Chapter 317
Even if it was a request initiated by Sophia, she belongs to a branch of the family and cannot represent the Nearl Family.
Furthermore, Maena was strongly opposed to her niece participating in the special tournament. Now, not only has she participated, but she's also left herself with a huge mess—how can anyone not be angry?
Sophia knew she was in the wrong, but she couldn't disregard the glory of the Nearl Family like Maena did:
"How about this, once Maria obtains the title of Competitive Knight, I'll persuade her to withdraw from the competition, okay?"
"Vanity!"
Maena shook her head, disappointed in her relative:
"Don't you understand? Kazimierz has no right to award medals to the Nearl Family. And the most troublesome thing now is that an organization has its eye on the Lucky Knight!"
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Looking at the other person's serious face, Sophia felt that Maena seemed to be implying something else in her words:
"Organization? What organization?"
If it's Commercial Union, they could target Doctor Zhong without consequence. Things like luck transcend the realm of ability and are difficult to counter with rules.
Furthermore, they can leverage the gimmick of a folk Knight to attract more viewers from the lower classes. By promoting a Knight who already enjoys popularity, both sides can benefit.
"..."
Maena remained silent, reluctant to introduce Sophia to the secretive assassin organization, the 'Armored Unarmored Alliance,' lest the more she knew, the more dangerous her situation would become.
The organization has close ties with the Commercial Union and frequently frames or assassinates participating Knight.
This is especially true for independent Knight who gain traffic and exposure but don't collaborate with businesses. Keeping these Knights, who have no commercial value, does more harm than good.
Merchants are always driven by profit.
If an independent Knight has popularity but can't convert it into real money, then the Commercial Union will assess that he has no commercial value.
The Armored Unarmored Alliance's recent focus on the Lucky Knight suggests they might launch a surprise attack at any time. If the two sides clash over this, the situation could easily spiral out of control.
"What, can't you say?"
Sophia tilted her head slightly, looking at Maena had closed her newspaper on the bench:
"So now you're not protecting the honor of the Nearl Family anymore, but instead protecting the secrets of entrepreneurs, is that it? If you can't tell me, why are you telling me all this?"
"Just a heads-up, Sophia. Ending this deal now will prevent trouble. I'll pay whatever Lucky Knight wants."
If it came to persuasion, Sophia had probably tried just as many times as Maria. But given that the family's honor was at stake and Maria was still trying to persuade her, she had no choice but to make her stance clear:
"This concerns whether the Nearl Family's glory can be restored; it's no longer a matter of money."
"I thought that since you're a few years older Maria, you'd be a bit more mature, but I never expected..."
Before Maena could finish speaking, his cell phone rang. He glanced down at the caller ID, then looked up in obvious pain.
He immediately took two deep breaths and pressed the answer button. His entire demeanor shifted from that of the stern acting head of the Nearl Family to that of a meek and submissive worker.
"Manager... I was dealing with some personal matters... No, no, no, personal matters are of course not as important as work... Project meeting? Tonight's? Ah, that one, I haven't forgotten... I'm so sorry, Manager... I'm sorry... It was my fault... Thank you so much for giving me a chance... Yes... Yes... I promise this is the last time, there won't be a next time... If there is a next time, please remove me from my position... Okay... I'm really very sorry, Manager."
After hanging up the phone, Maena's furrowed brows remained unchanged, and she looked extremely distressed.
After the death of Cyril Saria, a war hero of Kazimierz and the former head of the Nearl family, he alone shouldered the heavy responsibility of maintaining the Nearl Family.
To make matters worse, her brother Snitz Saria and sister-in-law Yolanta Saria have disappeared. It was Maena's constant fawning over the company's leaders that ensured Margaret and Maria's peaceful life for the past few years.
It's true that he looks down on the Knight Association, and it's also true that he understands the current situation of the Nearl Family.
Therefore, they did not want to see the two sisters appear in public and participate in commercialized Knight Competition one after another.
A Knight corrupted by commerce and money can never become a true Knight.
"Sophia, I have to go. But before I leave, I think there are some things I should make clear to you. Knight should be a vanguard protecting his country, not a plaything fighting on the field for the amusement of others."
The Knight of the past upheld the backbone of Kazimierz. Through generations of hard work, they finally enabled skyscrapers to rise from the ground.
But now, bounty hunters and bandits are running over the impoverished villages time and time again.
The tax rate in small towns is approaching 80% of the total harvest, which is worse than outright robbery.
The major City-State built more arenas, all in an attempt to seize the meager wealth held by their people.
But they forgot. They forgot the Tenth UCA War in 1063. They forgot that the territory defended by the Knight with their blood was occupied by Ursus. They forgot that in 1077, they once again surrendered sovereignty over parts of the suburbs in a humiliating manner.
Knight indulges in sensual pleasures is unworthy of being called a true Knight. The current Knight Association is also unworthy of the title of Knight. That's why I told Maria that Kazimierz has no right to award medals to the Nearl Family.
Sophia, do you know what my father said to me before he died? He didn't say anything, he just lay on his sickbed and sighed helplessly.
It wasn't because Margaret's infected identity was exposed and she was expelled by the Supervision Committee. Nor was it because my missing brother and sister-in-law hadn't returned. It was Father's lament for all of Kazimierz.
The Knight is dead, do you understand? If Maria insists on becoming Competitive Knight, then I can only say she doesn't understand her place. From now on, let her do whatever she wants; I can't and don't want to interfere. That's it.
With that, Maena stood up. He didn't want to explain further to Sophia and turned to leave.
June 30, 8:47 pm
As night falls, neon signs advertising Competitive Knight illuminate the city as if it were daytime.
The streetlights flickered with a soft light, illuminating the bustling streets. Rows of tall buildings stood like silent giants on the horizon of the Grand Knight Territory.
The suites on the top floor of the Star Hotel glowed with light, like a lighthouse guiding people back to shore in a sea of steel.
Shi Lei closed the book he had finished reading and prepared to get up to get another one from his suitcase.
Suddenly, he sensed something. His consciousness, along with the spreading Psychic Power, landed in an alley below.
"Hey, Little Grey, say something! You're injured, you can't just fall asleep like this!"
"Tsk, stop shaking me, it hurts."
Flame Tail Knight Sona looked embarrassed and apologized:
"I'm sorry, Little Grey. I thought you were just... Ugh, ugh. Let's go, it's not safe here. If you can't walk, I'll carry you."
The Grey Fur Knight was deathly pale, clutching his injured waist with one hand, and gritted his teeth:
"Sona, you don't need to carry me, I can walk."
"Little Grey, do you think if they come after us, the infected should be safe?"
"Who knows? Anyway, we've done our best. Let's hurry, they might catch up."
"Where is this, Little Grey? I'm not very familiar with the roads in Cavaleria."
The Grey Fur Knight looked up at the landmark building before her. Her blood oozed from her wound, staining most of her clothes red.
"This looks like Star Hotel, about three or four kilometers away from the hotel where we are staying."
When Sona went to help her up, she discovered that the injuries were quite serious and couldn't help but exclaim:
"Wow, Little Grey, you're bleeding so much! Should we find a hospital to get your wound bandaged?"
"Hospitals? Ha, impossible. City hospitals never admit infected people. Sona, help me up, my back feels a little numb."
Supported by the Flame Tail Knight, the Grey Fur Knight slowly walked north. Just as they reached the alley entrance, they found themselves blocked by a mysterious masked figure.
Lucky Knight?
Sona recognized the recently popular folk Knight at a glance, her eyes filled with wariness:
"Are you here to hunt us down too?"
Shi Lei spread his hands, indicating that he meant no harm. He hadn't thought of helping when he overheard their conversation.
He only offered his help after learning that the injured person was infected and that nearby hospitals would not provide treatment.
"No, I came here because I thought you needed help. If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't be chatting here. Come on, I'm staying at the hotel next door. Let's take her upstairs and get her wound treated."
Sona couldn't make up her mind, so she tilted her head and asked:
"Little Grey, what's the story? Can you still hold on?"
The Grey Fur Knight painfully clenched his eyes, feeling as if his body had been hollowed out, and slowly shook his head.
"I doubt it."
The Flame Tail Knight instantly understood, helped her to thank Shi Lei, and at the same time raised her doubts:
"Mr. Lucky Knight, thank you so much. But won't her getting close to you make things worse?"
Shi Lei was somewhat amused and exasperated; that was just the persona created by that persona, not a real jinx.
"Probably not, come with me."
He led the two Knights to the Underground Parking Lot of the Star Hotel and told them to press the elevator button first.
Shi Lei then turned back to clean up the bloodstains left on the ground by the Grey Fur Knight to prevent anyone from pursuing them.
After finishing his business, he went to the elevator. Together with the two men, they went to the luxury suite on the top floor.
"Wow, Little Grey, look!"
Sona looked around, like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden, and kept praising:
"The fact that the Lucky Knight lives in a place like this shows that he is not as poor as the unscrupulous media portrays him to be."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Grey Fur Knight collapsed due to excessive blood loss, and her vision suddenly went black. Fortunately, Sona reacted quickly and prevented her from falling to the ground.
"Mr. Lucky Knight, this room is so big! I can't find the first-aid kit."
"Bandaging won't help much; you'll need a long recovery period. If I remember correctly, you have another match coming up. I can provide treatment, but the method is rather unusual."
Sona was somewhat confused and asked in bewilderment:
"Special? What do you mean?"
"Hold on tight."
Shi Lei cast Jade Shield on the Grey Fur Knight, then punched him hard in the abdomen. The shield shattered, triggering a healing effect.
This startled Sona, who warned:
"What are you doing! Little Gray has a wound on its stomach, what you're doing will hurt you terribly..."
Before she could finish speaking, the Grey Fur Knight, who had already fainted, let out a comfortable sound.
Shi Lei put on his shield again and punched him in the abdomen.
Ah~
The sound of his body feeling completely relaxed made Sona's expression turn strange, and for a moment she forgot to stop him.
"That's all for today, she's fine now."
"Huh? That's it?"
Sona, supporting the Grey Fur Knight with both hands, glanced down upon hearing this. She was amazed to see that his once severe wounds were now completely healed, without even a scar – truly incredible.
"Eh? Eh?"
How can you cure someone by punching them? That's such a strange method.
But facts speak louder than words, and the Grey Fur Knight looked much better than before.
"Little Grey, how are you feeling?"
The Grey Fur Knight stood up, looked around in surprise at his wound, and found that it had miraculously healed.
"Mr. Lucky Knight, you are truly a miracle worker! We've been so kind to you tonight, we'll be leaving now."
Shi Lei, sitting on the sofa, saw this and tried to persuade him to stay:
"Didn't this Miss just say that someone is chasing you? If you go out now, won't you just run into them? And if you get hurt, you'll come looking for me again?"
"This..."
"If you don't mind, you can stay in the next room for the night. I'll keep an eye out for suspicious people in the neighborhood and arrest them for questioning if necessary."
After discussing it, the Flame Tail Knight and the Grey Fur Knight thought the suggestion was excellent and agreed to it:
"Mr. Lucky Knight, then I'll bother you. I promise, I won't snore at night!"