act13d5

What the hell? Arts—no, you can't be, you're not even armed!

No, you... you... you can't be—

Good night.

Jeez, Louise...! What a good day to earn some free points... Alright, where were we, little Nearl?

(Here she comes again—!)

D'ja know? Fun fact, I'm Infected.

Huh? Infecte—

And another point. It is SO easy to distract you.

...But when you said Infected, you weren't just saying it, right?

You used your Arts directly just now...

Isn't it a shame?

You mean?

When the Blood Knight took the title, they went 'yeah, we'll officially let Infected be knights'—but when the Radiant Knight got infected, they chased her completely out of Kazimierz. Doesn't that suck?

Margaret...

Your debut battle was at the Roar Arena, right? All you needed to do was take your paperwork to the Knights Association, sign for your tournament credentials, and then head backstage to gear up...

Do you know how much—how MUCH—an Infected has to do to get here?

They think it's funny to lock you in a cage of gloompincer first. They think it's funny to make you trample the blood of other Infected, leaving one footprint at a time... they make you win back your humanity, to prove you're a normal, living, breathing person.

Welcome to the bottom line. They weren't gonna give the Infected any respect for a single second. 'Just throw them into the machine. Make them one more symbol of our progress.'

...Don't you think I have the right to hate it?

Our sights are set on every noble knight who thinks her opinion means the world... we'll go under their own rules, cut them right where it hurts.

Honestly, I'm not here to knock you out of the game... after all, I respect the Radiant Knight from the bottom of my heart. Being Infected doesn't sway me there.

Let's call the points I've already taken a fee, and here's a lesson on behalf of 'Whislash.' From the match where you beat Ingra, I can tell you still don't understand what the actual significance of the Major is.

Blind enthusiasm? Riding your own efforts, tuning all the warning signs out? In any ideal scenario, worst is you'd fall flat on your face. But this is the Major. That'll kill you.

Keep it up. Whatever.

...Wait.

Huh?

Light? Same thing as when you beat Ingra...

—Hiyaah!

Are you kidding?!

That's one point back, Flametail!

Goddamn. Didn't think you were so stupid thirsty for it—

—But hey, now you look like the Radiant Knight's sister!

We step back, put some distance between us. Our blades face off again.

...This feels strange.

We just talked a little, simple as that. Facing her, I can't feel any of the same immense, nauseating pressure Szewczyk and Ingra had... is it just because of her nature?

Yet she's so strong. Ngh. And fast. And masterful.

You're smiling? You're that confident?

...Am I?

Eh. Give it a try and you'll find out.

Alright, then...

Aaaaaaaand—! Tiiiiiiiime!

We stop in our tracks as soon as we hear the announcer.

By just a hair—by just the slightest hair, we could've been touching the other's armor.

Lightly, like she's just messing with me, 'Flametail' taps against my shield.

Maybe you'd have taken one more point off me here. Maybe not. Who can say, Maria?

Could've been two, maybe.

Hahahaha—you know, from the stands, it's hard to tell just how fiercely stubborn you are, Nearlie.

And our refs are finished judging! At the end of this free-for-all, only four remained standing!

Yo, audience! Here's the deciding moment your wallets have been waiting for! Even if your favorite knight started out getting knocked around six ways from Sunday, don't you lose the light! The Arena's here to welcome you back any time!

Fourth place! Earning ten points, the arena was his to walk, and he avoided almost any direct battle! Our survivor with smarts, 'Gałązka' Daniel!

Third place! Hunted by the whole arena since the word go, and without a moment to breathe, she might be our biggest winner on the points exchange tonight! Our dainty, charming independent knight, Maria Nearl!

Second place! In the starting skirmishes, he beat three knights with his own hands! He made the arena's corner his own with his tremendous shields! The walking fortress, 'Limestone' Marko!

And our champion tonight, with twenty-two fresh points to her name! A near uninterrupted combo of victories! The super-rookie who never drags her feet—'Flametail' Sona!

And that win of hers means a mean mountain of money, so let's make some mega noise—! Coming up! We'll be announcing the lottery draws for each prize pool! Tonight, while the knights strike the sky, the audience strikes it big! All at the Fireblade Arena!

Ah, welcome, dear Miss.

Having the fortune to meet the youngest ever to join the Kazimierz Armorless Union, the mighty Platinum, I admit that I, humble Czarny, am profoundly terrified.

Uh, can we not with the niceness, Spokesman, sir. You're the ones who yelled for me anyway, right?

Hardly, hardly. I'm merely the General Chamber's mouthpiece, working as its directors will it. How could I dare think to command the mighty Platinum?

You say that, but, like, two of them are just busy and then the three above make everyone else do all the work forever, right?

Ugh, this sucks... I hate overtime. I already had enough work before you called me... Seriously, I wanna go on vacation to Sami once the Major's done.

As long as the General Chamber agrees, I can arrange you a Sami countryside villa right this moment.

I gotta wait until work's over, thoughhh—

—What do you want the Armorless Union to do?

We have many problems on our hands, dear Miss. Infected out of line, curious rumors, knights drawing a little too much attention...

But I trust that at the nod of the mighty Platinum of the Armorless Union, none of these will be a problem at all.

I'm back! Where's the chef? Let's get him going!

He's got a big meal to make tonight, and Maria'll be here soon... she needs a feast and then some! Don't say it was me who called for it.

Madam Zofia, you have a guest. One who claims urgent business with you.

A guest? Now?

They can wait until Maria's back—

Ah... apologies, Zofia, for coming uninvited...

You're the one who... *sigh*... I remember you had your own little company, and then you broke into my place like this, thinking you'd make off with all my sponsorship rights.

Well, out with it. What now?

I, uh, there's some... I have some info here... probably some of it's rumors...

But don't tell anyone! True or false, the event plans here are all top, top secret...

But I think you've guessed that already... just treat this as me paying you back... and, uh, I hope things turn out well for you...

I haven't seen a good knight in a long time... who had a happy ending.

卡西米尔 5上

And this is your glass.

Thank you. Thank you.

The Roar Guards Company offers a wealth of beverages to its members. I truly envy them. They possess the luxury of standing here and observing each knight's magnificent display.

Tell me. You are a good person, correct?

Er...

Have you broken the law before?

...No.

Have you ever committed a wrongdoing?

No, of course not, never...

So in other words, you are a diligent worker who earns his pay for himself and his family. Doesn't that make you a good person?

Y-Yes, if you put it that way, I'd definitely be a good person, a good person like so many others in Kazimierz...

Indeed, so many others. Here. Let us toast to the good people.

Ah. Cheers.

Tell me. If there were some who sought to deprive good people of their work, to deprive good people of their way of life, could those possibly be good people, now?

What do you...?

Even the countryside farmers, done tending their fields for the day, will look forward to that competition knight broadcast from the city.

For hundreds of thousands... possibly millions of Kazimierz's industrial people, the Major is a part of life. And they are all good people, by and large, my friend.

So, you mean...

Suppose, one day, the Major was gone... that overnight, the business had vanished.

Who would now support our campaign knights' expenditures, which grow annum by annum? Who would vie for Kazimierz's economic standing, and so stave off foreign incursions?

My friend, tell me. Are those who would see that happen—bad people?

You are a good person, and they would deprive you of your own living to crown their ancient sense of 'honor.'