Maria: "...?" / Maria's Doubts and Worries
But no matter how many times she watched it... she still couldn't like it, and could even say she loathed this kind of competition that lacked even the most basic fairness.
"Call--"
After taking a deep breath, Bianca turned her gaze back to the event date with a complicated expression.
There's not much time left before the end of the qualifying rounds and the registration deadline... If she really wants to take action, she should register now.
"So you've actually gotten caught up in this dilemma..." Bianca quickly averted her gaze and murmured softly.
As these words fell, the goose gradually dispelled the turmoil in its heart, and a determined look reappeared in its azure eyes.
Bianca wasn't one to overthink things, and now that she'd already spoken the words and felt conflicted, she would stop hesitating...
There are some things that even she herself doesn't like, but if they can achieve good results or goals, she might as well do them. She does want to become a knight like Roland, but she is not pedantic.
Moreover, Bianca cares more about whether she can help other people in need than about her own preferences and emotions.
After regaining her senses, Bianca clenched her fists, then, without lingering, continued walking towards the registration area for the Knights' Arena.
Knights' Arena Registration Office --
"..."
After leaving the registration area, Bianca slightly raised her head to look at the sun in the sky, which was not scorching but still gentle, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
After calming herself down a bit, Dai'e left, intending to continue exploring the city and grab something to eat.
She hadn't eaten anything since she was summoned, and it was already three or four in the afternoon... She was starting to feel hungry.
It's worth noting that Bianca's daily routine is generally very healthy. After all, she always has someone around to remind and take care of her.
Then, as Bianca walked around looking for a suitable shop, she reached a street corner...
"Bang--"
A golden figure suddenly darted out and collided head-on with Bianca was also somewhat distracted.
The two figures collided. The silly goose didn't even flinch, but the other figure stumbled and fell backward.
"Careful!"
Bianca, realizing what was happening, quickly stepped forward and caught the figure that was about to fall to the ground.
"Are you alright...?"
Before Bianca could finish her words of concern, her voice trailed off as she looked closely at the person she was supporting, replaced by a question mark slowly appearing above her head.
"Ah! I, I'm fine. Sorry, I bumped into you by accident. It's all my fault for being so reckless." After hearing Bianca's words, the girl who bumped into her quickly realized her mistake and hurriedly said.
"It's alright, just be more careful next time. It wouldn't be good if you got hurt." Hearing this, Bianca slowly released her hand from the girl's, then suppressed her "confused" expression and solemnly gave her some advice.
"Okay, thank you, I'll be careful."
Having regained her composure, the girl nodded gently in response to Bianca's instructions and humbly agreed.
"Then I'll inform you here..."
"Gurgle~"
Just as Bianca was about to say goodbye and leave quickly, a discordant voice suddenly interrupted her.
"Pfft... You're hungry so early? Judging from your appearance, you're probably not from around here. In that case, as an apology, I'll treat you to dinner." As she spoke, a hint of a smile appeared in the girl's eyes as she looked at Bianca.
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Maria Nearl, let's get to know each other."
P. S.: I'm having some writer's block. I'll add an extra chapter tomorrow, just one chapter today. I spent ages revising this one... I should have another chapter tomorrow morning. Although I won't be getting up at 4 AM like before to write it.
Greetings, everyone.
Chapter 10 Maria Nearl: "...?"
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Maria Nearl, let's get to know each other." After saying this, Maria Nearl smiled and extended her slender hand to Bianca.
"..."
Looking at Maria Nearl's gentle smile, Bianca was slightly taken aback, and then sighed inwardly.
Suppressing his turbulent emotions, he returned the girl's bright, confident smile. Then, he gently grasped the hand extended towards him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Maria Nearl. My name is Bianca."
"Bianca, that's a lovely name. It's a pleasure to meet you too." Seeing Bianca's response, Maria Nearl's mood improved even more, and her smile became much brighter.
"Let's go. Since you're hungry, I remember there's a great restaurant nearby."
As soon as she finished speaking, Maria Nearl, as if afraid Bianca would run away, gave her no chance to refuse and calmly took her hand and walked forward.
However, from an angle Bianca couldn't see, the fleeting shyness and guilt in Maria Nearl's eyes betrayed that her inner state was not as calm and composed as it appeared.
"Hmm... okay."
Bianca, who had initially wanted to say something to politely decline, could only swallow her words silently after being suddenly confronted with Maria Nearl's enthusiasm, letting herself be led forward.
"... By the way, why did Bianca come to our Great Knight's Territory?"
After the two had walked some distance, Maria Nearl calmed down a bit before turning her head slightly to look at the person beside her and asking curiously.
Just like when she met Mobius before, she subconsciously regarded Bianca, who had no racial characteristics, as an outsider.
Maria Nearl was actually quite startled when she saw Bianca... For a moment, she almost thought she had met her sister, who had been away from home for a long time.
Although she saw it clearly later, she had already developed an interest in Bianca.
That's why, after realizing that Bianca wanted to leave, he used those rash words and actions to stop her.
Maria Nearl's face still flushed when she thought about the "stupid thing" she had just done...
"Why am I here? I just happened to be passing by." After hearing Maria Nearl's question, Bianca answered honestly without much thought.
Silly Goose dislikes deception and disdains to deceive, especially over something as trivial as this, which is perfectly acceptable to say.
"I see. So Bianca is staying here to watch the Knights' Tournament?" Maria Nearl asked again, but this time her tone was more certain.
She had noticed the flyer for the Knights' Tournament that Bianca had been holding from the very beginning.
Maria Nearl thought, "Who would hold onto a flyer if they weren't interested?"
Maria Nearl's words this time successfully startled Bianca, who then flashed a hint of helplessness in her beautiful blue eyes as she explained:
"Watch? No... I have absolutely no interest in watching a match that lacks even the most basic fairness."
"Hey, I saw Bianca holding a flyer the whole time, so I thought you were interested in knightly competitions." Maria Nearl's face showed a hint of helplessness and her tone was somewhat disappointed when she heard Bianca's answer.
However, Maria Nearl's disappointment wasn't that Bianca wasn't interested in the match, but rather that... this friend she had just met and found so appealing might not stay here for long.
After all, we were just passing through the Great Knight's Territory...
"...?"
After sensing the disappointment in Maria Nearl's words, Bianca was somewhat confused, unsure of what Maria was disappointed about.
However, Dai'e wasn't one to pry. After glancing at the flyer she was holding in her other hand, she added an explanation:
"I took this flyer because I need to learn about the competition and the registration period so I don't miss the registration deadline."
"Cough... cough cough! What, what did you just say?"
Maria Nearl was completely taken aback by Bianca's bombshell statement. For a moment, she even began to wonder if she had misheard.
Are you alright?
Seeing Maria Nearl suddenly cough, Bianca's eyes flashed with worry as she stepped forward and gently patted her back.
"Cough, I'm fine! Repeat what you just said!" Maria Nearl, who had barely recovered, didn't care about anything else. She turned her head and stared intently at the "golden man" in front of her, asking with a serious expression mixed with shock.
Are you alright...?
"The sentence above that!"
"I took this flyer because I wanted to learn about the competition and registration dates so I wouldn't miss the registration deadline. Why?"
After hearing Maria Nearl's words, Bianca repeated them with a somewhat bewildered expression, as if she hadn't expected the girl in front of her to have such a strong reaction to her signing up.
"You're going to participate in this Knights' Tournament?! Bianca, weren't you just passing by?"
Seeing that Bianca was still unaware of the "seriousness" of the problem, Maria Nearl could no longer control her voice.
She almost grabbed the girl's shoulders and shook her awake.
"Maria Nearl, calm down. How about we find a quiet place?" Bianca suggested, looking at the agitated Maria Nearl with a somewhat helpless expression.
At this moment, the silly goose finally realized that his casual participation in the competition... seemed a bit outrageous to others.
"Ah... I'm sorry, I lost my composure. Come on, Bianca, come with me!"
Bianca's reminder snapped Maria Nearl out of her daze, and then, noticing that many people on the street were looking in her direction, her face flushed red.
Then, pulling someone back along, they headed towards the shop they had originally planned to visit.
In the restaurant's partitioned area --
"Bianca, weren't you just passing through the Great Knight's Territory? What, why do you suddenly want to sign up for the Knights' Tournament?"
After ordering, Maria Nearl quickly sat down next to Bianca and then asked the question that had been on her mind the whole way.
"Ahem..." Bianca coughed lightly, noticing the girl beside her who was no longer as calm as before, and then explained softly, "It's not that I wanted to sign up, it's that I've already signed up."
"...?"
P. S.: There's more tonight. Games are the worst enemy of life. They're such a waste of time...
As for the plot, I'll write it a little faster because I also want to see a complete sweep... super goose-like pretentiousness.
Give it a push.
Chapter 11 Maria Nearl's Doubts and Worries
"...?"
After hearing Bianca's quiet explanation, a big question mark slowly appeared above Maria Nearl's head.
"..."
Seeing that her new friend was completely bewildered by her words, Bianca wisely shut her mouth and sat quietly to the side with an obedient expression.
The silly goose dares not provoke Maria Nearl anymore, lest it accidentally make the child stupid.
However, Bianca couldn't help but sigh, sometimes fate is truly a strange thing. After all, she had been avoiding Maria Nearl and didn't want to have any contact with her.
Who knew that after all that hiding, things would end up bumping into each other? And then, I was enthusiastically dragged to this place for a meal.
"!"
"You signed up?! You signed up?"
After a moment of stunned silence, Maria Nearl's brain finally processed the information, and she exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, I've already registered. I just came out of the registration area before I bumped into you, Maria Nearl." After hearing Maria Nearl's surprised words, Bianca nodded slightly and then answered calmly and seriously.
"Hiss... If Bianca only made this decision on a whim, do you know what it means for you to sign up?"
Upon hearing this, Maria Nearl gasped, then leaned closer to Bianca with a serious expression and asked earnestly.
"I know, but I've thought this through carefully. It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision... Besides, I'm not weak, so don't worry, Maria Nearl."
Seeing Maria Nearl suddenly approach, Bianca leaned back instinctively, a helpless smile appearing on her face, before explaining in a somewhat affected tone.
"Ah... cough cough, I see."
After noticing Bianca's slight backward lean, Maria Nearl suddenly realized what had happened, then sat up straight and coughed lightly a few times to cover up her "minor rudeness."
"... What the hell! Bianca, how old are you? Participating in this kind of competition? You could easily get injured, or even seriously injured!"
After sitting down again, Maria Nearl's tone suddenly changed, and she reminded him with a hint of excitement.
It's not that Maria Nearl doesn't trust her new friend; it's just that, in her opinion... Bianca is far too young, looking no more than her early twenties.
It's not that there's anything wrong with participating in the competition at this age; after all, the previous Knights' Tournament had already produced a miracle known as the "youngest."