However, thinking about it was one thing. Noah had already helped her a lot, and to trouble her with this matter again—not to mention Maria, even Margaret herself might not be able to ask.
But Maria's hesitant expression seemed to reveal something to the girl in front of her. She showed a helpless smile.
"No money again?"
"No, no, no! Not this time! And... I haven't paid back the last money yet."
"I told you not to worry about the last money. The insurance has already compensated me. Rebuilding is my responsibility." Noah shook her head, indicating it was fine.
The previous explosion accident almost destroyed the workshop, but for Noah, the workshop was a small matter; Maria was her top priority. When she heard about the workshop explosion, she rushed to the scene in a panic.
The result... according to those around at the time, when Maria burst out of the fire with a prototype machine, the most severe injury she sustained was her hair getting singed.
Is this the high-resistance body passed down in the Nearl family? I'm truly envious.
Anyway, with insurance, Noah truly didn't think it was a big deal and never considered asking Maria for compensation. However, Maria herself was very stubborn, even though the entire Nearl family probably couldn't cover the rebuilding cost if they paid her now.
Before Margaret left Kazimierz, she had instructed her to take good care of Maria. Yet, Margaret herself had been gone for so many years, and she had become more like Maria's Sister Noah than Margaret.
Now, if Maria made a mistake, she would be the one to discipline her. If Maria achieved anything, she would think of her first. Every day, with or without reason, Maria would run to her side to help her tinker with small inventions, such as the custom-made wheelchair she was sitting on now.
It must be said that Maria actually had some talent as an artisan. If she truly didn't plan to continue being a knight in the future, then working at her company would not be a bad option.
After all, there were no longer any so-called knights in Kazimierz. The knights of today, rather than being glorious warriors, were merely a bunch of gladiators seeking fame.
The true knights were all on the frontier. There were no knights in the Great Knight Territory—just like a wife cake has no wife.
"So, what crazy idea do you have now? Tell me, if I think it's suitable, I won't be stingy with sponsorship fees."
"...Well..."
Several prototype machines flashed through Maria's mind. She had indeed been tinkering with some interesting things recently, but most of these would be directly dismissed by Noah as having no commercial value, such as a fully automatic noodle-eating machine or a semi-automatic hair-washing machine.
But no matter how wild they were, Noah would always listen to Maria's ideas from beginning to end, then offer her own suggestions, and finally reject them.
After all, having ideas is good, but there's no need to become a Minister of Justice—especially since the semi-automatic hair-washing machine required standing on one's head to use. Just thinking about it felt like a threat of cerebral hemorrhage.
However, Noah still disliked dampening Maria's confidence, so she always phrased things more tactfully. If there were truly anything worth mass-producing, she would have already led Maria out of poverty and into wealth.
Who knew that Maria's mind had no money-making ideas, but a plethora of bizarre ones? So many that Noah even wanted to suggest she just open a channel dedicated to making videos of useless small inventions.
Perhaps that would be more popular than doing things properly—
"It's not an idea... I... I actually want to discuss something with Noah." Maria forcibly suppressed the urge to show off her latest useless invention, as that wasn't the main topic today.
"I... I want to participate in the Knight Competition."
"..."
"..."
Noah fell silent, and the smile on her lips gradually disappeared. The entire workshop suddenly became quiet, with only Maria's nervous heartbeat audible.
In Maria's eyes, Noah was truly like a biological sister, even if not by blood. If she disapproved, Maria would really have to consider changing her approach.
After all, Noah not only knew her own strength but had also truly witnessed how talented her Sister Noah was.
Plus, she herself was one of the sponsors of the Knight Competition, so her evaluation of Maria could be taken as an objective assessment.
Although Maria knew that her own skill level, compared to her Sister Noah, was at most mediocre. Not to mention comparing her to the most outstanding knights of today, she would probably be eliminated in the first few rounds.
One must know that she couldn't even beat her Aunt with one hand, and her Aunt was only at the level of the top sixteen in the Knight Competition back then.
Noah took a deep breath, seemingly deliberating her words. Maria's heart tightened, and she silently closed her eyes, awaiting Noah's reprimand.
"...Isn't that good too?"
"...I know I'm being a bit fanciful—but... huh?"
"Hmm?"
"Sister Noah, what... what did you say?"
"I said, isn't that good? Young people, it's good to try other paths." Noah smiled sweetly and replied gently, "But have you talked to your Aunt about participating in the Knight Competition? Most importantly, have you talked to your Uncle?"
"...Well..."
"Alright, I understand." Noah knew her little sister all too well. She just sighed silently. "I'm glad you told me about this first. It shows you trust me. However, I also need to be clear: your current strength is unlikely to... reach the top few places."
"You're overestimating me."
"...But, you're from the Nearl family. People from your family are never lacking in surprises. Perhaps you'll be a true dark horse, who knows?" Noah said with a smile.
"Since you've told me... I'll try to talk to your guardian, Uncle Manner, but I can't guarantee I'll convince him."
"Sister Noah!" Maria, in a burst of excitement, hugged her directly. Though surprised by the sudden embrace, Noah maintained her graceful posture as much as possible, a gentle smile still on her lips.
"Thank you!"
"If I don't support you, who will? I promised your Sister Noah I'd take good care of you." Noah patted Maria's back.
"But you also have to promise me not to overdo it, okay? I don't want Margaret to come back and find you sitting in a wheelchair like me."
"Hehe, I won't. And if I really end up in a wheelchair with my Sister Noah, then we'll be wheelchair sisters! We'll start a wheelchair racing competition then!"
"Pfft…" Wheelchair racing, this child really dares to dream.
Noah couldn't help but laugh out loud, but Maria's participation in the Knight competition still needed careful consideration; she absolutely couldn't just rush into it like a headless chicken.
Even as a professional Knight competitor, she would need excellent logistics and a good coach—and Noah just happened to have a good candidate.
"Kuro, can I entrust this matter to you?"
"…As you wish." The Caprini hidden in the shadows didn't think much, nodding in response.