Arknights : Final Rebirth - Gladius Belii

Chapter 53 - Life goes on, the result within reach...

"Mono/Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

Narration

[Message/communication apparatus]

Date: August 1089

Location: Wladirosa, Kazimierz

POV: Zofia "Whislash"

How long has it been? I swear it felt like years since I saw the countryside of Kazimierz. Currently, I'm recuperating away from Kawalerielki because my newfound fame and notoriety means that official reporters and paparazzi are always trying to get the latest scoop on me, by any means necessary. Truly, it was a surreal and unpleasant experience.

I thought my, supposedly, great and phenomenal performance during the battle royale was bad enough. Oh how utterly wrong I was, a veritable proof that I have yet to see much about the outside world. I was burning with utter embarrassment after seeing the latest hubbub had yet to die down, my performance in standing up to the now-retired Black Knight was that much of a sensation.

One particularly notorious image was when I got carried out by the Black Knight in a bridal carry. That is enough for me to realize the absolute mayhem happening on the local online forum or, Feranmut forbid, international scale. To think that I was once among them, gossiping away without care... Now I faced the brunt of it, lovely.

Hmm? Is Black Knight retirement? Oh course she did. Last I heard she got, ahem, transferred to a wealthy Kjeragian lord or something. It is only a matter of time really, her third victory had cemented her as one of the best, if not the best, Competition Knight on Terra. K.G.C.C. was rumored to have grown tired of her and offered her a retirement plan.

Said retirement also results in her leaving the Grand Knights territory. Then again, I always heard how K.G.C.C. is such an insidious entity from Uncle Kiril. Strangely enough, Big Sis doesn't necessarily agree with him. Maybe that's a given since she was a mercenary and is now an NGO liaison so she needs to keep her mind clear.

Still though... I wouldn't have her any other way. Even after my horrible outburst, she didn't hold it in her heart and waved it like nothing. My memory of what happened exactly seems to be unclear after that café... song. I'm unsure. Big Sis had also asked me about it, and she seemed to be serious at the time about why she was so interested in that exact café.

I told her everything I knew and when I shamefully admitted that I don't remember who played the song she just nodded and patted my head. She then keeps pampering me, to the point that the doctor must file a restraining order for her to cease. It was funny seeing despite her blank mask, her eyes shook like the world was about to end.

She would usually fight back against anyone who tried to bar her from anyone she cared about, but when it comes to medical staff she becomes very lenient and obedient. A part of me is really curious about how bad was her life before, but the other is afraid of setting off a landmine. So I'll just wait it out, it is her right to open up.

On an unrelated, definitely, note, I once saw her returning home half-drunk and being carried by a certain blockhead who looked a bit woozy himself. The blockhead dunderhead seems to be having a hard time pacifying a drunk Pythia... if only I knew what they were on about.

Eh, enough about reminiscent and I'll be better off using this moment to watch how that stubborn big sister of mine is currently being swarmed by children. They're not just any children, however; they're orphans and former slaves. My heart ached to know that a child no older than 4 had gotten enslaved. Of course, I know that slavery still exists in Kazimierz, yet I never realized it was this bad.