Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 478: The Relationships Between Girls Are Truly Mysterious
Negotiations with the Nearl family went smoothly enough.
Młynar had never approved of Margaret participating in Kazimierz Major in the first place, but this was clearly work—and a matter of repaying a favor. Under those circumstances, he had no reason to object.
As for Maria's desire to join Rhodes Island, that was something she would have to properly discuss with her uncle herself. Whether it would work out or not depended entirely on whether she could persuade that stubborn, iron-willed guardian of hers.
That said, considering Zofia had previously expressed interest in taking up a post on Rhodes Island as an operator, and the fact that Młynar was, nominally speaking, now his employee… Steven couldn't help but feel that Maria's proposal might actually have a decent chance of becoming reality.
Still, that was a matter for the future.
Right now, Steven had other things to worry about.
. . .
When Steven returned to the frozen plains of Ursus and released Margaret from the Pokéball, even the well-traveled Radiant Knight was momentarily stunned by the scene before her.
From her perspective, it felt as though she had been sealed away by some unknown method. The passage of time itself had almost vanished—only a brief instant passed before she found herself standing once more on solid ground.
And this ground was unmistakably Ursus.
The biting cold, so sharp it seemed to pierce straight through her clothes and into her bones, made the reality of it abundantly clear.
"How did you do that?" Margaret asked, adjusting her armor as she acclimated to the sudden change in temperature. "How long was I unconscious?"
"Relax," Steven said casually. "From the moment you said goodbye to your little sister—who looked like she wanted to cling to you and come along—to now, it's been less than five minutes. As for how I did it… just think of it as me being able to teleport freely to any place I've been to before."
He explained it plainly, without much concern. It wasn't really a secret—if pressed, he could always just label it as an unique Originium Arts.
Even so, Margaret still wore an expression of disbelief.
What Steven had described was anything but simple. If he truly possessed such an ability, then even information transport alone would make him invaluable—any nation would eagerly drag him straight into their highest levels of government.
But when she thought about how utterly uninterested Steven seemed in things like power, influence, or politics, Margaret could only smile wryly and decide not to dwell on it.
The fact that he was willing to tell her this much already spoke of trust. And in any case, she was here to carry out the task he had entrusted to her—how they arrived was irrelevant to the mission itself.
Once she had sorted that out, Margaret finally had the presence of mind to examine their surroundings.
And the moment she did, her expression subtly changed.
Even back on Rhodes Island, she had never seen such a concentration of Infected.
No—more precisely speaking, aside from herself and Steven, everyone in this camp appeared to be Infected.
If something were to go wrong—if even one of them were to lose control—it would be no different from setting off a massive Originium bomb right in the middle of the camp.
"This place is…?" she asked.
"Just an Infected camp," Steven replied calmly. "Don't worry, you don't need to guard all of the Infected here."
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly.
"What you need to watch out for are the ones hiding much deeper."
Steven answered her question. After stepping in to stop a patrolling guerrilla soldier from approaching to question Margaret about her identity, he finally led her toward where Alina was.
Before long, he easily brought Margaret to the door of the small, shabby classroom where Alina habitually held her lessons.
The class inside was clearly not over yet. Even through the wall—thin enough for the cold wind to seep through—Steven and Margaret could hear Alina's gentle lecture, along with the voices of children reading aloud in unison.
Margaret had yet to see the person Steven had entrusted her with protecting, but merely standing outside the classroom was enough for her to feel it—the intense, heartfelt affection the teacher inside held for her students.
"The teacher in there… she's a noble person," Margaret said softly. "Even at a time like this, she still insists on holding classes for the children?"
Along the way, Margaret had already seen clearly enough just how harsh life was for the Infected. Scraping by and surviving was difficult enough as it was. And yet, under such conditions, a teacher who still chose to continue educating children was undoubtedly someone worthy of respect.
"I think so too," Steven replied. "Though sometimes, I feel like it'd be better if she weren't quite so noble. That way, I wouldn't have to worry about her so much."
Hearing Margaret's evaluation of Alina visibly lifted Steven's mood.
But soon after, he let out a troubled sigh. People who were too noble tended to be the first to be cruelly sacrificed in times of chaos like this. Even if such deaths made them easier to remember, Steven didn't want that.
What he wanted was for her to live—properly, safely. What use was posthumous fame, anyway?
"I see," Margaret said. "So the one I'm meant to protect… is that Elafian teacher inside?"
She glanced through the window at the young woman earnestly instructing her students. From Steven's words, Margaret had already confirmed her mission.
The girl possessed a remarkably clean, tranquil air. Even in this filthy, chaotic Infected camp, she resembled a pure lotus rising from the mud—just one glance was enough to calm a restless heart.
As for those clear eyes, utterly free of impurity, Margaret had only ever seen something similar once before in the eyes of her own younger sister.
With just a single glance, Margaret understood—this was most likely the person Steven wanted her to protect.
"I think you two will get along," Steven said with a shrug. "How should I put it… I feel like you'll have plenty to talk about."
At a glance, Margaret and Alina didn't seem to have much in common. But in truth, Steven was certain their shared topics would be endless. Simply put, they both possessed noble souls—and that alone was enough to draw them toward one another.
"I hope so," Margaret nodded. "At least, she looks like someone easy to talk to."
She didn't have much reason to doubt Steven's judgment. If anything, there were already plenty of things she wanted to say to the girl inside. Still, with class ongoing, she could only set those thoughts aside for the moment.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long.
After a brief chat at the doorway, the sound of the dismissal bell rang out. Alina soon stepped out of the classroom.
When she noticed Steven and the woman beside him, Alina merely tilted her head slightly, then offered Margaret a gentle, friendly smile.
"Your friend?" she asked.
"More or less," Steven replied. "I wanted to introduce you properly. She might be staying on your side for a few days—just temporarily. She'll be leaving after that."
He didn't bother beating around the bush. After explaining Margaret's purpose for being here, Steven left the rest to the two of them.
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
Alina and Margaret exchanged a brief look—and then, almost at the same time, they smiled.
Even with nothing more than a simple greeting, their relationship visibly warmed at an astonishing speed. They hadn't even exchanged names yet, but just standing there together gave off the sense of old friends reuniting after many years.
…Uh oh. Did he just become the odd one out?
Watching the two become fast friends with nothing more than a glance, Steven couldn't help but mutter under his breath. Thankfully, Alina didn't truly leave him behind. After nodding to Margaret as if to say we'll talk later, she turned her attention back to Steven.
"You've been acting a little strange lately," she said. "It feels like you're paying me extra attention."
"Huh? Am I?" Steven dodged her gaze and smoothly changed the subject. "If I were really that worried about you, I wouldn't be heading out to track Talulah right after this."
Steven caring about Alina was a given, there was just no need to spell it out right now.
"I see… Then be careful."
As if sensing something, Alina didn't press the issue. She stepped forward, gently straightened Steven's collar, and then spoke softly—like a wife seeing her husband off on a long journey.
"Stay safe."
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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