Dong dong dong qiang qiang qiang — dong dong qiang — ka bang ~
"Oh dear…"
The blonde girl, who had accidentally smashed her thumb with a hammer, blew on her finger, a troubled expression on her face. Lately, she often found herself spacing out while working.
There was nothing she could do. As a young girl in the prime of her life, she had infinitely more things to worry about than her peers—
What about the family's debt? Her Sister Noah had been gone for so long with no news, barely sending any letters back... Most of the sellable items in the house had already been sold.
For Maria, she was young, yet she was already young. The Nearl family, once quite famous throughout Kazimierz, was now on the verge of losing its knight title because there was no main knight in the family.
Back when her Sister Noah was still around, she earned the title of Shining Knight with her own abilities. Unfortunately, she was later diagnosed with some kind of Oripathy infection and was found to have participated in competitions illegally.
Although her Sister Noah's title of Shining Knight was not revoked, she was expelled from the country. While she could no longer complain about her Sister Noah, the Nearl family truly had no knights now.
The current Nearl family could be described as precarious, like a dilapidated house that would collapse if anyone simply kicked it.
Was there anyone who could help at this moment? Maria thought of a few names in her head, but ultimately shook her head.
"No... If I still rely on others, the knight title will be revoked sooner or later..."
Sighing, the glow of Stone source art slowly lit up at Maria's fingertips. This glow was clearly inferior to the flashbang-level brightness of her Sister Noah's, but treating her finger was still easy.
Looking at the shield and sword hanging on the wall, Maria's expression was quite conflicted.
—If it really came down to it, even if she had to go herself, it wouldn't be a bad idea, would it?
However, if she were to say it out loud, her Uncle would surely twist her head off and kick it like a ball. And not just her Uncle; she felt that anyone she mentioned this to would scold her and warn her to abandon the idea.
Maria, feeling quite helpless, found a place to sit, not caring how much oil and dust she had on her. She just felt that with her Sister Noah absent, she should do something—no, she *must* do something.
That being said... she also needed to have the strength for it...
At times like these, she truly regretted not having studied more. Ever since her Sister Noah left, her Uncle had shown no intention of letting her participate in knight training.
Although she had received some tips on swordsmanship and various techniques required for knight competitions from her Aunt, she could by no means stand tall and declare herself the next Shining Knight.
Rather, she had indeed been inferior to her Sister Noah in all aspects since childhood...
Maria sighed, looking at the registration form on the workbench. Recalling the few remaining pieces of furniture in her home, if she didn't find a solution soon, her bed might not even be safe.
Was she really going to have to live at her Aunt's house?
Perhaps her sighs finally attracted someone. As Maria sat down at the workbench, intending to sign the registration form, the workshop door was pushed open—
"Maria? Are you there?" A pleasant voice startled Maria from her reverie. She suddenly looked up, instinctively tucking the registration form into her embrace, and responded while hiding it.
"Rent... can the rent be extended for a few more days?"
"I'm not here to collect rent."
Creak, creak. The visitor, pushing her wheelchair helplessly, came before Maria. The visitor appeared to be about Maria's age, seemingly having just come of age not long ago.
What was most striking, besides the conspicuous custom wheelchair, was her long, straight black hair. Undoubtedly, even if Maria were to line up all the women she had ever seen, like display mannequins in a storefront, the girl before her would still be an outstanding presence among them.
Her dark, long hair, her exquisite, doll-like features, and her frequent wearing of simple dresses, with a particular preference for black and white clothing styles.
On this girl, colors were rare, yet she did not appear rigid.
A smile hung on her lips, which seemed to have become her standard expression. If she ever stopped smiling one day, Maria felt she would surely be in big trouble—because either she had caused mischief, or her mood that day was extremely bad.
The only drawback, however, was that she was disabled—despite her peerless beauty, her feet could not walk, and her eyes could not see. Sometimes Maria wondered if it was because she was so beautiful and kind-hearted that a few flaws had to be added, and since there was nothing else to change, her sight and legs were taken away.
"Sister Noah, why are you here?" Maria quickly stepped forward to help push the wheelchair, then realized her hands were covered in oil.
She froze in embarrassment, but Noya had already smelled it and shook her head with a smile, "No rush, you go wash your hands first. I'll wait."
After receiving Noya's approval, Maria hurried to the restroom and thoroughly scrubbed her hands with soap, washing them until they were wrinkled before rushing back.
Noya waited patiently, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest of the wheelchair, as if playing a wonderful melody. Only when she heard Maria's footsteps did she smile and say, "Clean now?"
"Mm-hmm, all clean." Maria nodded vigorously. The person in front of her was probably the closest person to her in all of Kazimierz, besides her Sister Noah and Aunt—Noah Guillerette, the eldest daughter of the Kielanlet family.
Her ancestors were also famous knights, but now the family had transitioned into a Commercial Federation, owning several companies and being a member of the Commercial Federation. Noya herself was also a major controller of several of these companies.
In short—rich, very rich, extremely rich.
Important things must be said three times—
Noya was a rich woman, and a very loyal one at that. Even after Margaret was expelled and her grandfather passed away, she remained faithful to the Nearl family.
Unlike other families who would push the Nearl family when they saw it falling, she could be said to have done her utmost. If it weren't for her Uncle's unwillingness to accept donations, the Nearl family wouldn't be in such dire straits right now.
—When Maria thought about asking for help, besides her Aunt, Noya was the only one who came to mind.