Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

When she lost her legs and sight, she cried and felt despair. It was Margaret who pulled her back, giving her new responsibilities and a direction to strive for. Now, she desperately wishes Margaret was by her side...

If she were by her side...if she could choose between Casimir and Noah Kyrielight.

Own……

She closed her eyes, holding back the tears in her eyes, as if closing her heart once again.

In the end, she didn't even know who to hate...

Perhaps, I should hate those remnants of the Witch King, I should seek revenge, revenge for the suffering I have endured...

However, she was unwilling to set foot on the land of Leithania, because there lay the truth that she was most reluctant to touch. Her own parents, Lin Guang's parents, their experiences, the enemies they faced, the unspeakable horror, all forced Noa to stop.

She was not ready yet, not ready to face all of this. She was afraid that all her hopes would turn into despair, and she was also afraid whether she had the strength to investigate everything clearly.

Although Kuro is very strong, Noah does not think that this is enough when facing the unspeakable horror.

I need strength...

At least, I have the power to protect myself...

Before that, even revenge...

-

"...Hmm?" At the same time, Margaret Lingguang, who was far away in Casimir, had just finished contacting the Knights Association. The long period of high-intensity work made the young knight a little tired, but she still noticed that the sword she never left behind, the Martyr's Sword that Noah temporarily lent her, was trembling slightly at this time.

Margaret placed her hand on the hilt of the sword, feeling a cold emotion flowing into her heart through the hilt. She closed her eyes, feeling a certain call, which seemed to come from the martyr's sword itself.

——Could something have happened to Noah?

Margaret thought with some worry that this sword was lent to her by Noah, and it was the heirloom sword of the Kirilet family, so it had an inseparable connection with Noah.

And now, the only Kirilet is Noah, so the mutation of this sword is very likely related to Noah.

But she was now in Casimir and had no way of knowing Noah's situation. By the time the news reached Casimir, almost half a month had passed. In this case, she didn't even know that Noah had arrived in Rhodes Island.

Her worries seemed to be responded to by the Sword of the Martyr. Then, her consciousness was instantly pulled away and she was pulled into a wonderful space. It was a black and gold palace with a dome dotted with stars. There was an old man in a robe and an ancient and wonderful piano.

This was Margaret's first time in such a place. She thought it was the space inside the Sword of the Martyr, so she asked the old man present, "Old man, where is this place?"

"...The Golden Pegasus again?" Helhunzollen had become accustomed to things suddenly appearing and disappearing in this space. This time, when she set her eyes on Margaret, she showed a hint of doubt.

Helhunzollen still remembered the last time Maria accidentally entered this space. Now another golden Pegasus has entered this space. Does the golden Pegasus have any connection with this space?

...Or is it related to Noah?

"This is my palace." Herhunzollon responded to Margaret's question, but apart from this sentence, he ignored Margaret.

Apart from Noah, he had no interest in anyone else, especially the Golden Pegasus. The last Golden Pegasus had already given him a lot of headaches, and he didn't want to go through the same thing again.

Feeling the words from the old man's mouth, Margaret looked around the entire palace. The architectural style here was very Leithian. A palace meant that this place was most likely Leithian's...royal family?

But the Gemini Queens obviously did not match the old man. Margaret had a vague guess, but she did not dare to say it out loud.

After all, the name of the Witch King was well-known even to Casimir, and Margaret had also heard the legend of the Witch King, the most powerful warlock in history, from her parents.

And... the Witch King has fallen.

But why did I come here?

Everything in this space seemed like a huge mystery. Margaret subconsciously grasped the Martyr's Sword at her waist. It was this sword that led her here just now, so she should be able to leave through this sword.

So she calmed down and immersed her consciousness into the sword—

Soon, she felt a tug, and she followed the tug and continued forward—then, she opened her eyes again.

This time...

"Ok?"

Why... am I in hot water...

Margaret raised her head and saw the face she had been thinking about day and night. However, at this time, her face was still covered with tears, and she was naked, lying in the bathtub in a daze.

"...Noah? Why?" She subconsciously reached out and wanted to touch Noah's cheek. She thought it was some kind of illusion, but when she actually touched it, she was frightened and stunned.

"......?" Noah felt the touch and subconsciously straightened up, speaking unconsciously. "Who?!"

Who could bypass her hearing and her emotional perception, these two levels of detection, and suddenly approach her?

She was even a little panicked, so she opened the Eye of God again. As her eyes shone slightly, this time - she actually saw a strange black shadow in her bathtub. Shrouded in black mist, Noah could not see the other party's true body, but this shadow was very similar to the shadow that appeared behind her before, but a little shorter, probably... about the same height as Margaret?

Noah knew that the black shadow had a certain degree of self-awareness, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

“… I was scared to death.”

"..."

Margaret raised her hands to indicate that she had done nothing, but Noah's reaction was strange, as if her appearance was not unexpected to her.

She stretched out her hand and looked at her situation, but all she saw was a black mist.

And the other party didn't seem to hear what I said?

Could it be that I...had turned into Noah's shadow?

Margaret guessed that she knew that a strange black shadow would occasionally appear behind Noah. This black shadow had a certain self-awareness and power, and usually acted according to Noah's requirements.

But now... I seem to have become that dark shadow.

But it’s better this way, at least I can see Noah again!

Margaret couldn't hide her excitement, but now Noah was completely naked... which made Margaret a little embarrassed, so she turned her head slightly, although she was still glancing at him intentionally or unintentionally out of the corner of her eye.

"...I've always been curious, are you really conscious? Why do you appear sometimes and disappear sometimes?" Noah shook his head. "But, you helped me block Xuantie's arrow back then, thank you..."

"..." Margaret couldn't speak, and had no way to explain that she was not the black shadow. She just didn't know why she appeared in this form.

However, he also confirmed that there was an unbreakable connection between the Sword of Martyr and Noah.

And he could even use the Sword of the Martyr to transform into a shadow and come to her side. In other words, could he possibly meet Noah? I don't know what's happening to my body, though. It was almost my rest time by then, so I guess I fell asleep.

Margaret guessed, but having a way to travel through space and come to Noah's side was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.

"...Hey, I'm stupid too. You can't speak, right..." Noah shook his head. "I just want to thank you. If you understand, can you nod?"

“…” Margaret nodded, and this reaction made Noah’s eyes widen immediately.

"You really... understand?" Noya was a little surprised. This was the first time she'd gotten a response. She'd always failed to communicate with Shadow.

"Wait wait wait... I'm going to get up and put on my clothes first. Please wait a moment. Don't disappear. I have a lot to ask you."

"...I also have a lot of questions to ask you." Margaret thought to herself, but unfortunately she couldn't say anything and could only be a silent nodding machine.

You look...very sad. What happened? Were you wronged when I wasn't by your side?

You seem to be in Rhodes Island? That makes me feel a little relieved, but... why are you crying?

Margaret had countless questions she wanted to ask, but she could only hold them back. The shadow had no vocal cords, so it was impossible for her to answer anything.

Originally, Noah wanted to ask Kuro for help, but this time, Shadow seemed to know her plan. He picked her up, got her out of the bathtub, and carried her to a chair nearby. He also brought some clean clothes and placed them next to Noah. Finally, he turned around very gentlemanly and signaled her that she could change her clothes.

Noah was a little surprised. After all, this was the first time Shadow showed such humane behavior.

"Thank you—" The appearance of Shadow dispelled much of Noah's original discomfort. "Please wait a moment, I'll be there soon."

Chapter 12: Shadow

In fact, Margaret was a little at a loss. She couldn't speak, nor could she reveal her identity on the spot.

But when she saw that Noah seemed happy because of her appearance, she felt that she came at the right time. After Noah changed his clothes, Noah sat in the wheelchair with the help of Margaret and returned to the room.

Noah's dormitory in Rhodes Island is very clean. It seems that Noah's life in Rhodes Island is the same as before, and he is ready to leave at any time.

Considering Noah's current identity, it is indeed quite sensitive. Although Casimir's wanted notice for Noah is actually quite superficial, it is just a superficial work, as if declaring - I am wanted, you guys pay attention, I have no intention of shielding the suspect.

But what was the reality? Even a pursuit team hadn't been established. As the president of the Honorary Knights Association, Margaret was well aware of the difference between Casimir's actual operations and superficial efforts.

Ultimately, Ms. Russell hoped for the well-being of her former comrades' descendants, so she had no intention of pursuing the matter further. As for the Chamber of Commerce? Who cared about their opinions?

However, being able to meet Noah in this way was already a pleasant surprise, and Margaret was truly happy.

"——Okay, I've thought about it. Um... what should I call you?" Noah came to the side and asked Shadow, "Can you speak?"

"..." Margaret shook her head. She wanted to gesture, but her hand gestures were also entangled by the black mist, basically becoming a blur and meaningless.

"...In this case, I can't talk." Noah nodded. "Anyway, I want to thank you again for what happened before. If it weren't for you, I might not be able to sit here."

"..." Margaret quickly shook her head. This matter actually had little to do with her. Neither she nor Shining had time to react to Xuantie's second arrow, and Shadow had moved on his own. Although she now appeared as Shadow, she could not rashly take all the credit.

"...Could it be that you..." Noah saw the shadow shaking his head through the Eye of God and said thoughtfully, "Actually, this is not the same consciousness as the shadow that protected me before?"

"..." Margaret nodded quickly. It turned out to be Noah. She had long known how smart her childhood sweetheart was. She didn't expect that he could figure out that the current shadow was not the same as the previous one with just a little information.

"I see." Noah nodded in understanding. "There are differences between shadows..."

Noya had actually noticed something. Compared to the three-meter-tall shadow, this one looked about the same height as herself, though she couldn't tell because she was in a wheelchair. Furthermore, the figure was noticeably more feminine, though she wasn't sure if there were male or female shadows. Furthermore, this black fog was one of the few things that could obstruct the divine eye's observation.

Perhaps this black fog itself is some kind of high-level mysterious creation. It has always had many secrets, and even I know very few of them.

Perhaps this shadow is the same thing, but compared with those things created by himself using shadow magic, it is obvious that the shadow in front of him has its own consciousness and can control its body through its own consciousness.

Compared to the silent tall shadow before, the shadow in front of him was at least able to communicate.

This is already a pleasant surprise. If they can communicate, they can build a good relationship. If they can build a good relationship, considering the giant shadow's ability to easily catch the heavy black iron arrow, it will be beneficial to Noah.

Although he didn't know why this shadow, which was not much different in height from him, suddenly appeared, it might be related to his nightmare bloodline. In fact, when introducing the nightmare bloodline in Casimir's history book, it was still mainly based on legends. Some said that nightmares could devour the power of fear, and some said that nightmares must eat thirty or forty human heads and brains every day. Anyway, it was obvious at a glance that it was a wild and unconventional history.

Noah even found out about the legend of Nightmare Khan and the Golden Pegasus Princess—and there were descriptions of them there.

After reading it, Noah felt that the historical records about Nightmare were a bit confusing, but from now on, both Tora and himself had the ability to control phantoms, but his ability was probably slightly lower than Tora's. He could summon the entire Nightmare Guard, but he could only summon a huge phantom.

The only highlight was that this phantom could catch the heavy black iron arrow with his bare hands.

Perhaps it was because his bloodline was thinner than Tura's. After all, there was the blood of unicorn and golden Pegasus in his body. He was really a mixed-blood to the point where he couldn't be more mixed-blood.

In a sense, the new shadow that emerges from one's own shadow is likely to become one's long-term partner and fighting force, so one naturally has to try to build a good relationship with it.

After all, it is still a phantom that can communicate, and it is hard to come by.

"Then... I should give you a nickname. It's not polite to keep calling you Shadow." Noah touched a strand of hair hanging by his ear and thought for a while. "I'm not very good at naming... Hmm..."

Noah is really bad at naming. When she was thinking of a pseudonym to cover up the mace, she thought hard and finally came up with the pseudonym of Kuro. But when it came to the person in front of her, she really had no idea.

It was a long time before she gave up the possibility of coming up with a good name with her own brain cells.

"Anyway... I'll call you Shadow for now. It means shadow in Victorian." Noah could only choose to translate directly. "Ms. Shadow, I look forward to your guidance in the future."

"...Shadow..." Margaret's lips twitched. After not seeing her for a long time, her childhood sweetheart's naming skills were still as good as ever. But that was fine, at least she didn't come up with something embarrassing. She could just call it a nickname for herself.

Margaret didn't mind being called that. As for Noah, she could accept whatever she wanted to be called.

After all, that was Noah——

Margaret's eyes suddenly softened. She stepped forward, and under Noah's puzzled gaze, she controlled the shadow-wrapped body and held her in her arms.

"...Although you can't hear me, I'm very happy that I can be by your side in this way." Margaret spoke. Unfortunately, Shadow had no vocal cords and could not convey his feelings to Noah, but she believed that her childhood sweetheart was so sensitive that she would definitely feel his feelings.

In fact, although Noah was stunned at first, when Miss Shadow hugged her, she did not show any resistance, as if her body was ready to accept the hug from the beginning.

This gentle embrace—where on earth am I…

Noah narrowed his eyes and finally gave up the idea of ​​saying anything, just immersed in the hug.

After the hug, the shadow gradually became transparent and disappeared into Noya's arms. Noya let go of the hug with a sense of loss, but she could feel that the shadow had not disappeared, but had returned to where it belonged.

That connection still exists vaguely, like a contract between souls, or like some kind of oath of protection.

She seemed to be by his side at all times, and would appear to protect him as long as he called out.

Such a close connection was completely established after that hug. Noah could feel it, could sense that presence.

"...Ms. Shadow..." Noah muttered to herself, feeling a little overwhelmed, but feeling happy from the bottom of her heart.

Her ability is useless to Shadow, but apart from her ability, she can feel Miss Shadow's tenderness in her heart, and she can't help but smile.

——It should be Noah’s luck to have such a person guarding her.

-

The day after Shadow appeared, Noah informed Kuro of Shadow's existence, announcing that he had established a harmonious relationship with his shadow.

Although she said so, when Kuro saw Shadow really appear according to Noah's summons, there was still a bit more vigilance in her eyes.

This guy in front of me... always feels a little familiar, hmm...