Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Naturally, Enya was more interested in knowing the true abilities of Noah, whom Enxia praised so highly. But before that, Enya stretched and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, Noah, did you shower today?"

"Well... not yet." Noah had originally planned to take a bath tonight and also had a massage, but Margaret's arrival disrupted all her plans, and she was even forced to seek refuge in Manzhuyuan.

"Then come with me to take a bath. Don't worry, I will take good care of you." Enya said with a smile, "There is a special herbal bath in Manzhuyuan. It contains many secret medicines from the Snow Mountain. It will also be good for your body. I think you are not likely to have any problems, so let's take a bath together?"

"...This..." Noah wanted to refuse immediately, but he didn't know where Kuro was fighting the avalanche in the mountain. Ya'er hadn't returned yet, so he didn't have much choice. "Okay."

"Okay, don't be so nervous. Although I'm not as powerful as your bodyguard, I will definitely take good care of you." Enya stepped forward and picked up Noah from the wheelchair despite Noah's puzzled expression. Although Noah was not heavy, Enya carried him easily as if she was holding a feather, and walked towards the bathroom very naturally.

No... Aren't you too skilled?

"That's how I used to do it when I was bathing Enxia. Don't worry, I'm holding her steady."

"That's not what I want to know..." Noah covered his face, his entire face turning red. "Or I should wait for Kuro to come back..."

"Alright, alright, girls, why are you so shy?" Enya just found it funny. The always calm Noah actually showed his weakness after being forced upon. She suddenly felt that Noah was not as formidable as she had imagined. Enya really liked people who were easy to deal with as long as they broke through their outer shell. "I promise I won't touch you, okay?"

"...You Kjerag people don't like to listen to people talking." Noah struggled for a while, and found that he seemed unable to do anything to the Saint of Super Strength, so he could only relax again, leaving only a complaint.

written request for leave

There will only be one 4k update today, and there will be normal updates tomorrow.

From now on, I will not be asked to leave if I only update two chapters of 2,000 words or one chapter of 4,000 words.

After all, strictly speaking, this isn't really a leave of absence...it's just about getting less or getting more.

I should resume posting four updates tomorrow.

Gulu gulu——

Gulu gulu——

Gulu gulu——

Chapter 52: Medicinal Bath

Gulu gulu gulu——

With half of her head buried in the pool, Noah was blowing bubbles. Although she couldn't see the bubbles burst, just hearing the gurgling sound was very relaxing.

She often uses brown noise to de-stress. She believes life is all about managing stress, and timely de-stressing equals healing. Noah even consulted a psychologist, but the psychologist's issues seemed more serious, so Noah also helped the psychologist with psychotherapy.

Fortunately, the people of the Kirilet family are naturally generous and not easily depressed, otherwise Noah would feel that he would have become jaded when he was in Casimir.

However, her childish behavior still aroused the curiosity of Enya beside her, "Is this interesting?"

"No, I'm just trying to decompress." Noah raised his head from the water and said seriously, "And I already told you, I can wash alone."

"you sure?"

"...I think so." Noya honestly wasn't very confident. Enya had already led him astray, and he didn't bother to dwell on it. It was crucial to adapt to circumstances. If he couldn't build good relationships with most people, his career as a businessman would have been in vain. Besides, the man before him was the Chairman of the Kjerag Council, who had just resolved the Snow Mountain Incident and reached the pinnacle of prestige among the three tribes. He was almost like a head of state.

To be honest, being the secretary of someone of such status would probably be something that many people would be vying for, right?

Gulu gulu——

She lowered her head once more, continuing to blow bubbles. Enya looked at the girl in front of her curiously. She and Noya weren't actually very familiar with each other, but she'd often seen Enya praising Noya in her letters, and even calling her "Sister Noya," a rather intimate term. As Enya's true sister, she was actually a bit curious about Noya.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to Noya's house and asked for a meeting the moment she arrived in Kjerag. It was just that the incident on the snowy mountain happened so quickly that their communication was limited to that point. And then, the second time they met, she and Enshia saved them—a glimpse of Noya's strengths.

First of all, anyone who can do something like climbing the mountain from the Saint's Road must be very brave.

Later, Yaer half-jokingly said that snow water dripped on her head and she had walked half of the path to becoming a saint. Although it was not formal, she was still half a saint.

Although Enya was a little speechless as the genuine saint, she still gave her the title of honorary saint.

There's no other way. I can't give a position to someone who's ready to leave at any time. She doesn't seem to want it very much either, and giving it to people... well, it seems even more meaningless.

In short, since there was no way to pay her, they simply gave her a title, a lifelong honorary title. However, because she was an honorary saint recognized by the Saint herself, Noah's reputation among the people of Kjerag seemed to have risen accordingly.

However, these are undoubtedly what this girl deserves. She actually played a very important role in the Snow Mountain Incident. If she had not instigated Moshi to rebel, they would not have been able to bypass the main force so easily and allow Enshia to go up the mountain safely. If she had not seen Enshiodis's plan in advance and persuaded Enshia to come to her, she might not have made up her mind so quickly. She even helped Latatos join the alliance to increase the bargaining chips.

She and the Doctor could have done nothing and just reap the benefits, but they chose to help Kjerag move towards a better tomorrow.

She teamed up with the Doctor to overturn Enchiodis's chessboard, forcing the proud guy to choose a draw.

She had to admit that Noah and the Doctor had changed everything. Although she seemed to be the victor, it was actually the Doctor, Noah, and even that jerk brother, Enshia, who had given her this stage and pushed her forward. The Saint simply chose to accept this direction.

So, she was very grateful to Noah, grateful that she had given her a push at the right time, preventing things from getting worse.

So, she reached out and gently hugged Noya in the tub. She had no other intentions, simply wanting to express her gratitude. But… Noya froze in her arms. She raised her head from her submarine pose and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. After a moment of thought and hesitation, she asked.

"...Um...Ms. Enya, what are you doing?"

"I was worried you might slip, so I held you up." Enya explained. "Why? Are you shy even though you're all girls?"

"I'm not shy... I'm just..." Noya defended herself, but she hated her sensitivity at that moment because she felt Enya's two cushions pressing against her back, and her whole body went numb. "I'm just a little uncomfortable with being held in the shower?"

"So, that bodyguard never hugged you?" Enya suddenly found it a little interesting. "I thought you two had some special relationship."

"Me and Kuro?" Noya was silent at first, then denied it. "She has never crossed the line... er, or done anything too intimate."

"That's such a shame. Your skin is so good and so fair..." Enya touched Noya's shoulder with some envy. "It's so smooth that it's almost breakable. What skincare products do you use?"

"...Maybe it's because I don't like to hang out outside much, so I look pale." Although Noya had seen what she looked like now through Maria's body, she could only say that she hadn't grown ugly. As for the rest... she really had no idea. After all, there were quite a few good-looking people around her... But since Enya had praised it, then it was okay. "Enya, aren't you also... uh."

She wanted to praise Enya in return, but she couldn't see, so she didn't know what Enya deserved praise for—

I don’t know if the water in the bathtub was too hot or her brain short-circuited, but the next thing she blurted out was.

"Miss Enya, aren't your breasts very big?"

"..."

"..."

"……Thank you for the compliment?"

“…No…you’re welcome.”

As soon as she said that, Noya already felt something was wrong. She could only say that the hug just now was beyond her expectations and had really overheated her CPU. So she found the most inappropriate words to say...

But Enya's face was also flushed. She had just realized that she had been pressing her front armor against Noya's back for quite some time. Perhaps that was why Noya had said those words. Enya and Noya fell into an unbearable silence. After a long moment, Enya composed herself and tentatively asked, "Do you want me to rub your back?"

"This... isn't good?" Noah shuddered, but her reaction made Enya's eyes light up. She had heard that although rubbing other people's backs was a very common thing in Kjerag, and Kjerag's bathhouse was also frequented by quite a lot of people, she had also rubbed Enshia's back and bathed her when she was a child. However, due to cultural reasons, they did not feel shy about it. Enshia even liked to run around the house naked after taking a bath before she was six years old.

But Casimir obviously did not have such a tradition - not only that, Casimir even had separate baths.

So Noah was quite resistant to having his back rubbed, and this resistance was like turning on a switch in Enya's brain. She immediately held down Noah's shoulder, who was trying to move her away, and said seriously, "Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

"...I think this is really bad!" Noah really started to panic. Taking a bath together was fine, and holding her to prevent herself from slipping was fine! But what about scrubbing her own body? They probably weren't that close yet.

"In Kjerag, going into the bathhouse without scrubbing is the same as not bathing at all," Enya's devilish whisper rang in her ear. "So don't resist. When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Then Enya picked up the special bath scrubbing gloves beside her and began to rub her hands. She would not stop until Noah had rubbed off a layer of skin.

“Be gentle!!! Ouch! It hurts!!”

Then, Noah's screams were heard in the bathroom. Ya'er, who was sitting in the room next to him drinking tea, and Kuro, who had just been called, put down a cup of tea and ignored the tragedy in the bathhouse. "This tea is good."

"Thank you for the compliment."

The two of them once again picked up the tea, sipped it, and enjoyed the peaceful time.

Soon, Enya emerged, her face flushed with ruddy glow. Noya, like someone had just peeled off a layer of skin, slumped over in a wheelchair, still steaming. She had truly underestimated Enya's strength. Her strength had overwhelmed her, leaving her powerless. "Aren't you a Saint? Aren't Saints supposed to be magic-based? Your strength is already greater than many Guards and Heavy Operators, isn't it?"

I am an archer, and my arm strength is not small at all - but I am still suppressed by this saint with super strength.

"...Next time, I'll just wash myself..." Noah really didn't understand why Kjerag's customs had such a strange rule as scrubbing the body, but surprisingly, Kjerag's medicinal bath was indeed very comfortable. While soaking, he only felt hot, but after coming out of the bath, Noah felt that his whole body was much more comfortable. All the soreness and swelling that he had accumulated from sitting in a wheelchair and staying in the room before were also wiped out.

As expected, this medicinal bath is provided for the saint. It must be very expensive.

As a former businessman, Noah estimated the commercial value of this medicinal bath in his mind, and immediately concluded that as long as the packaging was good enough, many wealthy people would pay for it.

After all, what rich people like most are all kinds of health-preserving methods that are packaged as good for health, not to mention that medicinal baths are indeed good for health.

"Enya, although I don't mind your relationship with Noya getting better, you should also be mindful that little Noya is from Casimir, where privacy is very important." Ya'er reminded her indifferently, but it was just a reminder. "But how are you feeling, little Noya? Kjerag's special medicinal bath is pretty good, right?"

"Hmm... indeed, I feel a lot more relaxed." Noah nodded. "I think this could definitely be promoted. If we reduce the costs and make it a tourist attraction in Kjerag, I think it would be very profitable."

"Cut costs?" Enya tilted her head. "Why?"

"But medicinal baths must cost a lot of expensive herbs, right?" Noah explained. "If the cost can't be reduced, there's no way to promote it. It'll only be something that wealthy tourists can experience. I'd rather let more people experience it."

"But the herbs we just used are very common, aren't they?" Enya shook her head. "And the recipe is known to every household, so it shouldn't cost much, right?"

"...Huh?" Noya was genuinely confused this time. "So... is this considered part of Kjerag's normal bath?"

"Yeah, there's a special medicinal bath in the Kjerag Bathhouse." Enya nodded. "Enshia and I went there before."

"...Kjerag might have even more tourist value than I thought." Noya stroked her chin. She had assumed a medicinal bath of this level would be quite expensive. "Then I'll make a big deal about it tomorrow and ask Ensiodis to help promote it. Kjerag will likely be dependent on tourism for a long time to come anyway, so we need to find some projects, and medicinal baths could be one of them."

Noya, who had experienced it herself, had already started thinking about how to turn the medicinal bath into a money-making project for Kjerag, but she quickly realized that she would not officially start work until tomorrow, so why should she think about these things now?

Enya was quite inspired, however. Some things that were commonplace to the Kjerag might be novel to people from other countries. Tourism itself was about experiencing the customs and habits of other countries, so existing things must be promoted and expanded.

As expected of Noah, he quickly found a business opportunity for Shelag's transformation. Enya was looking forward to being her little secretary more and more.

"But don't be too tired. Rest early today, Noah." Enya patted her shoulder. "You'll be busy tomorrow. Now that you've become my secretary, I'll naturally start exploiting your labor."

"...Guh, no need to remind me of this." Noya, who had just taken a break from work only to be plunged back into overtime, complained weakly, "You Kjerag people really are a bunch of devilish bosses. I'm really just here for a trip."

"You're so capable, you deserve more work. And we won't treat you unfairly," Enya promised. "I promise you can stay here as long as you want, and you can take a medicinal bath every day. How about that?"

"...Didn't you just say this thing was cheap?"

"It was just cheap before. Now that you've said that, you can raise the price in the future—"

Chapter 53: First Day as a Secretary

The Kjerag are truly terrifying...

Noah is least likely to deal with this kind of guy who can unconsciously intrude into other people's private space. Generally speaking, no matter how familiar you are with someone, you will not take a shower with them casually.

It took him a while to get used to having Kuro help him shower, and then Enya actually cuddled him in the shower. It was really scary. Noya was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with Enya's sexual orientation. No... maybe it was just a cultural gap.

Although there is no such custom in Casimir, this is Kjerag. Whether it is taking a bath together, hugging each other while taking a bath, or scrubbing the body, it should be one of the traditions.

…When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Trying his best to forget what happened in the bathroom, Noah lay on the bed, trying to force himself to sleep.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she remembered what Margaret said tonight when she appeared in front of her.

"I want to take myself home..."

It's definitely not that she hasn't wavered. It's better to say that she is the one who is easily shaken in front of Margaret... She is absolutely serious. She wants to take responsibility for her future and keep her by her side. Don't I want that too?

But she couldn't...

She couldn't be that selfish person and return to Casimir just for this reason. Although it was Margaret's request... she couldn't agree to it so easily.

——Okay, maybe there is a little bit of dissatisfaction.

——You can't give up Casimir, and you don't want to give up me. How can you have both?

But maybe Margaret is just such a greedy person, and it is precisely because of this greed that she can move forward.

"……Why……"

"Can't sleep?" Kuro, who was sleeping on the floor, seemed to sense Noya's thoughts and asked, "Because of that... Lin Guang?"

"I guess so." Noah nodded. "Kuro, do you think I'm a very selfish person?"

"Selfish?"

"Well, when Margaret wanted to take me back, the first thing I thought about wasn't what would happen after I went back, or what kind of trouble it would cause Margaret. But... if you couldn't bear to part with me, why did you choose Casimir?"

"You think so too?" Kuro's voice was a little surprised. "I thought you valued Casimir more."

"You can't say that... Of course I hope Casimir gets better, but what I value most is... the people around me: you, Margaret, Maria, and Zofia." Noah explained. "Kuro... I remember you're from Leitania, right? Do you have such deep feelings for Leitania?"

"No." Kuro answered quickly, without hesitation. "Although I've been back a few times, I really don't have any nostalgia for it."

"...Yes, I feel the same way as you do. I really don't have any..." Noya paused, "nostalgia for the current Casimir. However, the difference between you and me may be that I experienced the beautiful side of Casimir when I was a child."

"I see..." Kuro had never felt a sense of belonging to any country, so she didn't quite understand, but she didn't mind agreeing with Noya's idea. "So, the only thing you don't like is the current Casimir, right?"

"I guess so." Noah said with a smile, "But even Casimir like that has things I miss, or rather, people I miss."

"Lin Guang..." Kuro's tone was a bit heavier when she mentioned that guy's name. She knew that Noya did have a special feeling for Lin Guang, but Noya had also said that her feelings for Lin Guang leaned towards worry, concern, and a touch of family affection. In her eyes, perhaps Lin Guang was more like someone she wanted to support, a mix of family affection, a feeling she couldn't even articulate, and identification with his ideals.