Noah, standing beneath the Champion's Wall, was unaware of their thoughts.
She only felt a sense of peace standing there; it was probably the last place in all of Kazimierz that still preserved Margaret's honor.
Standing there, she always had a feeling that Kazimierz might not be completely rotten yet.
At least, honor had not been entirely forgotten, and the Knight's glory had not yet been buried in the dust.
She subconsciously touched the longsword hanging at her side, a relic of Gilete's glorious past, but alas, she had lost the qualification to be a Knight, retaining only the right to look upon it.
She couldn't even draw her family's ancestral sword, so she truly wasn't qualified to be a Knight.
Perhaps even if she hadn't been disabled, even if she hadn't been infected with Oripathy, she wouldn't have been able to truly fight alongside Margaret?
Shaking her head, she suppressed the surge of unwillingness in her heart, and Noah smiled again.
"Alright, let's not keep Grandma Russell waiting.
Let's go, Manner Uncle."
Manner, of course, noticed the sword by her side.
Although he only sensed a fleeting moment of melancholy in her expression, he still caught it.
Manner looked up at his very promising niece, who, in the portrait, appeared much more mature than in reality, with a resolute expression, as if no setback could shake her beliefs.
On her face, he could see the shadow of his brother, Snitz.
Perhaps the saying that a daughter resembles her father truly isn't groundless.
The valiant Shining Knight was long ago etched onto the Champion's Wall, while Noah, who protected her companions, could only look up in admiration…
Would she feel unwilling?
Would she feel lonely?
Or perhaps…
Manner didn't know, but beneath the Champion's Wall, Noah's expression wasn't as relaxed as usual.
She stood there, illuminated by the light, terribly alone, yet no one stepped forward—because by her side should have been the absent Knight.
In a daze, someone came to her side and held her wheelchair.
Her golden hair made one momentarily think that the Shining Knight from the portrait had stepped out to accompany her girl, but how could such a thing happen?
Noah turned her head and smiled and nodded at Kuro.
"Thank you, let's go."
Kuro pushed the wheelchair and left the Champion's Wall first, the remaining people had no choice but to follow.
However, Maria, who was lagging behind, looked at the three portraits before the Shining Knight's with some confusion.
These were the portraits of the Black Knight, the legendary figure who was the only one in Kazimierz to achieve three consecutive championships.
She didn't know why, but she felt that the Black Knight always gave her a sense of déjà vu.
Glancing at the nameplate below, she only saw this line of text.
[Black Knight]Jian
Jian?
Although Maria had long heard of the Black Knight's legend, this was the first time she knew the Black Knight's real name—a simple single character, without a surname, and even the name of a weapon.
Jian—
—
Arriving at the banquet hall, Ms. Luo Su, seated at the head of the table, raised her eyes and saw the several people arriving together.
Her kind gaze swept over the younger generation, finally resting on Noah, who was in a wheelchair.
A hint of guilt flashed in her eyes, but she didn't show it much.
She simply rose to welcome everyone's arrival.
This banquet primarily invited members of the three great Knight families.
Nearl Family, Kielanlet, and—the Russell family.
Ioleta Russell, the current Grand Knight, the pinnacle of power in Kazimierz, Chairman of the Supervisory Council and concurrently Grand Knight of the Zhengzhan Knight Regiment, Grandmaster of Silverlance Pegasus—a living legend.
After the passing of the two from the Kielanlet and Nearl Family families, she had become Kazimierz's sole remaining war hero.
Her position was now unquestionable; no one in all of Kazimierz could be found more distinguished than her.
But at this moment, she was merely a kind woman who wanted to see the descendants of her old friends.
She had witnessed Maria Nearl's splendid performance, and she had also seen Manner's changes.
She was genuinely happy for the Nearl Family family's resurgence.
However, when her comforting gaze fell upon Noah Guillerette, her expression became solemn…
Noah Guillerette, known as a traitor to an ancient Knight family, had, as a member of an ancient Knight lineage, turned towards the Commercial Federation, even serving as its spokesperson.
In the eyes of those Zhengzhan Knights who were once under the command of the Kielanlet family, the glory of the Kielanlet family was completely gone.
That Gilete, who had betrayed her honor, was no longer the glorious Gilete.
Her actions had completely pushed her into opposition with the traditional Knight nobility.
It even caused some people to develop a dislike for this young head of the Kielanlet family.
Russell tried her best to suppress the negative comments about Noah among the Zhengzhan Knights, but in the eyes of most Zhengzhan Knights, Noah was a traitor, a traitor utterly devoid of Knightly spirit.
This junior was also her biggest headache.
She had her own ideas; she actively engaged with the Commercial Federation, stirring up trouble in Kazimierz in her own way.
But if one were to say she had completely become a minion of capital, Russell would certainly not believe it.
At her core, she was still that proud Gilete; this was beyond doubt.
However, this didn't change Noah's awkward position now…
Among the traditional Knight nobility, she was an anomaly.
Within the Commercial Federation, she was still an anomaly.
The Commercial Federation's choice of her as their spokesperson was largely to spite the Knight class, as if saying to the Knight class—the head of the ancient Knight family you admire has now also embraced commerce.
Russell didn't know how Noah, who had only recently come of age, truly viewed this situation.
What kind of mindset did Noah, regarded as an anomaly by both sides, have to navigate the Commercial Federation with ease and climb to her current position?
One must know that her status as a Knight family member would not bring her any benefits, only cause her to be targeted everywhere.
She truly reached this position through her own means.
In this regard, she was indeed worthy of respect.
However, as the Grand Knight, Russell had to maintain a sufficient distance… this was inevitable.
And under the gaze of the Grand Knight, Noah showed a smile that was no different from usual.
"Long time no see, Grandma Russell, how is your health?"
"…Hmm, all good."
Russell suddenly felt relieved; it seemed she hadn't changed.
Even if her position had become what it was now, what she cared about most was still her health.
Perhaps… nothing had changed.
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