Kazimierz is a dazzling city-state born where Originium technology meets corporate capital. And the most popular entertainment here is 'Knight Sports' — knights beating each other senseless while corporations slap their ads on top.

The Nearl family, once the pride of this nation, is now on the verge of ruin. Six years ago, the eldest daughter Margaret left Kazimierz behind, leaving only the name 'the Radiant Knight.' All that's left is the youngest daughter, Maria, who's good for nothing but fixing motorcycles.

Maria makes up her mind. To protect what's left of the family's pride, she'll step into the arena herself. The problem is, her swordsmanship amounts to nothing more than copying her sister.

1. Hands That Once Fixed Motorcycles Now Grip a Sword

In front of the tavern, while the old knight Poe and craftsman Koval bicker over a motorcycle accident, Maria quietly fixes the broken engine with a touch of Originium Arts. This ridiculous duo has been at it for decades.

A few hours later, Maria is standing in the middle of the Lore Arena. When MC Bigmouth Mob calls out her name, the stands stir — on the strength of the surname 'Nearl' alone.

Word reaches Sophia — the Nearl family's butler and a former Knight Sports fighter known as 'Whislash' — who kicks the door open and grabs Maria. 'Have you lost your mind?!'

But Maria's reasons are firm. Since their grandfather passed, her uncle has refused to have anything to do with the Association, her sister has already been exiled, and the Nearl family will lose its noble status next year.

In the end, Sophia throws up her hands — and volunteers to be her coach instead. Starting the next morning, the weed-choked garden becomes a training ground.

That night, Uncle Młynar leaves just one line before heading upstairs. 'Even if we lose our noble title, our principles won't waver. Don't turn into Margaret.' By the next day, the sports headline was already written: 'Return of the Radiant Knight? The Nearl Family's Rookie Makes Her Debut.'

2. Her Debut Opponent Is 'Mr. Plastic' — But His Armor Runs Way Too Hot

The Nearl family motto... Fear neither hardship nor darkness!

— Maria

Her opponent is Ševčík, 'the Knight of Plastic,' of the Lore Knights. In truth, he'd been ordered to stall for time — a promotional stunt for his sponsor Lore Guard Company's new armor line.

The order came from Commercial Federation spokesperson Czarny. 'Tests like this, and the promotion that comes with them, are necessary if we want to land a long-term contract.' Three times his after-tax income from last year was riding on Ševčík.

Early on, Maria is completely outmatched. Her sword goes flying, and his armor doesn't so much as scratch. But instead of fighting back, Maria starts watching.

"That armor isn't venting heat."

She zeroes in on the new armor's cooling flaw and turns the match around in one decisive blow. Neither the crowd nor the sponsor saw it coming. From the next day on, scouting offers start piling up at the Nearl doorstep.

3. A Run-In With the Butcher: A Bloody Second Match Ends in a Draw

Her next opponent is Olmer Ingra, 'the Knight of Rusted Copper.' He's crippled multiple opponents and walked away scot-free every time, thanks to a National Assembly blinded by corporate donations — a true murderer.

Ingra toys with Maria, driving her into the ground. Bloodied, a memory of something her sister once said flashes through Maria's mind.

In the end, it's a draw — both of them collapse. When Maria comes to, she finds beside her Sophia's old sword, long unused, left there for her.

At the celebration, Martin raises his mechanical arm to show her. 'This is what recklessness gets you.' He once won in the arena too, but now even washing a single cup is a struggle.

A bit of Sophia's own past slips out too — how nine years ago she was badly wounded by 'the Knight of the Fissure,' and never accepted sponsorship from any corporation for it. Maria falls quiet, hearing the story for the first time.

4. Tangled Up With Two Squirrels

A fifteen-person brawl. Here Maria runs into 'the Knight of the Blazing Tail,' Sona, who grins slyly and says.

"You know what? I'm actually one of the Infected."

Sona and her companion 'the Knight of the Grey Brush-Tail' are knights who came up as Infected. Hearing that they had to survive the Gloomfincer pen just to reclaim status as ordinary citizens, Maria is left speechless.

The Association allows the Infected to compete, but never lets them become a pillar of society. So there's a separate arena just for Infected fighters — nominally called 'bonus matches,' but really just a plaything of a fight.

In the end, Sona lets Maria off the hook. 'Consider it tuition for teaching you what Whislash didn't.' And she leaves her with a warning: the underside of Knight Sports is far scarier than Maria could ever imagine.

Meanwhile, in that same hallway, Armorless Union sniper Platinum receives a new assignment from Spokesperson Czarny: keep watch on the Nearl family's uncle, Młynar. 'Whether this job can be seen through to the end is something you'll need to confirm for yourself, miss.'

5. The Sponsors Come Calling, and She Politely Turns Them All Down

As the wins pile up, scouting offers pour in. From the conglomerate Swarma to Commercial Federation spokesperson Czarny himself, they all come knocking in person. 'What exactly is a knight trying to prove?'

Maria turns them all down. 'I won't let the Nearl crest become some corporation's accessory.' One company man even tears up hearing her answer. 'It's been so long since I've seen good knights get a good ending.'

But the one who actually objects is Sophia. A Swarma employee who'd been championing Maria let slip an unexpected rumor on his way out — that Maria had started catching the eye of the Association's upper echelons.

You could die in that arena!

— Sophia

'That's enough already. Stop here.' Sophia is dead serious. It isn't losing or getting hurt she's afraid of — it's the name Nearl catching the Association's 'attention.'

Maria doesn't back down either. 'I'll keep winning until I can't anymore.' Sophia storms out furious, and that night Uncle Młynar comes by again, snapping coldly. 'You're just like your sister. I can barely stand to look at you.'

6. The Spokesperson Comes Calling a Second Time

This time Czarny comes straight to the tavern. His purpose: announcing the next match — her opponent will be Titus Topola, 'the Left-Handed Knight,' a noble knight who once made it to the semifinals and commander of the Bladehelm Knights.

Old knight Poe gets chills seeing Czarny casually recall his retirement name from half a century ago, 'Batbayar.' 'He's digging into all of our backgrounds.'

Czarny calmly lays out his own logic. 'It's not that I've thrown away my honor. I've simply bought a new television and put the old radio away in a drawer.' To the old knights, it just sounds like sophistry.

That night, Sona and her companion, injured and on the run, knock on the tavern's back door. The Nearl household hides them without a second thought. In that moment, Martin mutters under his breath.

"They're here."

7. The Left-Handed Knight Tries to Snap Nearl's Sword in Two

Titus openly compares Maria to Margaret and mocks her. 'You're just a feeble, shoddy imitation.' Her sword keeps flying out of her hand, and her body keeps hitting the floor.

He doesn't hold back the provocations either. 'The best way to destroy a knight is to strip away her dignity.' Maria's light gets crumpled, broken, sullied.

Guards block Sophia as she tries to rush toward the stands. The tavern regulars can only stomp their feet in frustration, and outside the arena, Spokesperson Czarny watches it all with calm eyes. 'A half-hearted approach like that just gives the opponent an opening.'

8. For Myself...... For My Own Sake

Just as her vision blurs, she hears her grandfather's voice. 'Maria, you carry the Eye of Pegasus. Rise.' Maria grips her sword once more.

When Titus asks why on earth she's holding on this hard, Maria answers, short and simple.

For myself...... For my own sake.

— Maria

After an hour and twenty-seven minutes of brutal fighting, a dramatic reversal ends the match. The crowd goes wild and the betting total hits an all-time high. And yet Maria feels strangely empty.

'Who did I actually beat? What did I even gain?' She's won honor, wealth, the family's revival — and yet something feels missing. Only then does Sophia let go of her worry. 'You really are like your sister... you needed to choose your own path.'

Maria shakes her head. 'Maybe I'm really not like her at all.'

9. A Missing Partner, and Two Strange Assassins Behind Snowyhill

On the day of the 2-on-2 match, her partner 'the Knight of Fangs' doesn't show up. The papers report he 'went missing after getting caught up in a fan brawl,' but Sophia senses something's very wrong.

Instead of forfeiting, Maria steps into the arena alone. And the two figures who emerge with the fog aren't from the Snowyhill Knights at all. 'The Corroded Knight' and 'the Decaying Knight' — Sarkaz assassins sent by the Armorless Union.

Neither Arts nor wounds heal properly. Coughing up blood, Maria still won't let go of her sword. The old knights and Sophia, on their way out of the tavern, finally catch on and come running.

Heading for the arena, old knight Poe and craftsman Koval find their way blocked — this time by Platinum herself. 'A former second-tier campaign knight, and a senior master craftsman. Won't you just quietly turn back?'

'There's nothing you can do.' But the threat doesn't last long. An unidentified blue shadow suddenly seizes even Platinum. The unknown voice on the comms says only this.

"Playtime's over, little Pegasus. Fall back."

10. Light Descends From the Sky

Just as the Sarkaz weapon is about to fall on Maria's head — the hammer is knocked away. And a blinding light floods the arena.

Well done, Maria.

— Margaret

After six years, her sister Margaret has returned. Maria hands the shield over to her sister and takes her place at her side instead. 'The weak your sister used to protect aren't here anymore. I'll be your shield now.'

Caught between the two sisters' combined assault, the Sarkaz assassins finally break. Even after confirming her victory, Margaret still reaches out a hand to them. 'You mustn't give up on your own fate.' The assassins never lift their heads.

As it happens, two Sarkaz strangers passing through Kazimierz — Shining and Nightingale — tend to the assassins' wounds. 'Both of you are hurt very badly, but these scars didn't come from this match.' The assassins only grow more afraid of that gentle touch.

Rushing into the stands, Sophia slaps Margaret across the face after six years apart — then slaps her again, 'this one's for Maria.' Then she grabs her hand and hides her tears. 'I'm so glad you're back.'

Outside the arena, Spokesperson Czarny mutters quietly to himself. 'The Radiant Knight... why come back now, of all times?' That night, after telling his staff not to leave their rooms, he quietly vanishes without a trace.

Epilogue: The Sister Returns, and the Story Isn't Over Yet

Czarny falls from grace, and Malkiewicz, a lowly Swarma staffer, ends up in the new spokesperson's chair almost by accident. The Commercial Federation's orders remain unchanged. 'Make sure the matches keep running smoothly.'

Before leaving, Czarny leaves Platinum with one last request. Ševčík has a son, and that son was present at the scene of the incident. 'Please don't give him the chance to learn the truth. Ever.'

Sona and her companion resolve to expose the Armorless Union's true nature while they're at it. 'We're going to drag their true colors out into the open, aren't we?'

Back home, Maria tells Margaret, 'This time, I'll be by your side. Whatever happens to us in the end, I trust you.' Margaret smiles and replies. 'You've really grown up.'

But Uncle Młynar sees it differently. He demands Margaret draw her sword. 'Falling to my blade would be better than falling in the Armorless Union's shadow.' Margaret answers calmly.

"If that's what you want."

Far off, Senomi, a messenger from a family of campaign knights with ties to the Nearls, brings one more piece of news. After relaying, word for word, the nagging their grandfather once left with the Grand Knight-Commander, she adds one last thing. 'Looks like someone from Rhodes Island has already arrived.'

Kazimierz still makes its money selling off its knights, but this time, something's different. Two Nearl sisters now stand side by side in the same arena. The family motto — 'Fear neither hardship nor darkness' — no longer belongs to the older sister alone. It's become Maria's own, too.