Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, the temperature in the room was dropping, and even the stove could not stop the temperature from continuing to drop. Harold's eyes finally revealed a sharpness at this moment. The moment he mentioned his wife and daughter, his tone, which was originally quite gentle, turned completely cold after hearing the word "waste" from the gray hat. This was the first time that the gray hat realized that the viscount was once an excellent soldier.

He was like a sword that had been sheathed for a long time, but once unsheathed, it still gleamed with a cold light.

"Literally. I asked my old friend for help. Of course, he's not an old friend of MI6, nor is he listed in the agent's records. I deliberately helped him forge an identity and file, making him disappear without a trace from MI6's sight. Such a person without any background is more convenient to use. I like to place such trustworthy "friends" in various places. This allows me to obtain intelligence faster than my colleagues." The man in the gray hat took off his hat and placed it on the recliner. "Your wife and daughter are very obedient. After knowing my purpose, they cooperated very well. Sir Harold, you have indeed taught them what to do in a crisis."

"...My patience is limited, Mr. Gray Hat, what happened to them?"

Harold's staff was already covered in frost, his Originium skills were ready to be unleashed, and his wife and daughter were his weak spot... He had thought that as long as he was obedient in Kjerag, nothing would happen.

But maybe... he thought too simply.

"Nothing, they're safe. My friend used some special means to get them away from home. Believe me, with my friend's help, your wife and daughter will be safer than at home."

"…Can I consider this a threat?"

Harold was a little confused, but he didn't let down his guard. In his eyes, this was still a threat like "Your wife and daughter are in my hands!"

"What are you going to do? Leave my wife and daughter alone, I'll do anything!"

"..." The man in the gray hat didn't respond for a moment. After a moment of silence, he finally said, "Why do you think I'm threatening you?"

"...Ah?" Harold was stunned. "But weren't you just saying that your wife and daughter are in my hands, so don't act rashly?"

"...Can what I just said be interpreted in that way?" The man in the gray hat was stunned. "What I meant is that your wife and daughter are already under my protection. They are safe."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was so awkward that it made people tap their toes. However, Harold certainly didn't believe the Gray Hat so easily. He confirmed it again and again, and even after the Gray Hat took out the token of his wife and daughter, he began to believe the other party's words a little.

"Mr. Gray Hat, if you truly mean well, I think you should learn how to speak properly." Harold was helpless. The token was a petal. To be more precise, it was a petal made of a special material crafted with Originium. This was something only his wife's Originium craft could create. Anyone who possessed this was someone worthy of trust. Harold had already believed it the moment he saw the blue petal.

"But why are you helping me?"

"I'm not helping you, I'm only helping myself." The man in the gray hat shook his head. "Sir Harold, do you have any special impression of Kjerag?"

"It's a peaceful, clean country. Although a little backward, the people are simple and honest." Harold honestly replied to the gray hat's question. "Why do you ask this?"

"Have you ever looked up at the stars at night?"

“…Of course, sometimes.”

"This is the only country in the world that's immune to natural disasters. Therefore, the sky here is crystal clear almost half the time, and you can see many more stars than anywhere else. Have you ever noticed?"

"...I hadn't realized that." Harold looked through the window. "...Now that you mention it...it's true...but what does that have to do with your reason?"

"This is my reason." The man in the gray hat didn't elaborate on why, but just said this. "Someone told me to look up, so I looked up, and then I decided to do what might be the craziest thing in my life."

He raised his head.

"I want to change Victoria."

Chapter 39: Impossible Things

Perhaps at the beginning, he was just shocked by the scenes shown by Noah and lost the ability to think rationally for a while, but after that night, he had changed.

No, it might be better to say that he was reborn. He just felt that everything in the past was so stupid, such a waste of youth, and what he was chasing was so empty. However, he believed it firmly at that time. The indoctrinated ideas and deliberately shaped concepts were like a solid iron cage, trapping his true soul inside.

Being an agent is a dangerous profession, one in which one could end up dead on the streets at any time. Countless of his colleagues have been tortured and abused because of a small mistake. Once their identities are exposed, in most cases, unless they are extremely skilled, they will most likely say goodbye to this world. They are the type to watch out for in the next life.

But it was precisely because of these days of living on the edge of a knife that Gray Hat even forgot who he originally was.

Those endless codes can really alienate a person's self-awareness.

Having been an actor for so long, and with every performance being a matter of life and death, his acting skills had become ingrained in his bones, turning him into something almost a monster.

Every time he wrote a disguise, he would put on another disguise. He even had to change into the uniform when he slept. This uniform had almost become his second skin. Only when he was in disguise would he change his clothes and transform himself into another person through makeup and muscle control.

In MI6, his code name is "Faceless Man". All the agents of the same period as him have been killed or injured, and his parents died long before he joined the agent work. Now he is alone in the world. He even got married to his wife just to reassure his superiors. The two of them live their own lives. He will pay enough alimony to his nominal wife and bring a small gift when he returns.

However, there was no love or physical relationship between them. They tacitly agreed not to talk about private matters, but they were able to pretend to be a loving couple who lived in harmony with their neighbors.

He lived like this for twenty years. He had long forgotten what his own face looked like. Every time he looked in the mirror, he saw a hypocritical face. Even if he died, no one would know who he really was.

The only file that can prove his identity is in the top-secret files of MI6.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he has not left MI6 until now. This is the last place where he can prove that he really exists in this world.

Faceless man, grey hat, MI6 agent.

Under these identities, my own name... has long been forgotten by me.

He continued onward in confusion, never once experiencing a sense of peace. Everyone lives to overcome anxiety and fear, to find peace. Gaining fame, dominating others, earning money—all for the sake of peace. Serving others, striving for love and peace—all for the sake of peace. The pursuit of peace is the human purpose. And this peace of mind, however, is something this job cannot bring him.

He just did what he was told, without ever considering whether...what he was doing was right.

He is not short of money, he has a comfortable life, he can get everything he wants, and he can even bypass the laws that bind ordinary citizens to do what he wants. His job gives him privileges that ordinary people cannot get, because he works for those big men, these big men are above the law, they are high-ranking nobles, dukes, they are superiors, and their existence allows him to get everything almost easily.

After all, those big shots just want their [services] to do things that they cannot do directly.

He was their black glove, and his hands were already stained with blood.

He has everything, yet seems to have nothing.

Even his desires have gradually faded away: wealth, sex, and even appetite; he is increasingly lacking in the things that belong to a human being.

No, if you think about it carefully, it was his education that deliberately stripped him of his humanity.

This is Victoria's spy education, which reduces the meaning of people and turns them into a group of inhumane, faceless and useful tools. Agents educated in this way will naturally ignore their personal safety. Even if they are tortured, they will never reveal any information. They can also betray their relatives and friends without any psychological burden, and even sacrifice their lives, because of these education, brainwashing, and even the alienation of their living conditions.

They became monsters—

The reason why humans are human beings is that apart from their animal nature, they possess the brilliance of humanity that shines like stars.

Noah had unintentionally rekindled something, bringing fresh energy to his withered spiritual world. The radiant stars, the starry sky he could see just by looking up, made him feel his own insignificance and at the same time, he had regained a part of his forgotten humanity.

That's the first thing a child has...a desire to learn.

So he raised his head and looked no longer at the rotten soil, but at the bright stars.

Closing his pocket watch, the Faceless Man in Gray Hat stood in an unnoticed corner of the train station, leaning against a wall graffitied with a black cat. He raised his head and looked at the railway tracks in the distance. It was a surging beast, powered by Originium, and its breath spewed out thick smoke. The mechanical behemoth created by human civilization ran on the iron tracks, as if it could crush everything in front of it.

And in this giant beast, the faceless man knew that inside, the real monster was hidden.

After the train stopped and the doors opened, a line of guards hurriedly formed two rows on both sides of the door. Special guards got off the train carrying musical instruments such as drums, followed by trombones. After all these guards got off the train, the noisy music attracted everyone's attention, and the real visitors, Vina Victoria, and her aunt, the Duke of Caster, got off the train one after another.

Enthiotis, who had been waiting for a long time, and Duke Kaster, who got off the car, seemed to have a look at each other for a moment, but the two looked away as if they didn't know each other. Enthiotis politely extended his hand to Vina.

"I've heard of your great name, Mr. Speaker of Victoria."

"You're welcome. I've also heard a lot of legends about you from Noya."

Both were very polite. Vina and Enthiotis were actually somewhat related, but this obviously could not be stated out loud. They simply exchanged pleasantries and talked about some insignificant topics. This was the beginning of the first friendly meeting between the two countries. It can be said that although Kjerag was a small country that had just started, it made no mistakes in etiquette, which was enough to show the importance the other party attached to this visit.

The faceless man, who had been observing the scene coldly, shook the newspaper in his hand, obscuring his features. He had deliberately donned a disguise when arriving here, and now he looked like a Kjerag native, wearing black-framed glasses, a scholarly demeanor, and a black beret. He had just noticed that Duke Kaster's gaze had glanced over here, whether intentionally or not, and wondered if he had noticed something.

——No, there’s no need to worry.

The Faceless Man was very confident in his disguise skills. If Duke Kaster could easily see through his disguise, then all his efforts would be in vain.

As the faceless man said, Duke of Caster did subconsciously check the entire station. Inside the station, he found many secret sentries, or plainclothes guards set up to prevent accidents. After all, this was a friendly visit, and there was nothing wrong with this level of security. It was just that Duke of Caster always felt a little uneasy. This uneasiness had already shown some signs on the train, and now it made him even more suspicious.

However, apart from this intuitive feeling that something was wrong, she seemed to have noticed nothing.

She could only hide this uneasiness in her heart. After all, she was not a person who would easily expose her emotions. Duke Caister withdrew his gaze and turned his attention back to Vina.

In fact, Kaister's feelings towards this niece can be said to be very complicated, but this is not because she is his niece, but because her existence has seriously threatened his status and power, and he does not have enough chips to restrict the other party.

In politics, direct clashes are rare, and it is normal to exploit each other's weaknesses and play checks and balances. The former Duke of Caster was a leader in this regard.

She has a lot of good information about the nobles in her hands, and she uses these things as chips. She almost never loses to anyone in the gamble with Victoria. She always seems to make the most correct decisions. Many people praise her as a natural iron-fisted duke, but only she herself knows that most of what she does is walking on a tightrope. The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Her luck is always better than most people, so she has come to where she is today.

Moreover, her bloodline also gave her a lot of conveniences - and the most convenient thing was that after the execution of the previous emperor, she, who had royal blood, gained the recognition of most royalists. Through the resources of these old nobles, she successfully expanded her political resources and gained control of MI6 - if she wanted, or if she just wanted to, perhaps she could have become the new king long ago.

However, after witnessing the death of her brother, she never thought of becoming the emperor of this country. Even if she had thought about it, it had disappeared the moment she witnessed her brother's execution.

Becoming an emperor is not an easy path. Even his own brother was dealt with by the grand dukes after trying to weaken the power of the grand dukes.

Ultimately, in a country with a deeply ingrained aristocracy, weakening the Grand Duke's power was simply impossible. Even if you were the Emperor, you were still just the Emperor. The one who truly controlled the Victorian Empire was never the so-called "Emperor."

It's an aristocratic system.

Or use another term - [princes].

The Grand Duke is the pinnacle of aristocratic politics. Their existence is of great importance and can even be said to be the foundation of the entire aristocratic politics.

Most of the Grand Dukes were beneficiaries of the hereditary system, inheriting power, wealth, and private armies—or, more accurately, "strength"—from their ancestors. The power of these Grand Dukes grew over time, reaching its peak before the late Emperor's execution. These Dukes controlled the nation's economic lifeline, becoming truly wealthy enough to rival an entire nation. Naturally, this situation did not satisfy the late Emperor.

Almost every Victorian emperor tried to reduce the power of the nobility.

Most people did not dare to use the knife at will, so they were very restrained. In most cases, it was just a mutual compromise between the royal family and the nobles, and would not cause any damage to the foundation.

But what the late emperor originally intended to do... was a little different.

When the Duke of Caister was summoned to the palace, she never thought that her brother would have such an idea, or rather, several previous emperors seemed to have already laid the groundwork.

[The Parliament of Londinium], this parliament was not established from scratch by Vina, but was formed a long time ago, and every emperor served as the speaker.

The existence of the Londinium Council was to reduce the power of the Dukes, but at the beginning, the Dukes turned a blind eye. After all, this level of weakening should not hurt them.

But soon, they realized that something was wrong...

Normally, the dukes would be informed of parliamentary issues before they were discussed, allowing them to prepare their responses, like a deal. However, during that parliamentary session, the late king, for the first time, held a parliamentary election without notifying the nobility.

After hearing this plan, the clever Duke of Caster realized what the late emperor was doing.

The late emperor, who had always been gentle and even a little weak, smiled and said to her that day.

"You understand, sister...someone has to touch the thorns beneath this rotten crown."

He stroked the gilded pattern of the Speaker's seat, his eyes sweeping across the empty Londinium Council Chamber, finally resting on the Duke of Caister's cold face.

"They believe that the imperial power and the nobility are united, but we all know that those private armies are not 'power', but a knife hanging at the throat of the empire. What my father left behind was not a throne, but a gallows."

The late emperor's voice was soft, but it sounded like he was reading out a verdict:

"You can continue to be that 'clever duke,' using bargaining chips and secrets to maintain balance... but a Victoria like that will always be just meat on the chopping block of the princes. Even you, one day, will be crushed by the iron hoofs of the private army."

The clever Duke...

At that time, the late emperor, no... to be more precise, it was my own brother, who said this to me.

“We are all helpless.”

He turned his chair and seemed to be talking to someone.

"We can't leave such a big mess for Vina. I hope you can understand me."

Although Duke Caister remembered his words, he did not respond immediately.

Because she felt that this was a bill that would never be passed, and no noble would give up the right to protect themselves.

My brother is doing something that is not allowed.

Chapter 40: Victoria’s Royal Family is such a mess

The trance-like look only flashed by for a moment. The Duke of Caister was not a man who cared about the past. She inherited everything that should be inherited from the royal family.

From the very beginning, Aslan's royal power was obtained from Draco. In other people's words, it was an illegitimate position. Therefore, the Aslan royal family has always worked hard to govern the country, bestowing titles on those who have made outstanding contributions, and using aristocratic politics to push Victoria to the pinnacle of the era. At the pinnacle of Victoria, that is the glory of the entire Terra. Victoria, which was the first to enter the Industrial Revolution, is a country full of vitality.

But that was a long, long time ago, and the memory has almost disappeared from Duke Caister's memory.

But she still remembered what her brother had said to her before the coronation ceremony.

"After the coronation, I'll take you to the North to see the railway tracks running through the tundra."

He reached out and gently stroked her hair.

As a young girl, her overly long skirt lifted, she chased her brother's flowing cloak through the corridors of the Londinium Palace. The stone pillars still echoed with the precise ticking of mechanical clocks, and the silver chain of her brother's sword clashed with his medals, making a clear sound, as if the heart of the entire empire was beating to his steps.

She was very afraid of the portraits of past kings on the portrait wall. Their gazes made her feel suffocated. But her brother was different. He always stood in front of her and protected her.

She thought she could live her life like this... a carefree... princess.

But she was wrong. She forgot that she lived in an imperial family. When her brother turned his back on her and decided her marriage, she finally woke up.

She is going to marry the old and sick Duke of Caister...

She pressed the tip of her bloodstained tongue against the roof of her mouth, letting the sweet, rusty taste spread. Her brother's cuff, embroidered with a golden lion, was close at hand. The hand that had once held her while she picked apples now pressed against the marriage agreement, its joints as distinct as the spikes of a northern railroad track—the long steel dragon he had promised to show her had, after all, crushed her ribs first.

"Aslan's bloodline will live on with Victoria forever."

Her brother's deep voice echoed in her childhood memories, but the final note was no longer the gentle tremor that lulled her to sleep, but the dull thud of a document being sealed. She counted the diamond-shaped spots of light cast by the stained glass on his profile, and suddenly realized that two of them just happened to cover his eyes, as if the portraits of past kings had finally eroded this warm body.

The question that was boiling in her throat was not asked out loud. She knew, understood, and even agreed with her brother's judgment. They were not just an ordinary pair of siblings. They were the King and Princess of Victoria. They were destined to shoulder this responsibility and inherit the duties of the Aslan royal family. However, she was also a girl, a girl who had fantasized... that her brother would definitely protect her.

How ridiculous, she thought.