Asura in Arknights

"This gentleman..."

At that moment, Li Ang heard a somewhat unfamiliar voice, a voice as clear and melodious as the song of a nightingale, which instantly attracted his attention.

...Was that the Sarkaz who had never spoken before? Was she calling me just now?

"Hmm? Is there something you need?" As he spoke, Leon habitually scanned the Sarkaz who was standing there in a daze.

However, something unexpected happened.

"Ah!" X2

Two cries of pain were heard simultaneously from inside the hall.

Li Ang felt as if he had crashed into a wall. For a moment, the whole world seemed to be spinning. The blond Sarkaz on the other side was also not feeling well. He was so dizzy that he almost fell off his chair.

"Liz!"

The Kuranta knight quickly caught Sarkaz, who was about to fall, and anxiously called her name, "Liz, are you alright? What just happened?"

"I don't know... my head... I feel dizzy..." Liz answered weakly.

The other three people at the table all had bewildered expressions. They had no idea what had just happened. How could two people have collapsed simultaneously after only saying one sentence?

The commotion attracted the attention of others in the hall, but when they saw that it was Sarkaz's table, they were not surprised at all. They even cast mocking glances at Leon, as if to say, "See? This is the consequence of going to share a table with Sarkaz."

"Ugh... I feel so dizzy." Li Ang gagged a couple of times before gradually recovering from his earlier discomfort.

The Kuranta knight was taking care of the girl named Liz, while another Sarkaz frowned, glancing back and forth between Leon and Liz. When she noticed Leon's closed eyes, she revealed an understanding expression.

"I see,"

After a moment's thought, she understood what had just happened between the two of them.

"You must possess Originium Arts of the Perception type, right?" she asked.

“That’s right… Is there a problem?” Li Ang rubbed his temples and replied.

His physical condition seemed much better than the girl's; he had basically recovered to normal by now. Liz, on the other hand, looked like she was about to collapse. The Knight Kuranta was kneeling beside her, his hands filled with warm light, slowly healing Liz's discomfort.

“Because Liz, like you, also possesses perception-based magic,” the Sarkaz woman replied. “Just now, the two of you… had a conflict due to the same type of Originium Arts.”

Perception-type Originium Arts are quite rare and difficult for others to discover. Those who master this type of magic are mostly accustomed to using it to observe the world, and only those who also master perception-type magic can detect traces of it.

Being able to discover each other means that they can interfere with each other. Unfortunately, two of the five people present possess such Originium Arts.

The probability of this happening is extremely low, and generally no one would pay attention to it.

"I'm sorry, Liz just noticed you were injured and wanted to offer to treat your wounds, but I didn't expect this to happen," the Sarkaz woman said apologetically.

"Hiss... It's okay, this is the first time I've encountered something like this."

However, this also served as a wake-up call for Li Ang. If he encountered the same situation again, how long would it take him to recover? What if this happened during a battle?

We must come up with a solution to this problem...

Just as Li Ang was thinking this, he heard the Sarkaz woman continue, "Liz's health isn't very good, and it may be impossible to treat you now."

"If you don't mind, let me take her place and treat your wounds."

As she spoke, she pointed to Li Ang's abdomen, "Although it's unclear what happened, if the wound on your abdomen is left untreated, it could become quite troublesome."

A Sarkaz doctor is helping with the treatment? Is this the legendary Sarkaz physician? This shocking fact left Leon speechless.

How could the Sarkaz, a race known for its slaughter, have healers? No... we can't think of it that way. Perhaps it's precisely because their race specializes in combat that more healers are born.

So... should we agree? If I'm not lying, this is definitely a good opportunity to heal this wound in one go.

Leon could feel Adele gently squeezing his palm, as if telling him not to trust this Sarkaz.

However, the other party did not show any malice, and the presence of the Kuranta Knight made Li Ang more willing to trust them.

Although the country of Kazimierz is somewhat indescribable, the spirit of chivalry truly exists, and such people are almost impossible to associate with evil.

So, taking a deep breath, Li Ang said, "If it's possible, then I'll have to trouble you."

Chapter Four: Apostles

A warm light enveloped Li Ang's abdomen, making him feel as if he were soaking in a hot spring, with every cell in his body feeling incredibly comfortable.

In a tingling sensation, Li Ang felt the wound on his abdomen healing rapidly, and even the previously repeatedly ruptured and slightly infected areas did not affect the treatment of this Sarkaz man.

About two or three minutes later, Li Ang felt that his abdomen had completely recovered. Apart from the weakness caused by the long-term injury, he could no longer feel any discomfort.

This wasn't the first time Leon had been treated by healing magic, but... although it was a bit rude to old man Kent, his skill level was far inferior to this Sarkaz!

This once again made Li Ang realize that Originium Arts is something that depends a lot on talent. Even old Kent, who had been immersed in this field his whole life, was not as good as a young man with some talent.

Judging from the various characteristics of this Sarkaz woman, she should not be very old; by Sarkaz standards, she should still be in her prime.

“Alright, everything should be fine now.” The Sarkaz sheathed his longsword-like staff and said, “Your physical condition… is excellent; you shouldn’t suffer any lasting effects.”

During the conversation, Li Ang also learned their names.

The Sarkaz woman who helped him heal was named Shining, Liz was the other Sarkaz who had just had a sensory conflict with him, and the Kuranta knight said her name was 'Maria'... well, Leon felt that the name didn't quite suit her temperament.

The three women called themselves itinerant doctors and formed a small group called the 'Apostles,' traveling throughout Terra and treating patients they encountered along the way.

Miss Liz sensed the fleeting pain in Leon's heart, which is why she discovered he was seriously injured.

“Miss Shining… thank you so much for your help. My name is Li Ang, and this is…”

When it came to Adele, Leon hesitated for a moment, unsure how to introduce her.

What should he call her? Companion? Classmate? Or simply girlfriend? And... most importantly, Adele can't use her real name like he does.

After all, Adele Nauman and Leon Kennedy are both wanted names by the Letanian government. Although they have now left Letania, it's still better to be careful.

What if a bounty hunter happens to have seen their wanted poster? Unlike the common name Leon, the name Adele Nauman is quite uncommon.

Just as Li Ang was pondering how to give Adele a pseudonym, he heard Adele speak first.

"I am Eyjafjalla, and like my predecessors, I am a messenger of the Scourge."

Eyjafjalla… Leon had heard Adele mention this name before. It was a volcano in Sami. If Leon remembered correctly, Adele had accidentally contracted Oripathy there.

I really don't know what Adele was thinking when she used this name as her pseudonym... But it seems that Adele no longer cares about such things.

After Shining helped Leon heal his wounds, Adele was no longer as wary of them as before. She naturally took over the conversation, saying, "We're going to the Great Knight Territory to visit a friend, right, senior?"

Although Adele's address of him as "senior" made Leon feel a little awkward, he still nodded and replied, "That's right, but we unfortunately encountered bandits on our way here and were slightly injured. We originally planned to stay here to recuperate for a while before leaving, but now, with Miss Shining's help, we will rest here briefly before heading to the Great Knight's Territory."

Shining simply nodded in response. She knew there were many doubts in Li Ang's answer, but Shining had no intention of delving into it further.

"Miss Shining, it seems you're also planning to head to the Great Knight's Territory?"

According to the conversation Li Ang had overheard, it seemed that the three apostles also planned to go to the Great Knight Territory.

“It’s just a plan,” Shining replied, shaking his head as he held his staff. “We haven’t made a decision yet. There are still some issues to deal with. Maybe we won’t go to that city.”

"I see..." Li Ang said with some regret.

Li Ang had originally wanted to ask if he could go to the Great Knight Territory with them, but their reaction was a polite way of rejecting his suggestion.

After chatting with Shining for a few minutes, Leon's attention turned to Liz, who seemed to still be recovering from the earlier conflict. The Maria Knight was already kneeling there, healing her for several minutes, and the constantly flashing magical light also attracted the attention of others.

If these guys hadn't looked like they were not to be trifled with, the innkeeper might have already rushed over to stop them.

Although it was just a coincidence, Li Ang couldn't help but...

"Miss Maria, is Miss Liz alright?"

However, the knight seemed not to hear Li Ang's voice. It wasn't until Li Ang called her name several times that she turned her head around as if startled from a dream, somewhat dazed. "What did you say?"

"Miss Maria, what I meant was, is Miss Liz alright?"

Miss Knight seemed very uncomfortable with how Li Ang addressed her. She shifted uncomfortably before saying with a hint of embarrassment, "Um... don't worry, Liz's health has always been poor, this is quite normal."

After explaining, the knight turned to Shining and said, "Liz isn't feeling well, let's take her back to rest."

Shining nodded, said goodbye to Leon, and then carried Liz away from the inn's hall.

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

After sending Liz back to her room to rest, Shining went outside the post station and breathed in the fresh night air.

Upon hearing the scraping sound of armor behind her, Shining smiled slightly. She turned around and asked the approaching knight, "Miss Maria, how is Liz?"

The knight blushed and said somewhat awkwardly, "Don't joke about this. You should know that neither the name Margaret nor the title Nearl can be used casually in this country."

"I can't think of a suitable code name right away."

"So you just used your sister's name?"

Chapter Five Night Talk

Miss Knight, or rather Margaret Nearl, looked away somewhat awkwardly. Although it was an unconscious action, the upright Miss Knight still felt a little embarrassed to be pointed out to her face.

She had been away from her hometown for several years, and her biggest worry was her young sister. So when she was making up a pseudonym for herself, the first thing that came to mind was her sister's name.

“Alright, Shining, stop joking about this.” Margaret paused, then changed the subject with a serious expression. “I came to you to ask you what exactly you’re planning to do in Kazimierz.”

"From what you're saying, it seems like we're going to the Great Knight's Territory next?"

Hearing this, Shining looked up at the sky and said softly, "You've been away from your hometown for quite some time now. Haven't you thought about going back to see your family? Maria... your sister, haven't you often talked about her? Take this opportunity to go back and see her."

Margaret's expression was somewhat serious. "But you have to understand that three years ago, I was expelled from Kazimierz by the Witness Council because of my status as an infected person. If I go back without permission, it may cause them more trouble."

"The level of vigilance in the Great Knight Territory is far superior to that of this rural area."

However, Shining didn't seem to care about what Margaret said. "You should also know that the triennial Knights Tournament is about to begin. At that time, spectators from several nearby countries will flock to the Great Knight Territory. The Great Knight Territory will become very chaotic. Whether they will have time to deal with you is a question."

"With a little disguise, you can evade the eyes and ears of those business alliances."

Margaret frowned, her gaze fixed on Shining's side. After a long while, her attitude softened. Perhaps it was because of her longing for her family, or perhaps for some other reason, but she was somewhat persuaded by Shining.

“Okay… I agree with what you said. But that’s not your real reason, is it, Shining?” Margaret took a deep breath and said, “Tell me what you really want to do.”

Shining shrugged, then turned to look directly at Margaret. "Actually, this is what happened. I recently received some information that might be related to Liz's past experiences, so I wanted to take this opportunity to investigate."

“Liz?” Margaret was stunned. She never expected that the matter of the Grand Knights would be related to that poor little girl.

Just as she was about to ask Shining for details, a creaking sound from a wooden door suddenly rang out not far from them, and the two of them looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Sometime later, Liz, who should have been resting in bed, came out.

The night wind tousled her hair, the golden strands shimmering faintly in the moonlight. The hem of her white dress swayed rhythmically with the wind as she walked unsteadily toward them.

Seeing this, Lin Guang quickly went to her and helped the swaying Liz up. "Liz, why did you come out?"

Liz looked at Margaret and explained somewhat awkwardly, "When I woke up... I found that none of you were there, so I wanted to come out and look for you."

"I'm sorry...it was my oversight."

They were always by Liz's side, so if they suddenly disappeared, Liz would naturally panic and search for them everywhere.

Margaret helped Liz up, preparing to take her back to her room again. "Shining and I have some things to talk about, we'll be back soon. Let me take you back to rest first."

Liz did not refuse and allowed Margaret to help her walk towards the room.

“That person… he seemed really happy at the time.” Liz suddenly said this as she was about to leave.

Margaret was puzzled by this seemingly random remark, but Shining, who was standing nearby, easily understood what Liz meant.

"When you clashed with Mr. Li Ang over Originium Arts, did some of his emotions also flow over to you?"

Nodding, Liz asked somewhat blankly, "The injury hurts a lot, so why does he feel happy?"

Shining opened her mouth, but didn't know how to explain this to Liz. She was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper and couldn't understand overly complex emotions.

Having someone you love by your side to care for you makes you happy even when you're in pain.

Shining thought about many things in her heart, and finally let out a helpless sigh, "It's too early to tell you these things. You will understand in the future... Go back and rest first."

"Mmm." Liz nodded obediently and didn't ask any further questions. "Goodnight, Shining."

"Good night."

A few minutes later, after taking Liz to her room, Margaret returned to Shining.

However, her expression was no longer as relaxed as it had been at the beginning.

"Tell me, what does this have to do with Liz?"

"You should know what happened to Liz in the past, right?"

Margaret remained silent.

Anyone with even a shred of conscience would feel heartbroken by what that girl went through.