Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"..." Tora didn't refute. In the past, he would have said that he had a great destiny to pursue, that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of the Khan. But now, he didn't say that, instead he looked confused.

It's right to feel confused. Who wouldn't be confused? Unlike people like me who have limited time and have to plan carefully, for most people, the future is a matter of taking one step at a time.

"Think about it carefully. I won't take the train until the day after tomorrow. If you have made up your mind, just tell me before the day after tomorrow." Noah pushed the wheelchair and entered the house again, leaving Tora silent.

Noya never forces others to make decisions, and this time is no exception. She hopes Tora will make her own decision.

After all, for someone who has been wandering for a long time, it is very important to have a home. If I can understand the feeling of wandering, I can naturally understand Tora.

But before that, let's give Tora some time to think.

Tora sat silently in the yard, gazing up at the sky. The twin moons had already risen. The light pollution in Kjerag was not as severe as in Casimir, so he could see a sky full of stars. He stared at the starry sky, which might be the same starry sky that the Khan had witnessed. This young man, who was searching for his past life, fell silent at this moment.

The way to heaven, the way to heaven is so far away——

At this moment, he seemed to be able to stop and stay here for a while, maybe just to rest, or maybe... he could also stay here.

Stay in this secluded snowy land, look up at the stars, and indulge in a harbor that you have never thought about.

The ship leaving the port caught a glimpse of the flickering lighthouse. This snow-capped mountain is so gentle, without the noise of the outside world, only the silent mountains and the spreading white snow falling on this land.

Tora, the Kuranta who inherited the blood of nightmare, looked at the long sword at his side.

At this time, the snow has already fallen on it.

He closed his eyes silently... and stood in silence in the heavy snow.

Chapter 69: Compensation (4k)

"I always feel like you like to drive people around you away?" Back in the warm little room, Kuro was helping a child carve a farewell gift. To be honest, for someone as bold as her, carving always gave her a feeling of being like Zhang Fei eating mung beans and staring at others with wide eyes. But in fact, the small carving knife in her hand was quite easy to use. A top warrior also has top muscle control, so she has an advantage in carving, a job that requires precision.

She carved a bunch of small dolls for play, and their appearance seemed to be Enya. In Casimir, such small wood carvings would probably sell for a very high price. Noah also played with her carvings, and after touching and evaluating them, he gave a market price of about 200,000 each. After all, this has a brand effect. This is a wooden carving hand-carved by the Black Knight himself. If it was Margaret, the price might increase by 30,000 or 40,000.

But in Kjerag, this was just something for children to play with - Kuro, like himself, was a go-getter and always found a way to develop a little hobby.

Sculpting is a new hobby she's developed since arriving in Kjerag. She reportedly started by carving a bird from a piece of wood, but now, she's carving human figures. These purely wooden figurines are truly rare.

Children love it. Having a wooden sword or staff carved by Kuro is something that Kjerag's children can be proud of for two weeks.

"Not really. I just think they should have the right to make their own choices. Besides, don't I have you by my side?" Noah said with a smile, "With you around, I'm not afraid of anything, so I don't need so many people around."

"That's a nice sentence, I like it." A smile appeared on Kuro's lips. After meeting Margaret, Noah seemed to be more relaxed than before. Although she was a little unhappy that this change was caused by Margaret, it was a good change after all.

As long as he was still by her side, it was enough. Kuro always thought so. He was her guard, her partner, her family, her sword, and a part of her.

She is very satisfied with her position. She is the person closest to her and the one who protects her.

This kind of luck is something that Lin Guang could never envy.

Blowing away the sawdust, Kuro examined the sculpture from all angles to determine its completeness. After deciding that there were no flaws, he placed it on the table and picked up the next piece of wood.

Noya moved herself onto the bed, lifted her legs, and placed them on the bed like she was playing with a toy. She was very used to this kind of action. Her legs had been like ornaments for so long. Apart from the feeling they still had, they were really like toys, and she could put them in any position she wanted. Should she sigh at the strength of her ligaments - or should she sigh at the suppleness of her legs?

But actually, Margaret seemed to be about the same flexibility as me back then...

Noah took a deep breath and tried to reopen the so-called Eye of God. As her eyes shone slightly, she immediately saw the small doll in Kuro's hand beside her. She reached out and picked up the carved doll on the table. She often trained herself to use the Eye of God in this way. Now she has determined that she can only use the Eye of God for about ten minutes, and then her spirit will be exhausted and she will have to close it.

Noah had heard of a similar technique in Yan Country, called the Clairvoyance, which was probably no different from his own Divine Eye - but he had never compared them, so he didn't know which one was more powerful.

For Noya, being able to "see" was already a very joyful thing. Kuro naturally noticed that Noya's eyes were glowing. However, although the glowing eyes were a characteristic of using the Eye of God, her eyeballs did not move, but remained fixed in the center of the eye socket. Honestly, Noya looked quite scary when using the Eye of God. The way those black eyes shimmered with light gave off an indescribable sense of terror.

But soon, she blinked, closed her eyes again, and then returned to her original state.

"It's beautifully done. I think Enya will like it too."

"Is this really necessary to look at a small wooden sculpture?" Kuro complained. "If you want, I can make it for you anytime, right?"

"No, looking at the wood carving is secondary. I'm also looking at you." Noah said with a smile, "You look very serious when carving. I like it very much."

"...Really?" Kuro paused for a moment before answering, "It's just a hobby, nothing fancy."

"I think anyone who works hard has their own charm, so I want to see if you look as good when you're working hard as when you're fighting—" Noah said with a smile, "When I was still able to see you, you looked very handsome when you were fighting."

"You're saying that. Is that your latest evil thought?" Kuro said, lowering his head and forcing his attention to the wood carving. "Or do you think that compliments will definitely make me happy?"

"You're just happy because I praise you. Can you hide it from me?" Noah smiled proudly. "Kuro, you're actually quite simple."

"Indeed." Kuro sighed and put down the wooden sculpture. "You too, are more malicious than you look."

"Thank you for the compliment." Noah didn't get angry, but smiled and said, "I'm just a mean person. I'm selfish, I like to drive people away, and I'm afraid of loneliness..."

"..." Kuro turned his head, "Yes, you are such a person, so - I will always be by your side."

"Thank you, Kuro." Noya's expression suddenly fell. She recalled the scene of Margaret's sudden kiss that day. Before that, she could still deceive herself, saying that it was probably just her who had some bad thoughts between her and Margaret. Now it was different. The feelings she felt for Margaret, she could also feel for Kuro. So... Kuro liked her...

...Well, I should have known this a long time ago.

It's just that she has been avoiding this point. In fact, she has always felt that she is not worthy of being liked.

No matter what, when you fall in love with someone, you want to be with her forever.

But he could neither follow someone for his whole life nor be followed by someone for his whole life, so Noah felt that he had no right to love anyone or be loved by anyone.

Even if she temporarily gained light with the Nameless Harp, she could not stop the spread of oripathy. Of course, she thought about whether the Nameless Harp could cure oripathy, but when she raised this possibility, Herhunzolen denied it.

The power of the Nameless Harp is to distort reality, but the Ore Disease has become a part of your body. If you want to erase the Originium crystal clusters in your body, those body tissues that have formed a symbiotic relationship with the Originium crystal clusters will not appear out of thin air.

In other words, she was now inextricably bound to the Originium—forcibly removing it would only result in her sudden death.

After receiving this warning, Noa abandoned her plan to use the Nameless Harp to cure her oripathy. Since there was no cure, she still faced the shadow of death. While she felt hopeful, she simply wanted to regain her mobility and witness the changes in the world. Oripathy remained a shadow, looming over her.

So she was panicked after being kissed that day because she couldn't deceive herself anymore.

But she was also happy because her unrequited love was responded to and her waiting was not in vain.

After the joy, there is a sense of emptiness...

It was like falling back into an ice cave after having a beautiful dream, which made the current situation even more uncomfortable.

If only Margaret hadn't kissed me at that time, what should I do if I had... developed unnecessary feelings?

If only Kuro didn't like me.

This way, I don't need to be so cautious with Kuro...

Like, it's really a very bad thing.

Giving hope and then disappointment is a terrible thing, but I couldn't find a reason to refuse at the time - if I really had a chance to accompany them for the rest of their lives.

"...Actually, it's okay for the three of us to be together, right?"

"Ok?"

"Nothing, I was just talking to myself." Noya denied the scumbag quote that had just come out of her mouth. "Because of a certain idiot, I developed unnecessary feelings, so now - I just feel very upset. It feels like a dream, but also like a nightmare..."

"Your problem is thinking too much."

"Yes, but I can't help but think this way..." Noah muttered to himself, "Kuro..."

"Ok?"

"Come here for a moment."

Kuro didn't understand why, but he put down the wooden sculpture and came to Noya's side. However, Noya didn't mean "come here". She stretched out her hand and said with some dissatisfaction, "Come closer."

"...Hmm." Kuro seemed to have thought of something, but he didn't resist. Instead, he approached her, so close that his breath almost brushed against her face. Noah then put his arms around her neck and asked, "If you object to what I'm about to do, just break free. I won't blame you."

"……what you up to?"

"I want to make it up to you." Noah put her arms around Kuro's neck, then exerted a little force, and then in front of Kuro's eyes, her cheek gradually moved closer, and finally, the warm touch came to her lips. Kuro frowned at first, then pressed down suddenly. Noah obviously did not expect this. It was originally her active and awkward kiss, but this time Kuro took the dominant position, which was much more intense than she had imagined. Finally, when the two separated, Kuro licked his lips.

"This is compensation," she said. "If it's just a light kiss, it's just perfunctory."

"..." Noya was silent. She hadn't recovered from the lack of oxygen yet. "She didn't go that far, even sticking her tongue in..."

"This is my way, it has nothing to do with her. Besides..." Kuro said with a smile, "I want to cover up her traces, so I have to go a step further."

"...Are you jealous?"

"As you can imagine. And you invited me first." Kuro smiled. "So, it wasn't me who started it first."

"...I regret it." Noah didn't expect Kuro to be such a pushover. Her face flushed red. "I just...I just wanted to."

"If you just want to try it, I can give it another try." Kuro's words must be serious, and couldn't be more serious. Noya, feeling the crisis of her virginity, silently shook her head, "Enough, enough, I regret it. You are a big bad wolf, you don't know what it means to stop."

"That's strange. I'm Caprini..." Kuro blinked. "Who is the big bad wolf?"

"I'm Kuranta..." Noah argued weakly, "It's not me either."

"Oh, that's really strange..." Kuro leaned over again and kissed the shy Noya on the forehead. "Next time, don't seduce me out of guilt. I will only forgive you this time."

——There won’t be a next time!

Noah's expression told this story. If there really was a next time, he would probably wake up the next day with a sore back and find this guy smoking a cigarette next to him.

I feel guilty for no apparent reason...

Noah began to reflect on himself for giving Kuro such an opportunity. It was really his own fault. But when he thought about it carefully, it was all Margaret's fault.

Without her, I wouldn't feel guilty today, nor would I realize that there are people around me who like me, and I wouldn't have lost my composure today.

But Kuro finally let him go and sat back to carve wood, leaving Noah lost in thought, thinking about what to do in the future.

Tonight is still a long night. In the small room where the stove is still burning, Noah finally feels that the future is still long.

Compared to the past twenty years of rushing and constantly feeling like time was running out, she finally had some ideas about replanning her future. Of course, this was not only because of the emotional outpouring from Margaret and Craw, but also because of her own reflection.

How to go in the future is not just my own problem——

She was lying on the bed, but she heard the song hummed by Craw in her ears. She was very familiar with this song, as if it was the song of Yelagund that she had composed herself.

She would occasionally hum a few words, but unexpectedly Kuro remembered them.

No, it seems that many children have also remembered it. Because it sounds good, it seems to have spread among children.

Although the children did not know that the song was called Yelagund, it was unexpectedly integrated into Kjerag, becoming a kind of mark.

Listening to the tune Kuro humming, Noah closed his eyes and thought, forget it - why think so much.

Let’s talk tomorrow.

Chapter 70: Departure

Early the next morning, Kuro brought Noah some news that made her feel helpless.

Outside the door, Tora stood there all day.

Although Kuranta was capable of sleeping standing up, he preferred to lie down most of the time. Meanwhile, Tora was covered in snow, looking like a snowman. Even Kuro's tone was a little helpless when he said this.

Tora was a stubborn man. He had probably thought about a lot of things the entire night, but he still couldn't figure it out. It was true that not everything could be figured out easily, especially the future.

Kjerag was a good place for Tora, and the people there were willing to accept him, which was certainly a good thing. But for Tora, was this the place he had chosen for himself the one he wanted? Noya didn't know. She simply felt like a clumsy person, trying to find happiness for those around her, but always failing to achieve her goals. She didn't know what the point of Tora staying by her side was. Did Tora really need to stand at her door all night just to continue following her?

Noah turned his wheelchair and came to the yard. It was still early and the whole Kjerag seemed to be still immersed in sleep. Tora, who had turned into a snowman, had his eyes slightly closed and looked like he was asleep.

He didn't open his eyes until Noah came to him.

"Princess--"

"...I told you, I'm just Noya," Noya said, her tone somewhat helpless. She had corrected herself countless times, but Tora was still the only one willing to call her that. "I'm not the Khan's princess, nor do I deserve your service and loyalty."

“…” Tora did not refute, but Noah could feel that he might not agree with this statement.

"You should go into the house and warm yourself up first. You've been standing outside all night - don't be afraid of freezing yourself." Noah was helpless. This was the only way he could deal with this guy who felt like a cow.

He was surrounded by people like this, Kuro was like this, Margaret was like this, and Tora was like this - except for Roland who disappeared without a trace recently for unknown reasons, it seemed that most of the people around him were unreasonably stubborn.

Of course, it's possible that Noah doesn't know Roland very well yet. He only knows that this guy suddenly appears and disappears like a ghost.

"Noah..."

"...?"

Noah had just moved her wheelchair and turned around when she heard Tora say this name, so she stopped. Although she didn't turn around, she still wanted to listen to what he wanted to say.

"In the beginning, it was indeed because of the Khan's bloodline you carried that I followed you," Tora said. "I admit, if it weren't for this reason, I wouldn't even look at you. After all, I hate the weak. I believe that the law of the jungle is the absolute rule of this world."

"That's true..." Noah sighed, "What about you now? Why are you following me?"

"I know you're not following the Khan's path of conquest." Tora lowered his eyes. "You're different from the Khan, different from the Khan I know. Even if you carry the Khan's blood, you will never follow his path again. I can't become a true Khexue. I won't find my purpose by your side."

"Then why did you..."

"But you showed me another way." Tora interrupted Noya, something he would never have done before. Because of his status, Tora never spoke in front of Noya. Most of the time, it was Noya who started the conversation. This was the first time he had interrupted Noya.