Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Winter and summer seem to be completely opposite ends, but unexpected situations always happen. They were originally two student leaders, but under the influence of external factors, they became a group.

【Ursus Student Autonomous Group】

Because Liexia was the one who joined the group, she naturally had to be subordinate to Lindong. However, she didn't care. To her, status was not an important thing, and she preferred to be a person who carried out tasks rather than a leader.

Liexia never thought much about the time when food was scarce. This was also the reason why she was one of the only people in the entire autonomous group who was not affected by the PTSD of that experience. She was not dull, but she knew better that if she kept dwelling on the past, she would only be swallowed by the past. She sincerely believed that there was nothing much to say about the hardships she had overcome and conquered. In the end, what was worth remembering was that she and her companions successfully survived and they overcame all difficulties together.

It is enough to remember this result.

Anyway, in the end they were rescued by the people of Rhodes Island, and that's why she came to Rhodes Island.

Rhode Island has established a relatively complete process for the placement of minors.

First, we would give top priority to recommending them to schools in various locations—mainly depending on the location of Rhode Island at the time—to help the children complete their studies.

Rhodes Island does not want these minors to prematurely cut off their future possibilities. Although Rhodes Island offers various courses for operators to study, and those who do not wish to return to school can choose to receive education, this type of education does not allow them to obtain a valid diploma recognized by the government. Frankly speaking, being employed by Rhodes Island is not the best option for minors.

After all, the missions on Rhodes Island were extremely dangerous and required contact with patients with minerals, which easily exposed them to the risk of infection. However, Liexia, like the other members of the Student Self-Government Group, declined the offer to attend other middle schools in Ursus. She chose to stay on Rhodes Island, accepting commissions as an operator while studying on board the ship. This was in addition to the open classes she was taking on in Rhodes Island.

Soon, she became a capable person in Rhodes Island.

During her time at school, she and Operator Winter were both leading figures among the students. Now, as a member of the field team, Liexia had put in a lot of effort to become a member of the field team in such a short time.

But... her stay in Rhodes Island wasn't just due to her ties with the autonomous group.

More importantly…her mother, Tatyana Yevgenyevna Larina.

Yes, although she was lucky...but her mother...

Maybe I'm not that lucky.

-

"Uncle, why are you silent?"

Rosalin put her hands on her hips and questioned the uncle in front of her who caused the avalanche. Although she was very grateful to the uncle for saving her, if it weren't for the uncle shouting and yelling, she would not have been in danger at all, so she still wanted to ask this guy what he was thinking.

only……

What could he say?

Or rather, what should he say?

For so many years, he had never left Kjerag. Back then, he had watched helplessly as the woman he loved most in the world left without even being able to say a word to stop her. He was a coward, a failed husband, and even more of a failed father.

For so many years, he seemed to have done nothing for the girl in front of him. He was her father, but he had never fulfilled his father's responsibilities.

Before he went up the mountain, he'd considered many things, thought about what he'd say after they met, and imagined Rosaline staying in Kjerag. He'd cried and laughed, like a madman. Facing this girl, who was much shorter than him, Actor, a man who used to be a towering figure, felt only restrained and uneasy. Guilt, sadness, anticipation, and a hint of pleading.

Hey……

He suddenly relaxed. He knew that he had no right or qualifications to make any demands. He would satisfy his daughter's every need without asking for anything in return.

"...Forget it. Compared to you... I'd better go look for Zofia and Maria. They're both descendants of the Golden Pegasus, so they shouldn't be killed by the avalanche... ah, it's hard to say, it's an avalanche after all." Rosalyn had seen Margaret's abilities before, but she quickly realized that Margaret's situation shouldn't be treated as a universal one. So she looked down at the edge of the cliff and shuddered...

Fortunately, she had just noticed that Yaxin didn't seem to be swept into the avalanche. As the person most familiar with the mountain environment here, she immediately used the ice pick on the climbing rope to stabilize her body, so there was no need to worry.

However, she still had the Rhodes Island terminal on her. She first sent a message to Maria and Zofia, saying that she was fine. Soon, Zofia also reported that she was safe. Maria beside her seemed a little unwell, but it was nothing serious.

Rosalyn finally felt relieved when she realized that everyone was fine.

As for that strange hat... To be honest, Rosaline shouldn't have to worry about him.

"Rosaline..." Just after Rosaline confirmed the two people's situation, Actor finally spoke up. "Don't get too close over there. Be careful of danger."

"Don't worry, I'm not you. And if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been caught in the avalanche." Rosalyn curled her lips. "Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"..." Actor moved his arm. He might have strained a muscle in his hand from grabbing the small tree just now. It was a little painful when he moved it, but this minor injury was already very lucky. If he was caught in an avalanche, it would not be a problem that could be solved by a strain. He shook his head silently. "It's nothing. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... You rest first, I'll see if I can climb up. My friend's fine, but he probably won't be able to save us for a while," Rosalyn explained. After all, their location was rather unusual: a small platform beneath a cliff, some distance from the summit. "Ya Xin has probably already called for help. We can wait, but I think it's best to try to save ourselves first."

"...Be careful." Axtos didn't know what to say, but he obviously couldn't make it up. His arm muscle strain was quite severe. At first, he didn't feel any pain because of the adrenaline, but now he felt like his arm was broken. However, the Miss Cliffheart that Rosaline mentioned... was probably referring to the third daughter of the Shiva Ash family. Being rescued by someone from the Shiva Ash family... Axtos felt really embarrassed. "Also, these bastards from Victoria actually set their sights on you. This matter can't just end like this!"

"So that guy is really Victoria's spy?" Rosalyn blinked. "Actually... he didn't do anything to me. It's more like I could tell something was wrong with him a long time ago. If you hadn't come, I would have caught him."

"...I'm sorry." Actor's face flushed red, not only because of the embarrassment of his own misdeeds, but also because of a little pride in his daughter's intelligence. "But it will be too late if something really happens. If it weren't for the wrong timing, I would have beaten him so hard that he would never dare to set foot on the territory of my Perlochi family again!"

"Haha, uncle, you're a sentimental person, and your original intention was to save me, so I won't mind your yelling before—of course, I won't mind it, but you have to apologize to my friend. Maria was really hurt."

"...Yeah." Axtos nodded, but Rosaline suddenly remembered the question she almost forgot to ask.

"Oh, right. I almost asked you, why did you risk your life to save me? You were clearly coming towards me just now, weren't you? This is an avalanche. You could really die if you were caught in it."

"... This..." Aktos hesitated for a moment, but finally made up his mind. "Rosalyn. I know it might be hard for you to accept this now, but... Tatiana and I—no, your mother and I—met on the top of this mountain."

…The cold wind blew, and for a moment, there was a deathly silence between them.

Rosalyn scratched her head.

"...and Mom...you mean, you are..."

"It's just what you think." Actor nodded with a serious face.

"Are you an old acquaintance of my mother?"

"..."

Actos choked. He had prepared a long string of words, but he couldn't say a single word.

He held it in for a long time, but finally gave up on choosing his words.

"Rosaline, you are my daughter."

-

"It's really spectacular... an avalanche." Noah folded her wings and landed lightly beside Margaret. Looking at the mess in front of her, she couldn't help but sigh at the power of nature. By the way... she also praised Margaret for single-handedly directing the avalanche in another direction. The difficulty of that sword just now was probably like directly intercepting a waterfall. Margaret was worthy of her name. She became stronger when she was away.

"Are Zofia and Maria okay?" Margaret's first concern must be these two people. She didn't think it was amazing that she could do such a thing, but that was Margaret's personality.

"She's fine, Maria just suffered some minor injuries." Noah briefly reported the situation. "She's not even broken. I just saw Enshia at the top of the mountain, and she's fine too."

"That's good..." Margaret nodded. "If everyone is fine, that's the best outcome."

"Not everyone is fine, but there is a group of people who may have something to say, so I didn't disturb them." Noah actually saw Rosaline and Actor, but compared to the slowness of the two father and daughter, Noah saw the similarities between the two at a glance, especially their eyebrows and eyes, which were exactly the same as if they were copied, plus the strong emotions emanating from them. These two people will probably have to talk for a while, so when the time comes, let Enxia come to rescue them, and he will not intervene.

Maintaining the flying posture is very tiring, and you also have to rescue people.

"Margaret, what about you? Are you really okay with withstanding the avalanche?" Noya reached out her hand with some concern, intending to use the gray matter to probe briefly. Margaret showed no sign of resistance. As the gray matter scanned Margaret's body thoroughly, confirming that there was nothing wrong with her, she released her hand. "It looks like you're fine, but Margaret, you're a bit too reckless this time."

"This is the fastest way." Margaret smiled. "Besides, I'm fine, right?"

"This can't be used as an excuse to mess around, right?" Noah put his hands on his hips in annoyance. "What if you get hurt?"

"...But don't we still have you?" Margaret smiled and said as if she didn't care at all, "With you here, I have nothing to worry about."

"..." Noah's face flushed slightly, "Do you think of me as a very convenient woman?"

"In a sense, Noah, you are indeed very convenient, but of course I don't think so... I simply trust you and believe that you can solve any problem." Margaret explained, "Even if I fail, you will definitely find a way to solve this problem."

"You can't do that!!!" Touched but angry, Noah angrily kicked the girl on the inside of the knee, almost sending her carelessly into the snowdrift. Margaret, however, wasn't angry. After stumbling a few steps, she casually grabbed a snowball from the snowdrift and threw it directly at Noah's head. Of course, the snowball was soft and harmless, but Noah was still anxious and grabbed a handful of snowballs and threw them at Margaret.

"How childish!"

"Who told you to start it first?"

"No hiding! No using Originium techniques!"

"Hey, don't hit your nose!"

The two of them actually started a snowball fight. Margaret knew Noah too well and knew how to let Noah vent his emotions. After a few rounds of attack and defense, Noah's anger subsided, and he finally ended it by punching Margaret. She was not a person who held grudges. After confirming that everyone was okay, she relaxed and sat next to Margaret. At this time, they were sitting in the mountains, with the mess of an avalanche behind them, and they sat here - no one would come to disturb them, only the cold wind and ice and snow.

"Margaret..."

"Ok?"

"I've thought about it carefully."

"Ah."

"I...can't give up the mace. It's not fair to her."

"I never asked you to give up on anyone, Noah."

"But... shouldn't love be one-on-one? I can't give up my feelings for you, but I can't say no to you..."

Noah lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly.

"Am I... a very greedy person?"

"...Quite the opposite." Margaret reached out and touched Noah's head. "You just don't want to hurt anyone. If that can be called greed, then the greediest one isn't you, but me."

She lowered her head and kissed Noah's forehead. "I know you already have a home, but I can't bear the feelings in my heart. I am the one who didn't enter your heart first. I am the greedy person who should be despised. This is not in line with the code of chivalry, but... Noah, you are the code I should abide by."

"...So cunning, Margaret."

"Same here, Xiaoya."

Chapter 30: Showdown

In this avalanche incident, it seemed that no one was seriously injured, but... in fact, everyone subconsciously ignored one person.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..." The man in the gray hat popped his head out from the snow pile. In the avalanche, he struggled to protect his hat so that it would not fall off his head. To be honest, even the man in the gray hat himself did not expect that it would develop into an avalanche later - he originally just wanted to use a smoke bomb to escape. He had a lot of escape props specially used by agents, such as this smoke bomb that could produce a large amount of smoke when it was hit on the ground.

But now it’s different—although he escaped, the price he paid was that he was almost buried by the avalanche.

Has he always been this unlucky since coming to Kjerag?

The man in the gray hat shook his hat, shaking off the snow on the ground. He felt that he had broken at least two ribs in this avalanche... or maybe three, it didn't matter. The point was... he had now successfully survived this avalanche and disappeared from everyone's sight, which would be helpful for subsequent work.

He breathed a sigh of relief, as if to let go of all the resentment he had been feeling for a while, but before he could sort himself out, the moment he turned his head, he froze in place.

"Have you run enough?"

"……enough."

"I've been waiting for you for a long time. You're so well-informed—you actually managed to find this place."

"That's quite a compliment, Ms. Mace. I'm here purely by luck, or rather, it was this avalanche that brought me here."

The man in the gray hat replied politely, but he had already started to sweat.

"...I'm not talking about why you were swept down here." Jian frowned. "Do you have to get involved in a father-daughter reunion?"

"If it were just a simple encounter between father and daughter, I would only offer my blessing. However... Miss Jian, your presence here doesn't mean... Miss Nuoya has actually been paying attention to me?"

"I'm not with her right now. My employer has temporarily changed to that guy from the Shivaash family." Mace didn't intend to hide anything. "So, I don't know what she's planning, but... no matter what, I don't think she can just ignore you. Mr. Victoria's spy."

"That was my misconception. I originally thought Miss Noya would be a key piece in Kjerag's plan. However, after arriving in Kjerag, I discovered something that really concerned me..." The man in the gray hat sighed. "Whether it's Miss Rosalyn or Miss Noya... are they all smokescreens?"

"..."

"The Black Knight truly doesn't lie." The Gray Hat smiled. "Ms. Mace, you're not here to stop me from approaching Actor and Rosaline. Quite the opposite. Your appearance here... is simply to make it seem more convincing. You're here to deepen this misunderstanding, aren't you?"

"Are you done?" Jian stood up from the wooden stake and pulled out his twin maces from the snow. "Smart people always talk a lot. I don't understand, and I'm too lazy to understand."

"Now, pick up your weapons." The two maces flashed with a cold light. As her eyes narrowed slightly, lightning flashed between her golden hair. "Let me test how sharp Victoria's claws are."

The man in the gray hat remained silent. The Black Knight, Casimir's Triple Crown Champion, was a "defective piece" of Leitania who was unable to use Originium techniques, but possessed unparalleled martial arts skills. This was what was contained in the intelligence.

If that were all, he would naturally not be afraid of the existence of the mace. As an elite agent of Victoria, Gray Hat is not just an intelligence officer. If necessary, he can go to the battlefield.

But... maybe he really didn't expect...

Miss Black Knight is surprisingly powerful to this extent.

He felt his throat was very dry, and if possible, he wanted a glass of water... Unfortunately, what was in front of him was a terrifying monster, not a friendly person who would hand him a glass of warm water.

"No, no, no." Gray Hat took a half step back. "I surrender, Ms. Mace. Why should we fight? This whole clue is wrong. If you don't mind, I should go down the mountain for lunch."

The man in the gray hat raised his hand, indicating he was unarmed. He could sense... the Black Knight's strength was indeed unmatched, but if he simply fled... the enemy would likely not catch up. Right now, surrender might be the right decision. He was a warrior, and warriors wouldn't harm an unarmed person, especially one who had lost the will to fight. Most likely, he could escape safely.

unless……

"...These are just some of my small guesses, Ms. Mace."

He spoke.

"From what I know, Enthiotis is not a man who would act without purpose. If Miss Rosalyn were truly unimportant, I don't believe he would use this as bait."

He is very good at guessing the thoughts of smart people, or in other words, he is good at profiling others. He collected the most intelligence on Enthiotis and paid the most attention to it. With such a large amount of intelligence, he almost outlined the personality traits of Enthiotis. This person is a perfectionist and he will consider everything he does. But precisely because of this, his deliberate confusion is not what it seems... If it is just a smoke bomb, in fact, for Gray Hat, identifying smoke bombs is his job.

So - what about changing your thinking?

Could it be that, from the very beginning, Miss Rosalyn, while acting as a smokescreen, was also part of the plan?

That’s right, if you want to lie to others, you have to learn to selectively tell the truth.