Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Viviana didn't understand her feelings at first, but on the day Noah left, she finally understood.

It turned out that I stayed in Casimir because I was attached to Noah's tenderness.

When Noah left Casimir and was expelled by Casimir, Viviana saw the true face of the city - Casimir without her was just a boring ruin, and only by her side was Viviana's home.

Unfortunately, dreams always end, and banquets always end.

"...Ms. Lowenstein." Viviana opened her eyes and saw the woman who had brought her to Casimir. "I remember when we first arrived in Casimir. Back then... you held my hand, just like you do now."

"Your palms are sweaty. What happened just now?" Kela Lowenstein asked, holding Viviana's hand with concern.

"I... nothing. I just chatted with a wonderful lady." Viviana shook her head and cast her gaze back at the painting. This time, however, it didn't seem as striking as before. After all, no matter what kind of painting it was, no matter how great the figure depicted, it was still just a painting. She wrinkled her nose, smelling a strange odor.

"The smell." Viviana noticed something wrong. Was the problem with the smell?

"In the era of the Witch King, people were much more enthusiastic about the study of Originium than they are today. The magicians, or artists, who followed the Witch King not only regarded Originium as a spellcasting material or a source of energy. They believed that Originium was another form of flesh and blood, and regarded Originium as a carrier of the soul." Kela explained, and after hearing this, Viviana seemed to suddenly understand something.

"So, the black paint on the painting."

"The refined Originium crystals are mixed with the painter's own blood."

"..."

After a long silence, Viviana couldn't help but sigh once again at the special position this "Witch King" held in the hearts of these fanatics. To create this painting, someone would actually use their own blood as paint...

"It sounds like this is indeed a carefully designed "exhibition." Viviana turned her head and stopped looking at the painting. However, this work, titled "Death of the Witch King", remained in her memory in another way. Originium, flesh and blood, the Witch King, Originium skills... These terms made her head swell. If Miss Kela hadn't been by her side, she would definitely not be able to handle so many things.

Even as the new Elector, she never expected to receive such a troublesome task—

Clear out the remnants of the Witch King within Trilintelme.

This kind of mission is usually handled by the Golden Rule Guards; having the Elector participate is unheard of... But those two queens were exceptions to the rule, so perhaps that's not surprising...

By this time, the guards responsible for maintaining the scene had almost all the evidence sealed and bagged. They then approached Viviana and saluted. "The intruder has not been found yet. The art gallery is not safe right now. Distinguished ladies, please leave as soon as possible."

"We're not the only ones in danger. Everyone living in this city... needs to be warned." Viviana frowned. "The person who caused Mrs. Seaman's death and used her to create these works is most likely..."

"Please don't say that name."

Before she uttered that name, the guard interrupted her. Generally speaking, such guards would never dare to interrupt the Elector's speech, but only this name, this deeply taboo name, could break this convention.

Viviana did not grow up in Leithania, so she was naturally not very sensitive to this name, but when she saw Ms. Kela nodded, she knew that she had indeed touched upon some taboo.

She once again thought of the black-haired king in the picture - it turned out that this king still had such terrifying power after so many years of death?

"...At least, please inform those who came to the art gallery today, okay?" Viviana frowned and continued, "These pigments are likely to induce mineral sickness. This is a necessary safety measure. Besides... I'm very worried about their mental state after seeing these horrific paintings."

The guard breathed a sigh of relief, as if reassured that the Elector hadn't mentioned the name. He immediately stood at attention and pledged to complete his mission, praising the new Elector's kindness and gentleness.

After the guards left, Ms. Kela sighed and came to her side.

"He's right. That night twenty-three years ago changed a lot of things, and change... is never necessarily for the better," she said. "No one can mention that man's name casually. His name represents terror in this country."

"Back then... I mean Mrs. Ximan, has she seen that person with her own eyes?" In order not to mention the name of the Witch King, Viviana changed the address.

"She witnessed the fall of that person and the birth of a hero." Kela nodded, "So, this scene may have really happened..."

"It's hard to imagine..." Viviana sighed. Her best friend was about to come to this country, and yet she was involved in a job that she had to take seriously. Troubles really kept coming one after another...

"The remnants designed Frieda Seaman's death, perhaps to punish her for her "betrayal" of that person, or perhaps to use this as a signal to announce that they will take big action." At this time, Kela continued, but the remnants of the Witch King were not unrelated to Viviana.

"Did they kill my father for the same reason?" The reason why Viviana returned to Leithania was because her father was suddenly assassinated, leaving the territory ownerless. She was forced to inherit her father's position and became the current [Elector].

“…” Kela did not reply, and the two of them fell into a long silence.

Beyond the tower, in this city of art and music, lies a hidden filth...

Father, was it to prevent me from coming into contact with these things that you tied me up in the tower?

It’s raining—

It was a sudden rain, not common in this season. Most of the people running on the streets did not bring umbrellas and could only let the rain wet their luxurious clothes, as if washing away their disguises and making the embarrassment beneath their decency so obvious.

On the street corner, a black-haired Sakota was hiding from the rain under the eaves. She raised her head and looked at the crowd with an expressionless face.

Those emotions, like a piece of music, play their own melody in the rain, but most people hide behind one mask after another.

She has been taught since she was a child to be honest and to face each other sincerely, but in fact, all adults are lying and are not facing their true hearts. They will not do what they want to do, but only do what others think they will do.

——This is a lie.

This is a lie to deceive yourself.

No matter who it is, it's the same...

In this heavy rain, everything became visible. For this wanted criminal who was still being hunted, the most coincidental thing was naturally meeting another wanted criminal.

"Ah... I didn't expect it to rain..."

"I told you to bring an umbrella when you go out, who told you not to?"

"Unexpected events happen—" the white-haired girl said with a smile, "—Ah, I can actually see Sakota here. I thought this city, apart from Caprini, was all Elafia."

The girl smiled and looked at Arturo, who was also hiding from the rain beside her, and said, "Meeting is fate. Hello, my name is-"

Noah Kyrielight.

Unfortunately, Arturo had already recognized the other person, so there was no surprise.

A smile played at the corners of her mouth.

"Hello, Arturo. Nice to meet you."

Chapter 4 Gift

"Arturo - hello, nice to meet you." Arturo's mouth corners lifted up, revealing a quiet and elegant smile. The smile of this Sakota had a natural charm, as if the person standing in front of him was not a Sakota, but a Sarkaz. It is said that the Sakota are the most holy race among all the races on Terra. Apart from the halo and wings of light, they have almost no characteristics of beast relatives, and most of the weapons they use come from the firearms they monopolize.

But in this Sakota, Noah could feel something completely different.

If Noah wanted to say what was different, it would be difficult for him to say it.

Her ability allows her to sense emotions. Most people will show certain characteristics in front of her because of the expression of their emotions. However, only in front of this Zakota named Arturo, Noa feels an emotion of [nothingness]. That's right, the emotional fluctuations of this girl named Arturo are neither [lack] nor [rich], and she doesn't even have a tendency. She is like a mirror, reflecting almost nothing except the emotions of others.

Facing Arturo, Noah felt like he was facing a calm lake, facing his own reflection.

This made Noah look at him a few more times, especially noticing the name Arturo... Why did it sound familiar? She should have heard of this name in the past, but for a moment, she couldn't remember it.

Noah's doubts only flashed by, but Arturo was different. The moment she saw Noah, her evaluation of Noah was completely different.

At this moment, Arturo and Noya looked at each other, and for some reason, there seemed to be some resonance between the two - soon, both noticed each other's temptation and confirmed each other's identity.

similar……

Noya blinked. As expected of the city of magic, she had just happened upon a Sakota who used the same telepathic Originium technique as herself. Her gaze fell on the violin case beside Arturo. "Is this... your instrument?"

"Yes," Arturo replied with a smile, not hiding her identity in the face of the other party's question. "I'm a musician who was invited to perform here, so naturally I have my instrument with me."

"Musician... I see. When I first came to Leithania, I saw people carrying all kinds of boxes and bags on the streets and thought they were weapons or something like that." Noah nodded. "So they're musical instruments."

"Calling them weapons isn't a problem, actually," Arturo said with a smile. "For most Leitanian sorcerers, there's not much difference between musical instruments and weapons. They'll install Originium units on their instruments to cast spells. Of course, this mostly happens with portable instruments. Unless you're incredibly strong like Vayvan, no one would be willing to carry a piano on their backs."

"Pfft..." Thinking of Saria carrying a piano on the street, Noya's funny bone was triggered, and she laughed out loud unconsciously. "Miss Arturo, you are indeed humorous, but if there really is such a sorcerer, I would like to see it."

Although Noya's best instrument is the piano, she has never thought of carrying the piano on the street. In most cases, the piano needs to be properly transported to the performance venue. However, the picture that Arturo described was so strong that Noya unconsciously began to imagine this wonderful picture.

"There's a chance. This is the capital of music. Maybe a powerful piano master will come to perform—" Arturo said with a smile, "My instrument is the cello. Although I am also good at the violin, like other warlocks, I have also installed an Originium unit on my cello. If necessary, I can use the cello to cast spells."

"In Leitania, magic and music are closely linked—so this statement has been reflected since the beginning of the musical instruments?" Noa exclaimed. "As expected of Leitania, it's even more powerful than I imagined."

"Music is the discovery of order in chaos." Arturo, perhaps realizing Noa's interest in the connection between Leitania's music and magic, explained, "That's what my teachers in Leitania taught me, but I have another way of saying it: 'Music is the flow of will, the language of self-expression.'"

"As expected of a musician, your insights into music are quite unique." Noah praised. When communicating with Arturo, she could feel that Arturo did not dislike talking to her, and was even quite interested in her. It might be because they had similar Originium skills, or it might be because Noah also had insights into music. As both were warlocks and both loved music, the two had a great conversation. They kept chatting until the rain stopped and the sun reappeared in the clouds, but they still hadn't finished chatting.

Arturo's musical insights were truly unique, unlike anything Noa had encountered before. They chatted about music theory, composition, and the music Arturo had been collecting. Every topic seemed to flow with such joy, so much so that they almost forgot this was their first meeting. Unfortunately, the rain stopped, and each of them had their own things to do. They could only say goodbye with regret, one heading out into the street, the other into a dark alley.

This was the first time Noa and Arturo met - but she didn't expect that they would meet several more times in the near future.

-

The Twin Towers, the most prominent buildings in Trilinterme, the capital of Leithania, served as the heart of the city. Black Key had long since left their group, claiming to have his own business. Noah and Mace, as agreed, arrived at a shop beneath the Twin Towers and found a window seat. The owner, who could open a shop in such a place, was clearly no ordinary figure. The shop was elegant and quiet, so few passersby noticed it existed and rarely peeked inside. There were very few customers inside either, save for the clerk at the counter, leisurely wiping his cup.

The layout of the store is very romantic. There are some paintings and photos of the customers hanging on the walls. When Noah and Jian sat down, the waiter just put the menu on the table. Noah glanced at it casually and found that the prices of the items on the menu were quite staggering.

Fortunately... Noah is not a person who is short of money. You know, the funds she has now may be an astronomical figure. After all, during the time she disappeared, Rhine Life's salary was still paid, as well as her past savings. As long as she doesn't have some unrealistic ideas to find a place to gamble or tinker with some epoch-making inventions like Maria, it is estimated that she will hardly fall into poverty.

They didn't have to wait long. Soon, the figure Noya was waiting for appeared at the door. She glanced around the store and soon found Noya. Her eyes lit up and she immediately took several steps and came to Noya. Her anxious mood was slightly comforted by Noya's smile. She came in front of Noya, wanting to say something but stopping herself, and finally she said one sentence -

"Long time no see, I missed you, Noah."

"Me too, Viviana."

For Viviana, Noah is a special existence. It is because of Noah's existence that she feels the warmth in Casimir that she has never felt before. She never thought that having a friend would be such a reassuring thing. Noah is gentle, kind, and considerate, and always thinks about others. It can be said that Noah helped her establish a home in Casimir, a home called the Order of Sanhua.

The friendship between her and Noah is the biggest reason for her to stay in Casimir. It is no exaggeration to say that if it were not for Noah, she might have been completely disappointed with Casimir long ago.

Noah is special, Noah is unique, and to Viviana, Noah is a unique and important existence.

With her help, she was able to gain a firm foothold and persist in her interest in writing poetry, because she knew that there would always be people who would read her poems attentively and give them serious comments.

It is said that separation and distance will make feelings fade, but Viviana only feels that the separation during this period has only made her happier when she sees Noah.

Longing is like a pot of wine, the longer it is stored, the more mellow it becomes. But at this moment, the long-lasting longing is finally released, and even the girl's cheeks are stained red.

"-During the time I've been back in Leithania, I've written a lot of poems. I sent some to Margaret. She said she didn't understand poetry very well, but she also made her own comments. I've read them all, and she's very serious." After sitting down, Viviana quickly turned the topic to Margaret, probably wanting to test Noah's reaction. Unfortunately, when Noah heard the news about Margaret, he was only slightly stunned and couldn't see any clues.

"Margaret isn't very good at this kind of thing to begin with, so it's already a shame for her to be able to squeeze out such a small comment." Noah knew her childhood friend's habits very well. "I even helped her with her lessons a long time ago. I know exactly what she's not good at."

"I also thought you'd come to see me, so... I've prepared everything for you." Viviana shyly handed the poetry collection to Noah. "And... congratulations on your recovery. Although you already said it when we contacted, I think it would be better to congratulate you in person."

Noah looked at the handwritten poetry collection and could tell that this gift was carefully prepared. Both the packaging and the material of the poetry collection were quite high-end. In addition, two books were specially prepared, one in Braille and the other for normal reading. Obviously, this gift had been prepared before he got rid of his disability.

The gift may be small but the thought is great. Noah naturally would not be picky about the gift being a collection of poems. She just felt that the gift she bought when she came here was a bit shabby.

She took out a rectangular box from her bosom, with a golden ribbon tied on it. This was the fountain pen she brought from Colombia. It was said to be able to be used for more than a hundred years. It was exquisitely made and had a very gorgeous appearance. When Noah saw it for the first time, he thought it was very suitable for Viviana, who often had to write poetry, so he bought it as a gift.

Obviously, Viviana was also very satisfied with the gift and quickly hid it close to her body. It was a pen and a collection of poems. Perhaps neither of them cared what the gift was. They were happy enough as long as it was a gift from the other.

After a long separation, the two had a lot to say, but this place was obviously not a good place. They left the shop and returned to Viviana's place of residence. This was the residence prepared for her by the Gemini Queens. The rooms were decorated according to her habits, and there was a garden and servants. However, these servants were quickly declined by Viviana. She was more accustomed to living alone and taking care of the entire residence by herself.

And today, this residence welcomed other guests besides Miss Kela.

The two of them strolled along the garden path, Viviana and Noah walking side by side. She was initially concerned about whether she was going too fast, as Noah had just recovered and might not be able to keep up. However, she soon realized her worries were unnecessary. Noah's steps were brisk, and the two chatted as they walked. During this time, Noah had already told her everything about his time in Colombia.

When it came to Noah's inexplicable succession to the position of Rhine Life's Chief Minister, even Viviana was a little shocked. After all, that was the Chief Minister of Rhine Life, not a position that could be easily filled. This close friend of hers was truly more powerful than she had imagined.

"Vivianna?"

"Ok?"

"Actually, I've always felt that I was a bit hasty and thoughtless when I left Casimir..." Noya sighed, "I didn't pay enough attention to the Sanhua Knights back then. Your leaving Casimir... probably has something to do with me, right?"

"...You don't have to mind it." Viviana smiled and shook her head. "Both the members of the Sanhua Knights and I know that you didn't leave Casimir for your own benefit. Besides, the Sanhua Knights were originally founded by you and me. When you and I left Casimir, they had already decided to disband."

"...Really?" Noah sighed. "I still wonder if I should have thought more and done better..."

"Nothing in the world is perfect, and I believe you've done your best." Viviana shook her head. "Well, now that we finally meet again, let's stop saying those discouraging words. Go ahead and tell me those legendary stories you haven't finished telling me."

Chapter 5: Heaven's Fulcrum

"Judgment - The wanted criminal Arturo is extremely dangerous. We require the cooperation of the Letania side to capture him immediately."

A cold voice echoed through the halls. She spoke her request before Ivignad, one of the two rulers of Leithnia, known as the White Skirt, the Eternal Grace, and the White Sheep. The queen looked down at the executors below—no, now they should be called Lateran Saints. She had already investigated this Sakota's identity before she entered Trilinterme. She had spies everywhere in the city, so she was naturally well aware of her actions.

"Mr. Federico, I'm sorry, but I don't know the whereabouts of the wanted criminal you mentioned, Arturo Giallo. After all, we only know the great musician Arturo. This Mr. Arturo has not committed any malicious acts in our country, and Lateran and our country do not have an extradition agreement. In my opinion, your request is unreasonable," the Queen said bluntly. "A Saint from Lateran wants to enforce the law in Letania—this shouldn't be a clichéd joke, right?"

"I have no intention of challenging Leitania's laws. I'm simply seeking help. Arturo is a very dangerous criminal. Because of her potential future actions, I have an obligation to warn you and ask for your help. This is my courtesy to Leitania. Even if you disagree with my actions, I will still hunt down Arturo in my own way."

Federico said so. Now, in addition to being a legal professional executor of the Lateran Notary Office, he is also subject to the civil rights of Lateran from one to thirteen. He was personally granted the title of "Saint" by the current Lateran Pope Evangelista XI.

In a sense, he could indeed represent Lateran, but for the Queen – this identity was particularly tricky.

After receiving the title of "Saint," Federico remained affiliated with the Lateran Notary Office. As an executor, the Notary Office still had the authority to dispatch tasks to undertakers. In a sense, Federico did not feel that he had become a remarkable figure, nor did he realize what the title of sainthood actually meant. His behavior was almost the same as before, and it would not be different. As an executor, his goal was to complete his mission.

Probably - the only difference is a more gorgeous uniform...

In order to determine the appearance of Federico's uniform, the Pope and the fashion designer tested several versions before finally deciding on this set of clothing. The fabric is quite high-end, corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant, and has a strong ability to transmit Originium technology. It is stab-proof and bullet-proof, and can even defend against ordinary crossbows. It is no exaggeration to say that this set of clothes can be called a gorgeous fortress in a sense.

Combined with Federico's already rather exaggerated firepower, the fact that he can carry out missions alone is no joke.

In addition, his latest weapon, the small drone floating beside him, was also a gift from the Pope. With the blessing of these things and his identity... even the White Queen had to face up to the requirements of the new saint.

"...Although I still cannot acknowledge your actions as law enforcement officers in Leithania,...I consider your demands reasonable. While I won't provide any assistance, I won't restrict your actions in Leithania either. However, you will bear the same legal responsibility as residents of your country for any losses incurred during your arrests. I will personally send a report of the consequences of your arrests to Lateran. How do you do that?"

The meaning of this statement is very clear. The White Queen does not intend to make enemies with Lateran, but she also wants to maintain her own dignity. The final result is a compromise.