Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"It's okay, my sister. Since you don't know where your desires lie, then become me first. From now on, you and I will both be [leaders]." At the beginning, when she was still confused about where her future should go, she said this to herself.

She made the still confused Ravshini the [Leader], saying that she would fight for the Tara people, prepared weapons for herself, and made herself the descendant of the [King of Gael] in the eyes of the Tara people.

Just as she thought and saw, a group of people, a group of confused Tara people, gathered around her.

Ravshini didn't think she was qualified to be their hope, but since her sister said so...she should do it.

The flames lit up the sky of Hillshire like a torch, allowing all the Tara people who were lost in the darkness to finally see a glimmer of light. It was Draco's flame, it was the flame of King Gael.

King Gael has returned, King Gael has come to save the people of Tara.

No one knew who knelt down first, but many Tara people gathered and knelt down in front of Ravshini.

This scene made Noah speechless...

There was no point in her stopping him here. If there were two Draco, it meant that the situation here was much worse than she had imagined.

Trying his best not to recall the wailing and screaming within the purple flames, Noah closed his eyes slightly and spoke. "It seems I really didn't anticipate your plans, Draco... but can I take this as your response to me?"

She originally thought that Draco in front of her could still be persuaded and the situation could be turned around.

But now, in that flame, how many of the garrison's lives were lost?

Now, Xiaoqiu County has become a battlefield where the Tara people and the garrison are fighting to the death.

"..." Ravshini was silent. She had no obligation to respond to Noah's request. Besides, if she did this, perhaps fewer people would die. Looking at the silent Draco girl in front of him, Noah closed his eyes.

"—that's all for today. We'll meet again, Draco."

This time, there was no warmth in Noah's words.

It took a long time for the girl known as the leader to come back to her senses.

Ravshini - If you haven't decided who you want to be, then be me first.

Back then, her sister had used these words to make her the leader of Deep Pond, bringing her to where she was now, to the so-called homeland of the Tara Kingdom. Even though she didn't quite understand what the Tara Kingdom was, and she had never lived in a land where the concept of the Tara Kingdom existed, the Tara people around her believed it without a doubt.

When Noa took Tora and Kuro to hide in the shadows, Ravshini did not stop them, nor did she let the soldiers move forward.

She could sense that Noah wasn't incapable of killing her. Rather, she could sense a terrifying, life-threatening aura from the blond guard behind her.

If she wanted, she could certainly take herself down, or kill herself.

But that was meaningless. Even if he died, his sister would continue to move forward according to her own ideas.

After confirming the existence of two Draco, Noah understood this. With two Draco, or two leaders in this group, killing either one would not stop the war. It might even make the subsequent developments even more uncontrollable.

That's why she chose to retreat - to be honest, it was a helpless move.

Rafshini watched Noah and the others disappear, then turned around and said, "Keep moving forward and join the other troops—"

No matter what, she had no choice but to move forward.

The flames have set the city on fire.

Everything went too smoothly—

This is what Ravshini thought when she saw the soldiers from Deep Pool escorting the "traitor" to her.

Just like what my sister said, even if I do nothing, nothing will go smoothly.

"It was you who passed the news of the party to the Victorian Army?" Ravshini said, trying her best to make her words without any emotion.

"What...how did you know..." The woman before her was none other than Jenny's friend, Saoirse, the one who had leaked the information to her. But the moment she saw her, she immediately realized something. "You're...you're that person? You're the one the editor and the others were talking about? Like they said, you'll bring about a war and drive out our oppressors?"

“…” Ravshini did not speak. She could not promise anything. In fact, she was just a shadow of her sister, and shadows did not require promises.

"No, you will bring death... like the fire in the banquet hall... that was your doing! Draco's fire! You turned our home into ruins!"

"I only brought victory." Ravshini answered the other party's question seriously, "And you, Saoirse Kelly, your actions have hurt the trust of our compatriots. You betrayed us, and you must pay the price."

"Did they...really die because of what I did?" Saoirse asked. "Last night, many of the people gathered in that room over there sincerely wanted to welcome you. They believed you could bring about positive changes for us! And now, they've been reduced to rubble, just like this street. Could it be me who set this fire?!"

"I..." Ravshini wanted to explain something, but she suddenly realized that she didn't seem to have anything to explain. She wanted to say that it was her sister who did it? That was obviously impossible. She wanted to say that she didn't want to kill everyone?

This only makes me look very hypocritical...

No, she was very hypocritical.

She was just a shadow, a shadow following her sister.

"Shut up, traitor!" At this moment, it was the soldier beside her who spoke for her. "How can you, a weakling who betrayed the enemy, understand the determination of the martyrs? Rather than fall into the hands of the enemy and suffer humiliation and torture, they would rather hold their heads high and face the fire of their leader!"

"Sentence her, Leader! Sentence her to death!"

"Death penalty?" Ravshini suddenly remembered what Noah had said before: everyone has the right to fight—

Then, isn't what this girl in front of me doing also a form of resistance...

"Of course, didn't you see? Only the death of the traitor can calm the anger of the warriors." At this time, Mandela came to her side. On this operation, her sister asked Mandela to accompany her, partly for protection, and partly to let Mandela do something she didn't want to do. It seemed that if she didn't give the order, Mandela would also kill Saoirse and claim it was her own doing.

"Look at these locals. They want to come closer, but they don't dare. They're afraid of us, afraid of you. This is a perfect opportunity to make them completely surrender." Mandela spoke, her words filled with contempt and mockery. Compared to her sister, she certainly didn't get the recognition of Mandela and others. She could understand that Mandela was forcing her...

"Once you execute this traitor, they will learn that no one can betray the Deep Pool and survive!"

"...No one can betray..." Ravshini suddenly felt suffocated. The word "deep pool" was like a thorn lingering in her heart, which could pierce her heart at any time.

"Saoirse Kelly, have you ever thought about the consequences of betrayal?" Ravshini asked, suppressing her discomfort. She wanted to know what made this girl decide to betray the blood of the Tara people.

"I... maybe, I will die." Saoirse replied through gritted teeth, "But I have no regrets. If you kill me for trying to save my family and friends, it only means that I did the right thing - if no one stops you, more people will die because of you!"

In front of this girl, in front of the courage she showed, Lavshini felt she was speechless.

"You're very courageous—"

"Did I hear correctly? You're praising a traitor for his courage?" Mandela frowned. "Don't tell me you feel pity for this traitor."

"She's one of our compatriots." Ravshini truly didn't want to execute the girl. She didn't even... think she'd done anything wrong. The Tara people should have the right to make their own choices. They were real people, not just a group of people categorized by the label "Tara." However, her efforts were quickly ended by Mandra's scornful gaze. "From the moment she chose to stand in the way, she ceased to be."

"I say, is there any point in going on about this? If it were her, she wouldn't ask so many questions. The words of a person who is destined to die shouldn't affect you."

--wrong……

Normally, she would indeed do what her sister did, but now, Ravshini felt that something was making her resist.

——No...it shouldn't be like this.

"Hurry up!" Mandela's words were like a death warrant. "So many eyes are watching us. The longer you delay, the more cowardly we appear. Who would want to follow a cowardly leader? And how could the people follow a cowardly team?"

——Is there really... nothing I can do?

A seed, planted at some unknown time, began to sprout in her heart.

——Draco’s flames are indeed terrifying.

But a confused person can be easily influenced.

After retreating, Noah finally breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the seeds he left behind begin to take root and sprout.

At the moment of their confrontation, although she did fail in influencing the flow of emotions, Noah concentrated all her strength on Draco before withdrawing.

A seed was left in her heart.

This seed can't do much, it can only push her when she wavers. As long as she has any doubts about what she is doing, this seed will germinate.

Although it's just a casual move, but... maybe it will play a role.

Noah sighed. In the current situation, she could only muddy the waters.

Chapter 13: Saved

"—Saoirse Kelly, in the name of the leader of Deep Pool, I sentence you to death." Ravshini raised the spear in her hand, which was not easy to use. This spear was also a weapon given to her by her sister. It was a sharp weapon, but it was not suitable for her fighting style. At this time, the tip of the spear was already blazing. With a simple thrust, she could pierce the frail chest of the girl in front of her. "I will execute you here with my own hands."

"...It seems that I am still going to die." There was no despair in Saoirse's eyes, only extraordinary calmness. Before facing death, she finally calmed down and said to the leader in front of her, "Leader...you are the leader. Maybe no one can stop you. My family will still die. But can you tell me, will we win? Will there be a day when all of us Tara people can live a better life?"

"..." Ravshini was silent. She couldn't answer this question in the first place, because she wasn't the true leader at all, she was just a shadow of her sister. She considered how her sister would respond. Perhaps she would say nothing, or smile and nod, then burn the girl in front of her with flames, a mocking smile on her face? No, that was too cruel. So, Ravshini smiled. "Yes."

"Okay, that's good. At least at this moment... I am willing to believe it." Silsa breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been put down.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Ravshini asked again, but Saoirse stared at the flame on the tip of her gun. "Fire...this flame, will it hurt when you are burned to death?"

"..." Rafshini didn't say anything. In fact, she didn't know either. But soon, Saoirse shook her head and said, "Don't tell me. I don't dare to listen."

Finally, Saoirse tidied her clothes and prepared to face her death as gracefully and elegantly as possible.

"Please, tell my mom and dad, if they can still help after this is over..." Saoirse closed her eyes, "I hid some money in the third cabinet next to the bed without telling them. I want to buy my mom a bouquet of flowers for her birthday next month... Tell them that I'm sorry."

"...Yeah." Lavshini nodded, but the girl was still trembling. She was not so calm in the face of death.

"... Ugh... I don't want to die. I'm so scared..." She clenched her fists, her voice trembling, "Ah... Ha... I wonder if the willow trees will sprout again next spring on the scorched earth..."

Ravshini raised her spear and pierced the girl's body. As her vitality dissipated, the girl's body fell into the dust, not turning into ashes like before.

"...Ha, dead, that's more like it." Mandela stepped forward to check, and only smiled after confirming that Saoirse's body was completely devoid of life. "But why didn't you burn her completely? Like you did before?"

"No need. Let's find a place to bury her. She is not worthy of the praise of fire." Lavshini turned around and left without a trace of nostalgia.

"That's right. Let everyone know that the traitor has been executed—throw the body out of the way, out of sight, out of mind." Mandela accepted the reasoning and ordered his men to dispose of the body. "If anyone else tries to tell on me, they'll be pierced by Draco's spear."

"Yes, sir!"

Mandela didn't care where the body would be thrown. Maybe it was thrown to feed the dogs. Anyway, she didn't care. She just felt that what Lavshini said just now did have some of her sister's momentum. This was a good sign, so her words became gentle.

"Finally, you're acting like a bit more. I thought you were going to soften your heart again. Don't forget, you're Draco, and you'll be the Leader's right-hand man in the future. You can't become a weakling, or I'd rather kill you right here. Don't you agree, 'Leader'? She doesn't need 'trash' around her. Only elites like me are worthy of being by her side!"

[——Do I look good?

What does it look like? I haven't noticed what I look like in a long time.

Since I was a child, all I could see was her appearance, her tone, and her fire.

She made me become like this. I couldn't do it, so I was destined to hide under her fire.

-

Two Deep Pool soldiers moved Saoirse's body away and dumped it in an alley. If nothing unexpected happened, a scavenger would soon help them dispose of the body.

After the two Deep Pool soldiers left, it was unknown how long it had been before a flame suddenly appeared from the penetrating wound on Silsa's chest. The flame appeared suddenly, but quickly disappeared after it ignited. Then the penetrating wound on her chest began to heal. After a long time, her fingers moved slightly.

"...Found it--" At this moment, two figures appeared beside her. Noah, wrapped in shadows, looked at Saoirse on the ground, checked the situation, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's still alive. He entered a state of suspended animation before... But he's still in danger now. Take him to the Rhodes Island base first and see if he can be treated." Fortunately, the Rhodes Island base was not within the range of the attack. The intermittent whispers about the "leader" that Noah sensed from the seeds made her go out to find Saoirse with a try-it attitude. Sure enough, the seeds she planted were taking effect.

Just like she saved Saoirse's life this time, Noah believed that she was not an incurable lunatic, she was just a confused person.

I have to try more to touch her heart and change her. There are two Draco in this city. It is almost impossible for me to deal with two Draco... and the armies they lead. So I can only try my best to win over one of the Draco.

The best result would be to persuade Lavishini to rebel, but this is difficult, and one needs to try to influence the other party many times - for example, this time, Saoirse has touched her bottom line, so the seed will thrive.

I am like a small gardener, I have to water and fertilize the seeds planted in her mind in time, otherwise even if the seeds are planted, they will not bear fruit——

Kuro nodded, carrying Saoirse on his shoulders, and together with Noah, they left the area, concealed by shadow magic. Their presence went unnoticed. Noah's shadow magic proficiency was not much inferior to Viviana's, and she even had a certain advantage in flexibility, perhaps due to the bonus of her nightmare bloodline. The two of them moved between the shadows like ghosts, and no one could detect them unless they were in strong light.

After quietly transferring Saoirse to the Rhodes Island office, the operators were prepared to take over immediately. Surprisingly, although her vital signs were weak, her physical injuries were minimal, especially the penetrating chest wound, which had completely healed. A mysterious life force was coursing through her, gradually improving her condition. Even without treatment, she was expected to awaken on her own within a short time.

Sure enough, Rafshini is not a cruel person - at least she has not completely fallen into the abyss yet.

Based on her intermittent inner voices, Noah understood why there was a second leader. She must have a twin sister, who was the leader of the Deep Pool and a Shadow Dancer. Ravshini had always been imitating her sister, and it was precisely because of this that she felt compelled to kill Saoirse on the spot, otherwise those around her who knew her true identity would take action themselves.

Her flame can ignite people's vitality. It is a flame that can heal others or burn them. Although the principle is still unknown, the power is enough to prove it.

The burning streets were not caused solely by her sister's purple flames; her flames were deadly as well.

Draco... they are really a bunch of cheating guys.

Noah couldn't help but sigh. He had felt the high temperature and terror of the purple flame from a long distance away. Ravshine's flame had the dual effect of healing and burning others. Combined with the legend about Tallulah he had heard in the past, he wondered what exactly these Draco flames were.

After professional treatment, Saoirse's eyelids soon began to tremble, and then reopened.

"...Is this...hell?" Saoirse propped herself up with her arms. She first checked her chest and found a rather scary scar, a piercing gunshot mark. Although it remained, it had healed perfectly. She turned to look at Noah beside her. "Excuse me, who are you..."

"My name is Noya. I hate to burst your bubble, but you're still alive—this is Rhodes Island's base, and I think you should know this place." Noya began. "We didn't leave Hill County either. After you fell asleep, we quietly retrieved you. Discovering you still had vital signs, we treated you."

"Rhodes Island...ah, that place Jenny always mentioned to me!" Saoirse immediately connected the information her best friend had given her with her mind. "You saved me?"

"Strictly speaking, it was that girl who saved you." Noah didn't take away the credit from Ravshine. "She seemed to have executed you, but in fact she didn't take your life. We just brought you back."

"That's right..." Saoirse clenched her fists nervously, "I knew... that the leader wasn't such a scary person."

"That's true, but Ms. Saoirse, let's not discuss whether your previous actions were too reckless..." Noah felt the need to warn this courageous yet reckless person. "I admire your initiative, but you shouldn't have directly informed Jenny of this information, or at least tell her not to share it with the military. Even if it's Jenny's friend, there's definitely more than one way for the military to get the information."

"...I understand." Saoirse knew her actions were somewhat foolish. "This was the only solution I could think of at the time."

"Forget it... We'll get you out of Kou County later. You've done enough. I suggest you go to the Rhodes Island main ship to recuperate. Leave this to us." Noah sighed and stopped blaming the girl in front of him. After all, she had done something very brave.