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Although it seemed unlikely and absurd to think that there could be a ‘lost’ or ‘secret’ child in a family as well known as Emilia’s, learning Noelle’s similarly absurd ‘history’ had already changed what used to be ‘normal’ in the minds of these people.
Since their clan leader could be the abandoned daughter of their top two fighters who came back after decades to take back her rightful position, wouldn’t it be just right if her ‘wife’ was also someone with a similar background?
Even if they were both girls, wasn’t that kind of couple just a match made in heaven? No wonder the elders hadn’t made any moves to punish them from the start. They must have known!
“I have to say, isn’t our leader too lucky? Not only is her lover an excellent fighter and a top-tier beauty, but even her background and past resonates well with each other!”
“I think it’s just right. She’s excellent herself, after all, and has been through enough to deserve this kind of happiness.”
Not everyone shared such thoughts, but those who didn’t agree knew better than to voice their negative opinion. After all, doing so would not only get them denounced by the majority, but might also make them lose any favorable impression in Noelle’s eyes!
Instead of needlessly causing trouble for themselves, wasn’t it easier to just pretend that their clan leader had married a rather feminine man?
Well, it might be a bit harder now that they’d seen her face, but in that case, they could just start thinking of Noelle herself as a girly boy. There, problem solved.
Fortunately for them, the gray-haired girl couldn’t hear their thoughts, and waved Emilia and Sam over with a smile. “Took you long enough.”
Since they moved a little further away and talked in hushed voices, the rest of their conversation wasn’t very clear to the eavesdroppers, though they could tell from their expressions that the three of them must get along well.
Of course, given that their leader’s ‘wife’ had brought someone new along, the taller girl was also a target of much curiosity. And it didn’t take long for some people to recognize her.
“W-Wait…! T-That’s Samantha White, isn’t she?!”
Although the name was vaguely familiar to some, not many people in the Nightingale clan kept up with the global news.
“Who?”𝑜𝑣𝒍xt.𝗰𝒐𝑚
“Do you live under a rock? That’s Emilia’s older sister and the heiress of the White Deer Corporation! A real big shot!”
Even if some of them hadn’t heard about her, no one was stupid enough to be oblivious to the weight of White Deer Corporation.
“W-Wow… b-but… why would someone like her be here…?”
“…”
“W-Wait a minute… I just had an absurd thought…”
Their hushed discussions came to an end when they heard Noelle calling them over to announce something, and a wave of excitement and apprehension ran through the crowd.
“It must be true!”
“Will we finally be getting those snacks?”
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Although she was quite harsh during their training, Noelle’s assessment of the fighters who remained on the training grounds was actually high. After all, not to mention improving at an acceptable rate, simply keeping up with her training requirements wasn’t something a normal person would be able to do.
In that sense, the gray-haired girl had to admit that the obsession these people had with strength and combat techniques was truly quite useful.
Looking at the neatly formed lines, Noelle nodded at Emilia, who stepped forward with a smile. “Hi everyone, some of you might already recognize me, but let me introduce myself anyway. My name is Emilia White, and while I have many responsibilities outside, you can just think of me as your clan’s ‘sponsor’ for now.”
Many people fidgeted in nervousness or excitement after hearing her words, but under Noelle’s harsh glare, no one dared to gossip or squeak.
“Of course, unlike the snacks I’ve been giving out all this time, support from the White Deer doesn’t come for free.” She smiled. “But this is also an opportunity for you, and the only reason you’re getting this chance is thanks to Noelle.”
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Although many of them thought of themselves as ‘born fighters’, in reality, few people from the Nightingale clan actually had the opportunity of exchanging blows with people outside of their own clan.
Not only did their fierce reputation make it unlikely for outsiders to dare challenge them, but usually only the ‘top’ fighters would be given assignments that might actually lead to a conflict.
Of course, while this way the reputation of their clan was maintained quite well, the ‘average’ fighters of the clan were left sorely lacking in practical experience.
After all, dueling with others who also trained in the same style as them was far from enough when it came to being ‘ready’ to face the real world.
Unfortunately, there simply wasn’t enough time for them to be completely prepared.
Shortly after they met Emilia White, Noelle finalized their ‘ranks’ temporarily, and had them divided into ten squads. None of them knew what each other’s mission was, but they knew that they had to do their best to get their own task done.
After all, their future was based on the ranking of their squad at the end of this three-month ‘trial’ period.
“Get rid of the gang in the northern part of Heeler town? Should be easy enough.”
“Securing the Mulbury and Horizon hospitals secretly, huh? Leader sure trusts us to give us such a difficult first mission. We can’t disappoint her. Let’s go, boys!”
Of course, their ‘missions’ were only a small part of what Emilia needed to accomplish her goals in Carmen, but they were far from insignificant.
After all, even with the Gray Wolfe Corporation having a lot of rights in the government, and her now having almost complete control of them, removing old leeches that had already latched onto a good spot was easier said than done.
This was especially so given that most of the Gray Wolfe’s rights were related to the economical aspects, while the military assets remained firmly in the hands of the government officials.
Luckily, with the civil unrest and the government struggling to prevent a total collapse from the inside, their side had just enough leverage to turn the situation around.
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