Lance Charge on the Arkship, but No Mount

The communication ended. Kal'tsit, dressed in a green dress and bearing the appearance of a young girl, sat in her office chair with a thoughtful expression.

"Doctor Kal'tsit?"

A petite, childish figure appeared before her. Kal'tsit immediately set aside her thoughts and looked at the girl in front of her.

"Amiya, what is it?"

A New Beginning: The Golden Little Pegasus

It was a small pair of nail clippers, barely the size of a pinky finger and very convenient to carry. Claude was using it to trim his nails. They did not need to be cut too short; a little length had to be left. Nails that were too long were extremely dangerous in battle. Violent movements could snap them or peel them from the fingers, causing immense pain. And that momentary opening could sometimes lead to disastrous consequences, so Claude never left himself vulnerable in that way.

Aside from the calluses on Claude's hands from gripping swords year-round, they were fair and clean. He always showed this sort of self-discipline in the details of his daily life. To him, it was not a restraint he imposed upon himself. He liked the feeling and believed it benefited the cultivation of his character.

He gathered the nail clippings into a pile at the edge of the table, then pushed them into the trash bin. After placing the tiny nail clippers into a small leather pouch at his waist, he revealed several more pouches on his person, large and small, each holding different items by category. Thus, besides the weapon belt used to hang his longsword and throwing lances, he also had several belts of varying sizes strapped over his armor.

That thick cloak was resting in the car now. The climate here was much warmer than Ursus, and if he wore it, he would soon be drenched in sweat. So he was currently wearing only his armor.

Claude was idling in Old Martin's tavern. He no longer had any pressing matters to handle; the only things left were purchasing supplies and the like, which Centaurea had gone to do with the child they had picked up. Claude suddenly found himself with nothing to do, and only then did he realize how few hobbies he had. Other than swinging swords, he had no idea what else to do.

A gold coin flipped over Claude's fingertips as he passed the time with nothing better to do. Old Martin could not stand watching him like that and offered a reminder.

"You brat, if you've really got nothing to do, go visit Maria. She's been talking about her master for ages."

The gold coin sprang from his fingertips and was caught steadily between two fingers. Claude looked as though he had just been enlightened, while guilt rose in his heart. He had actually failed to think about checking on Maria.

Realizing that, he hurriedly stood up, greeted Martin, and headed outside.

"Change your clothes. Stop wearing that armor all the time."

Martin shouted after the departing Claude. Claude waved back without turning around, though it was unclear what that gesture meant.

Claude looked at his clothes with satisfaction. He had bought them with that gold coin just now. Martin had told him not to wear armor all the time, and Claude thought he had a point. But habits could not be changed overnight. The instant he took off his armor, he felt uncomfortable all over. So he compromised and bought a relatively light black cloak to drape over himself.

The cloak looked as if it had been woven from fibers of modern composite materials, with blood-red trim. It was smooth and crisp, fastened to his body by logo-printed straps and buckles. Industrial production truly possessed advantages traditional methods could never match. With industrialized mass production, the price of a high-quality cloak could be driven down so low.

It even had a hood with a brim that could conceal his face. To Claude, it was an excellent bargain.

Arriving once more at the Neartl Family estate, Claude looked at the broad courtyard inside and pressed the doorbell as usual. But this time, to his surprise, the one who came to open the door was not that lively little girl, but a tall old man.

The old man had silver hair and looked quite advanced in age, yet his back remained perfectly straight, and every step he took was of equal length. He came to the iron gate and carefully examined Claude from head to toe before opening it.

Claude had a fairly good guess about the old man's identity, so he greeted him directly.

"Mr. Cyril, I've heard much about you."

The old man's sharp eyes fell upon Claude again, then his expression suddenly softened.

"You flatter me. Mr. Claude, on the other hand, has helped our family greatly. This old man has yet to properly thank you."

With that, a kindly smile appeared on the old man's face as he invited Claude into the sitting room. Claude gladly accepted and followed him inside.

Hearing the bell, Maria hurried out of her workshop to answer the door. But when she reached the courtyard, the girl saw a sight that shocked her. Her grandfather was walking alongside a figure she knew very well. The two figures were so similar, even their heights nearly the same. Both stood equally straight, and both walked with the same forceful stride.

"Could that be Grandpa and Master Claude?" Maria stood behind a pillar and poked out her little golden-haired head. Beneath the sunlight, Claude's black hair seemed to have been dyed with a layer of gold. He chatted and laughed with her grandfather as if they were men of the same age, making her hesitate to step out.

"Is that really Master Claude? I've never seen him like that before." Only after the two had gone inside did Maria emerge from behind the pillar. Yet she continued staring fixedly toward the sitting room.

"Was that how it was? Then the fighting must have been extremely difficult. If they broke through so quickly, it would have been hard to organize an effective defense."

"Tell me about it. It truly came down to the wire. Our country was nearly destroyed." The bright-eyed old man lifted a cup of black tea, blew away the steam, and took a sip before continuing.

"But in the end, there was an enormous gap in national strength between us and the Ursus Empire. They could afford to lose, but we could not afford to lose more than a few times. Looking back now, our luck back then truly seems impossible to understand."

"Mr. Cyril, there's no need to belittle yourself. In my view, your contribution at the time was incomparable. Everything you did then cannot possibly be summed up by mere luck."

"Haha! I don't know why, but hearing you say that makes me rather happy." Smiling, the old man set down his teacup.

"All right, I imagine you did not come all this way specifically to see an old man like me. I've taken up enough of your time. Go have a good talk with Maria. It has been quite a while since you last saw each other, hasn't it?"

Claude raised his head and spotted a familiar little golden head peeking out from the second floor. When she saw that he had noticed her, she waved at him. He could not help smiling as well.

"Then, Mr. Cyril, please excuse me for now."

Maria raced down from upstairs. After cheerfully greeting her grandfather, she beckoned Claude to follow her, saying she had a gift for him.

As Claude walked, he secretly rejoiced that he had prepared a gift before coming. Otherwise, he would not have known what to do now. His gift was a cloak. That was right—because that beast had been so enormous, its hide had made several cloaks.

They soon arrived at a small building in the backyard, filled with various processing equipment. Claude clearly saw a thick cable running from underground outside into the small building. Maria rushed inside. She was now wearing a white work coat made of thick cloth, making her look somewhat bulky.

After a while, the girl emerged from her little workshop with a helmet in her hands. With a proud expression, she handed it to Claude.

"Hehe, Master Claude, I made this. Even Master Kowal said I did a great job."

Claude looked at the helmet in his hands. Based on a traditional knight's helmet, it had upward-sweeping steel wings added to both sides. It looked extremely imposing and lent the whole helmet a heroic air. Its overall color was a jet black faintly tinged with gold, like brass painted black, ancient and majestic.

Claude examined the helmet. It was not particularly heavy, yet he could feel the strength of its solid structure in his hands, and he liked its design very much. Especially those upward-sweeping steel wings—this was a decorative style favored throughout the First Legion. His subordinates liked using feather motifs to adorn their armor, and Claude was no exception.

"I really like this helmet, Maria. I'll keep it with me always." Claude set down the helmet he had been wearing and put this one on right there. It fit perfectly, with no unnecessary wobbling. He raised a hand and lifted his visor.

"Oh, right. I have something for you too." As he spoke, Claude began rummaging through the bag he had brought. He pulled out a thick cloak, its dense fur reflecting a warm glow in the sunlight, then handed it to the grinning little golden Pegasus.

"This is for me? It looks warm just by looking at it." Maria did not hesitate and reached out to take it. The moment it touched her hands, she felt the comfort of its soft, dense fur. Claude found it strange too. It had clearly belonged to a carnivorous beast, yet its fur was as soft as that of a small animal.

Seeing her clutch the cloak and refuse to let it go, Claude spoke up to interrupt her.

"All right, put that down for now. It seems you're doing well with machinery, but I wonder whether you've neglected the things I taught you?"

Maria's expression immediately stiffened. Though she had not been overly lazy during this time and had made some progress, she still had no confidence that she could exchange more than a few moves with Master Claude.

"Stop delaying. Bring out the practice sword."

"Okay..."

Maria hesitantly fetched her practice sword.

The blunt edge of the practice sword easily slipped around the shield and struck the wrist holding the sword. Maria's wrist went numb, and she involuntarily released her weapon. Her sword fell onto the grass.

Claude lowered his sword without speaking for a moment. Maria lowered her head anxiously.

"Very good. It seems you truly haven't been slacking during this time."

The unexpected words made Maria lift her head. Claude removed his helmet, a gentle smile on his face.

"But I clearly..."

A long, strong hand covered her head and gently ruffled her hair twice.

"Don't underestimate yourself. Do you think just anyone could last this long against me? Your growth has far exceeded my expectations. I should say that you've surprised me, Maria."

Under the setting sun, the little Pegasus's face looked slightly red.

"Where did you go today? Why are you back so late? Oh, and that cloak you bought is pretty nice."

When Claude returned to the inn where they were staying, he happened to meet Centaurea coming down the stairs, drying her wet hair with a clean towel.

"I went to visit Maria. That child's talent gave me quite a surprise today."

Claude answered casually, then asked her in return.

"It's so late. Where are you going?"

At his question, Centaurea's expression immediately turned helpless.

"Isn't it because of the child you picked up? Her clothes are so tattered that they're completely unwearable. I just gave her a bath, and I'm going out to get her another set."

"And that girl is far too restless. She kept squirming while I bathed her. I struggled with her for half the day. You go keep an eye on her while I go buy clothes."

"Your hair isn't dry yet. Why don't I go?"

Centaurea looked somewhat surprised and continued asking.

"Do you know how to pick out clothes for a girl?"

"They're just clothes. As long as they look decent and can be worn, what is there to pick? Tell me her size, and I'll go buy a set."

"...I'd better go. I just don't feel comfortable leaving it to you."

"It's fine, it's fine. Wait here a bit. I'll be right back."

The moment he finished speaking, Claude had already turned and headed outside.

After several turns, Claude arrived at the shop where he had bought clothes during the day. As soon as he entered, an attendant quickly came to serve him.

"Sir, are you buying clothes? For yourself or someone else? Please feel free to look around."

"Do you have clothes for a girl about this tall?" Claude gestured casually as he spoke. They had not measured the child's exact height, but she should be around 1.6 meters tall.

"Yes, we do. May I ask if she's an adult?"

Claude carefully recalled the girl's condition, then answered with certainty.

"She's an adult."

After looking through the options, Claude picked out a set of clothing suited for outdoor activities, with orange-yellow and black as its main colors. The cut looked very fitting. Only one thing seemed unsuitable to him: despite being outdoor clothing, its legwear consisted of two thigh-high stockings that left a section of thigh completely exposed. They did not seem capable of providing effective protection at all.

But at such a late hour, this was the only clothing store still open, and none of the other outfits compared to this one. So Claude did not hesitate further. After paying, he headed back to their lodging.

A New Beginning: Interesting Rhodes Island

"Looks pretty good."

Claude stepped back slightly and examined the effect of the clothes he had bought now that they were being worn. For the moment, he was quite satisfied. Black and white fabric formed the main body of the outfit, accented with orange-yellow. The skirt was secured at the lower body with orange-yellow straps. A pair of dark brown thigh-high stockings were linked by thin cords, perfectly outlining the child's well-developed figure. The loose sleeves and thick-soled hiking boots fastened with buckles added a touch of youth and energy.

After returning and carefully measuring the child's height, he discovered that she was actually under 1.6 meters tall. It was only because of her thick-soled shoes that she appeared slightly taller than normal. Yet due to the outfit's excellent design, it still fit her perfectly.

Claude had also bought her a weapon bag to hold her pile of weapons. It would have been far too inconvenient for her to keep carrying them in her arms. She was now curiously examining the things on her body. She had never worn such clean, neat clothes before. They gave her a strange feeling, but she did not dislike it.

"Do you like it?"

"Mm-hm!!!" The yellow-haired girl nodded vigorously, and even the pointed ears atop her head trembled, conveying their owner's current mood.

"I never expected you to be so good at picking clothes. I was worried at first." Centaurea looked at Claude with surprise as well.

"I took a liking to it at first glance. I suppose it was fate." Claude was also rather pleased with his unexpectedly good performance.

"All right, we're heading out again tomorrow, so get some rest early." Claude left the room as he spoke, closing the door behind him. They had rented two rooms at the inn. Old Martin's tavern had become too busy to spare any space. Since they would not be staying here long, they had not rented a house, merely booked rooms at an inn for several days.

Claude entered his own room. It was not large, containing a single bed, a small tea table, and several chairs. There was also a bathroom for bathing and using the toilet. Overall, the conditions were not great, yet it was still expensive here.

After taking off his armor and clothes and having a bath, Claude lay on the bed wrapped in a towel. But sleep would not come for a while, so he took out his portable terminal to see whether there was any interesting news. He was quickly disappointed. Everywhere he looked was filled with advertisements—advertisements of every kind: food ads, weapon ads, clothing ads, automobile ads... It seemed that the network accessible in Kazimierz's Great Knight Territory contained nothing but advertisements.

Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly came across an interesting notice.

"Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical is hiring outstanding talent. Those with extensive combat experience will be given priority. Infected individuals are welcome. Upon employment, receive free medical care, free food and lodging, generous wages, and easy work. Interested parties, please contact xxxxxxxxxx."

"Infected individuals are welcome?" Claude thought of the child they had picked up. That girl was clearly infected. If Rhodes Island truly was as good as it claimed, entrusting the child to them might be a better choice. They also possessed advanced medical technology, so her Oripathy should not continue worsening.

Claude's off-road vehicle raced across the wide, flat Gobi Desert. In such an endless expanse, he could press the accelerator all the way down. The speed indicator on the dashboard had already reached its maximum and would not rise any further. The windows were open, and fierce wind tore into the vehicle from outside with a shrieking roar.

"We should be close! Assuming we haven't gone in the wrong direction."

Claude had to shout. Otherwise, no one would have been able to hear him in the current conditions.

The moment he finished speaking, a long, thin black shadow appeared on the distant horizon. After driving farther, the shadow gradually revealed its full form: a massive landship. The black shadow they had seen earlier was one of its towering pillars.

"Unidentified vehicle, unidentified vehicle. Please cease your approach toward our vessel. Present your identification code, or we will commence an attack."

A voice suddenly came through the vehicle radio. Claude immediately reacted and recited the identification code Kal'tsit had given him.

"CT1x-. I made an appointment yesterday. Please open the entrance."

"Welcome, Mr. Claude. Gate Three has been opened for you. Please board the vessel through this entrance." The voice abruptly changed into a gentle, intelligent female voice.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome. PRTS is at your service. I am the Primary Rhodes Island Terminal System. Please inform me if you have any needs."

"...All right, I understand."

Claude could not help marveling at the scientific prowess displayed by this organization. Seeing the gate ahead open, he drove the off-road vehicle straight inside.

As soon as the vehicle entered, staff members in Rhodes Island uniforms came to guide him. Claude followed their directions and parked his vehicle in an empty parking space. This was a vast, open steel chamber filled with many vehicles. Numerous people were discussing things nearby. Vehicles constantly departed, and others constantly entered.

Claude's boots stepped onto the steel deck. Raising his head, he saw the people who had come to greet him. One was Ms. Kal'tsit, whom he had previously seen through the terminal. The other was a petite Cautus girl with brown hair and ears, as well as large blue eyes. She tried hard to look dignified, but her childish appearance and slightly deliberate manner only made her seem rather adorable.

Claude walked forward with his two companions.