It was the first time outsiders had come to her small home where she lived alone. Margaret Nearl smiled nervously at Goki, her golden eyes blinking with noticeable happiness.
To be honest, the three women were fine, but inviting this gentleman, who was much taller than herself, home—if her Aunt found out, she would definitely get a scolding.
But thinking of the unidentified attackers, Margaret Nearl made up her mind. Until a solution was found, she would at least let Mr. Goki and his companions safely spend a night here.
However, when the door opened, the dilapidated scene inside made Goki raise an eyebrow.
This small courtyard was not as excellent as Margaret Nearl described; it was even more rundown and cramped than the original residential area.
In the center of the courtyard, a lone incandescent bulb hung. Margaret Nearl pulled a thin string next to it, and the bulb flickered twice, accompanied by a crackle, before slowly extinguishing.
"Ah, sorry, that's what the landlord left for me."
Margaret Nearl immediately felt a bit awkward. She pointed a slender finger at the light bulb, and Originium Arts, formed of radiance, instantly lit up the glass casing of the bulb, illuminating the courtyard's relief.
On the ground, what might have once been a vegetable patch was overgrown with weeds, growing half a person tall due to neglect, and mosquitoes buzzed around.
Only a central area of the courtyard was barren, with grass stalks cut down in swathes at waist height.
Clearly, that was where Margaret Nearl trained her swordsmanship.
Not far away, the so-called "three rooms" were just three small rooms, slightly larger than sheds, placed side by side. They were basically only big enough for a bed, with no space for anything else.
Just by looking at the damaged, antique-level wooden doorframes, Goki knew that the furniture inside wouldn't be much better.
"Ha... It really reminds me of when I visited my old home as a child, my grandma's small courtyard in the countryside."
Tilting his head, Goki chose a high-EQ way of speaking—he wasn't lying, but when he was ten, all his relatives in his old home had already switched to aluminum alloy doorframes.
In the distant Terra, this world where technology had maxed out architecture, Goki was incredibly relieved to still see such old building facilities.
The low-EQ way of saying it would be—this broken place really was only slightly better than the Columbia Slums. Of course, at least there were no security issues here.
However, before Goki could rack his brains to make a fair assessment, Skadi straightforwardly blurted out the low-EQ version.
"It's so dilapidated, even more broken than Kaltsit's home—mmph mmph."
Before she could finish, Skadi's cheek was gently pinched by Goki.
Indeed, hearing this, Margaret Nearl also looked a bit embarrassed.
"Ha... I'm sorry, I only rented this house a week ago. I'm preparing for the competition, so I haven't had time to clean it—"
Warm reminder: The website is about to be revised, which may cause loss of reading progress. Please save your "Bookshelf" and "Reading History" in time (screenshots are recommended). We apologize for any inconvenience caused!
Margaret Nearl's armored arm kept tapping the armor on her thigh, and she couldn't help but purse her lips—she really cared about what others thought of her little den.
The current Margaret Nearl was exceptionally young; she possessed the reserve of a Knight and a fiery sense of justice, but she was far from the calm and steady Operator Nearl of six years later.
After all, she was just an 18-year-old child. The strength of humans requires growth, a long and difficult process, even for a legendary Knight.
When Goki was that age, his father even filled out his college application for him, but Margaret Nearl, relying on such a crude environment for training, became the Radiant Knight who single-handedly won the championship, which filled Goki with respect.
Only then did he see that Margaret Nearl was actually carrying a transparent shopping bag, which contained a piece of raw meat that looked discolored, a few eggs broken during a charge, and some unidentifiable green leafy vegetables.
This should be Margaret Nearl's "nutritious meal." While other contestants had professional nutritionists and chefs from clubs preparing their meals, constantly consuming protein supplements, and using the latest stimulants, she was just eating these half-price, nearly expired goods.
Goki knew that if Kaltsit were to come, her blood pressure would probably skyrocket again.
Seemingly noticing this as well, Nightingale and Shining, who was supporting her, couldn't help but frown.
...You live alone and participate in such high-intensity competitions—no, such high-intensity battles. This, this is too bad, it's simply a—the Nearl Family is a Knight noble Family, why would they let you be so—
Before she could finish, Shining caught Margaret Nearl's momentary sadness and, at Goki's gesture, did not continue.
"Yes, this is my battle alone. I must prove that the spirit and will of a Knight have not died out. If I fail, I will not bring shame to my Family."
For a moment, Goki saw a deep weariness emanating from this future legendary Knight.
Yes, she was fighting alone.
The Crusader Knight represented by the Surveillance Court and the Tournament Knight represented by the Commercial Federation have always been at odds. As a future military personnel, Margaret Nearl participating in the Knight Tournament, a monkey show only "performers" would attend, was undoubtedly a political betrayal.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"