I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

"Good morning, Zofia."

Maria looked at the blonde Kuranta girl standing at her room door with a puzzled expression, scratched her hair, and said somewhat embarrassedly.

“It’s getting late now. Your friends and I thought something had happened to you.”

Looking at her child, who clearly had just woken up, Zofia frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of disapproval.

"I'm...sorry, I overslept today and made Zofia worry." Hearing this, Maria obediently lowered her head and began to apologize.

Even now, Maria herself still doesn't understand why neither of her two alarm clocks woke her up in the morning.

However, she wasn't the type to blame others for her mistakes. Oversleeping was oversleeping. Since it was her own fault, she would naturally admit it and correct it.

"You shouldn't apologize to me, but to your worried friend. Be more careful next time and don't make the same mistake again. Go wash up and go find your friend." Seeing Maria's eagerness to admit her mistake, Zofia's tone softened.

Then, as if remembering something, she continued:

"Speaking of which, Maria, you seem to have been quite obsessed with mechanical engineering lately."

"Yes, Zofia, I..."

Maria, who had just turned around to go wash up, stopped in her tracks after hearing her aunt's words. She was startled and quickly turned around to explain.

However, before she could finish speaking, Zofia's voice came again.

"Since you like it, then go ahead and do it. I don't object. However, you can't fall too far behind in swordsmanship. I'll keep an eye on you."

"Yay!!"

Upon hearing this, Maria, who was in a hurry to explain something, froze on the spot, and after a moment she couldn't help but cheer softly.

Clearly, she hadn't expected Zofia to say those words so suddenly; she had thought... Zofia was trying to stop her.

"Sigh...go wash up quickly."

What kind of behavior is this?

Looking at her seemingly silly child in front of her, Zofia sighed helplessly and then said...

"Ok!"

Without hesitation, Maria ran off to wash up, her steps even tinged with excitement.

"..."

Watching Maria's happy figure disappear into the distance, a fleeting look of helplessness and melancholy flashed across Zofia's blue eyes.

————————————————————

Meanwhile, in the hotel—

At this moment, both Sakura, who was sitting on the sofa, and Mebius, who was engrossed in his studies, had somewhat strange expressions.

The reason they both showed such expressions was because of the system's voice that had just echoed in their minds.

[Quest: Obtain a knight's lance personally forged by Maria Nearl as a gift (Quest-only character: Bianca)]

[Quest Reward: Divine Key: Black Abyss White Flower]

[Mission Time Limit: Until the target dies.]

……

"Doctor, it seems our connection with Miss Maria isn't over yet."

Finally, Sakura couldn't hold back any longer, and helplessly rubbed her forehead, whispering something.

"...So what? What does this mission have to do with me?"

Mebius calmed his expression slightly, then adopted a nonchalant look and said dismissively.

"Even so, never mind..."

After hearing Möbius's words, Sakura shook her head helplessly, then seemed to remember something and continued to ask:

"Should we summon Bianca's identity now? Given her personality, she probably wouldn't like it, or even hate it here."

"Heh~ Dislike? I think in a sense, some people here should dislike Bianca more~ After all, she's a knight."

In response to Sakura's question, Mebius suddenly chuckled, then lowered her childish voice and spoke sarcastically. She even emphasized a certain word.

“That makes sense, after all, Bianca’s strength is undeniable.” Sakura nodded in agreement.

If a person is just an ordinary knight with no power, then it is indeed she who should hate this place, or even fear the hidden power and threat here.

But when that person is Bianca, the meaning is completely different.

She has the ability to uphold justice and the power to carry out her path of protection. Here, anything that threatens others is utterly insignificant in her presence.

Even though Bianca hasn't fully unlocked her powers yet, from any perspective, the abilities she currently possesses are more than sufficient here.

"Hmm, so let's just release it boldly. Let the forces of the Grand Knights have a headache about it~" Mebius said casually to Sakura while looking at the information in his hand.

"it is good."

P.S.: A friend of mine took her exam today, and she told me she submitted her application. I'm getting anxious... Please wait a little longer, everyone. Tomorrow is the last day for one update. I'll resume normal updates on the 15th, take a break, and then start adding extra updates, since I finished my exam this morning.

I hope this passes. If it doesn't, my mom might really kill me. Please vote for me!

Chapter 6 Bianca's Adventures in the Great Knight's Territory

"Ugh……"

At this moment, a blonde, blue-eyed girl dressed in Casimir-style clothing stood on the side of a road in a bustling city, letting out a soft sigh with a somewhat helpless expression.

That's right, she is Bianca, who was summoned by Sakura and then driven out by Mebius, or Durandal.

The reason she was kicked out was simple: to let her complete the first step of her own mission, which was to get to know Maria as Bianca.

If it were anyone else, they probably would have already gone straight to the "target." After all, the rewards for this exclusive mission are just as generous as the last one, and they're also perfectly suited to Bianca.

However, it is precisely because she is Bianca that she cannot bring herself to actively approach others for personal gain.

She wouldn't stoop to doing such a thing... and it would also violate her code of chivalry. Even if she wasn't the real "Bianca."

So, standing by the roadside, Bianca was completely lost. She realized that if she didn't go to find Maria, she didn't know what else she wanted to do in this unfamiliar yet strangely familiar city…

"If Rita were here, that would be great."

Bianca reached out and rubbed her temples, muttering to herself.

After she finished speaking, she seemed to have made up her mind. Instead of standing there blankly, she started to take action.

Although Bianca learned about this unfamiliar city through memories shared by others, she even developed a dislike for it and its unspoken rules.

But right now, she really had nothing to do... and since she didn't want to approach Maria, she decided to just wander around the city.

Once she made her decision, the goose acted very quickly, wandering around the Great Knight's territory and observing with her own large, azure eyes.

------------------

Streetside —

Looks like you're about to strike it rich this time.

"Haha, no, no, it's not that bad. We've just secured a spot in the points race. It's not as exaggerated as you're making it out to be..."

However, if we can maintain this level of stability, we shouldn't be short of money this time!

"Yeah, I really envy you. If I want to stand out this time, I need to accumulate more points."

"Keep it up, being a rider is indeed quite lucrative. Looks like I made the right choice back then."

……

"..."

Bianca, who had stopped out of curiosity by the roadside and overheard this conversation, fell silent, and her expression turned rather unpleasant.

Although she already knew about the situation here, when she actually saw with her own eyes a "racing knight" who had absolutely no chivalry, she still felt a trace of anger in her heart.

At this moment, the silly goose felt as if something he had always admired and respected was being trampled underfoot without a second thought.

In her eyes, a competitive knight who is purely motivated by money and allows himself to be watched like a plaything on the field is not worthy of being called a knight.

"call--"

However, even though she was a little angry, Bianca knew very well that she shouldn't take it out on these innocent knights... So, after taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she turned and left.

"As expected, this place is not suitable for me..."

……

And once she left, Bianca went very far, her journey becoming increasingly remote... away from the hustle and bustle of the city center.

On the outskirts of the city, walking on quiet streets with far fewer people, Bianca finally relaxed a lot, and the anger in her heart gradually subsided as time passed.

However... this peace and relaxation did not last long, and a burst of noise once again reached Bianca's keen ears.

"You rats from the gutter... you actually want to participate in the knightly tournament? What a pipe dream... a diseased rat like you should just die!"

"Yeah, yeah, you guys? You can't even get through the arena... Hahaha!"

"We are not rats!"

"..."

group: 543659389

Hearing the noise, Bianca frowned slightly and then walked towards the sound.

Then, when she arrived at the alley where the sound came from, what she saw was bullying, or more accurately, bullying of an infected person by an ordinary person.

Two infected children, covered in wounds, were supporting each other, their eyes filled with resentment and stubbornness as they argued back against the group of older children who had surrounded them.

Upon seeing this, Bianca's delicate brows furrowed even deeper, and a hint of disapproval flashed in her beautiful blue eyes. However, before she could intervene, another argument erupted in the alley.

"You're all rats! Rats in the gutter, that's what my dad told me. Still being stubborn, do you want to suffer more?" The leader of the group said disdainfully, tossing a stone in his hand threateningly.

After saying that, the child suddenly revealed a wicked smile, and without any warning or hesitation, he threw the stone in his hand hard at the two infected children in front of him.

"boom--"

However, the stone did not hit its target as the children had expected. Instead, it was caught by a slender hand before it could strike.

"!"

This sudden turn of events startled all the children present, with some even frozen in place.