Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"The Saint Lady is no less impressive, and for once in a while... she's also quite forthright in her words."

"No match for Lord Enthiotis." Enya pursed her lips. "But it seems that our Lord Enthiotis, after all these years, still can't learn to keep his capital."

"Where do you come from?" Enthyotis frowned. Actually, Enya should have been silent at this point, but it was obvious that his sister did not intend to act according to the plan.

"Aren't you just letting your bad habits kick in and taking everyone in without caring about anything?" Enya looked at her brother in front of her and spoke, but facing his sister's stare, Enthyodis had no intention of backing down.

“Risk is always proportional to reward.”

Enthiotis has always been a gambler, and Noah understands this very well. When cooperating with Enthiotis, one usually has to be on guard. It's not that he might betray you, but that he might get carried away and accidentally lose all his capital. At this time, Noah is always the one who puts on the brakes. It can be said that the reason why she and Enthiotis have such a good relationship is, to a large extent, because Noah has helped Enthiotis lose less money - this amount of money can even be said to be an astronomical figure.

So Noah really agreed with Enya's words, but Enthiotis obviously didn't intend to listen - although Noah was not as straightforward, he still said a lot of the same words.

She still remembered the first time Enthiotis and she had worked together. They had originally planned to import some high-quality beast-of-prey felts from Kjerag. These things were part of Kjerag's tradition, and such exquisite beast-of-prey felts were rare in the outside world. However, when it came to pricing, the price Enthiotis quoted made Noya think he was crazy. Although it was eventually proven that these beast-of-prey felts did have a huge market, if Noya hadn't launched a publicity campaign, even having the Candle Knight help wear the felts and appear in newspapers, Noya didn't think the price of these felts would be affordable.

The final result was that both Noah and Enthiotis made a fortune, but Noah also warned Enthiotis - wealth and honor do come from taking risks, but please consider your ability to bear it.

If they had lost money at that time, then Kalan Trade would have had a hard time in Casimir...

In Noah's opinion, risking one's own future and destiny was indeed a bit too much.

Although she also started her business with venture capital, every business deal with Enchiodis... is almost always a big deal.

"I hope Lord Ensiodis won't regret his decision one day." Enya stared at her brother for a long time, but didn't see any signs of him backing down. She could only sigh, "No one will secretly put pocket money under your pillow these days!"

"..." Enthyodis didn't respond directly. His eyes flickered slightly, and his words softened. "...It's true that there won't be any more."

"I don't have to be woken up by the coins. I have to buy candy and snacks with interest and pay it back three times." But Enya hadn't felt relieved yet. The next sentence brought her blood pressure to the peak.

"No one wants you to pay it back!"

This time, it's truly sincere.

Even Noah felt that what Enthiotis said was a bit too much. He coughed twice and spoke.

"Alright, Enya, Enthyotis," Noya said, taking over from Theresa. "We've heard enough about your childhood. Why don't we let Mr. Harold share his thoughts? He's been interrupted several times already, and that's unhospitable."

After Noah spoke, Enya and Enthiotis frowned first, then looked at Noah. After receiving a reassuring look from Noah, they calmed down.

At this moment, Harold wanted to kowtow to Noah. Fortunately, Noah was here, otherwise his banquet today would be meaningless.

"Ahem, thank you, Miss Noya. Saint Lady, Master Enthiodis, I have no intention of interfering in your private affairs. However, if Saint Lady has your own thoughts on Kjerag's current situation... then, responding to His Excellency the Duke's expectations is your only option," Harold said, looking in Enya's direction. Enya didn't rush to respond, but instead frowned in confusion.

"what do you mean?"

"Lady Saint, let me tell you about the scene that left the deepest impression on me about Kjerag," Harold finally said, finally revealing the vision he had already sketched. "I remember once, while I was treating a herder—Old Leon—a young animal on his pasture had strayed away. I offered to help find it, but the herder told me not to worry. He told me to wait until evening and offered me an invitation for dinner. So I stayed."

Harold pointed to the cheese fondue on the table.

"After I finished my medical consultation, Old Leon and I set up a pot on the grass and started a fire. He found a piece of fine cheese, and it sizzled as it went into the pot. I sat on a bench, still thinking about the cubs, when I heard the distant cries of a young animal. I know this is probably a common sight for the Kjerag people. But for me, seeing a young animal, stepping back into the sunset, to the pasture, to its mother, rubbing its body against hers, that feeling—I don't know how to describe it."

Harold clasped his hands together, an expression of unfaking emotion on his face.

"Old Leon told me that pack animals recognize the scent of their kin, especially young ones, which are very sensitive to their mother's scent. Even if they get lost, they will follow the scent to find their mother. This blood connection is like how the Kjerag people view their land, just like—Master Enthiodis, who gave up the glory of Victoria and ultimately returned to Kjerag."

"Your Excellency, the Viscount, is overestimating Lord Enthiotis. It's true that he has accomplished something—" Enya nodded, first acknowledging Enthiotis's achievements. "But to say that he was like a young beast of burden, returning to Kjerag out of attachment to his mother, Kjerag, is a bit of a joke."

"But the Kast family is supporting the Kalan trade precisely because of Master Enthiodis's longing for his homeland." The conversation finally got to the point. The moment Duke Kast's name was mentioned, the atmosphere suddenly took a turn for the worse. Noya, the only one whose expression remained unchanged, silently mobilized his gray matter, condensing it into a small metal ball at his fingertips. Of course, Harold didn't notice this subtle movement. "Furthermore, His Excellency the Duke believes that since Master Enthiodis values ​​Kjerag's blood so highly, he surely won't underestimate the other half—the Kast bloodline."

Enthiotis narrowed his eyes. Sure enough, this wasn't just a simple banquet. He unconsciously glanced at Noya. Out of trust, he had allowed Noya to stop their attempt to change the subject. But now, he couldn't understand what Noya was thinking. However, after repeated consideration, his trust in Noya outweighed his doubts. He didn't speak, but instead looked at Enya, tapping his fingers on the table, signaling her to stop talking. At this moment, Harold's words finally revealed his purpose.

"Lady Saint, as I said earlier, I'm not here to stir up trouble. It's just that when the Kalan trade was just beginning, Caister lent a helping hand to Master Enchiodis. Now that Master Enchiodis has proven his worth, Your Excellency the Duke believes it's time to collect some of the interest."

"It seems that this time we can't just get away with some candies, Lord Enthyotis." Enya understood and said.

Indeed, Duke Kaster's assistance was crucial during the early days of Kalan's trade, and her help was clearly more than just aid. And the price... Ensiodis didn't think Duke Kaster would offer any leniency for the sake of a relative.

The topic was indeed too sharp... The originally lively atmosphere disappeared, but at this moment, Noah finally spoke.

"Although it has little to do with your topic, I'm a little curious. Can you tell me?"

"Of course, Miss Noah, what do you want to know? I will tell you everything I know."

"It's actually very simple. I have some understanding of the situation in Victoria. As far as I know, Victoria today... is very different from the past. The current owner of Victoria, no, I shouldn't say that, to be more precise, the controller, should no longer be His Excellency the Duke, right?"

"...I don't quite understand what you mean, but it's true that Victoria has now switched to a parliamentary system, and the Speaker is the former king's daughter, Her Excellency Vina."

"Then I don't quite understand..." Noah smiled, "Why do you keep emphasizing the Duke of Caister's wishes instead of... Victoria's wishes?"

"…What do you mean?"

"You're a soldier," Noah said with a smile, "a soldier who fights for his country. So why do you keep talking about the Duke of Caister instead of your homeland, Victoria, to whom you should be loyal?"

“…” Harold was suddenly speechless. He seemed to have just realized that the reason Noah asked him to speak was because she was waiting for him to mention the Duke of Caister.

"Of course, I'm not questioning your loyalty to Victoria. I'm just confused. Since when... can a duke call upon an army that has long been nationalized? Even send troops to Kjerag?"

"..." Harold wiped the sweat off his face and spoke after a long while, "We are here for vacation."

"Bringing an army on vacation?" Noah smiled meaningfully. "Is this a special Victorian tradition? Summer camp?"

"--Sir Noah, did you misunderstand me? I am just conveying Duke Caister's intentions. I am just a messenger. There is no rule in the military code that prohibits others from delivering messages, right?" Harold's explanation was indeed pale and powerless, but Noah did not intend to pursue it relentlessly. She put away the oppressive feeling she had deliberately created by using her ability and showed a gentle smile.

"So it was just a message. Sorry, I misunderstood. Sir Harold, I wish you all a happy time in Kjerag. We've almost finished the food on the table. Any more? I have a big appetite, and this isn't enough to fill my stomach."

"Ahem, yes, yes, let's continue serving the dishes." Harold finally breathed a sigh of relief and clapped his hands. He didn't know why, but he felt as if he was being stared at by a ferocious beast and didn't dare to breathe. Fortunately, his self-control preserved his composure. When the pressure disappeared, he realized how big a bomb was buried under the conversation just now. He thought about his speech over and over again... It was barely acceptable.

But... is Miss Noah such a scary person?

Chapter 17: Conversation among the Followers

Noah silently tucked the gray metal ball back into his pocket. Although Harold had been wary, he clearly hadn't anticipated Noah's ability to use the gray matter to create a recorder. Noah had recorded every word of the conversation. These words wouldn't be useful for the time being, but once Vina reached Kjerag, these recordings would undoubtedly give Duke Kaster a hard time.

In the past, during the Duke's reign, it seemed perfectly reasonable for the Grand Duke to mobilize the army. After all, the Emperor had been killed, and the Duke's temporary assumption of power was no problem. But now that Victoria was a parliamentary system, mobilizing the army was no easy task. He had to obtain evidence from Harold that the Duke of Caster had secretly mobilized the army, and then attract the attention of the Grey Hat by visiting Viscount Harold—killing two birds with one stone.

It was obviously impossible for the Gray Hat to ignore this information, but once it was reported to Duke Caister, Noah's goal of diverting Duke Caister's attention would have been achieved.

If this is a game of chess, then Noah has already seized the opportunity to win, and on the other side, Duke Kaster...what is he doing at this moment?

"...Noah Kirielight, I haven't heard of the last name Kirielight for a long time." Duke Caister, Victoria's real duke, holds control of MI6 and is also the aunt of the current Speaker. In the eyes of many people, Duke Caister's position may be the most stable and unshakable of all the dukes, but only Caister herself understands that although she is Vina's aunt... the Speaker has been keeping an eye on her. As long as she reveals a flaw, this little lion will bite her without hesitation - her goal is not to control the country.

She just wants to seize power from all the dukes!

But this is Victoria. The aristocracy here is deeply ingrained. Every inch of this land has aristocratic genes. It is impossible for a mere Vina to change this.

Kaister has always scoffed at Vina's thoughts and ideas. She is the Duke and one of the people who knows this country best, while Vina is just a young kid. His original plan was to wait for her to ascend the throne, then slowly control her and become the regent himself - but unfortunately, the little lion did not intend to be bound by the throne. She was smart and knew that becoming the next king would only divide power with the Duke... So she brought more variables into the game.

The parliament was her attempt to check and balance the dukes.

"The former Protector of the Realm, now she is a... knight in Casimir? No, she is not even a knight now. To be honest, it has been a long time since I thought that such a family could still make me wary after leaving Victoria. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are haunting me." The Duke of Caster was playing with the chess piece in her hand. The chess piece in her hand was called the Queen, and it was the strongest chess piece. In her opinion, she was very similar to this chess piece.

She did not want to overthrow the country, she was loyal to Victoria, but she also had her own plans. She was also one of the few dukes who truly held power. Even the Battle of Londinium took place with her tacit approval.

Originally, this was just a war to redistribute power and could end at any time. Although the Sarkaz gave everyone a huge surprise in the end... the final result did not actually change much.

At most... there is just one more Kingdom of Tara.

"There's nothing wrong with the overall direction, but there are always flaws in the details... I don't like flaws. Small flaws accumulated can cause a dam to collapse." The Duke of Caister's words gradually turned cold. "Victoria must be reborn in my hands, just like before - I don't like that."

"...Your Excellency the Duke, I take it... that you mean? Do you want to cooperate with me?"

"It's a beautiful day today, Abrana. I've fulfilled my promise. Now it's your turn." Duke Caister looked out the window and didn't directly answer the question. "Your Tara has been established, and you even have the Duke of Wellington as your trump card. Now... I'm asking for something in return. Please understand, this is not cooperation."

"Duke Godottin, Duke of Windermere, Duke of Caister—and... Duke of Wellington. Victoria is quite magnanimous, allowing so many dukes to exist in her kingdom. In fact, in my opinion, Victoria is like a dilapidated house, with only a beautiful facade. You dukes are like the stubborn pests in this dilapidated house, constantly eating away at its foundation." Abrana seemed unwilling to give Duke Caister any face. "You led the Sarkaz into the city, you caused Victoria so much suffering, you tore Victoria apart—and now, you are asking for my... reward as if nothing had happened?"

"You are not qualified to discuss Victoria with me." Duke Caister did not care about Abbrana's offensive words. "Or do you intend to become my enemy?"

"No, no, no, I'm not blaming you, Your Excellency, Duke of Caister. It's just that I think you and I have a lot in common." Abrana smiled. Facing such calculating people was actually her strength. She had once kept Noah by her side, but she had misjudged Noah's actions. Later, she reflected on it—Noah Kyrielight was indeed special.

If the things that happened in Casimir before could be explained, then what happened afterwards... Abrana had to sigh at Noah's layout. If you look closely at the route Noah has taken along the way, you will find that no matter when, Noah seems to have been making a profit. She obtained the support of Rhine Life at a terrifying speed, cured her mineralogy, eliminated her biggest hidden danger, and established a good relationship with Colombia, which in turn helped her enter the political level of Iberia.

Abrana discovered that Noa had a strong personal charm and terrifying disguise ability. Whenever she arrived in a region, she would quickly establish connections with local organizations, whether it was Rhine Life or Iberia. Although she lacked information about Agor, judging from Agor's reaction, it had also become Noa's ally. What amazed Abrana the most was the establishment of the Terra Council... Although the Terra Council seemed to be established at the initiative of Lateran, Abrana discovered that the foundation of the Terra Council was actually laid by Noa.

Colombia, Iberia, Agor - the only mistake was probably in front of the two twin queens. Letania and Casimir may be the only two countries in the world that rejected Noah.

However, it is precisely because of the failures that this plan seems real... If she could succeed in every country, this would be impossible.

Noah Kyrielight...will you be my worst enemy?

As for Noah's plan, Abrana could only speculate about it based on the intelligence. After all, the intelligence was insufficient, especially on Agor's side, which was almost equivalent to no intelligence at all.

However, the only thing Abrana could infer from the known information was about Noah.

If Noa isn't a perfect schemer, then she must be a foolish saint.

——Abrana never believed that there were saints in this world.

Everyone is more or less selfish, and everyone will be swayed by their own interests.

As the saying goes, if a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. Abrana grew up in such an environment... When every inch of her fangs was coated with venom, she naturally would not believe that Noah was a saint. That would simply deny the worldview she had lived in until now, so Noah could only be a perfect conspirator.

Then... Noah is her best opponent.

Abrana licked the corner of her mouth. She couldn't wait to meet Noah again.

"I agree, Your Excellency the Duke of Caister."

she said with a smile.

"I will repay your help."

-

"..." Noya shuddered for some unknown reason, as if being stared at. She rubbed her arms, feeling goosebumps all over them. The table had been cleared of the leftovers and replaced with a new batch of dishes. Enya and Enthiotis were drawn to one of the dishes—a cheese burrito, and unlike the usual cheese burrito, it had some fruit pulp inside, an unusual recipe.

"You're welcome, both of you. I asked old Turiel to make these, all of Kjerag's home-cooked dishes—ah, this cheese wrap looks delicious!"

"...This is indeed a local family dish." Enthiotis glanced at Enya beside him. He was not sure whether it was Enya who ordered this dish to be added to the banquet. To be honest, now might be his most shaken moment, and Enya's reaction was exactly the same as his. She also turned her head and stared at Enthiotis. Both of them found doubt in each other's eyes. So if both of them didn't know... and Noya couldn't know their family recipe... then there was only one answer.

Enya sighed… Yaer, if you think that this dish alone can repair our relationship… then you are totally wrong.

"Alright, alright, stop looking at each other. I'm not going to discuss business anymore. Let's just enjoy our meal... Lord Enchiotis, I can assume that Miss Noya's reply is yours, right?"

"Of course. She's Kjerag's Honorary Saint. Her opinion is Kjerag's opinion." Enthiotis nodded gently. "Sir Harold, I understand you don't want to do this. I've seen everything you've done here. You're an upright man, so you're not really good at hosting a banquet like this—and besides, how are you going to deal with all three of us at once?"

"Haha, Lord Enthiotis is right... But being good at something and wanting to do it are two different things." Harold laughed and grabbed a cheese wrap and put it in his mouth. After chewing it thoroughly, the fruity aroma completely dissolved the greasy cheese, making the whole wrap taste quite flavorful. His eyes lit up. "It's delicious indeed. You are worthy of being Kjerag's famous chef."

"Lord Enchiodis, please." Enya looked at her brother, and although she was very unhappy, she still took the initiative to speak.

"Obedience is worse than respect." Enchiodis picked up the burrito, took a bite, and couldn't help but sigh, "That's the taste."

"Lord Enthiotis, do you still remember?" Enya was looking at him, and Enthiotis nodded with a sincere smile.

"Of course." The two siblings finally put aside their grudges temporarily.

There were four burritos in total, just enough for four people to eat one each. If Harold and Noah simply thought the burritos were delicious, then the two siblings had a much more complicated feeling.

After all, this burrito recipe is a family tradition of the Shivaash family...

This is also the flavor that these two siblings ate most often when they were young.

It means a lot to both of them.

However, this side was quiet, but the other side was different. Noah was accompanied by Margaret, and Jian was also following Enciatis. At this time, the two happened to run into Encia's follower Yaer, but this was not a surprise - rather, when Noah, Enciatis, and Encia gathered together, their followers would naturally run into each other. Margaret and Jian did not exchange too many pleasantries. It would be better to say that the relationship between them was actually quite subtle, but... Yaer spoke first.

"It's been a long time since we last met, both of you."

"It's been a long time since we last met, Miss Ya'er. The last time we met, I was an envoy from Casimir, and I'm grateful for your kindness." Margaret's manners were impeccable. She had met Miss Ya'er when she first came to Kjerag, and she had taken care of most of Margaret's daily needs. Although they didn't interact much, they could easily be considered acquaintances.

"..." Mace didn't speak immediately, but instead observed Margaret's expression. After confirming it again and again, he spoke. "How does it feel to be Noah's guard?"

"...It would be a lie to say I'm not happy." Margaret answered Jian's question honestly, "Being able to be with her... and so close to her, is truly something I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams."

"Miss Margaret, don't you also have feelings for Noah? Isn't now the perfect opportunity?" Their conversation was still somewhat restrained, but Ya'er didn't need to be restrained at all and immediately urged her. "If you don't try hard while Miss Jian is away, you'll regret it later."

"...You misunderstood. I'm not doing this for this kind of thing..." Margaret wanted to argue, but Mace interrupted her.

"No misunderstanding."

"Eh?"

"I deliberately created a situation where you were alone with her."

Chapter 18: Sweet Honey~

"A-choo..." Noah sneezed violently. The inexplicable chill she felt just now made her hair stand on end. She looked around and tilted her head in confusion.

——Why are people still talking about me?

"Is it because you are not wearing enough clothes and have caught a cold?" Enya and she had already left the banquet. This banquet was considered a great success for both the host and the guests. Enthiotis stayed to continue discussing with Harold, while Enya and Noah retired. Noah had done everything she could, and the next step was to leave it to Enthiotis. However, she sneezed as soon as she left the room. No wonder Enya suspected that she had caught a cold.

But let alone a cold, with the help of gray matter, the battle royale begins the moment most harmful bacteria enter Noah's body. If there are bacteria that can withstand the pursuit of gray matter, then the level of this bacteria is probably the same as the blacklight virus.

No... the Blacklight virus has no way of fighting against gray matter, right?