Simply put, the Commercial Federation and Margaret would definitely not see eye to eye.
Radiant Knight, yes; Margaret, no!
And the Commercial Federation, holding such views, was destined to target Margaret—they preferred a harmless idol that could be arbitrarily modified and whose interpretation rights they controlled.
Using the incident where the Silverlance Pegasus inexplicably appeared in the national center, bypassing military orders, the Commercial Federation began to heavily attack the Surveillance Court, exerting immense pressure.
The Knights could not spread the truth about the Great One to the public, letting them know they lived in such a dangerous world; they could only silently bear it—guardians are always silent.
So, Margaret still had to leave Kazimierz, just like in the original story—and Marse had concocted a reason for her.
At least for now, Knight Tournament still does not allow Infected to participate, and if the Radiant Knight were discovered to be Infected after the competition... then exiling her would be a very easy matter.
However, many things were different from the original story.
Margaret fully understood the necessity of her leaving Kazimierz; to be precise, even if the Commercial Federation hadn't intended to target her, she wouldn't have planned to stay in this city any longer.
The light of Kazimierz would shine in more than one place.
"Let's not talk about these annoying things anymore—here, take this. At least you can spend it freely within Kazimierz, and there are places in Leithanien where you can use it too."
Shaking her head to clear away those irritating thoughts, Zofia pouted and pulled out a golden credit card from her pocket, forcefully stuffing it into Goki's hand—a supplementary VIP credit card issued by Kazimierz Golden Brown Bank, with a very high limit.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, the little rich girl said somewhat bashfully,
"If, and I mean if, you ever finish your work and want to find a place to settle down, you can come to Kazimierz to find me—ahem, anyway, we'll talk about it then."
Zofia made a tsundere farewell, while Maria also released her embrace and took out her "token" from within—a somewhat old paper book and an ancient silver badge.
"This is my favorite Knight novel, and a gift my sister asked me to give you... She liked this medal the most."
Handing the book and the badge to Goki, Maria suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered in a somewhat playful tone,
"We're all waiting for you to come back, you know. When you do, whether you become my brother-in-law, or my uncle, or both, I'll support it with both hands! And, I'll be grown up by then... if you want to be Maria's sister's husband, I can consider it too, you know."
Future protagonist~~.jpg
No sooner had she finished speaking than Maria darted away into the distance.
"Uncle, my foot! Call me sister! And what the heck is'sister's husband'—I warn you, even if you come for me, don't you dare touch a single hair on Maria!"
And Zofia, pouting, chased after her, leaving Goki standing alone in a daze.
"Even though she's not Infected, she has to endure such slander. Margaret truly shouldn't suffer such hardship—but Liz and I will take care of her. No, she doesn't even need us to take care of her."
Beside him, Shining, still holding her staff and with her face hidden beneath her cloak, pushed Nightingale in her wheelchair, maintaining her usual composure as she approached Goki.
"We will not glorify suffering, but we must overcome it. Miss Margaret's integrity and responsibility should not be buried here. We will embark on a journey of trial, not just for her, but also for Liz and myself."
And just like in the original story, though the location was different, Margaret, destined for exile, chatted with Shining and Nightingale and decided to act together—the Apostles Squad was formed as desired.
"Actually, I really hoped to travel with the three of you, but since you've already made up your minds, I won't try to persuade you anymore."
Goki shrugged, a little regretful.
In fact, at first, he really wanted to take Margaret, Shining, and Liz with him.
After all, Goki's next destination was that lawless land called Kazdel, and Shining could be an excellent guide.
However, when Goki extended the invitation, Margaret refused.
The now champion Radiant Knight stated that she still needed more experience; facing those powerful Great Ones, Margaret couldn't help Goki much, and rashly accompanying them might even become a burden to him and Skadi.
Margaret was different from Cenomi; what she sought was to be qualified to stand side by side with Goki on the battlefield.
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She decided that once she was strong enough to face the Great One, she would go look for Goki—this wouldn't take too long.
As for Shining and Nightingale—they also stated that they had other missions.
"Don't worry, Big Brother Goki, even though the Confessarius will always be tracking us, we're not children anymore. Two physicians and a Knight are enough to protect ourselves, and... thank you."
Supporting herself with her staff, Nightingale stood up from her wheelchair and gave Goki a big hug.
"Keep following your path, Big Brother Goki, you will be the one to change this world."
Her graceful body embraced Goki. Nightingale had grown accustomed to smiling recently, and she lowered her voice, whispering softly into Goki's ear.
"I've forgotten many things, but I'll definitely always remember you. Here, take this—Shining is easily shy, so I'll pass these souvenirs to you on her behalf."
Nightingale's eyes shimmered with a quietblue glow as she placed a small, keychain-sized birdcage and a pristine white pendant into Goki's hand.
"We are destined to meet again, Hunter, at some point in the future. I am absolutely certain of this—"
Nightingale's azure eyes held a vast and profound depth as she smiled and looked at Goki.
"Kazdel hides too many secrets. The beings worshipped by the various royal courts are all different, and the location of the Bloodseeker you seek is fraught with danger... But none of this will be difficult for you, will it?"
Winking at Goki, Nightingale, who looked much healthier than in the original work but always enjoyed speaking in riddles, sat back in her wheelchair, her little heart pounding.
Nightingale knew that if she just told Big Brother Goki what she was thinking, she could also sit in the truck like Sister Cenomi.
But... she understood that the mission Goki bore was worth her enduring a little longer—after all, for the Sarkaz and for Goki, the days ahead were still long.
"These two tokens contain the Spell constructs of Liz and me. Their power isn't strong, but if infused with Originium energy, they can be used multiple times—what happened in Kazimierz might be hidden from the Commercial Federation, but it will eventually be known by many."
Her expression turning somewhat serious, Shining reminded Goki.
"Soon, people will learn of the Star God's fall from fragments of messages, the will of the deities they worship, and various other channels—including the Confessarius. After you go to Kazdel, many will be watching you. The Confessarius, and even the Military Commission, are the ones you need to be most careful of. They fight for the Sarkaz, but not for you."
Although she didn't plan to travel with Goki, Shining had spent the past few days giving him a more detailed explanation of Kazdel's geography and power structures than Kal'tsit had.
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