Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Tora stared at Noah for a long time before speaking.

"I originally wanted to take you away... Princess, but this city has no room for you, and never will. But I know you are surrounded by people who will risk their lives to protect you—so, until you ask me for help, I will stay away from you. I believe this is also your will."

"...I'm not a princess." Noya corrected this. "Perhaps in your eyes, I do have noble blood, but in my opinion, I'm just an ordinary person. If possible, could you please call me Noya? I prefer this title to 'Princess'."

"Your will." Tora didn't object. "But, Noah—if this city really abandons you, if you have nowhere else to go, you can call on me. I will take you away at any time."

"...If that time comes, I'll leave on my own," Noah responded. "You still have your own destiny to pursue. Is it really okay for you to waste your time with me?"

"This isn't a waste of time. This is my bounden duty—as the last Keshik, I must protect the remaining blood of the Khan." Tora said, "And you, who possess this noble blood, will be my protector. This is my duty. It's even more important than the Heavenly Path. Until you leave, I will remain in Casimir."

"...Then do you have a place to live?" Noah tilted his head and asked a fatal question.

Tora was silent, and this silence made Noya almost understand the specific situation...

"Well... if you don't have anywhere to go, you can stay at my place first. I have a spare room anyway..." Noah shook his head helplessly. "It's always more convenient to stay with the person you want to protect."

"..." Tora did not answer, but remained silent for a long time before speaking, "I am not used to modern life."

"So you live under a bridge? Or sleep on the streets? How long has it been since you showered?" Noya replied helplessly. "Don't the rules of Qiexue require you to at least maintain a healthy lifestyle?"

"...No." Tora answered honestly, "And I'm on the journey to heaven...These are all."

"Then, I demand that you eat well, wear warm clothes, take a shower, and repair your armor before the next battle." Noya could only give a commanding gesture. It was clear that Tora truly didn't want to accept such a favor, as if accepting any favors in modern society would make him ashamed. However, he was facing the heir to the Blood of Khan, in a sense, his immediate superior.

His blood was telling him that it was best to accept the other party's arrangements.

He spoke after a long pause, "I need a separate room, and I need to handle everything by myself. I don't need any luxury in my room."

"Okay." Noah nodded. "I don't have any servants at home. They are all my family."

"...a princess's life..."

"Call me Noah, this is an order."

"Yes..." Tora originally wanted to say how the princess's life could be without servants, but was immediately choked back by Noya. This guy could draw a knife on anyone, but in front of Noya who was suppressed by blood, he really didn't dare to say anything harsh.

After all, it wasn't just the princess's majesty that weighed on him—it was also the gaze of the shadowy figure behind the princess.

If he showed any sign of resistance, he would be stared at by the phantom with a terrifying look. Compared to others, he felt it more clearly as he had the blood of nightmare.

He couldn't go against Noah's arrangements.

Chapter 191: Becoming My Enemy

The words are divided into two parts——

When Noah was trying to pull back the misguided Tora, two people met in front of the Knights Association.

On one side, there was a quiet man sitting on a bench, holding a long sword, sitting there silently. When Lime saw him, he already knew what he was going to do. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the sword, but he didn't run away. Instead, he sat down beside him.

"Your Excellency Maenna."

"You should know why I'm looking for you..."

Mainna spoke straight to the point. For Lime, the pressure from the man in front of him was indeed great. After all, he had seen with his own eyes Mainna rush into the Leithania army and turn the entire battlefield into a golden rain curtain.

At that time, he was just a soldier under the command of Lord Snitzer. He saw Commander Snitzer's brother perform a scene that was worthy of being recorded in the famous scenes of the war.

Golden rain, the enemy's screams, and the young man waving his sword in the rain.

The warlocks of Leithania were powerless to stop the golden steed of the Linguang family. He was like a shimmering golden god of death, his blade capable of snatching away life with a single swing. His blade cut through everything, slashing through everything, like a true heroic general.

The man in front of him now seemed a little different from the shining ranger from before, but also seemed no different. He still held the sword and was unwilling to let go.

“Why?” Rhyme demanded. “…I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

"Lem, you are an excellent knight. My brother has praised you before." Mainna lowered her eyes. "But there are some things that a knight can't solve."

“So, I’m asking, why?” Rhyme continued, “If a knight can’t do it, what about you? You’re not a knight, so you can’t do it either?”

"..."

"Why can't even Lord Mainna do it... You didn't help Miss Noya back then, did you?" Lime asked. "You only had time to protect your family, which is understandable. After Miss Noya returned home, I wrote you a letter from the border, hoping you would look after her and not let her go astray. But... why is it that after I came back, Miss Noya... had become a shameful businessman?"

For Lime, he was doing what Lord Mainna was not able to do.

He wanted to get everything back on track. No matter what the reason was, in his opinion, the honor of the Kirilet family had been tarnished when Miss Noah chose the business path.

For him, such an outcome was unacceptable.

And Mainna was indeed in the country at that time, but she was unable to help Miss Noah.

He did not directly blame Mainna for not taking action, but planned to solve the problem himself after he came back, but Mainna stopped him.

From Lime's perspective...Maenna was even preventing him from reviving the Kirilet family.

So, he asked…why?

"..." Mainna looked at Lime, "Then what do you think Noah should do? What should I do?"

"...You should..." Rhyme began, "You should shoulder your responsibilities and choose a husband for Miss Noah to marry into the family and preserve her knightly noble status. It's not difficult. Miss Noah is still young, and there were definitely many men willing to marry into the Kirilet family at that time."

"...If you consider this my responsibility, then why did my father and Noya's grandfather reject your proposal?" Mainna asked. "If they approved of this action, then you would be Noya's fiancé now, right?"

“…I’m useless.”

"If Silver Spear Pegasus's second-in-command is considered incompetent, then the entire Casimir Knights should hang themselves," Mainna responded. "Neither the Rinkou family nor the Kirilet family would sacrifice their daughters' happiness for the sake of illusory honor."

"Foolish! Without honor, she'll be in a worse situation in Casimir—" Lime said excitedly, "When Grandmaster Cyril was still here, he could indeed protect her, but what about now? Don't you know what kind of situation she's in now?"

"There's no room for her among knights, no room for her among merchants, and in the future—there's no room for her among Casimirs!" Lime grew increasingly agitated. "Your so-called happiness... only makes her even more miserable!"

Lime's idea was simple. Casimir was Noah's hometown, but now she was somewhere in between. No matter whether the merchants or the knights gained the upper hand, she would be the first to be liquidated.

She didn't have to be at the center of the storm—

"Honestly, even if it's you...Maenna, even if you marry her—even if you bring her to the Linguang family, I can accept it." Lime stared at Maenna. "Do you really think I only care about honor?! What I care about is her personal safety!"

"Then why did you let her stay in Casimir?" Mainna asked, "Since you feel that she can't be happy in Casimir... then why do you still want to leave her in Casimir?"

"..." Rhyme was suddenly silent. "This... is her home."

"Family?"

He asked as Mainna sat on the bench and looked around.

"where is it?"

"Where is her home?"

"..." Lime suddenly became depressed. "This place... is clearly her home, the place where she was born... Nothing should be like this."

"After her father and mother failed to return, and after the two Grandmasters passed away, everything was irreversible." Mainna said, "I asked her if she regretted joining the Chamber of Commerce, and she said she didn't."

"……Why?"

"You're asking too many questions." Maina shook her head. "In her eyes, what truly keeps her company isn't Casimir, nor the honor of a knight, nor the wealth. In her eyes, these are secondary, mere incidental possessions in order to protect the things she truly wants to protect. What she truly desires are those who are willing to stay by her side."

"..."

"You were once among them," Maena sighed. "She used to consider you an elder—even an uncle. But what you said to her before made her change her mind."

“…I…just…” Rhyme covered his face, his whole body trembling, “I just want her to be happy.”

“On the contrary, Rhyme, you just wanted to be at peace with yourself,” Manna responded. “That’s why I warned you. And you ignored my warning—”

Mainna stood up and drew his sword in front of Lime.

"So, you have become my enemy."

Chapter 192 Welcome to Rhodes Island

The rain of light fell, and Lime's sword broke in the rain of light, breaking into two pieces.

Mainna's sword was still so sharp. It seemed to Lime that it could cut through everything.

Only Mainna herself knows that it is not the sword that cuts off everything - but time.

In the etiquette of knights, if you cut off the opponent's sword, it is actually no different from killing the opponent.

A knight's sword is his life and can be replaced, but if it is cut off in battle... Otherwise, the opponent will give the knight whose sword was broken a sword to show that they have no intention of making enemies.

Or... just announce that the two of them are no longer related.

And now, Mainna's sword cut off Lime's sword without hesitation, and after that, Mainna did not stop, but just left a word lightly.

"Don't show up in front of her again... Rhyme. This is your final warning..."

The cold-hearted man slowly disappeared from Lime's sight, and in his hand was the long sword that was originally given to him by Noah's father, but now it was broken.

However, the sigh that Maenna uttered before she left seemed to linger in his shaky heart.

The castle that had been built brick by brick since childhood finally showed signs of collapse.

Faith - A knight who has lost his faith may no longer be called a knight.

-

"Mieszko Industries, Sungrass Pharmaceuticals, and Cloud Pharmaceuticals—these three companies probably already have a deep hatred for Rhodes Island," the doctor said, sipping his coffee as he informed Amiya of this potentially dire news. "But they've run out of cards to play now. The Helmetless Alliance has completely faded into darkness. They've lost their most powerful cards, and the remaining Helmetless Alliance members can't threaten us."

"Doctor... I don't understand." Amiya tilted her head and asked. "Rhodes Island is an overseas company. Why do they hate us so much?"

"No, they don't hate us; they're afraid of us," the doctor explained. "The functions of these companies overlap to a certain extent with Rhodes Island, so the real threat isn't just us, but their own people. Let's ask a question: when an overseas company has almost completely replaced the functions of a domestic company, and this overseas company is highly regarded by the spokesperson of the Chamber of Commerce, who even personally helps to introduce and sign various contracts... what exactly are they afraid of?"

"...Rhodes Island will replace them?"

"By the way, Amiya, you're really smart." The doctor was never stingy with his praise for Amiya. "And now Rhodes Island is a temporary affiliate of the Commerce Federation. If they attack us, they're actually attacking the Federation. So I'm sure these people are desperate. That's why I came here specifically."

"Ms. Noa's...house?"

"To be precise, it's Casimir, the safest place."

The doctor smiled and said, "Guess whether the remaining forces of the No Helmet Alliance who were originally planning to surround us have received a phone call now."

"Telephone?"

"...We're back." Just as the doctor was talking, Noah and the others finally returned home, and there was also a silent person. "Ms. Doctor, I'm sorry to have left you, a guest, out in the cold for so long."

"That's fine. I guess we've gotten some results while you were away," the doctor shrugged. "By the way, how did you know the exact time they would strike?"

"Mr. McGee told me, so naturally I have to take some—um, safety measures." Noya returned to the living room. After telling Tora where he should stay, she smiled at the doctor. "Everything went smoothly. The siege of the No-Head Alliance has been lifted, and I've received the real order from the Commerce Federation."

"—The plans of the three companies have failed." The doctor nodded. "What about Plot Zero?"

"As much as I hate to say this, the news I received is that the infected in Plot Zero still have value, so the plan to deal with them has stalled."

Noah said, "Doctor, your action is very effective. I thought there would definitely be casualties this time - how did you get these people to give in?"

"Winning over some people and dealing with others isn't that difficult," the doctor replied. "It's just that most people find it difficult to even approach their bosses with ideas. The real difficulty lies in knowing which people to win over and which to deal with."

"……what do you mean?"

"I'm very fortunate to have a solid ally by my side, Ms. Noah."

The doctor's meaningful smile made Noah smile awkwardly. She silently looked away and said, "I didn't do anything."

"Many people think so... but, Ms. Noah, didn't you violate our agreement?" the doctor asked. "You handed the real medical examination report... to the Trade Union, right?"

"...I'm actually curious about how you knew this." Noah blinked. "Can you read minds?"

"Perhaps," the doctor said with a smile, "not just yours, but also the Radiant Knight's medical report—you used these as bargaining chips, using this method to gain the trust of certain people, and thus achieved this result, right?"

"..." Noah took a deep breath. "You're absolutely right. Indeed, I violated our agreement and made the information in your hands become a piece of waste paper. If you no longer trust me because of this, I can accept it."

"No, no, no, why would I say that—" The doctor shook his head, "I said, you are our most solid ally—"

The doctor had Amiya take out a strange box and placed it in front of Noya. "I've been hesitating whether to give this to you. This is Rhodes Island's latest inhibitor, specifically for those with severe oripathy. It's very effective and can prolong your life."

After these words came out, not only Noya, but even Kuro beside him began to breathe heavily.

"I've been hesitant about whether to entrust you with Rhodes Island's most important research results—" the doctor said with a smile, "But your actions today have truly earned my trust. Now I understand what Kal'tsit meant when she said you're trustworthy."

"...I don't understand..." Noah was confused. "I violated the agreement and made the medical report in your hands become waste paper. Shouldn't you lose trust in me? You should no longer have any means to threaten me."

"Then we need to establish a new agreement—right?" The doctor said with a smile, "I have always believed that trust cannot be built on mutual suspicion and threats. Therefore, we need a new agreement, not an agreement with the companies under the Kyrielight umbrella, but with you."

"……you mean?"

"Rhodes Island officially invites you to become a full-fledged operator—" The doctor finally made his purpose clear. "Welcome to officially become a member of Rhodes Island from a temporary operator, Ms. Operator Noa."

written request for leave