Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Chapter 32: Betrayal?

——The holy bell rang, and with a slight distortion in the air, Yaer and Noah instantly appeared in the courtyard of the Rhodes Island base.

By this time, the members of Rhodes Island had completely retreated to the Perlochi family's territory. Compared to the Bronto family, the Perlochi family clearly had more room for counterattack. After all, the Perlochi family had been the patron saints of the Snow Region for most of its existence, and their entrenched position meant that even if the people of the territory had doubts, they would not take any action against the lord.

Noah's appearance did not surprise the doctor, although the way he appeared was a bit scary.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, for not telling you in advance—" Noah pushed the wheelchair and turned in the direction of the doctor. "It's just that this matter is taboo, and I can't care about etiquette."

"It's okay. I don't care about that." The doctor looked at Ya'er, who was smiling beside Noah, and nodded. "But since Miss Noah is here, it means you must have made up your mind, right?"

"Even if the Perlochi and Bruntao families join forces, they can't shake the Shivaash family, which has already secured a stable victory. If they were to fight with force, they would definitely lose." Noah said straight to the point. Although Actor was dissatisfied, he had to admit that the result of using force now would definitely not be good.

"The other side probably doesn't want the civil war to deplete Kjerag's national strength too much—they don't want a mess." The doctor shrugged. "We both share the same desire, so there are only two options."

"It would be best if there's no surrender option." Actor said unhappily to the two men, who were obviously full of cunning schemes. "No one in the Perlochi family has ever died on his knees."

"Of course, why would I save you if I asked you to surrender?" The doctor sighed. "My idea is simple. The first solution is assassination. As long as Enthiotis is dead, everything will be resolved."

Noah: "..."

Aktos: "..."

There was a moment of silence, and the doctor realized that this joke might not be appropriate. So she immediately changed the subject and said, "The second solution is to let Shiva Ash deal with Shiva Ash."

"That is to say..." Actor scratched his head, "What do you mean?"

"...Enthyodis isn't the only one with the surname Shivaash. Your Saint is also surnamed Shivaash." Noah covered his head and said helplessly, "The only solution now is to have the Saint come forward."

"Her? Why would she oppose her brother?" Actos was stunned. "Although I don't doubt the Saint, she has no reason to..."

"Reasons are given by people—" The doctor shook his head. "Do you think she really thinks her brother's behavior is a good thing? She's probably the one who's most dissatisfied with her brother right now."

"I agree with this, but before that, we must also show enough preparations - by the way, where is Latatos? Could she have returned to her own territory?" Noah did not notice Latatos, and could only guess that she should have returned to the Brontao family. However, the Brontao family is different from the Perlochi family. The nobles under their command are just like them, all fence-sitters. They dare to go back at this time... probably they are already prepared for a wave of purges.

Latatos is not a fool, it is impossible for her to fail in this situation.

"We must gather the remaining troops first. I agree to this," the doctor explained. "Before the Saint appears, we must also build a new stage."

"Okay... well, other than that..." Noah sighed and turned to someone in the crowd who had been silent.

"Someone should come out and explain their actions, right?" Noah's words made Valis, who was in the crowd, breathe a sigh of relief. She slowly walked out of the crowd and looked at Noah. "I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

"You're not planning on hiding it, are you? Even though Actor didn't immediately identify you, that doesn't mean he didn't notice." Noah looked at Valais. "Why did you poison the Great Elder? Can you give me a good reason?"

"...What?" Although Actor had some suspicions, he couldn't hide his surprise when Noya revealed the truth. "It was really you?!"

"Yes, sir." Vale stared at Actor without wavering. "It was me who poisoned the Great Elder. I did betray the Perlochi family. I can accept any punishment, even immediate execution."

"You... I treated you well!" Actor was of course angry, but he still felt something was wrong. Why? Vales had always been diligent and hardworking, and he didn't think he had misjudged her. She should be loyal to the Perlochi family. "Why! Why did you poison the Great Elder?"

"...Master, don't you remember it even now?" Valis had no intention of resisting at this time. She just stared at Actos, her eyes filled with the joy and anger of revenge.

"What did you remember? I, Axtus, have lived an upright life. When..." Axtus was speaking, he got stuck because he saw the medicine bottle in Valais's hand.

That medicine bottle looked so familiar, with the Manzhuyuan logo on it. The moment he saw it, Axtos remembered the moment before Valais's father died. The Great Elder had brought this very bottle, claiming it was a miraculous elixir, but it had ended up taking Valais's father's life. At the time, Axtos had doubted it, wondering why it had happened. But he didn't voice any doubts to the Great Elder.

Because he is the head of the Perlochi family, he must not take the lead in suspecting Manzhuyuan...

It was precisely because of this that he remembered it so clearly, but he had not expected that... his blind loyalty would cause his most trusted general to become alienated from him.

"I……"

"Master, I don't blame you." Although Valais did have some complaints against Axtos because of this, she also knew that Axtos was not a bad person at all. He was just blindly loyal. The real problem was the Manzhuyuan, which had taken root in this land thousands of years ago and was as stubborn as permafrost.

It was they who used the [magic medicine] to take his father's life, and it was also they who made this land lifeless.

"Before, I was skeptical... But when I saw the Great Elder fall, I understood. They were right. This bottle of elixir is the one the Great Elder gave my father! It's poison! It's not an elixir! It was the Great Elder who killed my father!"

"...Why didn't you tell me..." As soon as Axtos said it, he knew the reason, because he couldn't resist Manzhuyuan.

His family tradition and the education he received made it impossible for him to doubt Manzhuyuan.

Only in this way... when the facts appear before him, will he wake up.

"Master, I don't blame you, but Kjerag...it's time for a change."

Chapter 33: Talking in the Fire

Because Noah had revealed the truth in advance, Valis didn't even have time to call her own team which she had already instigated to rebel.

So this was a self-destruction, or in other words, if Axtus gave the order, Valais would be executed on the spot. But Noya knew that while Axtus was blindly loyal, he wasn't heartless. He knew right from wrong, but was simply limited by his education and traditions. Therefore, he wouldn't kill Valais.

As expected, after raising and lowering his hand several times, Actoros still didn't give the order—he simply sighed and lowered his head dejectedly. "Valice, you really don't hate me?"

"Never. You're a good patriarch. If it weren't for my father's situation... I would have supported you until death, just like you do." Valais spoke without hesitation, and with no intention of deceiving anyone. She truly meant it. "Patriarch, if you're willing to give up now, I will do everything in my power to protect you and the Perlochi family. I'll negotiate with Ensiodis—that's all I can do. I'm not being unkind, I'm simply... desperate."

"I understand, I understand... You've worked hard." Actor couldn't bear to be cruel to Valais. In the past, he was forced to drive his wife and daughter away from Kjerag, and now... he suffered betrayal again.

To be honest, he had already more or less noticed it. This wasn't their fault, it was Kjerag's fault.

This is different from the belief he has always pursued, but he must make a decision to determine the future fate of the Perlochi family.

"Take Valerie away, and treat her well. The Perloches—never surrender."

He spoke, and soon Guluo stepped forward and held Valais down. There was anger in his eyes, but more of it was sadness. They didn't think the master had done anything wrong, but Valais clearly hadn't done anything wrong either.

Killing someone means paying with your life, this is a matter of course...

It’s just that the other party is the great elder.

It’s just that even the head of the family cannot uphold justice.

What happened to Valais shook the foundation of the entire Perlochi family, and it was the first time that what they believed in was challenged.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you." Actor turned to look at Noah and the doctor, "Thank you for your reminder, Miss Noah. You saved us all, and we should thank you. It's just..."

"Are you planning to perish together with your enemy?" Noya sighed. "That's not the right path, not even the right one. In fact, if you want to do what's best for Kjerag, you absolutely cannot afford to increase the sacrifice."

"I know, but..." Actor nodded, his eyes blazing with anger. "The Great Elder was indeed wrong, but... I don't believe faith is wrong. Yelagund is there, in the hearts of the Kjerag people. He embodies Kjerag's will. Without faith, Kjerag would no longer be Kjerag. Therefore, I will not retreat."

Actos just hated himself for not thinking it through earlier, and hated himself for not correcting the Great Elder's behavior earlier.

You cannot use your education and beliefs as a shield. The only one who is wrong is yourself.

What Enthyodis did might be right, but he would never agree with it.

Now, he is going to fight Enthyodis to the death.

"Then let's fight to the death." The doctor suddenly said, "But before we fight to the death, I have a suggestion."

"what?"

"Instead of a head-on confrontation, you should first consider how to rescue the Saint from Manzhuyuan. Only with the Saint's release will you have a chance to restore order—you are now rebels." The doctor's words accurately hit the Perlochi family's sore spot. Indeed, judging by the current situation, he was the rebel who wanted to purge the emperor's court...

"Doctor, you're right. I understand your desire to fight to the death, but right now—we can't afford it." Noah said bluntly, "What's needed right now isn't ruthless bravery, but precise command. We're short on manpower and lack the support of the people. Doctor, so the front lines are yours?"

"...What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find Enshia. I'm not good at leading battles, so I'll be responsible for rescuing the Saint. You guys just help draw attention." Noya made no secret of his intention to set up an ambush once again. "Also, I don't think Enshiodis wants to cause any more casualties, so you guys should take it easy, especially Actos. If anything happens to you again, I won't be able to help you."

"...Tsk." Although Actor was very unhappy, he had nothing to refute.

"In addition to looking for Enxia... I also need to look for Latatos. Judging from the current situation, we still need Latatos's power." Noya has Yaer by her side. With the so-called spare holy bell, she can use Yaer's ability to transfer to any place in Shelag at any time, even inside Manzhuyuan. However, Noya also knows that the situation in Manzhuyuan is special now. If she fails to persuade Enxia in time after entering Manzhuyuan, she may not have a second chance.

So she was going to find Enxia, ​​because only Enxia could persuade Enya...

Noah always believed that there was still room for improvement in this situation because Enthiotis did not want the outcome to be so bad.

This perfectionist is like a frog being boiled in warm water.

But it's just warm water, I can't just watch the frog get boiled like this...

"Ya'er, I'll leave the rest to you."

"No need to be polite. I'll start now. Remember not to open your mouth - you'll bite your tongue." Yaer put her hands on Noah's wheelchair and disappeared in full view of everyone. After the doctor and others rubbed their eyes, they pretended not to see it.

Anyway, it's normal for anything to appear around Noah. The doctor has gotten used to it, including the time when he saw such a large-scale surgery in Casimir.

At that time, the doctor decided that he must find an opportunity to let Noah stay in Rhodes Island for a few days, preferably permanently.

This kind of sorcerer is unheard of or seen before. I guess only the wizard king in ancient books can be compared to him.

Noah's next destination was, of course, the old house of the Brown Tao family, but when she landed, Yaer immediately covered Noah's mouth and nose. It was because the scene in front of them was somewhat surreal after they landed.

The entire old house was burning fiercely, and Latatos was sitting on a chair opposite Enthiotis.

"You...are you planning to be roasted in a stove here?" Although Noah couldn't see this outrageous scene, she could still tell that she was in a fire from the heat of the flames and the crackling of the wood chips. However, under Yaer's protection, she didn't feel the burning and didn't even smell the smoke.

"Noah!? Why are you here?!" Latatos was more shocked than them. Enthyotis didn't look surprised at all, as if he had already expected it.

"I was planning to persuade you... but it seems like you're planning to die with Enchiotis?" Noah complained speechlessly. "Also, Enchiotis, why are you here?"

"Latatos surrendered to me, and I'm here to accept her surrender," Ensiodis explained succinctly. "Latatos was very welcoming, so she wanted to show me her mechanical house. And then..."

"Okay, no need to say more." Noya hadn't expected Latatos to be such a ruthless person. Kjerag seemed to specialize in producing such ruthless people. Although he knew what Latatos was thinking.

The Hongmen Banquet...

It’s just that Noah didn’t expect that Enthiotis would really come.

"So... if I'm not mistaken, Enthiotis, you have already prepared a backup plan?" Noah tilted her head. Through her emotional perception, she had already seen through Enthiotis's fearless heart.

Chapter 34: Humans cannot understand each other

"As you wish." Ensioudis certainly wouldn't die here so easily. He had been prepared. This farce was within his expectations.

"……you."

"But I still learned what I wanted to know from you. When a dying man is about to speak, his words are good. Latatos, thank you for being frank with me. I hope you will keep in mind the truth about my parents' death and our conversation. We are not enemies." Ensiodis deliberately created this scene. He had to find a chance to make his thoughts clear to Latatos. Actos was too stubborn and could not communicate, but Latatos - in this situation, she would not doubt her words.

"... Damn it, why would I believe you!" But because of Noya's appearance, Latatos also reacted. "You bastard!"

Before he could finish his words, the reinforced outer wall suddenly shattered, and the person who walked in from the outer wall was a guy in white armor. When he entered the mansion, he was stunned for a moment, and then he smiled.

"I never thought I'd find my leader and my employer in this house." The visitor was, of course, Roland. Noya had initially found his elusive nature somewhat odd, and considering his subsequent actions, she should have guessed long ago that Roland had reached some sort of agreement with Enthiotis after entering Kjerag. That's how he was able to follow Nothis under strict surveillance, easily infiltrate the Holy Hunters, and even rescue Enthiotis just in time.

"Roland..." Noah sighed, "I'm beginning to wonder how many layers of identity you have."

"Don't get me wrong, Captain. I'm just making some extra money. Besides, I've kept my oath—life comes first." Roland explained with a smile, but now was obviously not the time to chat. With the help of Yaer and Roland, Ensiótis, Noa, and Latatos were all pulled out of the oven. Latatos looked terrible because she had been inhaling smoke for a long time, but Ensiótis maintained his composure and even put his coat on Latatos.

Noah was completely unharmed under Yaer's protection - not even a hair was burned off.

Enthyotis looked at Noah. Actually, he didn't expect Noah to appear at this time, but he also knew... Noah would always bring her surprises.

"Enthyodis, do you know what you want to know?"

"Ah."

"Are you still planning to continue?" Noah asked. "It's not too late."

"Noah, you should know the answers to some questions very well." Enthiotis smiled. "I never did this to avenge my parents. You should understand that. Otherwise, you wouldn't have taken on everything yourself. In fact, you and I are the same kind of people."

"Let's say goodbye... You and Margaret probably have something in common, but you and I don't." Noah shook her head. "We are just partners, now and in the future."

Being Enchiotis's friend was a terrible thing. So Noah quickly shook his head and refused. "I just want everything to have a good outcome. Enchiotis, isn't that what you also want to pursue? A perfectionist?"

"Heh—you speak a lot like Nosis. We both like to mock me in places like this."

"That means you deserve to be ridiculed," Noah replied unhappily. "Alright, I'll take Latatos with me. You should have learned what you wanted to know. Now, you should follow my lead, right?"

"Of course, but I won't show any mercy." Ensioudis nodded, glanced meaningfully at Ya'er beside Noah, and then spoke. "I just don't know when you and Ya'er developed such a deep relationship."

"To tell you the truth." Noah shrugged, "I don't know either."

"You two...are you done?" Latatos was probably feeling the worst at this moment. Not only were the two Riddlers playing guessing games, but she also felt her throat burning as if it were on fire.

However, the situation was clear, and Ensiodis quickly led his men away. His presence was considered a face-saving act for the Brown Tao family. Moreover, the Brown Tao family had completely lost their reputation by burning down their ancestral home. The Brown family was now dead in name only.

Now Latatos has no choice but to follow Noah.

"Roland, what about you?" After Enthiotis left, Roland showed no intention of following him. "Aren't you planning on following your new employer?"

"That's the end of the contract. What happens next is none of my business." Roland shook his head. "I'm still the captain's man."

"First, I'm not the leader. Second...help Latatos with her throat. She can hardly speak now." Noah had never agreed to be the leader of the Knights Medical. She sighed and asked Roland to perform his duties as a doctor first.

Roland did not disappoint Noah. After a healing spell, Latatos was finally able to speak normally, but she still looked very weak due to inhaling too much smoke. However, Noah had no time to show any mercy, and Latatos knew what Noah wanted to know.

Since she had already told Enthyodis, she naturally had no reason to hide it.

"The reason I was able to trick Enthiotis into coming here... is because I planned to tell him the truth about his parents' death." Latatos leaned back in her chair and spoke weakly.

"Why? Was it the Brontao family who did it?" Noah asked, holding her chin. "So you apologized?"