Man on the ark, forced to become king

Margaret was startled by her uncle and grandfather's reaction, and she shrank back, answering in a very soft voice.

"Nonsense! You think you can buy this?!"

The old man, now back in his prime, spoke in a booming voice, shouting and refusing to believe it.

"Tell Grandpa the truth, where did you come from? What price did you pay?"

"It really was purchased. If we're talking about the price..."

Margaret thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I borrowed some money from Kroos, and I have to pay it back in two years."

Thinking of that smiling, cunning merchant, the young knight couldn't help but feel a little dejected.

She had been tricked into taking out a loan to buy a suit of armor, which she hadn't finished paying off yet. This time, she was thinking of borrowing some Golden Tree Dewdrops from Huang and Shining, but Huang was also poor and didn't have much money. Shining did have a little savings, but not much. With no other choice, considering her grandfather's health condition, she had to grit her teeth and borrow a loan from that unscrupulous merchant, even though she knew the interest rate was high.

"Are you serious?"

Marner was stunned. He felt like he was listening to a joke. Could this kind of thing be bought with money? Or with a loan?

There's a limit to making things up. Does he and the old man look like idiots?

Why would I lie to you?

Margaret took out a finger-sized glass test tube from a small bag attached to her belt, uncorked it, and the crystal-clear golden liquid swayed slightly with her movement, bursting forth with a rich life force, though the effect was much weaker than before.

"All official operators are eligible to purchase Dewdrops. I am a field operator and receive a fixed allocation every month. However, the Dewdrops allocated to me are not enough to meet Grandpa's needs. If he wants better ones, he has to buy them himself."

The girl carefully observed the expressions of the two elders, and then added in a low voice, "Actually, it's not very expensive, but I don't have any money."

"..."

"..."

Realizing that what Margaret said seemed to be true, and that there was evidence in front of them, Cyril and Marna exchanged a glance and fell into a long silence.

Chapter Forty-Two: The Kingdom of Knights – It Never Existed

"Okay, you know, this is a little hard to accept, but you did a really good job."

After a long silence, Marner rubbed his temples, trying to suppress his chaotic thoughts. He knew that his niece was never good at lying, and the fact that she showed no unusual behavior proved that it was all true.

...Although it still felt like listening to a story.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the old man's recovery is a fact, so he no longer needs to worry about how to resolve today's issues.

The Light Family with Cyril and the Light Family without Cyril are completely different things. Only when the old man's health deteriorated to the point that he could hardly move did those guys dare to go a little too far.

Even so, they did not actually take harsh measures against Margaret, but simply banished her from Kazimierz.

Now that the old man has returned to his prime, he doesn't even need to do anything complicated. As long as he walks openly and honestly, letting those who are secretly watching see that he is still strong, most of the conspiracies and schemes brewing in the shadows will disappear on their own.

Not afraid of hardship and darkness.

The family motto of the Nearl family has been engraved on the weapons of the conquering knights since the dawn of the Golden Plains, and has been passed down to this day.

Undeniably, the knightly community of today is no longer as glorious as it once was, but the reputation of those knights who fought in battles was never just an empty dream.

Even though they were stripped of their noble titles and lost their positions at the top of power, they still possessed considerable military strength. No one could ignore their existence, not even the once-powerful Commercial Federation, because when those border guards went berserk, they could truly overturn their chessboard.

Cyril Nearl is a war hero recognized by all the Knights of Conquest. Even the current chairman of the Supervisory Council and the Grand Knight Commander of the Knights of Conquest is his close comrade-in-arms. Offending him is basically the same as offending all the Knights of Conquest, and no one is willing to pay such a price.

The old man's recovery immediately improved the situation of the Lin Guang family.

For Marner, this state of his father allowed him a long-awaited period of relaxation; at least, he no longer had to silently endure to ensure the family's survival.

that's enough.

"With your father here, you can stay at home with peace of mind. No one will bother you. Also, you can ask for his opinion on anything you want to do. Don't act impulsively."

“You’re not a child anymore, Margaret. You need to think more maturely.”

"in addition--"

As Marna spoke, she organized her thoughts and faced Margaret with an unusually solemn expression: "I don't know who you are working for now, but a treasure that can restore youth must be very valuable. No matter how much money you have borrowed for it, I will share the burden with you."

"Hahaha, what nonsense are you talking about? This old man isn't dead yet, why do I need you kids to take the lead?"

After realizing that his granddaughter hadn't paid a heavy price for treating his illness, Cyril was in high spirits. His robust physique made him feel as if he had returned to his youthful days of galloping across battlefields, and his words were full of pride.

"Although the Lin Guang family has declined, I am still here. We can get back everything that once belonged to us. All of it together is quite a fortune. As for money, there is no need to worry about it."

"If those old cowards who are just trying to survive knew that they could buy such a divine item with money, they would go bankrupt to get it. Compared to them, I'm already lucky enough."

“Uh, Grandpa, actually, what I mean by buying isn’t using regular currency, but rather contribution points used internally, which need to be obtained by completing tasks… It doesn’t matter, as long as we complete this task, those loans are nothing.”

Margaret was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved her hand and said seriously, "Grandpa, Kazimierz needs change, and we no longer have time!"

"There's no time left?"

Cyril didn't quite understand the statement, but he didn't think about it too much, simply regarding it as the impatience and impulsiveness of a young man.

His granddaughter is perfect in every way; her talent and temperament are impeccable, but she's just too idealistic.

Of course, this isn't really a big problem. Talented young people are often a bit arrogant. They haven't really experienced the dark side of the world yet, and as long as they think they're right, they'll do it without hesitation.

Many people have gone through this stage, and he was the same back then. He too once had a burning passion and wanted to turn around the corruption of Kazimierz.

However, that was too difficult. Even if he were in his position, he would be powerless to do anything about it. His son and daughter-in-law were also drawn into the conflict and have not been heard from since.

Because he had experienced it firsthand, he didn't want his granddaughter, who was so young, to go down that path so early.

“Margaret, I know what you’re thinking. I’ve also seen your determination to change Kazimierz. As an elder, I won’t stop you from making your choice.”

"Father--"

"Quiet, Marna."

Cyril waved to interrupt Marna, his bright golden eyes fixed on Margaret's, his tone growing increasingly stern: "But have you really thought about what to do? Do you have the ability to bring your ideas to reality?"

“I’ve thought about it, Grandpa. If we can dismantle the Business Federation, then we can—”

"You've thought about it? Hmph, I bet you have no idea what you're doing, or what the consequences of your actions will be!"

The booming voice reverberated in the room. Cyril, now back to his prime, stood like an iron tower, his terrifying aura spreading out and even stirring up tangible waves out of thin air.

"It's not difficult to dismantle the Business Federation. In fact, controlling those large enterprises and companies is not impossible for us either, because we control the strongest military force in Kazimierz."

"But what happens after that?"

"What will happen to people who have already adapted to the existing rules? How will people who rely on those companies and businesses survive?"

"Reality is cruel, Margaret."

"You have to understand that what ordinary people really care about is not who is high up and gives orders, but whether they can fill their stomachs and live a stable life."

“But we can do it! As long as the Commercial Union disappears, the knights will liberate the oppressed people, and Kazimierz will reclaim its rightful glory!”

Margaret clenched her fist, her eyes burning.

The young knight lacked experience and life wisdom. Despite her strength, she was unable to think more deeply and could not understand the hidden meaning in her elders' words.

Marner realized this and stopped keeping quiet.

"Margaret, what kind of knight do you dream of?"

"You don't need to answer me; I know your answer."

"Loyalty, justice, bravery, compassion, tolerance, courtesy, courage, dedication, nobility... these are all virtues a knight should possess. A knight must earn people's love and respect with noble character, establish order with love, and restore justice and truth with reverence."

"I do not deny that such sublime individuals do exist, but the reality is that it is a realm that the vast majority of people cannot reach."

"You believe that it is the merchants and business associations that oppress the people of Kazimir, turning this country into what it is today."

"But have you ever considered who was exploiting the poor and oppressing the people before those merchants who relied on their status as knights' squires rose to power, before the Commercial Federation seized control of power? Who stood at the very top of the tower of power, enslaving the people?"

"of course--"

Margaret instinctively wanted to answer, but stopped abruptly just as she was about to speak, frozen in place.

Her uncle's voice seemed to rise from the deep darkness, reaching the depths of her heart, sending a chill down her spine.

Yes, who came before the merchants?

The answer is obvious.

However, the overly clear answer filled her with fear, and an indescribable tremor crept over her body. Her long-held, idealized view of knights seemed to have been shattered by an irreparable crack.

Before merchants, there were knights.

In the past, the kingdom of Pegasus was overthrown by the turmoil brought by nightmares. The Knights then ended the chaos and established a new kingdom of knights. For a long period of history, the knights ruled this country.

Oppression is top-down and can only come from the ruler.

In a daze, Margaret thought of the Unarmored Alliance. She vaguely remembered that in the history collected by her family, the Unarmored Alliance was originally a resistance organization composed of the oppressed, and their first targets for assassination were knights.

That is to say...

Just as you think.

Cyril sighed, his expression complicated.

If possible, he would have preferred the young knights to understand this later, but things didn't go as planned. His straightforward granddaughter was about to understand the truth hidden beneath the glamorous exterior, even though it might be too cruel for her.

However, there are some things that are better learned from him than from the enemy.

"How many knights did the so-called Kingdom of Knights have before the emergence of the Commercial Alliance?"