Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 477: Is Rhodes Island Still Recruiting?
Inviting Margaret to serve as a bodyguard turned out to be far easier than Steven had expected.
He had barely taken a seat in the Nearl family estate. Before he could even finish a single cup of water—before his words had fully left his mouth—the blonde powerhouse across from him had already agreed.
"Given the favor I owe you, I have no reason to refuse such a request," Margaret said calmly as she sat opposite Steven. "Protecting others is a knight's duty to begin with. And if it's only for a period of time, then it's hardly a burden for me."
From her perspective, there truly was nothing about this commission worth rejecting. It didn't violate her principles in any way, and being able to repay part of her debt to Steven was, if anything, a rare opportunity.
After all, Nightingale's condition back then had left even Rhodes Island's elite medical operators at a loss—yet Steven had resolved it with ease, accepting only a token payment. Not to mention how he had stepped in during that final confrontation with a knight who could only be described as monstrous, effectively helping all of Kazimierz in the process.
With all that taken into account, as long as Steven wasn't asking her to do something morally reprehensible, she honestly couldn't think of a reason to say no.
"Then I'll be counting on you," Steven replied. "I've got some matters of my own that I can't personally attend to, and among the people I know, you're the one who gives me the greatest sense of security. Don't worry, I won't let you make the trip for nothing. There'll be proper compensation afterward."
Since Margaret had agreed so decisively, Steven naturally couldn't afford to appear stingy. Even if this was technically part of her repaying a favor, he still intended to acknowledge her goodwill properly.
"Shall we depart right away, then?" Margaret asked. "Is the person you want me to protect here in Kazimierz? I do have quite a few matters to deal with on my end, and the time I can spare is limited. I hope you can understand that."
Margaret had always been the straightforward, action-oriented type. Once Steven confirmed things, she was already mentally preparing to set off, wondering whether she should head to her room to put on her armor and retrieve her weapons.
Her lack of free time wasn't an excuse—it was simply reality. Ever since the fall of the K.G.C.C, countless smaller issues had surfaced one after another. And now, as Rhodes Island's acting representative stationed in the Grand Knight Territory, many matters concerning the Infected had piled up onto her shoulders.
If not for the assistance of her two friends, she would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
Thinking of that, she couldn't help but cast a grateful look toward the boy in front of her.
When it came to accepting and supporting the Infected, the Block Consortium had contributed a great deal as well. Compared to its predecessor, the K.G.C.C, this new organization had somehow managed to treat nearly all consumers equally, something she never would have expected.
And with the support of the Pinus Sylvestris Knights now working within it, the situation of the Infected inside the Grand Knight Territory had, for the time being, stabilized. At the very least, there was no longer a risk of chaos breaking out at any moment.
"No, the client is in Ursus. As for the travel time, you don't need to worry about that. I'll handle it on my end. In terms of duration, it shouldn't take more than three days at most."
Steven answered straightforwardly, openly revealing Alina's location. However, the moment he mentioned Ursus, a clear trace of confusion appeared in Margaret's eyes.
After all, there were only a handful of people on Rhodes Island who knew about Steven's ability to teleport—and Margaret was clearly not one of them.
"Are you sure you're not joking?" she asked frankly. "Kazimierz does border Ursus, but even with a Rhodes Island aircraft, it would take more than three days just to reach the nearest Ursus border."
"You don't need to worry about that," Steven replied calmly. "Since I said it, I naturally have my own way of making it happen. When the time comes, all you need to do is protect your target."
There was no way he could tell her that he could just pack her into a sphere and take her along. Even if he did, she probably wouldn't believe him. So Steven decided not to explain further.
"…Very well," Margaret said after a brief pause. "If it's only three days, then I can spare the time. Please give me a moment to prepare, and I'll also need to explain things to my uncle."
Fortunately, Margaret trusted Steven quite deeply. Even though she didn't understand how he intended to accomplish this, once she had agreed, she had no intention of backing out.
With that, she stood up from her seat and headed off to make preparations for the mission.
As for Steven, all he could do for now was wait in the living room.
Thankfully, this visit had only been for that purpose to begin with. And while Margaret was busy, that didn't mean he lacked someone to talk to.
He blinked at Maria, who was sitting beside him and staring at him with unabashed curiosity. The two of them ended up locked in an awkward staring contest.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?" Steven finally broke the silence. "Do I have something on my face? Or is there something about me that you're curious about?"
He wouldn't have minded being stared at by a pretty girl all afternoon, but judging from Maria's hesitant expression—clearly wanting to say something yet not daring to—he figured it would be better to address it directly.
"Well… maybe just a little," Maria admitted shyly, fidgeting slightly. "But it's not really curiosity about you, Mr. Steve. It's more like… you're from that company called Rhodes Island too, right? Just like my sister?"
Her bashful demeanor perfectly matched the image Steven had of an innocent young lady from a well-protected noble family.
That kind of purity—unfamiliar with the world yet filled with goodwill and curiosity toward it—was exceedingly rare on this harsh land. It also spoke volumes about how thoroughly her family had sheltered her.
"You could say that," Steven replied with a smile. "I can even say I'm a shareholder of Rhodes Island now."
In the past, he might have denied it, since he'd only been a temporary guest back then. But now things were different—he genuinely held shares in Rhodes Island and could be considered one of its major stakeholders.
"That means…" Maria's eyes lit up even more. "Then what kind of medical company is Rhodes Island?"
"My sister said that on Rhodes Island, whether you're an Infected or an ordinary person, everyone lives together as equals—like friends. And that you all sometimes act like heroes from stories, going out to save Infected people in danger…"
Her golden eyes sparkled with longing.
"…Is all of that really true?"
It was hard to imagine that such a soft, gentle girl would be so fond of classic, straightforward hero tales—but there she was, quietly yearning for them.
But from that pure, unblemished gaze of hers, Steven could tell that she genuinely admired people like that. It wasn't a shallow fascination, but heartfelt respect and reverence.
"More or less, yeah," Steven replied after a moment's thought. "At the very least, I've never really seen discrimination against the Infected on Rhodes Island. And as for those missions where they go out to rescue Infected people—those are real too. Honestly speaking, it's kind of putting the cart before the horse if you think about it. Rhodes Island is supposed to be a medical company, you know? Instead of focusing on research, they're always out doing stuff like this."
Even Steven couldn't help but complain a little.
That said, despite saying so, as a shareholder he had absolutely no intention of wanting Rhodes Island to change this approach.
Why can't a medical company do counter-terrorism work? At least in his book, he was perfectly happy to see the operators doing things like this. Consider it building virtue, doing good deeds—and in a sense, treating patients at the source.
After all, if you eliminate the perpetrators, there won't be any victims in the first place.
Wasn't that a form of medical treatment too?
"So it really is like that…" Maria said softly, her eyes shining. "Then, Mr. Steve… do you think Rhodes Island would accept someone like me as an operator?"
She tilted her head slightly, looking straight at him with those clear eyes.
"I want to become someone like my sister. Even if I can't become a knight… just being able to help others like she does would be enough for me."
Her thoughts were simple, she didn't aspire to become a hero celebrated across all of Kazimierz like Margaret. But at the very least, she didn't want to be a burden to her.
If she joined Rhodes Island, no matter how small her contribution, she could help share some of her sister's responsibilities. And besides, she truly longed for the stories Margaret had told her about life on Rhodes Island.
"I don't think that's something you should be asking me," Steven said with a wry smile. "But if I remember right, Kal'tsit once said that Rhodes Island welcomes anyone who comes with good intentions."
He paused, then added pointedly,
"Though your real problem isn't that, it's whether the adults in your family would agree in the first place, isn't it?"
Joining Rhodes Island itself was actually very easy. Just submit a résumé to the HR department. Rhodes Island was short on manpower to begin with, and as long as your character was decent, getting accepted wasn't difficult at all.
However, that logic clearly didn't apply to the girl sitting in front of him.
Rhodes Island was not a safe place by any means. Even setting aside her stern-looking uncle, just getting past her sister Margaret alone would be no easy task.
"Of course they'd agree!" Maria puffed up her cheeks a little. "Don't underestimate me just because I look like this, I'm actually pretty good at fighting! Protecting myself is definitely no problem, okay?!"
She was just about to prove her point when her words abruptly cut off mid-sentence. Like a startled little hamster, she instantly shrank back, shoulders drawing in.
At the edge of her vision, a middle-aged man with handsome features—but unmistakable dark circles born of overwork—was slowly stepping in through the main gate of the Nearl residence.
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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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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/156361807?collection=55713
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/156361807?collection=55713
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=condensed