Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Anyway...it should be quite complicated, right?

Kuro would occasionally feel this way, and it was difficult for her to maintain her original composure when she was with Noah.

Because no one understood Noa better than she did. She had been with Noa for so long and knew what kind of person she was. But it was precisely because of this understanding that she realized Noa was actually both precocious and slow-blooming. Her precociousness was in her interpersonal relationships; she was forced to mature early to navigate the intrigues between the knights and the capitalist class of Casimir. Her slowness was in her emotions; her ability allowed her to empathize with others, but it also made her prone to neglecting her own.

People who are too empathetic tend to ignore their own emotions.

She is very naive in terms of emotions, which is the result of Kuro's long-term observation.

"I don't like Lin Guang—" Kuro began, "Whenever she appears, you become uneasy, and every time she appears, it always brings you bad results. Although you volunteered, I can't stop you, but I don't like it."

"...That's not the way to say it..." Noah wanted to explain herself to Margaret. After all, she hadn't told Margaret what she had done, and she didn't know many of her plans. Given her personality, she wouldn't doubt her actions. But even if she told her, it would be useless. She told Margaret that she was planning a massive spell, one she wasn't sure would work, to influence everyone's emotions, directing their hatred towards her, and then running away to complete the whole process...

Just listening to it makes me confused...

There's no way Margaret would agree...

That's why I took action without telling her. Margaret herself must not have considered these things.

"In the final analysis, I took it all on myself. Of course, I'm not being conceited, and I don't expect Margaret to know. My actions weren't just for her, they were for everyone still fighting in Casimir, for Viviana, for Dikaiopolis, for Sona, and for those infected. Ultimately, I volunteered... I can't blame anyone."

"Well, if she hadn't come back, would you still do this?"

"..."

Noah did not answer, perhaps she felt that she had no way to answer. Indeed, it was because Margaret came back that she had such thoughts, because she felt that as long as Margaret was there, everything she did would be meaningful.

Indeed, it was because of Margaret's return that she thought so much... and did so much.

And the reason was simply because of trust. She trusted Margaret, just as Margaret trusted her.

"Let's change the subject, okay?" Noah's tone was calm, but the calmer it was, the more it showed that she was stirring up trouble inside. Otherwise, she would have responded directly.

"Okay." Kuro didn't pursue the matter any further. "I'll keep talking to you until you fall asleep."

-

The next morning, Noah had just gotten up. Because she was not used to the hard bed in Manzhuyuan, she had a sore back and waist. When she was combing her hair with the help of Kuro, the door was pushed open.

"Good morning?" It was, of course, the refreshed Enya who entered. Noya's casual words last night had given her a fresh start. Indeed, now that they had decided to open the country, tourists were clearly the best way to boost Kjerag's economy. To let visitors experience Kjerag's customs and culture, they needed something truly enticing. This morning, she had come to invite Mr. Wolong.

"...Good morning?" Noah felt a red word of danger appear on his head. "Ms. Enya, what's the matter with you so early?"

"It's nothing special, I'm just looking forward to it." Enya said with a smile, "I'm looking forward to what kind of surprise my secretary will give me~"

"..." Noah was silent. What surprise? What kind of surprise could he give? Wasn't he just here to be a secretary for a few days? Didn't you act like you wanted to let him slack off? "Please don't expect too much. I can only do what I can."

That's true, but no matter how Noah thinks about it, he feels like he can't rest.

-

When Noah started working overtime, Margaret also woke up early for morning exercises. The air in the snowy region was much better than that in Casimir. To maintain her strength, Margaret also completed the scheduled training every morning. As an envoy, she lived in a courtyard specially arranged by the Perlochi family. It was said that another distinguished guest had been received there before. Actos didn't specify who it was, but Margaret found it surprisingly comfortable.

Margaret Linguang, the new champion of the Knights' Competition and the honorary president of the Knights' Association, is now Casimir's face, a shining golden signboard.

The decision to have Margaret visit Kjerag also reflected Casimir's attitude. Margaret was accompanied by some other knights, who had been impressed by her charisma over the past few days. Furthermore, Margaret's last name was Linguang, and no knight would underestimate the Linguang family.

Ms. Russell had sent Margaret here to train her. One of her most important tasks was to discuss the future cooperation between Casimir and Kjerag with the new leader of the Kjerag Council.

But her thoughts today have already flown away.

After all, she hadn't expected to meet Noah here. She didn't know whether to say she was lucky, or...

…Originally, Margaret should have been calm and focused during her morning exercises, but…

Boom——

The out-of-control light exploded on the snow with a roar. Margaret, who was in a state of anxiety, couldn't even control the light that should have been as easy as her arm. It took her a long time to recover.

But how can I calm down?

After seeing Noah again, she was already in a state of panic. She had originally prepared herself mentally that they might not meet again for a long time, but the moment they met yesterday, all her psychological defenses were torn apart, and all her rationality was reduced to zero. She directly invited Noah and wanted to take her back to Casimir... All these words were said without any thought. Thinking carefully, the expression on Noah's face at that time was very embarrassed.

My words have caused her trouble again...

Margaret began to regret what she said last night. What she said was irresponsible and did not take Noah's feelings into consideration.

She had clearly already embarked on the journey of her dreams, yet he still wanted to drag her back to suffer with him...wasn't he being too selfish? Margaret shook her head. The heavy snow in Kjerag was not as cold as she felt at that moment.

If I had a time machine, I would definitely go back and punch my former self to calm him down.

...But the question is...Should I go see Noah today?

If she wanted to go, what reason would she give... She began to hesitate. To be honest, as a Knight of Glory, she had always been courageous and forward-looking. She had never thought that one day she would hesitate about whether to meet Noah.

Maybe, she really missed Noah a little... too much.

---

Enya didn't have a lot to deal with. Kjerag was a small country, after all, and Enthiotis could handle most of it. She only had to deal with the necessary paperwork. It wasn't a huge workload, but it was boring... that was the result of having a capable brother.

After Noah joined the office, she processed things even faster than Enya by using scanning and reading software.

After the two of them processed a large number of documents very efficiently in the busiest morning, they suddenly found themselves in a state of idleness in the afternoon.

It wasn't that Enya processed too few documents—it was that Noya was incredibly efficient. That morning, Noya finished five or six documents while Enya finished just one. And not only was she efficient, but she also made no mistakes. She was as precise as a machine. No wonder Enthyodis always called Noya an exceptional talent... Just looking at her efficiency alone, she was considered a top-tier Palu.

"...It seems there aren't that many documents this afternoon." Noah stretched and said softly, "I thought today would be very tiring."

"You handled it too quickly..." Enya slumped over the table, lost in frustration. "Why were you able to handle it so quickly?"

"Because most of the content doesn't actually require you to spend time reading. Some documents simply require your approval. You need to distinguish between documents that don't require your attention and those that require careful review," Noah explained. "If you spend time reading every document, your efficiency will definitely be much slower. With Ensiotis here, you can rest assured."

That's true...but you're also working too fast.

Enya complained inwardly, but she couldn't just sit around doing nothing this afternoon... So she turned to look out the window, thought for a while, and said, "Well, Noah—do you want to go out together later? I have something I want to show you."

Chapter 54: Hungry and indiscriminate

When Enya brought Noya to the ancestral home of Shivaash, Noya did not react to Enya's thoughts at first, until she came to an office, where a tired man was sitting.

"...Enthyodis."

"Rare guests, two saint ladies."

Sitting in his office, Ensiodis propped up his chin with one hand and glanced at the two saints in front of him. One of them was the current chairman of the Kjerag Council and also his sister, with whom he had never gotten along well. The other was his former partner, a powerful person with a unique business sense and negotiation skills. She was one of the few people he recognized, and the appearance of these two people together seemed to represent something.

Enthiotis speculated that the incident had concluded smoothly, with the public merely learning that the farce was a misunderstanding. With the Saint's endorsement, no one suspected anything fishy about the outcome. So... Enya couldn't have come here just to see Enthia, right?

"Can I ask what your purpose is?" Enthiotis still maintained that distant but distant attitude, but Noah felt that Enthiotis's attitude was obviously not in line with Enya's preferences, and her displeasure was about to overflow.

"Lord Enchiodis doesn't seem to be very welcoming to our visit?"

"How dare I? I'm just curious about your purpose. After all, the fact that two saints are willing to come here is already a great honor to our humble home." Enthyotis shook his head and replied, "If you're just here to take a look, I certainly wouldn't object."

"Enya—" Noya started to try to stop this sarcastic brother-sister quarrel, "We do have something to do, right?"

Yes... Noah doesn't know what he is doing here. Although it is true that he is here to be Enya's secretary, he can't be completely clueless, right?

"...Forget it, for Noya's sake." Enya forced herself to suppress her anger. "We want to develop tourism projects that suit Kjerag's style."

"...Developing tourism...?" Enthiotis had considered the idea, but Kjerag was too isolated before, so it couldn't be implemented. However, if Enya wanted to promote tourism, it would indeed be a good idea. Kjerag was a country untouched by natural disasters, and that alone was enough to attract many people. Furthermore, with its religion, snow-capped mountains, and Kjerag's unique folk customs, it certainly had great potential.

Enchiodis felt that Enya's idea was indeed very constructive, and he couldn't help but look at his sister who had just become his immediate boss.

"That's a good idea, but how can I help?" Enthiotis asked with a smile. "As long as I can help, I promise to do my best."

"This requires the cooperation of the railway. We need to set up some... pilot projects." Enya recalled what Noya had said at the time. "It would be best if the pilot projects were near railway stations."

"I have a better idea." Enthiotis folded his arms, "We can build a statue."

"Statue?" Enya asked doubtfully. "What statue?"

"Of course, it's the statue of Yelagund. It's standing at the foot of Maiden Peak, serving as a landmark for tourists to admire. After all, Manju Temple is perched atop a snowy mountain, making it difficult to use as a tourist attraction. We need a replacement." Ensiodis's suggestion seemed reasonable, but Enya felt something was amiss. Was erecting a statue really that urgent? Furthermore, building a statue at the foot of the holy mountain wasn't something that could be decided overnight.

Enya was still thinking, but Noah beside her came to his senses.

"Building a statue at the foot of the sacred mountain would certainly attract tourists. Furthermore, Manju Temple has now accepted the faith of other people in Yelagunda, so building a statue would be beneficial. It would, however, cost some money..."

"Kalan Trade can provide the funds and stone materials," Ensiodis promised. "We have the strength and ability to build the statue. As for the other aspects, I believe the Saint should be able to convince them."

"..." Enya looked at Noya, as if to confirm something, but Noya just showed an innocent expression. "Is that really all?"

While it sounded reasonable, she felt a certain unease about her brother's idea. After all, she knew he wasn't a devout believer in Yelagund. She also wondered if Enthiotis had other purposes for building the statue.

However, she couldn't think of anything else in her little brain, so she shook her head and said, "I'll consider it."

Enthiotis stopped pounding on the chair. He had just used it to remind Noya to cooperate. Although he didn't know what Enthiotis was up to, as a partner, Noya immediately cooperated. Enya didn't seem to notice the code exchange. She was still too inexperienced. Noya couldn't help but worry that Enthiotis would trick Enya later. After discussing the progress of the railway repair and some travel matters with Enthiotis, Enya left Enthiotis' office.

After leaving the office, Enya turned around and asked, "What are you two talking about?"

"...I don't know either," Noah said frankly. "I guess Enthiotis is trying to cover up something with the statue... Just because he doesn't say it now doesn't mean he won't say it in the future. Since you've already discovered it, you can find a time to ask him."

"I just don't like the feeling of you two playing tricks and keeping me in the dark..." Enya frowned, "Can't you just say what's going on?"

"Ensiódis probably considered it, but perhaps now isn't the right time. Secondly—perhaps Ensiódis was forced to do so," Noah speculated. "Although this is just my personal opinion, Ensiódis launched the Snow Mountain Incident not only because he felt time was running out, but also because someone was forcing him to act. Now that he's failed, those behind him are probably losing their patience."

"You're saying... those people Enthiotis previously collaborated with might harm Kjerag?" Enya frowned. "... Is Enthiotis planning to deal with them?"

"Perhaps, I'm just guessing." Noya shrugged. "Besides, he specifically promised to provide the stone and funds, which means he intends to take control of the construction of the statue. Enya, I suggest you give Ensioddis enough trust. You should know his bottom line."

"I understand..." Enya didn't distrust Enthiotis, but he had always maintained this kind of confidentiality and didn't tell anyone, which inevitably made people dissatisfied.

creak-

As they walked and talked, after Noah finished sharing his guess, Enya finally arrived at her destination. It wasn't a strange place at all. This was Enya's room, and she had only planned to take a look and pick up some things.

After becoming a saint, Enya had rarely returned. But when she opened the door, she found no dust; everything was spotless, as if she had never left. All her belongings were still in their original places, untouched. Enya walked into the room, glanced around, and memories of the past flooded back, leaving her speechless for a moment.

Noah felt the emotion coming from Enya - this should be something that can be called nostalgia.

She had more or less guessed where this place was, so she didn't say anything more and just waited for Enya to come to her senses.

"This is my room, the room I used to live in." Enya explained, "I haven't been back for a long time. After all, the Great Elder rarely allows me to go down the mountain. Even if I need to get something, I can ask Ya'er or someone else to help me. When I left home, I didn't expect it would take so long to come back..."

She didn't expect that this place would be so well protected, and Enya almost knew who gave the order.

"So you came over to take a look when you have time?" Noah asked curiously, "But I'm curious why you dragged me along."

"Well..." Enya opened a drawer. The contents were untouched. She rummaged through the contents and pulled out a small box with a tiny padlock. Although she could easily open it, Enya carefully took out the key and opened the box. The box was small, made of mahogany. It was a gift from her parents when she was a child. Inside was a piece of red jade that felt warm to the touch. It was said that her parents had obtained it during their travels.

Before Enya went to the Saint Trial, she was worried that the jade would be damaged, so she kept it here. Now she wants to give the jade to Noya.

She stared at the jade in front of her, a hint of reluctance showing at the corner of her mouth. But this reluctance was quickly covered up, and then she turned around and placed the jade in Noya's palm.

Feeling a hard and warm stone in the palm of her hand, Noah subconsciously touched the jade. For some reason, when she touched the jade, she always felt that the jade was even a little hot, which made her heart beat faster for no reason.

"This is?"

"This is a jade stone my parents brought back from abroad. It used to be my amulet. It feels warm to the touch and warms the body." Enya explained, "I thought you'd be quite sensitive to the cold, so I wanted to give it to you."

"...Huh?" Noah blinked. "Isn't this... not good?"

After all, it was a relic of Enya's parents. If she accepted such a thing, she would feel really guilty. She quickly refused and said, "This is a treasure left to you by your parents. How can I take it away?"

"It's okay." Enya shook her head. "Noya, you really did help Kjerag a lot this time. If I really didn't show any appreciation, I would really feel guilty."

She thought of many ways, but no matter whether she gave money or anything else, the other party seemed to refuse. After much deliberation, she decided to give away the jade in her hand.

"...I didn't do anything," Noah whispered. But Enya was clearly determined and pressed it into Noah's hand, no matter how much he tried to refuse. Noah refused several times, and since the jade didn't seem to have any special features besides being warm to the touch, Noah finally accepted it.

Just think of it as receiving a hand warmer... Noah thought, it's better than giving himself a large sum of money, right?

It's a token of my appreciation...

Noah kept the jade close to his body, and Enya nodded in satisfaction. "That's all there is to it. Just nod and accept things given by others. We Kjerag people are very generous."

"I can see that..." Noah nodded, "But I guess they also like to force tourists to work overtime..."

Enya selectively ignored Noah's complaints. Strangely enough, the moment she saw Noah, she immediately remembered the jade, and the idea of ​​giving it to him immediately occurred to her. The jade had been sitting there for years, and she hadn't thought about it. She didn't know what was wrong with her brain. But perhaps it was fate. When her parents brought the jade home, they said it had been red because a drop of unicorn blood had fallen on it.

I still remember how serious my parents were at the time, saying that it was given to them by a knight in white armor.

Unicorn blood?

Enya had read in a book that unicorn blood was a very precious thing, and it was said that it could prolong people's lifespan. However, the so-called unicorn blood was probably just a historical story that people casually told.

After all, it has been a long time since a unicorn appeared on Terra, and many people think that unicorns are just myths in books.

Even more bizarre than Enya's was Noya's. When she received the jade, she felt an urge to eat it. This urge vanished as quickly as it came. She quickly regained consciousness and wiped the saliva from the corners of her mouth. She didn't know why she felt this way, but to avoid making a mistake, she immediately placed the jade close to her body.

No matter what, you can't eat someone else's parents' relics... and this is jade. Are your teeth really that good?

Noah, puzzled, shook his head and buried his thoughts in his heart. He was not a weird person who would eat stones.

Could it be that I am hungry because I didn’t have lunch?