the one who supported Maria to participate in the competition, but in the end, I was the one who asked Maria to withdraw...

Maybe Maria would think she was a fickle person?

The thought that Maria might ignore her in the future made her heart tighten. Her weakness was the people around her. She could laugh off attacks and conspiracies against her, even repaying evil with kindness. But once it came to those close to her, she couldn't handle it normally.

This is her biggest weakness...

But this is also for Maria's safety. If she gives up the competition and stays by his side, he can better protect her.

Protect Maria, just like you protected Margaret in the past... Noah finally raised his head and pushed the wheelchair forward.

"Maria."

Maria froze when she heard Noah's voice. Thinking of what she had just said, her face suddenly turned red.

"Sister Nuoya, when did you come?"

"Probably when you're taking a break." Noah replied, "I have something to tell you."