Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Add to that the weapons from Victoria...it all seems to be about to happen.

"...How many of these did Enthyodis send in?"

"Who knows? I can't keep all the documents in my head. My mind has other things to think about."

"You... actually kept this secret..."

"I'm not hiding anything. I understand the character of the Brontao family. If I don't offer sufficient leverage, you'll simply capture me and hand me over to the Shivaash family for credit," Nothis taunted. "Time is running out. I need to act immediately and destroy his transportation routes. Furthermore, I need to block your retreat. You're all tied to me now."

"……you."

"Even if you wanted to surrender to Enthiotis, you're still responsible for this explosion." Nosis didn't give Latatos time to think. "Everything needs verification, which is why you've fallen into a trap only the wise would enter."

——You have no choice.

"..." Latatos's fury was clearly building. She had always given the Brontao family the choice, always leaving them a way out. But now, under Nosis's scheme, that escape route had been blown up along with the railway. "Come on, capture Nosis!"

"...Is this your answer, Latatos?"

"Hmph, I never trusted you from the beginning. You thought I'd fall for your trick? Sure, the fireworks were dazzling, but... how could Enthiotis not have heavily guarded such an important place? And how could they let you, who knew about this railway, act so freely?"

"Yes, you are right." Nosis smiled, "But be patient, what you want to see will soon appear before you."

"……you!"

"Please allow me to introduce you to the troops that Enthyodis has been secretly training, codenamed 'Mountain Snow Ghosts'."

Before she finished her words, a whole team of fully armed soldiers appeared at the end of Latatos's sight. This silent team, holding sharp weapons and neatly equipped, had snow melting on their armor, making them look like evil spirits in the snow.

The Mountain Snow Ghost is an evil ghost that has been passed down through folk songs in Kjerag for many years.

They refuse to be tamed by Yelagund's majesty, challenging belief with pure force. Legend has it that these snow ghosts lurk deep within the snowy mountains of the highlands. They wear strange masks, enormous bells, and are wrapped in animal fur. Kjerag's children burst into tears at the mere mention of this name.

But that's just a legend...

The team that appeared in front of her was named Mountain Snow Demons, but they had much better equipment than Latatos's troops. Considering the Victorian weapons in the train... Latatos suddenly understood why Nothis wanted her to have combat-ready troops.

"This is betrayal—" the leader of the Mountain Snow Demons stared at Nosis. Even through the mask, Latatos could sense the surging murderous intent emanating from him. "Don't let anyone present escape."

"...Latatos, are you still going to stand by and watch?"

"...Tsk."

The arrow is on the string and must be shot. Latatos, who has been plotted against, finally understands why Nothis is so confident.

Although these mountain snow ghost troops are well-armed, their numbers are still too small. Our own troops can deal with them - but they will definitely have to pay a sufficient price.

"I'll settle the score with you next time!!"

-

Didi—didi—didi—

However, on a cliff face, unseen by anyone, a man was watching all this unfold. He was clad in white armor, a camouflage against the snow. No one noticed his presence, yet he appeared nonetheless. With a smile on his face, he relayed this information to someone via a communicator.

This person, currently in the Perlochi family's courtyard, had been resting there after seeing off the two Rhodes Island operators. She suddenly straightened up, and only after a long moment did she let out a sigh of relief.

"It's good that there were no casualties. But with you here, those who were injured can still get dozens of treatments..." Noah sighed. "Roland, remember to take pictures. I need evidence."

"Understood, Master Commander."

"I'm not the leader..."

Noah once again denied Roland's address. After she arrived in the Snow Region, she discovered that Roland had sneaked into the courtyard of the Perrochi family that night. He moved as fast as the wind and no one noticed him.

After all, most people were attracted by the commotion created by Tora, and Noah took the opportunity to contact Roland and asked Roland to monitor the Brontao family.

Sure enough, the real mastermind behind the scenes surfaced.

Noah unexpectedly remembered Nosis Edwards. It was not the former CEO she saw in the file, but a friend of hers who had mentioned Nosis to her when she was studying in Columbia. When Vales read it, she thought it was just a coincidence of names, but after Roland described his appearance, she realized that this Nosis might be the talented researcher her friend had mentioned.

My friend is the director of Rhine Life, and he often shows a regretful expression when mentioning Nosis.

According to her, Nosis's abilities are outstanding no matter which country he is in. He was once noticed by Rhine Life, but he rejected Rhine Life's invitation and returned to his hometown to develop.

And this hometown is Kjerag.

Everything is connected, Enthyotis and Nothis and the Brontao family.

But the problem also arises. The Brontao family has now obviously been tied to the pirate ship of Nosis. If this continues, conflict in the Snow Region is almost inevitable.

She also had to consider how to protect more people...

Noah has been thinking about saving more people. She has considered Enthiotis's next plan. Obviously, some bad things will happen at the ceremony... and Noah probably won't be able to completely stop these things. Now she is in a very passive state. Is she really just a prop for Enthiotis to divert his attention?

The only people he could really mobilize were Tora, Roland, and Kuro... Unlike Casimir, he didn't have that many resources to use.

Moreover, his greatest reliance was in a cooling state... If he used it forcibly, it would likely cause even bigger problems.

Things like emotional manipulation...is it better not to use them if possible?

At times like this, Noah began to miss Margaret. If she were here, she would surely have a better idea. Her actions might be more effective than her own emotional manipulation...

But there was no point in thinking so much. When Roland conveyed the information to him, he had almost no other choice.

"...Does this matter have anything to do with the Grand Duke of Victoria?" Noah pondered. The biggest question now was whether Enthiotis had really sold out Shelag's interests to foreign countries. Although Noah personally wanted to believe Enthiotis, she also knew that without Victoria's investment, Kalan Trade would not have been able to develop to its current state.

It is almost undeniable that Enxioudis and Victoria Capital are highly tied together...

The information Roland provided was not only about the Brontao family's involvement, but also about the bombing of multiple train tracks in Kjerag. It was no exaggeration to say that Nothis had dealt a heavy blow - such losses were already devastating, and it looked like he was completely turning against the Shivaash family.

Kjerag now... is almost disconnected from the outside world.

Even if Enthiotis is really in collusion with Victoria, Victoria probably won't be able to support Enthiotis before the railway is repaired.

Enthyodis, is this a checkmate?

No, that guy definitely has a backup plan...it's not my turn to worry.

"So sighing will give you wrinkles..."

Noah felt that once she started thinking, there would definitely be an uninvited guest to interrupt her thinking process. This time it was Yaer, and Noah had become accustomed to her unpredictable appearances.

She paused for a moment, then smiled again. "I was just thinking about something."

"Honestly, in the past, Kjerag, young kids like you wouldn't have thought about so many things. You should have been thinking about how to dress yourself, how to look good, and having interesting conversations with others, not like you are now, acting like an old lady." Yaer stepped forward, gently hugged Noya, and whispered, "You should cherish yourself. Don't sigh, smile more."

"That's true, but there are always things to do—" Noah smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Miss Yaer, don't you have anything to worry about?"

"Of course I do. I have so many things to worry about. Enya is a picky eater, hard to wake up, likes to sleep in, and always refuses to let me dress her up. You see, there are so many troubles~"

"Well, indeed, it sounds very troublesome—" Noah nodded, "Then why did Miss Yaer come to me... instead of staying with the Saint?"

"Because I felt that you were a little confused, I came to check on you." Ya'er said with a smile, "I can see clearly what you are thinking. Don't underestimate my eyes."

"...Is that so? Was I that obvious?" Noah thought her expression had given something away, and she touched her cheek sheepishly. "But Miss Yaer, you've come just in time. I have something I want you to tell Mr. Enchiodis."

"Hmm? Sure, what's up?"

"I want to meet him—"

Chapter 22: Debate

"I want to meet..." Ensiodius had indeed learned of Noya's intentions from Ya'er, but he knew how powerful Noya's abilities were, her almost penetrating observations making even meeting her seem incredibly dangerous. So he had to consider... was it really necessary to meet Noya?

Perhaps even without meeting, the two could still act through their tacit understanding - after all, Enthiotis fully trusted Noah's ability and believed that she would make the right decision.

Noah was a casual chess piece, and he couldn't be sure what the outcome would be of this piece, now out of his control. Meeting Noah now would only create more uncertainty... Rationally, it was best to refuse.

But, do I really have to refuse to communicate with Noah because of something like this?

He was silent, and suddenly he recalled some things from the past...

The me at this moment is quite similar to the me who persuaded Enya to become a saint...

It's just that I can use Shiva Ash to persuade Enya, but I can't ask Noah to act according to my own ideas.

-

Enya, I hope you can strive to become a saint.

--why?

If Kalan Trade wants to make further progress in Kjerag, it needs a saint, and this is a perfect opportunity.

--why?

Of course, things are not that simple.

You and I are well aware of the other two families' plans. But I believe that if you are touched by the snow water, you will definitely pass the test and become a saint.

Enya, I know you can do it.

——What if I don’t want to?

——What if I fail?

……

He was silent for a long time, then sighed, and his strange yet cold eyes flashed with a glimmer that Enya could not understand.

Enya didn't utter a single word in response to all the objections and questions.

Because Enya knew how the man in front of her would answer, he would definitely say it.

Your last name is Shivaash, Enya.

Enya woke up from her trance and knelt on the flat ground, with Noya sitting in a wheelchair next to her. After all, Noya couldn't perform the kneeling ceremony, and Yelagund probably wouldn't care about such a thing.

"Enya, what are you thinking about?"

"I didn't think of anything."

Enya shook her head and lowered it again as if she didn't care.

"Enya, few people can lie to me. Your mind is in turmoil."

Noya spoke. It was rare for a saint like Enya to be so turbulent even when she needed to be calm and pray. Noya's ability to sense emotions could easily sense her wavering.

"He's said something similar before, saying he knows everything I think," Enya responded, "but I think he's wrong."

"That's it..."

Noah knew that the "he" Enya was referring to was Enthiotis. After Enya became a saint, her relationship with Enthiotis became very delicate. After asking Valais, Noah learned about the difficulties of becoming a saint and understood that becoming a saint was a matter of life and death.

In a sense, Enthiotis had pushed his sister into danger with his own hands.

It’s no wonder that Enya has such resentment towards Enthiotis... If Noah put himself in her shoes, he would probably be very angry too.

However, Noah has no biological brothers or sisters, so he probably can't understand Enya's thoughts.

Regardless, Enya had reason to hate Enthiotis, and Noya didn't see anything wrong with such hatred.

Don't advise others to be good unless you have experienced their suffering.

The truth is, if you haven't experienced something similar, you have no right to persuade others not to hate. Although Noya and Enya probably understand that the reason why Ensi Odis did this is not simply for the Kalan trade.

Tomorrow is the day of the Holy Hunt in the mountains, and Enthiotis had sent word this morning that he would follow tradition, the tradition of meeting the Saint. He would begin by stepping out of his own doorstep, with palms clasped together, eyes fixed on the ground, head bowed in prayer all the way.

This custom is obviously not in line with today's situation.

The holy mountain is so vast that walking up it step by step is a challenge in itself. Most people now choose to ride on pack animals - Manzhuyuan also recognizes that there is no need to follow such ancient customs.

However, in the eyes of most people, Enthyotis was obviously not such a pious person, so his actions naturally surprised many people.

What's more, Tulikum is the farthest place from the Holy Mountain, and Enthiodis's actions... seem to have a kind of ascetic self-abuse feeling.

There was no way Enya didn't know about it. After all, even Noya heard the news when he went up the mountain. Kuro even commented that pretending at this time was indeed in line with Enchiodis's character.

But Noah felt strange...

This behavior didn't have much meaning in Noah's mind. If it was just a show... then it would be too much of a sacrifice.

But she still hadn't figured out why Enchiodis refused to communicate with her and chose to hike up the mountain... hike... hike... up the mountain?

Noya always felt that it sounded familiar, and when she met Enya, she finally understood.

"From Tulikum to the Holy Mountain, step by step, walking up the mountain. If it's not the most devout ascetic, then it can only be the saint, right?" Noah spoke seemingly casually, but he clearly felt that Enya's heart was slightly shaken.

"This is just his display of piety in front of others. Miss Noah, don't you know his true character? If necessary, he can lead his troops to surround Manzhuyuan at any time."

"Indeed, but that doesn't mean this time... is just a show, right? Even if it's a show, there has to be an audience." Noah smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Are you two both such awkward people?"

Enya didn't reply, but just closed her eyes and tried her best to calm her turbulent heart.

Now that things have come to this, Enthyotis, what do you want?