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

However, the silly goose did not give them that chance. With a quick movement, it used its speed to shake off these people.

After all, Bianca had no intention of joining any random knightly order.

It's important to understand that many of the knightly orders in Kazimierz are just that—or, to put it bluntly, star groups created by capital, mere money-making tools.

Even if he were to join later, he would only join a knightly order that he approves of, or one that he created himself.

Besides, getting entangled with this bunch of shady characters here is nowhere near as important as meeting up with Maria.

……

"Bianca, I'm here!"

At the agreed-upon location, Maria saw the familiar figure who had changed out of his armor and quickly waved in that direction.

"..."

Upon noticing her friend, Bianca's expression, which had been rather unpleasant since the start of the match, gradually warmed up, and she even managed a faint smile.

"You're so amazing, Bianca! I was worried about you." Maria was so excited watching Bianca walk towards her that she couldn't help but run over and give her a big hug.

"Be careful."

Suddenly being embraced by Bianca, a hint of helplessness flashed in her azure eyes before she began to give her instructions.

"Yeah! Hehe, and this time I not only watched a great game, but I also earned a lot of pocket money thanks to you, Bianca."

After listening to Bianca's instructions, Maria nodded first, then seemed to remember something and excitedly said...

It's important to understand that this time, it wasn't just Zofia who bet money on Bianca...

"Ahem... I'm telling you two, it's not very nice of you to ignore me like this."

P.S.: I'm so sleepy, I accidentally dawdled a bit late. Goodnight everyone.

Chapter 23 Next Plan

"Ahem... I'm telling you two, it's not very nice of you to ignore me like this."

"Hehe~ I was just too excited." After hearing her aunt's words, Maria let go of Bianca and happily prepared to give Zofia a hug as well.

"What? You've clearly made friends and forgotten about your sister." Although Zofia was sharp-tongued, the smile in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

“Hmm… let’s find a quiet place to talk.” Just then, Bianca, who had been standing to the side watching the two interact with a smile, suddenly changed her expression and said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Zofia stopped playing around and subconsciously observed her surroundings. After noticing who was there, a look of understanding flashed in her eyes. Then she nodded slightly to Bianca.

"...?"

Maria, who was standing to the side, was still clueless about what was going on, but that didn't stop her from following her friend and aunt.

Soon, the three of them quickly left the area and disappeared into the bustling streets.

Subsequently, at Zofia's invitation, the two did not go anywhere else, but instead went to her home again.

……

In Zofia's living room—

"Ah, no matter how many times I watch it, I still think Bianca is amazing. Unlike me, I'm not good at anything, and my swordsmanship is only so-so."

Sitting in the living room, Maria watched the news about Bianca on TV and sighed helplessly. Her voice, upon closer listening, carried a hint of confusion and longing.

"..."

After hearing the sighs of those around her, Bianca frowned slightly, a hint of disapproval flashing in her azure eyes.

After organizing her thoughts briefly, she quietly leaned over and gently patted one of the ponies on the head, saying:

"Don't overthink it. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. There's no need to think so much or even worry. Just let things take their course."

"Well, but..."

Maria, who had been "hit hard" on the head, covered her head and instinctively wanted to retort, but when she looked up and saw Bianca's delicate face, she swallowed all her words back.

At the same time, his expression became somewhat complicated and disappointed.

To be honest, while Bianca relieved Maria's tension and worry during this match, it also brought her a sense of pressure and urgency.

This feeling was something even her admired sister, Margaret, couldn't give her...

Seeing Maria's somewhat dejected expression, Bianca blinked gently and comforted her in a softer tone:

"Don't be impatient. One day you will find what you are good at, and at that time you will have your own path and goals."

At this point, Bianca paused slightly, reached out and gently patted Maria's shoulder before continuing, "Trust your heart, it will tell you the answer."

"And Maria, don't you really enjoy going to the workshop? If you like this kind of thing, you can give it a serious try."

"Maybe I'll have a master craftsman friend someday."

As she finished speaking, Bianca gave Maria a gentle and encouraging smile.

"Ah... I'm just a little interested in that area, it's nothing like what you're saying, Bianca!"

After hearing Bianca's words of comfort, Maria's brain went blank for a moment, and then all her random thoughts and emotions disappeared.

All that's left is the embarrassment of being praised by friends...

"Believe in yourself, Maria, and don't let external factors affect your confidence."

Noticing that Maria's bad mood had vanished, a quick smile flashed in Bianca's eyes before she continued:

"And I'm not afraid to tell you this, but actually, apart from fighting, I'm not good at many things, including life in general."

"Eh?"

After hearing Bianca's words, Maria was slightly taken aback and let out a soft gasp of surprise.

"So there's no need to be so anxious. Just go with the flow and happily explore according to your heart."

"Um... thank you, Bianca."

As the two girls were talking to each other in the living room, a pair of eyes filled with both relief and helplessness were silently watching them.

The owner of those eyes is Zofia, the owner of this mansion, who had just gone to the dining room to prepare fruit.

After spending the last few days together and observing her, she found Bianca increasingly pleasing and satisfactory. She was also happy that her child had such an excellent and positive friend.

However, Zofia also saw a downside to this situation: she noticed that once her child made some reliable friends of the same age, he stopped playing or confiding in her as much as she did as his aunt.

It gave her the feeling that her child had grown up and no longer needed her.

This has led to a slight sense of confusion for Zofia recently, even as she is happy for Maria.

"..."

After finishing her conversation with Maria, Bianca discreetly glanced in the direction where Zofia was hiding before quickly looking away.

Bianca had noticed Zofia's secret observation from the very beginning, but she didn't care and had no intention of exposing it.

Because she roughly knew what her young aunt was worried about, she could completely understand.

……

"What are your plans for the upcoming matches, Bianca?"

After finally cutting up the fruit and serving it, Zofia hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been bothering her.

"Well... there's no particular plan, or rather, the plan is very simple. We'll leave the points tournament as it is for now, and we'll participate in more tournaments if we need more points. As for the knockout stage and the tournament, we'll just keep going."

When Zofia asked her, Bianca told her everything without hiding anything.

After all, thanks to Maria's influence, her relationship with Zofia has become much closer, and they've even changed how they address each other.

"You're really... honest."

Zofia, momentarily speechless at Bianca's answer, twitched at the corner of her mouth and then said helplessly.

"Bianca, is your plan really that simple?" Maria, who was eating fruit nearby, was slightly taken aback after hearing her friend's words.

"Honesty is a great virtue of a knight. Moreover, I have enough confidence in my abilities."

P.S.: We had guests over today, so it's late. Only one update today, sigh.

Chapter 24 Bianca: Mebius, why haven't you left yet?

“Honesty is a great virtue of a knight. Besides, I have enough confidence in my abilities.” In response to her “sister’s” reaction, Bianca gave a gentle and confident smile.

However, she quickly seemed to remember something, her smile faded, and she touched her nose, saying:

"However, although I make it sound easy, things will definitely get more troublesome. After all, I don't intend to collude with those capitalists who I find laughable."

The competition process Bianca described earlier was a very simplified version. In fact, she was well aware that by refusing to be courted or sponsored, she would definitely face various forms of targeting.

Although these attacks wouldn't affect her much, just thinking about them was annoying. It felt like being stalked by flies in the shadows; you could swat them away immediately, but it was still disgusting.

"...?"

After hearing Bianca's words, Maria, who already knew the answer, didn't react much, but Zofia slowly raised a question mark above her head, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Although their relationship had grown much closer during this time, she hadn't asked Bianca about many things, including her reasons for participating in the competition...

"Are you surprised?"

After noticing Zofia's gaze, Bianca said with a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

"Hmm...it is quite unexpected. I think you should know what you'll face after making this choice, so can you tell me why?" Upon hearing this, Zofia was silent for a moment before nodding gently and looking at Bianca with a serious gaze.

Zofia was all too familiar with Bianca's choice, because she had made the same decision years ago, but her own ultimate fate was...

However, she also knew that Bianca was different from her and much stronger, which is why she...

This will generate the curiosity of this moment.

Seeing Zofia's seriousness, Bianca also became serious, her azure eyes filled with solemnity and a smile as she said:

"Of course I know the difference between having capital support and not having capital support, and I also know the benefits involved. But there are always some things that make people disregard gains and losses and strive to accomplish them."

At this point, Bianca paused slightly, a glint in her eyes, as other emotions quietly faded away, replaced by only determination and confidence.

"Moreover, in my eyes, the gap that capital can create with money is not a gap at all. With my strength, I can close the gap."

To others, Bianca's words sounded somewhat arrogant.

But in fact, she was just telling the truth... With the equipment that Kazimierz currently has that can be bought with money, she could easily take them down with a single punch.

QQ group: 9