Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Chapter 165: Why Noah Betrayed His Class

"I never thought... I'd get what we need from you." Roy looked at the memory stick in his hand and smiled subtly. Although he always wore a smile, this time it was beyond his expectations. He had thought it would be difficult to get it back once Noah got it. But Noah took the initiative to give it to him.

"Can I believe you didn't make any backups?" Roy asked curiously, "Ms. Noah?"

"...If I wanted to keep this information, I wouldn't have given it to you. Besides, I promised the No-Horn Alliance that I would help you break away from the Trade Union. That's my sincerity." Noya shrugged. She really wasn't in the mood to argue with Roy anymore. "I bet the Dark Iron Throne will be very busy tonight, right?"

"Hahaha, how could I possibly know the whereabouts of my boss—" Roy laughed, and then knowing that he was not very welcome, he turned around and left with the documents, but before leaving, Noah spoke again.

"I hope that tonight, I won't hear about any other infected people dying in vain."

"...As you wish." Roy paused for a moment, then waved from a distance and disappeared into the night scene.

After the negotiation, Noah felt as if all her strength had been drained away, her previously forced facade instantly crumbling. Confused, she asked Margaret beside her. "Maybe I've really been assimilated by this group, Margaret."

"You're different from them." Margaret shook her head. "I always believe that you will make the best choice."

"The best option..." Noah sighed, "I hope so."

The two finally left the Union Building. Everything was going smoothly, and Noya even seemed to have found her way forward. However, as she looked at the silent city, she fell silent. That night, she seemed to have found something, but it also seemed as if she had discovered nothing. This silent city, seemingly extinguished by the resistance of the infected, was actually the result of repeated maneuvers by those in power.

I and those infected people are just their pawns——

Now, she clearly felt that she might have been alienated by this kind of life. She would consciously calculate the gains and losses, and seek the so-called "better results" for Sona, acting within the established rules of this group of people. To be honest... she found that she was no different from Uncle Mainna, except that Uncle Mainna at least still had a sword, but she... could not even draw the sword.

Noah finally understood why he couldn't pull out the family heirloom sword.

Perhaps it was really because she was no longer a knight. From her body to her mind, she had become...what she is now.

How could the sword of a knight recognize a man who no longer had the heart of a knight?

-

At this time, the situation at the Rhodes Island base was quite different. After the power outage, for safety reasons, Li had asked them not to leave the base to avoid danger. However, the professor rejected Li's suggestion and asked curiously, "Do you want to go out for a walk?"

"...Hehe, I'm a little surprised that you've suddenly become so understanding." It was the first time Li saw the doctor with such an expression. "What's wrong? Did something good happen?"

"Ms. Li, what do you think of the Business Federation?"

"...Haven't you asked a similar question before? Why? Do you want to hear more of my voice? Sure." Li nodded and repeated, "They are Casimir's parasites. Merchants have banded together to corrupt the knights and the city, ultimately achieving their own goals."

"No, the Commercial Federation, as the name suggests, is just an 'union'." The doctor shook his head. "Profits are the bond that connects them. Of course, they can be divided. It's just that the confrontation with the Knights makes them appear to be a whole."

"…What do you mean?"

"There are roughly four types of executive directors of the Chamber of Commerce," the doctor continued, holding up four fingers to represent the four categories he was referring to. "First, there are radical elements who are eager to advance the times and abolish the Knight Class, such as the Howling Guards. They are even willing to collude with foreign forces. This type poses no threat."

"The second type is the conservative and solid, steady type who take one step at a time. They don't have many weaknesses, but they also don't pose any threat."

"The third category consists of profit-seekers who have no real affiliation and will rush to any opportunity for profit. This type of people collaborates closely with us at Rhodes Island. As long as there's enough profit, they don't really care about the conflict between the knights and capital."

"...What about the last one?" Li asked, looking at the doctor's last finger.

"For Rhodes Island today, it's still too early to enter the last category. Any rash contact would be extremely dangerous." The doctor anticipated that the last category of people would be the only obstacle that prevented the Ombudsman from allowing the Chamber of Commerce to develop instead of taking it under control by force, or even nationalizing it. These people were the real "troublemakers." These people usually controlled Casimir's business empire remotely, possessed enormous wealth, and... probably weren't even in the country.

So - he doesn't need to worry about the [force] of the Ombudsman, but the Ombudsman needs to worry about whether he will take some action because of the Ombudsman's actions.

"You mean there are divisions within the Federation, and you've already grasped them?" Li asked curiously. But the doctor had only been here a few days. How could he have figured out the ins and outs of the Commerce Federation so easily? Even she herself found this conjecture unbelievable.

"It's hard to say it's a disagreement. After all, there's no 'unity' between them. They all come for profit, and they all go for profit." The doctor shook his head and explained.

"But you're just a newcomer, and it's only because Miss Noya is the spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce that you've had some contact with some of the Chamber's directors... How dare you make such a statement? If you choose the wrong person to trust, including Miss Noya, the consequences will be something the Supervisory Commission cannot bear..."

"In your eyes, what kind of person is Noah?" the doctor asked curiously, "Or, to the Knights of War, what kind of person is Noah Kyrielight?"

"...This is a very complicated question." As a war knight, Li was bought. Although she was trained according to the standards of a war knight, she always remembered...a word her master said to her.

——The Kirielight family is a special knight family.

The Kirielight family is a dwindling family, and not every generation will produce outstanding knights. However, because the grandfather of this generation is a war hero, and his son also performed well in the Uka War, the Kirielight family once became the pride of Casimir, and its popularity was even comparable to that of the Linguang family. The first reversal of the Kirielight family's reputation probably started when Noah's father married a strange woman. It is said that this woman met Noah's father in the Uka War, and then things got out of control.

However, the knight nobles at that time seemed to be particularly wary of this woman. However, the Kirilet family was at its peak at that time, and Noah's grandfather was still alive, so naturally there would be no waves.

However, all this changed after this woman gave birth to Noah Kyrielet. Not long after giving birth to Noah, this woman left Casimir and went to Leithania. Later, Noah's father followed and let Noah live with his grandfather and Yolanta Kyrielet.

As Noya's grandfather grew older and sicker, the Linguang family, which was on good terms with the Kirilet family, gradually replaced Noya's family, and Noya almost became the adopted daughter of the Linguang family.

Yolanta and Snitzer had already developed feelings for each other during the Uka War, so Margaret and Noah were similar in age, originally known as the rising twin stars of Casimir. Raised in two honored knight families, Noah Kirielight, upon returning from studying abroad in Colombia, inherited the Kirielight family's legacy, which had been entrusted to him by the Linguang family, and began his own business.

Gradually he reached his current position - the position of spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce.

A descendant of an ancient knight family, he was raised under the care of another knight family, and eventually became the enemy of the knights.

It is not an exaggeration to say that this kind of thing is a betrayal, not to mention that Noah's mother was already feared by others.

Overall, the Knights' opinion of Noa is undeniably negative, with many even considering her a traitor to the Knights. She should have been a member of the Knights' honor, supporting them even after being injured. Instead, she chose to pursue a career in business, abandoning both her honor and her family's title. She became a corrupt merchant, and this is why the Knights loathed Noa.

"It's pretty much what I thought..." The doctor nodded, "But the Noah I know may be different from what you think."

“…I’m all ears.”

"First of all, what do you think is the fundamental reason why she was born into a knight family, was cared for by the Linguang family, and ultimately became a merchant?"

"...because of a lack of determination?"

"Because her path is blocked," the doctor responded. "She can no longer become a knight. If she simply rests on the wealth of the Kirilet family, what will her fate be? Can she only wait for a knight who doesn't mind her family's decline to marry into her family? Only then can she be considered what the knight class wants her to be?"

"...This." What the doctor said was actually correct. This was exactly what the knight class hoped Noah would do.

Of course, they don't want the Kirielight family to disappear, but what they want is the glory of the Kirielight family, not Noah Kirielight himself.

This person's happiness had nothing to do with them. They believed that Noya could marry a knight to continue the glory of her family. Even if this continued, Noya would only become a puppet, a puppet to maintain the family's honor.

Or perhaps it's just a tool for the Kirilet family to produce blood...

The main reason why Noah did not seek help from the knight class was that she saw through this point. Since she could not become a knight, she was unwilling to become a puppet in the hands of the knight family, and she did not want everything she had to be replaced by Lady Kirilet. So what were her remaining options?

Or, what could she become?

She must have considered it for a long time before choosing the path of business.

Although it was just the doctor's reasoning, even Li had to admit that the doctor's reasoning was realistic and... very consistent with the style of the knight class.

At that time, the Linguang family was also in a low state. Margaret was expelled, and the only pillar of the family was Mainna. The only way to protect themselves under the pressure of the knight class was to go into business.

She had no other choice; it could even be said that she was forced to take this path.

In this case, isn't the fact that the knight class hates Noah Kyrielight a form of anger towards Noah's rebellious attitude?

"Noa never failed the Knight, but the Knight failed Noa," the doctor said. "Even so, do you still have a prejudice against Noa?"

"...I." Li didn't know how to explain. Indeed, most of her understanding of Noah came from hearsay. Even Ms. Russell didn't tell her the real situation of Noah. No, maybe Ms. Russell didn't think she could understand it.

Some things are deeply ingrained through education, and even if Ms. Russell told the truth, Li might not believe it.

After all, Ms. Russell and Noah's grandfather were old friends, so she might have had reasons to defend her old friend's daughter. But after the doctor told her all the speculations and clues, she had already come to a conclusion through her own brain.

This kind of conclusion drawn under guidance is obviously more credible than one told directly by others.

It is precisely because Li knows the way of thinking of the Casimir Knight class that she can draw the correct conclusion.

"I admit, perhaps I did misunderstand Miss Noah—but that doesn't mean she's trustworthy, does it?" Li asked again, "Why do you believe she's trustworthy?"

"...Sometimes, I don't want trust to be based on certain [evidence], but Noah thinks the same as you, so she put the detonator that could destroy everything in her hands in my hand." The doctor sighed and responded, "If someone has already given you their heart, would you still doubt her?"

After the doctor investigated, reasoned, and connected everything together, she had understood the purpose of Noah's actions and plans. She was obviously a smart person, but she planned everything but never calculated how much she had lost.

However, Rhodes Island had never considered relying on the sacrifices of others to achieve its own goals.

Chapter 166: Silver Spear Enters the City

"Can I ask why you fell from the sky?"

"...Can I not tell you?"

"Okay, but I'll drop you down. It should be okay for you to crawl back up next time, right?"

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you... I..." Sona could only beg for mercy after being threatened like this. "I just feel suffocated. I feel like everything has been calculated, including our actions and those who sacrificed. I gathered them with a slogan of resistance, but in reality, we only did what those in high positions tacitly approved. After the truth was revealed like this, I feel a little unbalanced."

"Oh……"

"Why are you so slow to react?" Sona asked Xiao Hui curiously, "Shouldn't you have suddenly lost your target like me and complained a little?"

"No, because I knew it a long time ago. After the Overwatch Committee came to us, I knew they probably wanted to use us to intimidate the enemy. After all, we are actually similar to the Wuzhou Alliance. We are just a knife in the hands of the Overwatch Committee. I thought you saw this clearly before me."

"...Okay." Sona was silent for a moment. Actually, what Xiao Hui said was true; she had already noticed this long ago. But to achieve her goals, to build a better future, she chose to package it as a rebellion, a rebellion of the weak against the strong. She even nearly hypnotized herself, and then, after meeting Noah, he revealed everything... And so, she directed her anger at Noah.

To be honest... she also knew that Noah had done nothing wrong and was even helping them -

But when their lies are exposed, people will always hysterically try to shift the blame. That's what human beings are like.

The person who was most suitable to shift the blame at that time was Noah Kyrielight, but after being reminded by Xiao Hui, she realized that the way she behaved in front of Noah... might have hurt Noah's feelings.

Although the two of them only have a cooperative relationship, Sona actually has a very good impression of Noah.

Maybe... I should apologize next time.

"Okay, don't think too much. After all, we're just taking it one step at a time." Xiao Hui saw things more clearly than Sona. "Now—we should make good on our efforts."

"...You're right." Sona sighed and put away her distracting thoughts. However, before the two of them walked far, a candle suddenly lit up in the darkness.

The two of them immediately became alert. There were only two possibilities for someone wandering around outside at night: an enemy or a friend. And they didn't know if they still had any friends in this city.

"Don't be nervous. I'm here to meet you. I'm at the request of an elder—and also, of Noya." The one who appeared there was, surprisingly, Candle Knight, the star of Casimir. Holding a candle, she raised a finger to the two of them, silencing them. "We can't stay here for long. I'll take you to see the representatives of the Supervisory Commission. Once you hand over what you have, everything will be over."

"...How thoughtful." Candle Knight seemed naturally approachable. After her appearance, both Sona and Grenadi relaxed slightly. "Is this how the Supervisory Commission always operates?"

"You don't have to think of me as someone from the Supervisory Commission. I just listened to my boss and received a text message from an elder, so I'm here." Viviana bowed her head. "Okay, leave it to me now. I'll get you there safely."

"... Is this Noah's arrangement?"

"Think of it this way. She asked me to wait here a long time ago. She said two young knights would come running over and might be injured, so she asked me to help support them. While I was waiting, the elder also sent a text message." Viviana replied, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"...No more." Sona nodded and motioned Grenadi to follow. Although the Gray Hair Knight did not trust the Candle Knight that much, since Sona had asked, she could only carry Sona on her back and follow.

-

Unlike the other two, Noah and Margaret, who returned to the streets of Casimir, fell into silence. Noah was in a bad mood, which Margaret beside him could fully understand. No one likes to be hated by the people they want to help. Margaret also had such complicated feelings when she met the parade crowd before. They were the people Noah and she wanted to help, but they did not understand Noah's actions.

Their doubts even made Noah himself begin to doubt the necessity of his actions, which is the biggest problem.

But Margaret didn't even know how to comfort Noah. After all, these years of absence had actually built a wall between her and Noah. What kind of life had Noah been leading during her years in Casimir? Margaret didn't know, but she felt that these years might have been a complete torture for Noah.

She suddenly felt a little scared——

She was afraid that the ideals of idealists would come crashing down, she was afraid that the kindness of kind people would be wantonly trampled upon, and she was even more afraid that everything about Noah would be denied, and that she, like herself, would be expelled from Casimir, which should have been his home.

No one cares about Noah's mood, and no one cares why she made such a choice. In the eyes of most people, Noah is a two-faced person. Capital hates her good nature, and knights hate her style of doing things.

In a world of black and white, your gray will be the most glaring sin.

Just as the two were about to return to Rhodes Island's base, Noah suddenly grabbed Margaret's arm. Her expression was first puzzled, then shocked, and finally a wry smile. This wry smile was as if she had suddenly understood everything and was relieved, as if she was mocking her own stupidity.

At first, Margaret was a little confused, but soon, she also heard a voice -

In this dark city, it seems that everything will be drowned in darkness. When the city that never sleeps is extinguished, when the flame of civilization is extinguished, there will always be someone -

No, it's a knight.

With synchronized steps and clanging armor, they were in perfect unison, awakening the long-lost memories of this city.

No matter whether it was the Hellless Alliance, the Red Pine Knights, the Chamber of Commerce, or Noah and Margaret, everyone wandering in the dark night heard the footsteps that seemed to come from the soul.

You know what? We can handle any one of them on our own.

Roy and Monique reunited, but their expressions were no longer relaxed because they knew that they were now the weaker party again.

——But for two people, we need to join forces.

Roy's words made Monique feel her hands tremble for the first time. Not only because of the meaning of the words, but also because she realized what had returned to this city.

——For three people, it will be an unprecedented and difficult battle.

"What if there are more than three people?"

"If there are three or more people... then they can be considered a tactical team. The No Helmet Alliance cannot afford such a loss."

Roy answered frankly, and he frankly stated the fundamental reason why the No Hero Alliance was just a group of killers, because this city still possessed absolute violence.

"If there are more than two hands, even if we call all the members of the Wuzhou League, I'm afraid they won't be enough to kill them."

"I know that. I've seen them before, so please don't remind me." Monique took a deep breath. "How many people did the sentry see?"

"About forty."

“…At this time?”