Ark Undead

"I was too impatient."

Zofia suddenly realized that they were now blocking the entrance to the Undead's house.

It is truly impolite to talk to someone on their front door without their consent.

Maria had already skipped and hopped over to the undead and ran inside.

Zofia quickly followed, her firm thighs encased in black stockings. As she passed the Undead, she gave him an apologetic nod.

Those who don't die don't seem to mind.

The main thing is that some things can be heard, and some things cannot, but the little guy who's always around doesn't care whether he can hear them or not.

After entering the Undead's house, the two were wondering whether they should take off their shoes.

In the blink of an eye, I saw the empty gate and the warm breeze blowing in my face.

"Just come in."

The Undead walked into his house dressed in knight's armor.

"Excuse me."

Zofia grabbed little Maria, who wanted to run around, and the two followed the Undead into the hall.

Upon entering the hall, the scene before them completely overturned their expectations.

The entire second and third floors were opened up, and only two load-bearing columns were used to make up the largest proportion of the interior of the house.

Most importantly, there's nothing there.

Really, there's nothing there!

There was no sofa for resting, no television or electronic devices for entertainment, and not even a refrigerator!

The only modern facility is the water platform that the undead occasionally use to clean their armor and weapons; it can collect water.

And on the water table, there was the kettle that Kos and Fran had used.

The most eye-catching feature was the bonfire in the middle of the hall.

A long sword with its blade twisted into a spiral shape is stuck in the center of the campfire.

There was a large pile of firewood next to the campfire, and the corner of the wall was also piled high with firewood.

"this..."

Zofia was so shocked that she didn't speak for a long time.

"It's very basic, please feel free to sit anywhere."

As he spoke, the Undead sat down on the ground next to the campfire, casually rummaged through the pile of firewood for a while, picked out a piece of firewood that looked good, and threw it into the fire in front of him.

The firewood rolled around in the fire a couple of times, sending up a few sparks. Maria found it quite novel; so this was what the dwellings of competitive knights were like?

"Excuse me."

Zofia didn't know where to sit, so she picked out a few pieces of firewood from the woodpile and propped them up to make a makeshift seat.

Maria, however, was quite uninhibited. Ignoring her expensive-looking clothes, she went straight to the Undead and plopped down next to him.

Zofia's prepared remarks suddenly stuck in her throat.

She really didn't expect that a racing rider with a company behind him would live in such a simple place.

Moreover, lighting a campfire is an ancient tradition of the Kazimierz people, and this knight still retains a rather old custom.

"Hmm...where were we?"

Zofia attempted to reorganize the language.

“Oh right, Maria is still too young. The task of reviving the family should not fall on her shoulders. It is not a responsibility she should bear.”

The Undead nodded, signaling Zofia to continue.

“I hope that Maria can forge her own path, instead of being like her ancestors, who were obsessed with family honor their whole lives.”

"Zofia said regretfully."

“Her grandfather, her parents, and her sister all ended up in this state because of the knightly competition. I hope Maria doesn’t need to worry about these things anymore, and her uncle thinks so too.”

Upon hearing this, the Undead turned his head and looked at Maria, who was staring silently at the campfire beside him.

He spoke, his tone as slow and hesitant as ever.

"Maria."

"Eh? Mr. Undying? Ah...yes! I'm here!"

The person who was clearly alive was still talking to their aunt, so why did the conversation suddenly switch to them?

Maria instinctively turned her head to look at the undead next to her, whose entire body was covered in armor.

Through the only gap, Maria found his gaze on the undead's helmet.

The immortal continued speaking.

"Do you want to become a knight?"

"Of course I want to! Why wouldn't I?"

Maria answered immediately.

"Every Kazimierzstan dreams of becoming a knight renowned throughout the world!"

The immortal turned to look at Zofia.

"She wanted to become a knight."

"But this is different!"

Zofia sighed; the Undead still didn't understand what the problem was.

"If she wants to become a knight, her surname will be her biggest obstacle. The media and the news will publicize the surname 'Nearlight' instead of her own name."

Zofia tried to make the undead understand that it was much harder for Maria to become a knight than for ordinary people, and that she could not even allow herself to fail.

"Her older sister is a Radiant Knight who reached her peak upon debut, and her family is a noble knightly clan. Any failure would bring a tidal wave of trouble. Not to mention, her uncle wouldn't be on her side..."

Zofia wanted to say more and ask the undead to help persuade Maria as well.

But the immortal asked in confusion.

"Then, we won't lose?"

Zofia was speechless.

Indeed, the person in front of me shares the same characteristics as Maria's sister.

They have never lost in the arena of knightly competition.

"If you're afraid, then don't fail. If you just don't want to lose, then go and win."

As the Undead spoke, he reached out and touched Maria's little head.

Maria listened to his words through the cold armor.

Maria felt that the immortals were the most compassionate people at this moment.

Even if it means bloodshed and death, never bow your head.

“But Maria is different! She is different from you! She is not a Radiant Knight, nor is she an undead, she is Maria!”

"Zofia said excitedly."

"It's impossible for the Lin Guang family to have two geniuses, and she's only thirteen years old!"

"Then, let's prepare for the next Major."

The Undead looked at Zofia and made it clear that he did not agree with Zofia's ideas.

"Those who have never resisted fate are not worthy of accepting it."

His words were not harsh, but rather halting, yet they possessed a rare and astonishing authority.

Because he was the hero who severed his destiny and broke free from the curse.

Actually, the Undead doesn't want to comment on this matter.

But his conversation with Maria that night made him see another person in a daze when he saw Maria.

He was not an immortal; he simply instinctively took over someone else's ideals from someone else's hands and embarked on a journey that should not have belonged to him.

Along the way, some people mocked his overestimation of his abilities, while others became his enemies.

He had been lost, he had lost his goals, and he almost became a zombie.

Maria's sister, the Radiant Knight, is the light that guides Maria forward; she is her sun.

In the distant past, there was a person who became the sun, an immortal being.

That person yearned for the sun, yet in the process of striving towards that goal, he had already become the sun for the other immortals.

He became the Undead's confidence in facing powerful enemies, and the Undead's strength to overcome obstacles.

Now, the longing in Maria's eyes when she talks about her sister is exactly the same as what he saw back then.

How could the immortals not feel indignant for her?

"Well said!!"

Maria clapped her hands excitedly, applauding the Undead's speech.

She thought the Undead Man's two lines were incredibly cool!

"this..."

Zofia was speechless.

She wasn't unaware of the Undead's teachings. But she truly couldn't bear to let Maria suffer such torment.

"Maria."

Zofia looked at her with affection.

"You need to understand, this isn't a responsibility you should be shouldering. You don't yet know what the Knights' Tournament truly means..."

“But, Aunt Zofia.”