I'm fighting Kal'tsit? Really?

"I made a decision."

Maria didn't shed any tears, but after calming down, she suddenly poked her head out from under the covers: "Since my sister is going to do this, I don't need to continue to respect her or care about her thoughts—when she comes back, I'm going to snatch my brother back from her."

The silence lasted for three seconds.

"Ah."

"Well."

"what?"

Three voices suddenly appeared in the room.

One of them is Zofia's.

Although she had heard Gerald talk about it, he himself was basically skeptical.

While the idea of ​​having a partner was indeed believable, the whole thing seemed too much like a lie told to convince her younger sister of her past. She genuinely didn't expect Maria to actually believe it.

The other voice was Gerald's.

After finishing his work, he returned directly to Zofia's manor. Unless Feng sent specific intelligence, he didn't always need to return to Drip Village; he only needed to contact Hinterlea periodically. Besides, Maria was there now, and he could help her train while waiting for developments.

As for matters of the heart... less than twenty-four hours have passed since he met with Maria and confessed everything, so there's really very little he can do.

The last voice was quite unfamiliar; they hadn't heard it for at least several years.

Upon hearing the sound, both people in the room simultaneously looked outside.

Behind Gerald, the golden Pegasus stood there in a daze, an expression of disbelief on its face. Its gaze shifted back and forth between the three people's faces before finally settling on Maria's.

“Maria,” she said slowly as she entered the room, her voice filled with barely concealed disbelief as she looked at the little pony on the bed, its expression unreadable.

What were you just saying?

--------

Margaret Nearl has experienced a rather complex psychological shift over the past two weeks.

Upon first meeting Gerald, the excitement of seeing an old friend in a foreign land, the shared past and ties, and the sense of identification they shared as similar beings all made this reunion particularly meaningful.

Even though the other party hadn't given her a friendly look from the start, she knew very well that it was because of Maria.

The only thing worth mentioning is some issues concerning his private life. But Margaret doesn't see it as a problem—ultimately, after witnessing firsthand her childhood sweetheart's current strength and thoughts, she believes he's no longer suited to be bound by normal social conventions.

Therefore, after carefully listening to Gerald's plan and agreeing to help, Margaret spent the next few days hiding herself around Kazimierz.

Until the problem with Plot Zero arose, she and the Shining Liz had a way to intervene. Later, after her friend arrived, she finally had the opportunity to see her biological sister again.

But she never dreamed that things would turn out this way.

Or rather, she didn't actually know much about her sister at all.

“Maria.” Margaret’s face showed a hint of apology. Compared to her emotional thoughts, she was actually thinking more about what had happened on Plot Zero today. “Ah… I should have greeted her first in this situation.”

"I am back."

……

This statement did not resonate with Maria.

Young Pegasus simply glared indifferently, with a hint of hostility, at his older sister.

Unlike the touching reunion Margaret had envisioned, the younger sister in front of her was far removed from the image in her memory. The child who always followed behind her and called her "sister" had grown into such a beautiful young woman in the blink of an eye, and her height was even showing signs of catching up with hers.

"Welcome back."

Maria finally spoke, her tone polite and natural, as if nothing had happened, but the annoyance in her words was undisguised:

"Why did you come back, sister? Was it because after meeting you, brother realized, 'Ah, it seems like it's time to go back,' and that's why he came back?"

"Or is it because of something else?" Her gaze was fixed on the other person: "For example... because what brother wants to do now happens to be the same as what sister wants to do?"

These words were sharp and direct, like an unsheathed dagger stuck on the table, clearly indicating an intention to argue.

However, Margaret simply shook her head: "Don't think that way, Maria, it's not like that."

"Don't treat me like a child!!"

The sudden shout startled the people in the room. Apart from Gerald, the other two showed expressions of worry and confusion. Margaret was even more surprised by the other party's strong reaction.

At this moment, Maria seemed to have been caught by the tail by a nightmare, and her words flowed naturally with her emotions:

“Otherwise, why would my sister come back at this time, when she hadn’t even sent a single letter before?! Even when my brother was in prison, he would write to me to let me know he was safe! Even if he didn’t tell me where he was or what happened, at least I would know he was always by my side!”

"When I first forged iron myself, when I first created a weapon, when I picked up a sword again to practice, when I successfully dodged ten balls, when I was preparing to become the family's chief rider, and every single time I wanted to talk to my sister."

“When my uncle left home to go to work, my brother was recuperating in prison because of an injury, my father and mother were missing, and my aunt was not always around to help me.”

"Where is my sister, and what is she doing?"

Her face was unnaturally pale, and she spoke quickly, seemingly out of deep-seated fear: "Don't say that you haven't contacted me because you're worried about getting involved—if that's the case, even having a friend of yours send a message to let me know you're safe would have been better!"

"..."

Margaret had nothing to say about this.

Although she has been constantly on the go and on the road to helping those infected over the years, it is also true that she neglected her family, which will eventually become one of the mistakes she made.

“Maria…” That was all she could say.

Then, he was abruptly interrupted by the other party.

"I don't want to hear my sister's explanation."

Maria spoke resolutely. She stood up and walked to the equipment she had removed.

Because of what happened yesterday, no servants have entered Zofia's room so far, and the weapons haven't been taken out either.

"Explanation is meaningless, and I simply don't believe that my sister, who hasn't come back for six years, would tell me the truth."

Anger and fear intertwined at this moment, transforming into an exceptionally cold light in Maria's eyes.

She picked up the greatsword from the ground with one hand, as skillfully as ever. The fine marks and wear on the hilt, guard, and back of the blade bore witness to her almost daily and nightly training over the past two years. She didn't turn around, nor did she look at Margaret; she simply lowered her head and used a handkerchief to wipe the dust from yesterday's edge.

Her movements were steady and calm, her relaxed demeanor almost cruelly describing the trials she had endured.

“I only believe in results.” Maria said, wiping the blade with her hand, as if stating an objective fact. “And the result I got was that my most respected and beloved sister chose to leave me in Kazimierz, a place that has never smiled at us or the people I care about.”

She then pointed the sword at Margaret.

"I hate you."

Finally, the last vestiges of fear in her eyes turned into rage, prompting her to utter her final words.

“Maria Nearl now challenges Margaret Nearl to a duel for the Family Longriders.”