Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Mainna really saw cats running around inside, as well as the company employees who were overwhelmed by the cats and looked very happy. These employees did not have the resentment that the employees in her company should have, nor did they have dark circles under their eyes. Various ornaments and personal belongings were placed on each workstation. The atmosphere in the company was also very good, with almost no one scolding others loudly. There were a few who were obviously newcomers, and there were always old employees watching them, as if it was a model of old employees leading new ones.

No matter from which aspect...this company is too conscientious...

The conscience is so bad that it makes Ma Enna doubt whether this is a normal company...

But he had already arrived at his destination, which was the president's office. In front of the office door, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

No matter what, even if the other party made unreasonable demands, he would respond with a very stable emotion. Years of office life have made him calm, and he has the confidence to remain calm even when faced with a disaster.

"excuse me--"

Bang—as soon as Mainna walked into the office, two bouquets of fireworks were set off. Noah, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and Kuro, who was wearing a mask, appeared on both sides, each holding a used firecracker in his hand.

"Welcome Uncle Maenna!"

Chapter 12: Ranger

"So, you chose me?"

The moment Mainna saw Noah, he actually understood the whole story. Noah wanted a trustworthy and capable assistant, and Mainna happened to be proficient in the business and was also an elder he was familiar with, so he naturally trusted him more. Although it was somewhat presumptuous for a junior to hire an elder, Noah believed that Mainna would not mind such a thing, otherwise he would not have said that even if he lost his noble status, Lin Guang would still be Lin Guang.

From that moment on, Noah knew that the [Lin Guang] in front of him still had the pride that every Lin Guang should have. This was different from the so-called arrogance. This was the pride that was in his bones, the persistence to never follow the crowd and refuse to be assimilated by any era.

Noah still remembers that Mainna was once a free-spirited young ranger - even now that he has become a middle-aged office worker, he cannot erase the most persistent will in his heart.

Now the sword is just placed in the scabbard. When it is unsheathed, it will still shine with cold light.

"I won't explain the whole story. Mr. Mainna, will you accept my offer? The salary is negotiable," Noah said with a smile. Mainna looked at the girl before him and sighed softly. Perhaps he should have made some assumptions before coming here. After all, she was a rising star in the business world and had the right and the qualifications to become the spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce. Taking on such a position was obviously dangerous, at least for Noah. The dangers of this position were self-evident.

For a blind girl with limited mobility, being in a high position is a form of flattery. The spokesperson position presents both an opportunity and a risk. While her safety is guaranteed when Kuro is around, what if he's not around? Or, in other words, what if he's been lured away?

Then Noah would have almost no ability to deal with emergencies, which is unavoidable no matter how strong her abilities are, so she chose to seek the protection of her elders, or in other words, seek the protection of Maenna.

Although Mainna hasn't drawn his sword in a long time, Noya still believes in the strength of the ranger known as Lin Guang.

That's [Lin Guang]—

Mainna could guess most of Noya's thoughts, and could also understand her anxiety about her own safety. In fact, if Noya really thought that Kuro alone could protect her, it was indeed a bit unrealistic. When she appeared in front of Mainna for help, Mainna suddenly remembered some past events. That was when she was still a ranger. There were many people around her at that time, including knights, mercenaries, rangers, and members of the guerrillas. When they mixed together, some ridiculous things often happened.

A mixed team, an eclectic ranger. Back then, he was far away from his family and did not need to bear so many responsibilities.

Mainna's style of action is actually very mercenary, but he doesn't care about the reward, he just acts according to his own will. He will fight alone in the gang camp to protect a girl, and he will also shed light rain for a pet dog, regardless of the cost, just acting spontaneously.

If there is any price he would charge...it would be the help of the weak.

Back then, he probably never dreamed that he would become the person he hated the most. And the cause of all this... was a letter, a letter from his family informing him that his brother and sister-in-law were missing.

Then, the shining ranger disappeared—

He thought that he would not receive such requests for help for a long time. After all, he had been far away from the forest that bore his dreams, and also away from his brothers. Many of them probably did not want to see him again.

only……

Mainna lowered her head and looked at the girl who was a big shot in the business world but looked extremely fragile.

"I accept."

Perhaps, it’s just that old habits die hard—

-

Maria probably had no idea that her uncle had become Noah's subordinate. She didn't have much time to think about it. Zofia's training was more rigorous than she had imagined. According to her, the current competition system involved melee, so sufficient endurance was required. Therefore, the training she added to Maria included long-term combat that was quite challenging.

"Come on, I only used one hand! You didn't even hit me once!"

"Aunt, your swordsmanship only uses one hand!"

Maria complained. Indeed, Zofia now used a rapier, and her swordsmanship was similar to Leitania's. It was indeed a type of swordsmanship that could be controlled with one hand.

"If I were in actual combat, my other hand wouldn't be idle—whether it was holding a crossbow or unleashing Originium techniques, it would increase the danger of the battle. Do you want to experience the Leitania way of fighting?"

"Hey..." Maria once again deflected Zofia's thrust with her shield. The practice sword in her hand was beginning to feel heavy. There was nothing she could do. They had been fighting for two or three hours, and Zofia was still energetic, but Maria was almost completely exhausted. "I...I...pause...I need to rest..."

"No! Keep attacking!"

"...wuwuwu..."

Maria forced herself to muster up her strength, but this time the slash clearly revealed a huge flaw. Zofia easily penetrated the rapier through the gap in the shield, like threading a needle, and hit Maria's armor.

"Okay, score." Zofia swung her sword in a flower pattern and gracefully put away the sword in her hand. "You're still a thousand years too early to defeat me."

“…We’ve been dragged into a long battle,” Maria complained. “I’m running out of energy…”

"Then why are you so exhausted? And why didn't you use your Originium skills during the fight just now?" Zofia finally pointed out. "Your Originium skills can clearly allow you to sustain longer, but you relied on your weaknesses to compete with me. Do you think your sword skills can surpass mine in such a short time?"

"No... I haven't thought about it that way." Maria quickly shook her head. "But, this is sword training, right?"

"I've said it before, this is actual combat training, not just swordsmanship—you can use everything else." Zofia just found it amusing. "You have to fully utilize your strengths. Your Originium skills can provide emergency treatment and pain relief, which is already your advantage. The most important thing in combat is flexibility. You must use your strengths to counter the enemy's weaknesses. You are indeed too inexperienced right now."

Chapter 13: The One Who Defiles Glory

"It seems that Sister Kuro also said something similar..." Maria scratched her head and originally wanted to sit down on the spot, but was kicked directly on the butt by Zofia.

"You are not allowed to sit down. If you sit down now, all the previous ones will be wasted. You need to let your body adapt to this kind of fatigue. You can try to relieve it with Originium skills, but you must not sit down. Stand still." Zofia was always strict when teaching, but this was also the path Maria had chosen, so she could only grit her teeth and stand up. As the warm light of Originium skills spread, her originally sore hands and feet finally began to ease, and her expression slowly relaxed.

"Speaking of which, who is Kuro?" Speaking of Kuro, Zofia was actually quite curious. Kuro had been with Noya for two years, but she had never seen Kuro's mask, and she had no idea how strong this bodyguard was. She seemed to have sparred with Kuro when Margaret was still around. Although Zofia didn't know the final outcome, at least Margaret hadn't worried about Noya's safety since then.

"I don't know..." Maria shook her head. "To be honest, when I was training with you, I felt the gap, but I felt I could catch up with some effort... But when I was sparring with Kuro-nee, it was like facing a mountain. All my attacks seemed meaningless. It felt like even if she didn't dodge, it would be useless."

"...Are you trying to say I'm weaker than her?"

"No! Really not!" Maria shuddered and shook her head quickly. "I just feel that Sister Kuro's strength is more mysterious. I feel a little confused."

"Hmph—I bet you wouldn't dare think so." Zofia frowned. "Although I don't have any objection to Kuro, she always keeps the habit of wearing a mask. Is there something wrong with her face?"

"Maybe she's just so beautiful underneath the mask! Maybe that's why she wears it! I've heard of similar novel settings!"

"Read less legendary novels!"

Zofia knocked Maria's head in annoyance, but there was indeed something strange about Kuro. Except for Noah, it seemed that no one knew Kuro's origin or appearance. They only knew that her strength was unfathomable.

It’s not that she suspects Kuro has any bad intentions. Sofia just thinks that they are already so familiar with each other, so it should be okay to tell them, right?

But Noah should have his own considerations, so I shouldn't think too much about it... Unlike my stupid niece, Noah has been smart since he was a child, and he is also a reliable and trustworthy person.

Most of the time, just trust her judgment. There's no point in overthinking it. She should know what she's doing.

"Take a ten-minute break, then continue!"

“…Eh!!!”

After a while, the sound of weapons clashing could be heard again in the garden training ground.

On the other hand, when Maria was suffering, Noah also officially changed into the exclusive uniform of the spokesperson of the Chamber of Commerce. Noah was also a very rare female spokesperson. The clothes on her body were mainly silver-white. The small cloak on the left was embroidered with the family emblem of the Kirilet family. It was a purple cross shield surrounded by four irises, representing the family motto of the Kirilet family.

Purity, tenacity, dedication, sacrifice.

The Kirielet family was once a distinguished family of knights, perhaps slightly inferior to the Linguang family, but nonetheless a family with considerable historical significance. During Cyril Linguang's repeated battles with the Ursus army, the Kirielet ancestors participated, performing remarkable feats. And Noah Kirielet, born into a family of knights, also attracted considerable attention from the outset.

But compared to the brilliance of Margaret Linguang, Noah was a little dim - and after an accident, she became blind and disabled, completely losing the ability to compete with Margaret in the way of knights.

From then on, Noah went from being a highly anticipated rising star to being quickly forgotten.

This is understandable, after all, the name of that era was Margaret Linguang.

Especially when Margaret became the youngest knight competition champion in history and was awarded the title of Knight of Glory, the whole of Casimir was dimmed. She was the knight of destiny, the pride of Casimir, and the noble person who carried the name of Lin Guang.

If it weren't for the subsequent operation of the Business Federation, which forced Knight Yao to leave Casimir shortly after winning the championship... perhaps, perhaps Casimir would have already changed a lot by now.

It is precisely because Noah is Margaret's friend that she can understand Margaret's ideals, the significance of her winning the championship, and why she left Casimir.

And of course - the most important thing.

How will she return?

Noah straightened her clothes. Although she couldn't see her clothes, she could smell a faint smell of blood on them.

Casimir's chivalry has long been swallowed up by capital, like a lighthouse in the raging sea, long unmaintained and nearly collapsed. Margaret tried to restore the lighthouse to its former glory, but was forced to leave. She was even slandered as an infected person...

No...it's not accurate to say it's slander...

Noya looked at her wrist. Although she couldn't see it, she could clearly feel its presence. It was a black crystal cluster piercing through her skin. The real infected person was not Margaret at all. It was her—

The Chamber of Commerce accused Margaret of illegally participating in the competition as an infected person. The evidence they used was from an unexpected kidnapping case. There was evidence that the robbers were a group of infected people, and they were carrying a large number of untreated weapons contaminated with Originium Dust. At that time, Margaret did not have the power she has now, let alone the ability to resist the group of people infected with the mineral disease. The Chamber of Commerce took out a report on Margaret's experience that came from nowhere, and declared that Margaret was an infected person, and that participating in the knight competition this time was a violation of the rules.

Then they stripped her of her crown, defiled her glory, and drove her away from Casimir, whom they loved.

Lin Guang was driven away, and the true knight left the Kingdom of Knights. Just the sound of it was enough to be blackly humorous. At that time, Noa, or the entire Kirilet family, did not raise any objections, or remained silent.

But Noah knew the truth——

That experience report was not Margaret's, but hers.

Someone in that kidnapping case was indeed infected, but it wasn't Margaret, it was her—

It was her—Noah Kyrielight.

It was she who tarnished Margaret's glory.

Chapter 14 Meeting

Noah lowered his eyes and pulled his sleeve back into place, covering the ugly scar on his wrist and the black crystal cluster piercing his skin.

Her blindness and disability of her legs and feet are all related to the complications of mineralogy. Although she was extremely resistant to these things growing on her body at the beginning, she has now learned to live in harmony with these alien creatures.

Although oripathy is an incurable disease, as long as you maintain good living habits and take medication regularly, it won't affect your daily life too much. This is even when her oripathy symptoms are quite severe.

But what's funny is that when Margaret was driven out of Casimir, Noah was actually not in Casimir. Nominally, she was studying in Columbia at the time, but in reality - she went to Rhodes Island, the forefront of mineralogy research.

By the time she returned to Casimir, everything had been settled. To prevent her treatment from being affected, her family had even banned all contact with Margaret. While Noah, receiving treatment in Rhodes Island, lay dazed in her hospital room, Margaret had already been forced to leave Casimir. The medical report used to frame her even belonged to Noah. The absurdity of this incident alone was enough to make one laugh...

But Noah certainly couldn't laugh. Fortunately, after returning to Casimir, she got in touch with Margaret again.

Although it was somewhat classical, using the form of letters, and the time of communication was quite irregular, they still managed to keep in touch, thanks to the fact that Margaret would regularly send letters to the Kirilet family, and each time she sent a letter, she would also indicate where she could receive a reply.

Obviously, Noah was the only one in the Kirilet family who would keep in touch with Margaret. Noah spent a day letting Craw read all the letters Margaret wrote to him, most of which were about her experiences outside Casimir. Although she hadn't replied for several years, Margaret had always kept this habit. Later on, Margaret's letters had almost become a diary-like style. Sending letters to herself seemed to have become a kind of spiritual support for Margaret.

Even though there was no reply, even though he was in an isolation ward in Rhodes Island, almost completely isolated from the outside world.

But luckily, she still read it.

The next day, she wrote back, explaining her situation over the years and asking Margaret to go to Rhodes Island.

During her time in Rhodes Island, Noah was not completely idle. She established good relationships with the people of Rhodes Island in her own way. After sending the letter to Margaret, she drafted a letter of recommendation for Margaret and sent it to Rhodes Island.

In this way, they established a solid relationship. Noah would send letters to Margaret to explain the current situation of the Linguang family and the situation in Casimir. After receiving a response, Margaret would record everything that happened on her side and send it to her.

But now, he unexpectedly became the spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce... Does that mean he has infiltrated the enemy?

Noah couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. While the Chamber of Commerce might have chosen him because they thought a blind man posed no threat and was easier to manipulate, for Noah, it was like someone offering a pillow just when you were sleepy.

It seems that being blind is not completely without benefits.

At least it will make some people look down on you, and it can also cover up what you are going to do.

Although these thoughts are somewhat self-deprecating, they are indeed true. Many people will take a disabled person lightly. After all, some things are indeed very troublesome for disabled people to do. However, such thoughts are obviously a good thing for Noah.

Ding-dong-

The elevator doors opened. Having become the spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce, she was obligated to attend its meetings. This time, only McGee was present in person; the other directors would only participate online. Kuro pushed Noya's wheelchair into the meeting room. McGee, who had been waiting there for a long time, finally spoke. "Okay, everyone's here. Let's begin the meeting."

Noya arrived at her proper seat. She was only there for the formality of the meeting, essentially a game of chess between the directors, and she only needed to listen. Sure enough, before she had even taken her seat for long, an old voice rang out over the communication channel.

"This meeting should essentially be considered a welcome party. Let us welcome our newest speaker, Ms. Noa Kyrielight."

Although there were only McGee, herself, and Kuro in the conference room, Noah guessed that many people were probably looking at her through the cameras. She didn't show any nervousness, but just nodded calmly.

"I'm sorry I can't stand and salute. It's an honor to participate in this meeting."

"We understand Miss Noah's physical limitations—but considering your achievements at such a young age, few of you here possess your courage," the elderly voice continued, not disguising its admiration for Noah. "You are truly formidable."

"Ms. Noah will also be responsible for organizing the Knights' Tournament this time. Mr. McGee will help handle all the handovers later. If Miss Noah has any ideas, please feel free to bring them up on the spot."

At this moment, a slightly younger voice also rang out. Noah knew that this was the beginning of the task assignment. The Knights were actually about to enter the playoffs. Judging by the current points, Maria would need to have at least a winning streak to make it. The difficulty was practically hellish—but at least there was still a chance. As Noah listened to the meeting, he thought about Maria's participation.

McGee would occasionally peek at Noah's reaction. Although Noah's matter was only mentioned at the beginning of the meeting, it was obvious that this meeting itself was also an interview with Noah.

Although Noya hadn't spoken a word so far, nor had she said anything outrageous, she remained like a delicate doll, smiling and remaining silent.

This was not the first time that McGee had participated in such a meeting. Most young people who had just become speakers would appear a little timid, but Noah seemed to be an exception. During the meeting, she never showed any fear or worry.

She was so calm—as calm as a pool of stagnant water.