Maria's CPU Has Burned Out / Weapons and Training

Bianca then quietly followed Maria Nearl, letting her lead the way.

"...?"

However, this "peace and tranquility" was shattered when Bianca saw the Nearl Family. A big question mark slowly appeared above her head.

Clearly, the clueless goose, unfamiliar with the place, had no idea how Maria Nearl had led it around so many times, and before long, they were standing in front of someone's door.

"Heh~ We're here. This is my home. Bianca, come inside with me." Maria Nearl chuckled softly, looking at the somewhat bewildered Bianca, and then said quietly.

For some reason, Maria Nearl now particularly enjoys seeing her new friend's confused and bewildered expression, and secretly rejoices in it.

"It wouldn't be appropriate to disturb them so abruptly." Looking at the building in front of her, Bianca's azure eyes flashed slightly as she thought for a moment before replying.

Bianca had no idea that Maria Nearl would take her home; otherwise, if Maria had known beforehand, she would have definitely brought some gifts when she visited.

Although Mobius had previously trespassed at the Nearl Family,... that was done by Mobius, what does it have to do with her, silly goose?

"What's wrong with that? Bianca, you're my friend. Isn't it normal to invite friends over?"

Noticing Bianca's hesitation, Maria Nearl's smile faded, and she became serious.

After saying that, the golden, tender pony gave its friend no more time to hesitate, took the person's hand again, and walked towards the house.

"Eh..."

While with Maria Nearl, Bianca always controlled her strength to avoid hurting her. So, caught off guard, she was indeed pulled along by someone.

"You."

At this point, further pulling and tugging would seem impolite and ill-mannered, so... the silly goose had no choice but to give up "struggling" and obediently let Maria Nearl excitedly lead it towards its "destination".

By this point, Bianca had pretty much guessed which set of "suitable armor" Maria Nearl was referring to...

Sure enough, after Maria Nearl pulled her into the room, Bianca saw the women's armor that looked somewhat familiar.

"What do you think? Isn't this armor cool?"

Maria Nearl glanced at the armor she had polished until it shone before turning to Bianca, who was standing beside her, and asked a question.

Bianca gazed at the silver-white armor that had been erected before her, nodded seriously, and said:

"Yes, it's very cool. And it's been kept in very good condition."

"Of course, it depends on who's keeping it." Maria Nearl said, a hint of smugness flashing across her face.

After she finished speaking, she slowly took a few steps forward, looked down at and stroked the armor in front of her, a complex emotion flashing quickly in her golden eyes.

Elder sister...

Suddenly, Maria Nearl stopped stroking the armor, turned to look at Bianca, and said with a serious and earnest expression:

"Bianca, this armor belongs to my sister, and I've always cherished it. Now, I've decided to lend it to you, and I hope you will use it well and take good care of it."

Maria Nearl had actually thought about this decision for a long time, and even had a sleepless night last night, feeling very conflicted.

However, what finally made her decide to stop agonizing over it was Bianca's smile and words from yesterday afternoon that suddenly came to mind.

The combination of a dazzling smile and "naive" words, which might be ridiculed in today's Kazimierz, inexplicably makes Maria Nearl want to believe in her, accompany her, and witness the final outcome.

"..."

Guessing is one thing, experiencing it is another.

At this moment, Bianca did not rush to respond to Maria Nearl's words. Instead, her eyes gleamed as she intently gazed at the armor that shone brightly in the sunlight streaming into the room.

P. S.: To prove myself, I stayed up all night... Sigh... Time for bed, everyone.

Chapter 18 Maria Nearl's CPU Burns Out

"..."

Guessing is one thing, experiencing it is another.

At this moment, Bianca did not rush to respond to Maria Nearl's words. Instead, her eyes gleamed as she intently gazed at the armor that shone brightly in the sunlight streaming into the room.

"Maria Nearl, thank you very much, but you don't need to." After a moment, Bianca withdrew her gaze and said gently to the person in front of her.

No matter how many times she thought about it, Dumb Goose still felt it was too wasteful... She felt that a competition like the Knights' Tournament was neither worthy nor necessary for her to use Margaret Nearl's armor.

"Huh! Why? My sister's armor is of very high quality, and your figures... are about the same." After hearing Bianca's answer, Maria Nearl was slightly taken aback, and then said with a look of surprise.

Clearly, she hadn't considered that Bianca would refuse her, or refuse a well-fitting suit of armor in such a desperate situation...

"My reason for refusing wasn't because the armor was of poor quality... it's just that I felt this kind of match didn't deserve this armor."

At this point, Bianca gently reached out and touched her nose, a hint of helplessness flashing in her beautiful blue eyes.

"How dare you... Bianca, are you an idiot?"

Upon hearing someone's reason, Maria Nearl's lips twitched involuntarily, and she said in an annoyed tone.

"I don't care, I've already lent you the thing!" After saying that, Maria Nearl took the armor off the shelf without any hesitation and stuffed it directly into Bianca's arms.

"Oh, this..."

"Okay, okay, stop being so stubborn. I'll go out now, and then you can try it on quickly to see if it fits."

After Maria Nearl finished speaking to Bianca, who was clutching her armor and looking somewhat bewildered, she quickly left her room, making sure to close the door behind her.

After leaving her room, Maria Nearl quickly covered her face and slowly squatted down against the wall.

"!"

'Oh my god, what did I just say! I even locked Bianca in the room!'

She felt both embarrassed and ashamed as she recalled her actions. She couldn't understand why she had acted so impulsively!

"..."

Looking at the closed door, a hint of helplessness flashed in Bianca's azure eyes. After standing there for a while, she slowly shifted her gaze to the armor in her arms.

After some trial and error, Bianca finally managed to put on the armor that originally belonged to the Shining Knight Margaret Nearl.

Well, just like Maria Nearl said, it actually suits me quite well, and there's nothing particularly awkward about wearing it.

However, despite being called an idiot by someone just now, Bianca still had reservations. She still felt it was a bit of a waste to wear this armor to the knightly tournament.

Of course, at this point, Silly Goose didn't intend to refuse anymore. From now on, she would cherish the armor, ensuring it wasn't damaged in the slightest, and return it intact.

"..."

After looking in the mirror and checking her appearance, Bianca gently reopened the door, intending to go out and find Maria Nearl.

"?"

However, as soon as she opened the door, the sight that greeted her made Bianca freeze, and a big question mark slowly appeared above her head.

"What's wrong, Maria Nearl? Are you feeling unwell?"

Maria Nearl, who had been squatting on the ground, immersed in embarrassment and shame, felt a sudden jolt when she noticed Bianca emerge. She jumped to her feet, her face flushed, and hurriedly explained:

"I... cough, I'm fine, haha... I just wanted to squat for a while."

"You don't look like you're alright. If you're feeling unwell, you should tell me." Bianca frowned slightly as she looked at Maria Nearl, whose face was flushed and who was so anxious that she couldn't speak clearly.

Then, she quickly stepped forward, wanting to reach out and measure the foal's temperature.

However, when Bianca saw her hands encased in gauntlets, she silently stopped moving.

After a pause, he stepped forward again, brushed aside the strands of hair on his forehead, and pressed his forehead directly against Maria Nearl's.

"!"

Maria Nearl, already feeling ashamed and flustered, completely "exploded" after Bianca's actions! Her face turned bright red, and a wisp of white smoke even appeared to rise from her head.

"It's really hot. Is it because you didn't sleep well last night that you're sick?" Bianca looked up at Maria Nearl's flushed face so close to hers, feeling the heat emanating from her forehead, and whispered.

Actually, when they met before, Dudu had already noticed that Maria Nearl looked like she hadn't rested well. He had asked her about it on the way to the Nearl Family, but she brushed him off.

Now, Bianca could tell that Maria Nearl's abnormality and unease stemmed from her lack of rest.

Otherwise, how could someone's face suddenly become so flushed and their forehead so hot?

"Ah, I'm fine! Bianca, wait a moment!"

Maria Nearl felt the warm breath emanating from Bianca as she spoke, and her body stiffened at first. After realizing what was happening, she pushed the person in front of her away and rushed into the bathroom without looking back.

"...?"

Bianca tilted her head and watched Maria Nearl's retreating figure for a moment before finally belatedly realizing something...

She blinked her azure eyes gently, a look of understanding appearing on her face along with a hint of apology.

"Ahem, I'm back."

After a while, Maria Nearl finally came out of the bathroom and walked up to Bianca.

Although the foal's face was still somewhat rosy, it was much better than before when it was flushed.

"Yes, welcome back."

As she spoke, Bianca nodded slightly to Maria Nearl, while simultaneously observing her discreetly.

"I'm sorry, I was too presumptuous and rude just now. If Maria Nearl made you feel uncomfortable, please blame me." After withdrawing her observing gaze, Bianca said to her new friend earnestly.

"However, if you really feel unwell, you should go and rest first."

"...?"

After hearing Bianca's serious words, Maria Nearl's CPU, which had just cooled down, suddenly showed signs of overheating again...

P. S.: Does this chapter look strange to you guys? I revised it several times; this chapter took me four hours to write. It's finished for today, no need to wait. My daily routine is almost over; I need to quickly get back to writing about the competition!

Chapter 19 Weapons and Training

"...?"

After hearing Bianca's serious words, Maria Nearl's CPU, which had just cooled down, suddenly showed signs of overheating again...

After a short while, Maria Nearl finally understood what Bianca had just said, and then tried her best to explain calmly:

"Ahem, Bianca, you misunderstood. I was just thinking about some things, and I didn't mean to offend you. Although I did go to bed a little late last night, I'm not feeling unwell."

"Really? Don't be afraid to seek medical help." Hearing this, Bianca blinked her azure eyes and looked at Maria Nearl, who was indeed "better" than before, and said.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless in this regard." Maria Nearl paused slightly, then lowered her voice before continuing:

"After all, if I really get sick and don't rest or get treatment, Aunt Zofia... she'll definitely grab my ear and give me a good scolding."

"... Alright then, be more careful."

Bianca stared intently at Maria Nearl for a while before relenting, nodding gently and offering her instructions.

Hearing this, Maria Nearl smiled at Bianca, then patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless in this regard."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Come on, let's go find a weapon that suits you." After saying this, the little pony chuckled softly and pulled Bianca towards its armory.

While the Nearl Family might not possess any truly extraordinary treasures, they did possess a collection of some weapons of decent quality.

"Ah... as for weapons, I can actually figure it out myself." Clearly, Bianca hadn't expected that Maria Nearl had even thought of and prepared her own weapon.

Actually, in terms of weaponry, Daigo had no worries at all. The reason was simple: although the other armors didn't come with weapons, and he hadn't obtained the Abyss Flower, he did have the Star Anchor.

After all, the armor itself was a manifestation of the World Bubble within her body, so this armor was not "deducted" from weapons by the system like the others.

Although it might seem like overkill, Bianca felt it wouldn't be a bad idea to use it if necessary, and she would control the intensity. If all else failed, she could always conjure a spear herself for temporary use.

"We're already here, one more weapon won't make a difference!" Maria Nearl said quickly after hearing Bianca's words.

From the little pony's perspective, the armor had already been lent out, so they didn't need another weapon. Besides, she had agonized over this decision all night, and it would be a shame not to help...

"Well..."

In the end, Bianca stopped hesitating and let Maria Nearl follow her to the place where Nearl Family stored their weapons.

Honestly, I'm so frustrated I could barely contain myself.

On the one hand, she was worried that Maria Nearl might get into trouble for trusting others so easily. On the other hand, she didn't know how to repay her friend for her help.

"Um?"