Chapter 849: Who Am I? I Am Nearl's Man, The Man Riding A Pegasus
"Why are you back so early? Shouldn't you be at work?"
Standing at the entrance of the Nearl family estate, Zofia tilted her head in confusion. She had just arrived to visit Maria, only to run into Młynar, who was practically storming up to the front door.
Facing Zofia's question, Młynar's jaw locked. His features pulled into a tight, grim line. He didn't even spare her a glance, brushing past her and marching straight into the house.
Zofia frowned, crossing her arms. The two of them were completely incompatible—their personalities, values, and worldviews clashed at every conceivable turn. But even then, it rarely reached the point of outright ignoring each other.
Something was wrong.
Instead of taking offense, Zofia felt a prickle of unease. Wondering why he was in such a frantic hurry, she quickly followed him inside.
Młynar burst into the living room, his sharp eyes frantically scanning the space. He was searching for something.
Then, his gaze locked onto a familiar golden silhouette.
His breath hitched.
It was Margaret. She stood beside Maria, looking taller, more composed, and carrying a quiet, unshakable presence. It was his niece—so familiar, yet entirely transformed by the years she had spent away.
Margaret noticed him immediately. She offered a polite nod. "Uncle Młynar. It has been a long time."
At that moment, Zofia hurried into the room. The confusion that had been nagging at her vanished the second she saw the golden-haired Kuranta.
"Margaret?" Zofia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Is that really you? Margaret!"
"Aunt Zofia. It's me," Margaret replied, her tone gentle and reassuring.
"Margaret... why did you come back?"
It should have been a beautiful, heartwarming family reunion. Yet, Młynar radiated no joy. Instead, his entire body was rigid, heavily suppressing a storm of volatile emotions.
"Uncle, I returned for Kazimierz," Margaret answered. Her conviction remained absolute, her golden eyes burning with an unwavering light even under her uncle's intense scrutiny.
Młynar's shoulders trembled. He violently ran a hand through his unkempt blond hair, letting out a harsh, mocking scoff.
"For Kazimierz?" He glared at her. "Who do you think you are? What makes you believe you can change Kazimierz? What qualifications do you even have left?"
He took a step forward, his voice dripping with venom. "Is it in the name of the former champion? The Radiant Knight? I'm sorry to break it to you, but you are no longer the Radiant Knight. To Kazimierz, you are nothing more than a recognized Infected!"
"You cannot change Kazimierz!"
Młynar wielded his words like a blade, trying to cut her down, provoking her with the cruelest, sharpest reality he could muster.
The sudden, suffocating hostility drained the color from Maria's face. The beautiful family reunion she had fantasized about was shattering into pieces, turning into a nightmare.
"Młynar!" Zofia snapped, stepping between them, unable to stomach his cruelty. "What the hell are you saying to Margaret? She just got back!"
"I am making her face reality!" Młynar shot back, his cold glare fixed solely on Margaret. "Look around you! Look at what we've become! The Nearl family is destitute, impoverished, and stripped of all its former glory—all because of your naive, self-righteous ideals!"
He pointed a trembling finger toward the front door, his voice dropping into a harsh, absolute command. "Do you honestly think you haven't done enough damage to us? You are the sinner of the Nearl family! Leave. Now. Get out of Kazimierz immediately."
But the anger, the sorrow, the crushing despair he expected to see on Margaret's face never materialized.
Even Zofia, merely a bystander to the argument, was seething with rage at his sheer audacity. Yet Margaret remained perfectly calm.
A soft, genuine smile graced her lips—a smile that radiated from the very bottom of her heart.
"Uncle," she said softly, her voice lacking any trace of resentment. "I know you are just trying to protect me."
Młynar froze. The harsh, bitter facade cracked instantly.
She... she already knew.
Realizing his act was useless, the hostility drained from his posture, replaced by a desperate, heavy exhaustion. He looked at her, his voice dropping to an earnest, pleading tone.
"Margaret, you have to listen to me. You must leave Kazimierz before it's too late."
He stepped closer, his eyes filled with genuine dread. "If the General Chamber of Commerce learns that the Radiant Knight has returned before the Kazimierz Major begins, they will eliminate you at all costs! They won't hesitate to mobilize the entire Armorless Union!"
The Armorless Union. Kazimierz's premier organization of knight assassins.
It was a clandestine military force nurtured by various corporate and political factions during their endless, bloody tug-of-war against the traditional knight class. Their hierarchy of killers was terrifyingly efficient: three Darksteels, two Lazurites, and one Platinum.
Młynar wasn't exaggerating. The Radiant Knight held far too much sway over the hearts of the people. The General Chamber of Commerce would absolutely deem her a threat worthy of a full-scale assassination.
He just wanted her to understand the sheer magnitude of the danger. He wanted to protect his niece. Even seeing her standing here, alive and well, filled his chest with a painful, nostalgic warmth.
Zofia and Maria finally processed the sudden shift. The realization hit them like a physical blow. They had been completely fooled by his flawless, cruel acting.
"Margaret... your uncle is right. You need to leave right now," Zofia urged, her previous anger replaced by creeping panic as she grasped the severity of the situation.
"Sister..." Maria's eyes welled up with tears, her voice trembling. "I... I don't want you to go, but your safety matters more than anything."
Seeing her family rally around her, desperately trying to keep her safe, a deep warmth blossomed in Margaret's chest.
"Thank you. All of you," she said softly. "But I am still not leaving."
"Margaret!" Młynar groaned, panic bleeding back into his voice.
Margaret raised a hand, gently cutting him off. "Uncle, I understand now. Trying to change Kazimierz with my own solitary strength is nothing but an endless, naive fantasy."
Młynar frowned, deeply confused. "If you know that, then why did you come back alone?"
Margaret shook her head, a quiet amusement dancing in her golden eyes. "You are wrong, Uncle. This time... I am not alone."
"Hey. Did you just mock my Nearl?"
A casual, lazy voice drifted through the room.
Before Młynar could even react, a heavy hand clapped down onto his shoulder.
CRACK.
An overwhelming, invisible pressure crashed down on the older Kuranta. Młynar's eyes widened in sheer shock. It felt as though an entire mountain had been unceremoniously dropped onto his back. His right knee slammed into the floor, shattering the hardwood and sending spiderweb cracks racing across the stone foundation beneath.
"Who's there?!" Młynar roared, his battle instincts flaring. Believing it to be an ambush, he channeled his strength, desperately trying to force himself up.
He didn't budge an inch. His body remained completely immobilized, pinned to the floor by an impossible force.
He had pushed with everything he had, yet he was utterly powerless.
The crushing weight suddenly vanished as the hand lifted from his shoulder.
Ren casually strolled past the kneeling Kuranta. He walked right up to Margaret, wrapping a possessive, comfortable arm around her slender waist.
He looked down at Młynar, a faint, amused smirk playing on his lips.
"Let me introduce myself," Ren said, his tone light but carrying a dangerous edge. "I'm Ren. Nearl's man."
Dead silence fell over the room.
Three pairs of eyes stared blankly at the couple. They looked at Ren, and then they looked at the brave, resolute, and legendary Radiant Knight—who was currently blushing, leaning into Ren's embrace with the shy, delicate demeanor of a maiden in love.
Their brains short-circuited.
Młynar stared, utterly stunned. "Margaret's... man?!"
Maria's jaw dropped, her eyes wide as saucers. "Sister's man?! A boyfriend?!"
Zofia gasped, her hands flying to her cheeks in pure shock. "Margaret has a male companion?!"
"HUH?!!!"
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