Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

But she is stuck now. After all, inspiration is not always available. Most of the time, Maria can only make some modifications in strange places.

Noah is not a professional in this field, so she cannot give any advice in this regard, but she knows Margaret, and she thinks that the most important thing for Margaret is the conductivity of her Originium skills. After all, her Originium skills are a major support for her combat effectiveness. After all, Margaret is not Kuro, and is not a pure martial arts player.

The perfect combination of Originium skills and martial arts is the source of Margaret's strength.

Compared to Qiongji Yidao, Margaret is more comprehensive and can deal with more situations. Of course, it doesn't mean that Kuro is not strong, but their strengths are different.

Noya was at the other extreme. Unable to cultivate her martial arts, she focused solely on honing her Originium skills. Telepathy was useless, so she primarily relied on the shadow magic she learned from Viviana. Her control over shadow magic was immense, and she and Viviana had developed a completely different approach. It's no exaggeration to say that Noya's current sorcery skills were even more advanced than Margaret's.

However, her spells are not offensive. She prefers to be a support, or hide behind others and act as the sixth person quietly.

Intelligence analysis, strategy development, and team-mate protection—that's her role.

This also made up for her lack of mobility, and it was a good way to avoid her weaknesses. To be honest, if it weren't for the strict control of firearms, Noah would have wanted to get a sniper rifle and become a sniper.

However, unless you go to Black Steel International yourself, you probably won’t be able to get the heavy sniper rifle through legal means.

Although both Thor Industries and Blacksteel International had offered him olive branches in the past, he was now a full-fledged Rhodes Island operator, earning a salary. He even had the chance to become an elite operator in the future.

Hey - the future is bright...

Even though I'm a bit of a slacker...

Where should you go on your next trip? That's a serious question.

While Maria was daydreaming, she was actually quite nervous. Sister Noah was right next to her. When she left in the morning, she was too shy and ran away. She originally wanted to draw a design to calm down, but she didn't expect Noah to run directly to the engineering department.

Sigh... my heart is in turmoil, my pen is in turmoil, and my train of thought is at a loss——

I am already a useless Kuranta——

I hope Sister Noya is aware of her own charm. Haven't you noticed that since you arrived here, the staff in the engineering department have been eyeing you from time to time? You're a real beauty, don't you know it?

Well, okay, I have no right to criticize others. I often sneak glances at Sister Nuoya too...

Hey, Sister Noah has a gentle personality and perfect looks. Although her hair is half white now, she is still unexpectedly beautiful. This woman is full of damn charm.

If the elder sister is so handsome that she can attract both men and women, then Noah is so beautiful that she can infuriate both humans and gods. Oh, why haven't they gotten married yet? I'm so anxious.

Maria, a bit like the eunuch who's anxious when the emperor isn't, sighed softly. But she wasn't so anxious now. After all, her sister was so far away, and she probably wouldn't see her for a while. She could stay by Sister Nuoya's side openly. Wasn't that a win for her? Don't ask. The answer is that the Linguang family is one. If I win, my sister wins.

Maria, who forced her sister to share the same honor and disgrace with herself, turned her head again to steal a glance at Noah. This time, Noah seemed to be still in a trance, with her hands folded on her legs, dignified and elegant. The nobility raised in the knight family made her look like she could be painted into a painting at any time when she was quiet. Her tranquil temperament and simple clothes made people feel a little ethereal.

Maria swallowed her saliva and forced herself to look away, reminding herself repeatedly in her heart that she was outside and could not act like a spoiled child.

But her body didn't listen to her.

"Sister Noah?"

"Ok?"

"My hands feel so sore..."

"Eh? Then let me massage it for you?" Noah came back to his senses and said helplessly, then took Maria's palm and rubbed it gently. Massaging the fingers was something Noah had often done for Maria. After all, Maria's work easily caused sore hands and feet, whether it was drawing blueprints or forging iron, it was very painful.

Whenever this happened, Nuoya would help massage my palms. After a while, they became familiar with each other. Nuoya's palms were very cold. Or rather, her body temperature was much lower than that of the average person. Her fingertips were icy, and the massage was very comfortable. Moreover, having Nuoya massage my palms was something that even my sister had never done. In a sense, it was a unique enjoyment for me.

Maria was secretly looking at Noah's expression, but all she could see was concentration and seriousness.

It was always like this. When she saw her hands being manipulated by Noah, she always felt an inexplicable itch in her heart, but the budding of this feeling would be extinguished in an instant. After all, Sister Noah seemed to have always treated her as her elder.

However, after a short separation, Maria realized that her longing for her mother and her attitude towards Sister Noah did not seem to be the same.

What exactly are my feelings for Sister Noah...

The girl naturally has the right to be confused, but Maria has a strong sense of crisis. She feels that by the time she thinks things through, it may be too late.

She looked at Noah, and her inner emotions overflowed like a fountain.

What I want is for Sister Noah to always be by my side and become my real family.

Well, besides my sister...

Why can't I?

Obviously, the one next to Sister Nuoya right now is not her, but me...

Sister Noah, can you please look at me more...?

"Hmm?" Noah noticed Maria's mood change, but the girl's mind was complicated and difficult to understand, even she herself was not clear about it. How could she understand it clearly with her vague perception?

"Did I hurt you?" Noah asked quietly, "If you feel any discomfort, please tell me."

"No..." Maria couldn't say it out loud. She quickly shook her head and said, "I was just daydreaming. Sister Noah, you don't have to take it so seriously. I... I was just, yes, thinking about how to modify my sister's weapon!"

"Don't worry, she won't come over right away, and even if she does, she won't be in a hurry to change weapons. Maria, you still have time. You are the youngest in the Linguang family. The future holds infinite possibilities—" Noah said with a gentle smile, "The future is yours. You might even overshadow your sister. Think about it, you are only seventeen, and she is already in her twenties. Also, your fingers are prettier than hers, longer and more comfortable to touch."

Noah praised, "It seems very suitable for playing the piano. Maria, do you want to learn to play the piano with me?"

"Eh...Is that okay with me?" Maria didn't refuse outright. After all, if she agreed, she could spend more time with Sister Noah. "I'm stupid. Aside from the knowledge of a craftsman, I can only think of a few things..."

"How can you know if you don't learn?" Noah shook his head. "Besides, you are very smart, Maria. I won't let you call yourself stupid."

"...That's just Sister Noya's opinion. I've actually never been as good as Sister...in schoolwork, martial arts, Originium skills, and even etiquette..." Maria's voice dropped as she spoke. "Compared to me, Sister is definitely better. Even though no one says it, I know, I've always known, that I'm not as good as Sister."

"..."

"So, Sister Noah's attention has always been on my sister. On the day my sister returned, I felt both happy and sad," Maria whispered. "Because I knew my story was coming to an end. Next comes my sister's legendary tale, and I'll be a supporting role. Although I'm prepared, I still feel sad."

Who doesn't want to be the protagonist of their own life? When Maria seized that opportunity, when everyone's eyes were on her, she felt as if she had seen a vision of spring, as if the warmth of spring were just around the corner.

It's just an illusion, just an illusion after all.

But there is always someone more glamorous and beautiful appearing before you, reminding you that you have always been a supporting role...

Well, she didn't mind any of this, and she even offered to give her spot and points to her sister. But she had the right to feel resigned, didn't she?

I finally mustered up the courage, finally tried to take the role of the protagonist, finally caught the attention of Sister Noah, but I lost the right to continue working hard.

I can't blame anyone, and I can't move forward any further. If I continue, the only result will be defeat. It's best to withdraw from now on. This is obviously the way it should be.

Maria thought to herself—

"Actually, I thought about continuing on, moving forward, but I know I've wasted too much time." Maria whispered, "If I had trained hard from the beginning, would I have been able to be as successful as my sister..."

"I've been thinking about this all the time, and it keeps me awake at night..." Maria confessed, "Sure enough, I'm still too selfish."

——So selfish that even confession is so humble...

"Maria..." Noah sighed. She had vaguely felt Maria's emotions a long time ago.

"You are not anyone's substitute, and you don't need to be compared with Margaret..." Noah reached out and stroked her cheek. "Do what you like. You don't need anyone's approval. If no one approves of you, I will approve of you. Maria, I am always watching you."

Chapter 9: Red Warm

Noah was actually very happy that Maria could say these words to him, which showed that Maria really regarded him as someone worth talking to.

Indeed, the best decision at that time was to let Maria transfer the points to Margaret. After all, Maria would no longer be able to participate in that kind of high-end game. Maria's ability to make it all the way here was largely due to luck, and it could even be said to be the result of a sudden explosion.

The next game is not a situation that Maria should participate in at all. It is too much to let a bronze player with high potential participate in the king's game.

Considering safety and the situation at the time, this was the best decision.

Maria knew this, so she didn't make things difficult for anyone. She chose to withdraw from the knight competition and transfer her points to Margaret. These were all her own decisions. Perhaps people thought she was smart and understood the importance of quitting while she was ahead, but Noah could sense Maria's reluctance.

Anyone who has made an effort will not want to stop here...

Even if continuing forward would only result in a terrible defeat, Maria would still forge ahead bravely according to her character.

If Margaret's victory is an unstoppable heroic fact, then Maria's victory is a struggle to move forward. Although Margaret is more glorious, Noah prefers Maria who has been working hard to move forward.

Her gaze was always on Maria, even when she made this decision.

But Maria was too smart and sensible. She kept everything in her heart and pretended to be indifferent. She returned to her small garage and helped her sister with logistics work.

Sensible children tend to suppress themselves. She pretended to be obsessed with craftsmanship, but she couldn't hide the reluctance in her heart, and Noah saw it all.

So, she had actually been expecting Maria to complain to her for a long time.

Just like now...

Noah saw Maria who was hidden under layers of cover, and finally entered Maria's heart.

"Thank you, Sister Noya. I'm so happy to hear your words." Maria thanked Noya. She was already very satisfied just being watched by Sister Noya. "I will keep working hard. I won't give up on my swordsmanship, my Originium skills, and my craftsmanship. I will make them all the best and show you how good they are!"

"Okay, just don't get too tired. I look forward to the day you surpass Margaret." Noah said with a smile, patting Maria's head. "Let Margaret have a taste of failure, too, hehe."

Margaret is just too perfect, so she always puts a lot of pressure on the people around her. So if there is a way to make Margaret lose face, Noah would be happy to cooperate.

"Me? Sister Chaoyue? Is this true?" Maria was stunned and pointed at herself. "No...that's impossible?"

"Margaret doesn't have much time to hone her martial arts and Originium skills in Casimir right now. It's basically stagnant, but you're constantly improving. Nothing is impossible. Who knows, maybe you can actually win. You can try to participate in the next Knights' Tournament—though Margaret may not participate."

"Three years later... Yeah, that's right. Don't look down on a poor young girl!" Maria was immediately enraged by Noah's analysis. After all, she was still a young girl, and she wanted this kind of naivete. "I'll defeat my sister head-on!"

"Okay, while your sister Kuro and I are here, remember to go to the training room every day to practice with her—" Noah's smile gradually faded. Hearing about extra practice with Kuro, Maria's painful memories of Casimir crept back into her. She shuddered, and her eyes drifted as she spoke. "Yes... yes, Kuro has been in the training room lately."

"I don't have much to teach you about Originium skills, so I can only ask Sister Kuro to help you hone your martial arts." Noah shrugged. His own skills with the Originium of Light were limited. Although he still had the ability to cast spells, he was not as proficient as the shadow spell, so he didn't teach her how to use them.

I am not so presumptuous as to show off my skills with the Source of Light Stone in front of the Golden Pegasus.

Thinking about it carefully, the reason why he can use this Originium skill is probably because his family and the Linguang family have a tradition of intermarriage, so there is more or less some Golden Pegasus in his blood.

Being a nightmare, a unicorn, and a golden Pegasus, wasn't his bloodline a little mixed?

Noah complained in his heart.

Considering bloodline is a matter between nobles and pets. Noa is no longer a knight, so naturally she is not a noble. She now just thinks of herself as a traveler, occasionally playing the role of a musician to make Herhunzoren who lives in the music box happy.

There is always a feeling of caring for the lonely elderly...

Although he had some very rude thoughts in his heart, Noah himself still respected Herhunzoren very much. After all, in name, he was his teacher of music and Originium skills, and he was still valuable, but sometimes his ideas were a bit anti-human.

In short - a very superior person.

Maybe it's the king. A king is either a person who cares about the world or an extremely self-centered person. Someone like Noah is not suitable for the position of king.

While Noya was accompanying Maria, Huang was in a terrible state. While she was indeed an elite operator, even elite operators had their strengths and weaknesses. A skilled one-on-one fighter like Sharp could barely handle Kuro, but someone like Huang, who specialized in siege operations, was, it's no exaggeration to say, a punching bag most of the time. Kuro's attacks were measured, though, which only slightly irritated Huang. Because of her Originium skills, the entire training ground began to heat up.

"Your Originium skills are good—but your technique is a little weak." Kuro hooked his finger at Huang, "Keep going, use all your strength."

"Don't look down on people!" The chainsaw in Huang's hand roared, and the air around him was slightly distorted. This was really Hong Wen. Huang's fighting style was chaotic to begin with, and it was even more so when he was angry. The people watching around him had begun to move away spontaneously. It was because it was too hot and he had begun to sweat.

"Hurry up and get someone to call Amiya over. I feel like Huang is going to fight to the death."

"That's not the case...isn't it just a private sparring match? Is it necessary to be red and warm?"

"Miss Kuro has been beating Huang for an hour..."

The operators were talking about it, and the reason was nothing else but that no one had ever seen Huang suffer such a big setback and he looked quite happy.

However, Huang's Originium skills are special, and it is easy to explode if the red temperature is kept for too long, so Amiya hurriedly pulled Noah over. She pushed Noah's wheelchair to the door of the training room and opened the door. A burst of heat hit the faces of the two directly, which was enough to show how violent Huang was.

"Kuro, stop." Noah almost knew that this was not going to work, so he spoke directly.

Hearing Noah's voice, Kuro turned to avoid Huang's chainsaw and returned to her side with a jump.

"You won and you're running away! Come back here!" Huang was still furious and of course couldn't tolerate Kuro's runaway behavior. He rushed over with a chainsaw in hand. The heat wave hit Noya's face. He was about to use magic to tie Huang up first to prevent her from hitting him directly in the face, but Amiya took the initiative to protect Noya and said, "Stop!"

"...Eh? Amiya?" Even though Huang was red-hot and not very smart, he sobered up for a while after seeing Amiya. However, the charge that had already started could not be stopped so easily. The result of tripping over and over was that the big cat rolled and crawled all the way and fell directly on Amiya. Amiya could not stand steadily, so the two of them simply fell into Noah's arms together.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The three of them fell into silence almost at the same time. In the end, Huang took the initiative to get up, but Amiya, who was sandwiched, was not so lucky. She was directly hit by the wound and became a little confused. In Noah's arms, her eyes became like mosquito coils.

"Miss Huang, if my Kuro has offended you, I apologize—" Noah helped Amiya adjust her position to prevent her from slipping, then apologized sincerely. "Would you like to get a physical checkup first? I remember your Originium technique seemed to have taken quite a toll on your body."

"...That...ah, actually nothing happened. I just got a little drunk while playing." Huang scratched her head and said a little embarrassedly. After she calmed down, she immediately realized that her behavior just now was somewhat like a scam, and she even bumped into Amiya. She felt a little embarrassed.

Losing control of her emotions is obviously a bad thing for elite operators, but Kira is a bit different. Once her Originium skills are activated, she easily goes into a red heat state, requiring help to cool her down. However, this time, she was only on duty and had no cooling methods, so she went into a red heat state during the sparring. If Amiya hadn't been there, she would probably have hit Noa head-on. If that were the case, Kuro would probably have ripped her head off.

But it doesn't matter now, Amiya is not heavy and Noah is not that fragile.

"Ahaha, sorry... Next time I will definitely remember to ask someone to help watch over it." Huang scratched his head and apologized to Noah.

"Alright, Kuro was also at fault. She must have just wanted to see the power of your Originium skills. This guy has always been one who likes to challenge his limits." Noah knew Kuro too well. If Kuro hadn't deliberately guided her, Huang's red temperature would definitely not have reached this level, and she wouldn't have done this to others. "I still need to apologize for this, Miss Huang. Then I will take Amiya and Kuro to see Dr. Kal'tsit first. Would you like to come with us?"

"No, that's not necessary—I'm not that fragile." Huang shook her head, but it seemed that she didn't want to see Dr. Kal'tsit. Noah understood and reminded her, "I remember that the doctor on duty in the medical department today is Miss Susu Luo. You can go see her first to check on the situation."

"Susu Luo—it's okay. If it was Gavial, I'd go see him tomorrow." Huang's Originium technique was actually, strictly speaking, akin to burning her health bar. Although it had cooled down now, the damage was still there, so seeing a doctor was still necessary. She was usually forced to go to the medical department after missions, and her frequency of visits made her a VIP-level client.

Putting aside Miss Huang's situation, Amiya, who was knocked unconscious, actually woke up halfway. When she found herself in Noah's arms, she was stunned at first, and then recalled what had just happened. Her memory stopped at the scene where Huang rushed over like a runaway train. She quickly understood the situation, and her unusual movement also made Noah realize that she had woken up.