"So, Mr. Reeve, this is robbery! A second-hand, out-of-the-way apartment that's just over 100 square meters costs 2.6 million!!"
At home, Sona was dressed in her usual simple, plain clothes: a faded red long-sleeved shirt that had been washed too many times, paired with a worn-out white coat and old trousers. This was the daily outfit Sona had been wearing for a long time.
She and Lucas Reeve had just walked out of a real estate agency.
After walking out the door, Sona couldn't help but complain.
After surviving the life-and-death competition the day before yesterday and earning a full four million in cash, Sona hadn't told her family she'd made so much money. The main reason was that the sum was too large and a bit inconvenient. Sona planned to buy a house big enough to barely fit ten people before telling her family the good news.
Sona had no blood relation to these 'family' members.
After a major catastrophe in her hometown, Sona left and came to this city alone to make a living. After accidentally contracting Oripathy, she was saved by her current 'grandfather'. Over the years, she had taken in several homeless children who were also suffering from Oripathy, as well as other family members.
For Sona, who had once lost everything, her current family was her everything. And she needed money... Her dream was to earn a lot of money, and then live a stable and peaceful life with her family.
Now... she had some money.
Although she had already fallen into a pit she couldn't climb out of, she just hoped her family could live a peaceful life. It was enough for her to bear everything alone.
"I think this price is already quite reasonable."
Lucas Reeve said.
"After all, it's a second-hand, fully-furnished apartment, and it's 150 square meters. That's about 17,000 per square meter. Even if you subtract 2,000 per square meter for the renovation costs, 15,000 per square meter isn't really expensive. This city is a second-tier mobile city, second only to the Grand Knight Territory. The cheapest houses in the capital of Columbia start at 3.6 million Lungmen Dollars, and in the wealthy districts, a single square meter can cost seven figures."
Lucas Reeve wasn't just talking.
After all, the cheapest houses in Lungmen's Upper District started at 40,000 per square meter. Converted to Kazimierz currency, that's about 50,000 per square meter. Even the housing prices in the Civilian District were over 20,000. Compared to Lungmen, the housing prices here could only be described as average.
Besides, Sona now had five million on hand, including the previous one million.
Spending 2.6 million on a house would still leave her with 2.4 million. If they were frugal, it would be enough to live on for a very, very long time.
"Alright, I'll look around a bit more. If I can't find anything with a better value, I'll just buy this one."
Sona sighed. She had never thought she would have five million so quickly. It was an unattainable number, yet for those tycoons, it was like 50 bucks of pocket money, tossed to her just like that.
"By the way, Mr. Reeve? You've been to Columbia? How do you know so much?"
"Of course I have."
At this mention, Sona, who was walking down the street, suddenly perked up. Her eyes shone as she said, "Mr. Reeve! Mr. Reeve! Tell me about Columbia! I've never been anywhere else. I've only heard about it in some places. Is it true that Columbia is flowing with wealth, with gold everywhere? I heard from some other Infected people before that Columbia is ridiculously rich. If you go there, you can find gold and diamonds even just by digging through the trash. Just sitting on the ground and begging for a month earns more than an ordinary person here makes in a year. And, Columbia doesn't discriminate against the Infected. As long as you have a skill, a company will hire you for a high salary?"
"Er...."
Sona's rapid-fire words actually left Lucas Reeve stunned.
"Who told you that?"
"I heard it. Before I became a knight, I heard it from some other people who were also Infected. They see Columbia as a holy land for the Infected."
"????"
Lucas Reeve was stunned, then shook his head. "You're overthinking it. It's not that wonderful."
"While it's true Columbia doesn't intentionally persecute the Infected, and there are no specific laws saying what the Infected can or can't do, in Columbia, in theory, the Infected do have the exact same rights and status as other citizens."
"Oh!! See!!"
"But...."
Lucas Reeve's tone shifted. "Let me finish. That's just in theory..."
"That's the theory, but the various companies won't hire you. It's just like the current situation in Kazimierz. No company wants you. No job means no income. You can only starve to death, or go to the slums or somewhere. Of course, if you had money *before* you became Infected, it doesn't matter. If you have money, you can still live comfortably in Columbia even as one of the Infected."
Sona's eyes dimmed a little.
As expected... there's no such thing as a holy land for the Infected in this world.
"Still, it's a bit better than Kazimierz. At least in Columbia, as long as you have money, you can live like an ordinary person. But Kazimierz is different. The previous Knight Major champion, Miss Radiant Knight, wasn't she exiled from Kazimierz just because she contracted Oripathy? Miss Radiant Knight was such a great and dazzling knight, even she couldn't escape that persecution..."
"The Radiant Knight?"
Lucas Reeve paused.
"Nearl?"
Lucas Reeve vaguely remembered that Nearl had been some kind of champion in Kazimierz. However, Nearl never mentioned these past titles, and even seemed reluctant to talk about them, so Lucas Reeve didn't know much. He only learned the title "Radiant Knight" when Nearl first arrived at Raythean Medica, after Jessica specifically looked into it.
After all, when the Apostle trio first arrived, an investigation was necessary.
"Mhm!!"
Sona nodded excitedly. "Mr. Reeve, you know the Radiant Knight?!!"
Her expression...
It was like a little girl who's a crazy idol fan, suddenly discovering that a super-important person actually knows her idol.
"Er... I know of her, and I know her."
"????"
Sona froze, her expression quickly turning to one of ecstatic joy. "Mr. Reeve! You know the Radiant Knight!!"
"I do. And, your information might be mistaken. Nearl is not one of the Infected. However, it's rumored in Kazimierz that she is. I think I understand some of it now."
"The Radiant Knight?! Not Infected?"
Lucas Reeve said with certainty, "Definitely not."
"Then why..."
Sona, walking down the street, suddenly stopped. She abruptly started muttering to herself, startling the surrounding passersby, who all turned to look at this little squirrel in confusion.
Sona quickly lowered her voice, covering her mouth and muttering quietly.
She still wasn't quite used to communicating with Lucas Reeve by thinking.
"But... but I see it rumored everywhere outside. The news all said the Radiant Knight was one of the Infected, so she was exiled..."
"But the news in Kazimierz is written by people."
Lucas Reeve said: "I've probably figured it out. As a champion knight, Nearl couldn't be used by capital. Moreover, the path she walked likely ran contrary to capital. So, capital certainly wanted to kill her. As for why they didn't kill her, but exiled her with this status... I'm more inclined to believe someone was protecting her. After all, exile is different from killing. Exiling her is like letting a time bomb loose. Who knows, she might come back and explode. Killing her directly would have avoided all that trouble."
"Is that so..."
Sona still believed Lucas Reeve's words. The inside story was actually so dark. For Sona, who aspired to become an official knight, it was a bit hard to accept.
If even a champion knight was treated this way, what about ordinary knights...
Instantly, a sense of powerlessness welled up in Sona's heart. But she shook her head again.
Her own power was too small right now. She just wanted to be able to live peacefully with her family. That was enough. She wasn't qualified to think about anything more.
Sona raised her head.
The skyscraper in the city center was very, very tall. That building represented the power of this city. At the very top were the most powerful people in the city, the ones who could control everything. Everyone was desperately trying to climb that building. As long as you didn't reach the end, the very top, there would always be floors above your head.
The Kazimierz of today was shrouded in the shadow of this invisible tower. Everyone was climbing desperately, but no one could see the top, and no one knew what was at the top.
On the way back.
Sona was uncharacteristically silent, not chattering on. After a moment, she spoke: "Um, Mr. Reeve, does an absolutely unrestrained controller really exist in Kazimierz?"
Lucas Reeve laughed. "How could there be?"
"There is no such thing as absolute, unrestrained freedom in this world."
"As long as someone is stronger than you, then that 'unrestrained' freedom isn't absolute."
So what if you're the king in Kazimierz? Outside Kazimierz, there are bigger countries, there are long-lived beings, there are immortals, there are Gods and Behemoths. And even gods as powerful as Sui could still be shattered by Yan. Alive Until Sunset was driven ashore by the Seaborn. So, where is this 'absolute freedom' in the world?
Even himself...
Although Lucas Reeve didn't know how awesome he used to be.
But based on all the clues, he must have been pretty damn awesome.
But even an awesome person like him still lost his memory and ended up like this, with his soul scattered across Terra.
Sona and Lucas Reeve went to the city center shopping mall, a place she never dared to visit before. They bought some pretty clothes and snacks to bring back to her younger siblings, and a few bottles of decent wine for her grandfather and uncles.
Just as they were about to reach her home.
Lucas Reeve warned her, "Someone's here."
Sona froze. From the shadows to the side, the messenger in the black suit from last time emerged.
"Hello, Miss Sona. We meet again."
Sona frowned slightly. She immediately looked toward her home, a wave of fear in her heart.
"The Chairman instructed me to deliver a message to you."
"The higher-ups are very satisfied with your aptitude."
"In one month, the Kazimierz Knight Major regular season will begin. The higher-ups are very much looking forward to your performance."
The man's words made Sona's eyes widen.
"But I'm one of the Infected. According to the rules, the Infected are not allowed to participate in this kind of official competition..."
"Rules are made by people, so naturally, there are ways to change them."
This butler-like man kept his eyes squinted. He took a certificate out of his pocket.
"This is your registration certificate, Miss Sona. The higher-ups have already registered you. No one will find out you're Infected. Even if they do, it doesn't matter. You just need to go and fight. Show them your full strength. Perhaps you can become a dazzling new star of the future."
"You just need to break into the playoffs, and you will have proven your value to the higher-ups."
"Do not try to run or refuse to participate. The consequences... you can imagine."
After speaking, the man turned and left.
The last sentence was a naked threat, and one that used Sona's absolute bottom line—her family—against her.
Sona looked at the registration certificate in her hand and fell silent.
"Do you want to participate?"
Lucas Reeve asked with a smile.
Sona was silent for a moment, then said, "I... used to want to... Because Miss Radiant Knight also walked this path, all the way to the end, climbing to the highest throne with the entire country watching."
"It's just... if even a champion knight like Miss Radiant Knight couldn't escape the fate of being controlled... then... can this kind of competition really be considered... a passing of the knightly spirit?"
Lucas Reeve didn't offer any advice. This was a choice Sona had to make for herself.
"Mr. Reeve... you said before that you had a way... to free me from their control? Can I still choose that now..."
"Of course you can."
Lucas Reeve smiled.
"I... I don't want my family to be threatened..."
The appearance of this man gave Sona a sense of urgency.
If they had only threatened her, Sona might not have been so angry. But... her family was Sona's absolute bottom line. She didn't want... her family to be exposed to danger, much less threatened or even killed because of her.
After rejecting Lucas Reeve's offer before, Sona had actually been hesitating. This time, it made Sona feel a real sense of urgency.
"I can~"
"Then... what price do I have to pay?"
Lucas Reeve smiled slightly. "I don't know for now. It doesn't seem like you have anything you can pay with. We'll talk about it later."
"Thank you."