The Matter of Talula Picking Me Up and Adopting Me Chapter 32

Talula pinched the tip of Orson's nose.

"Huh? E-e-e? Tal, Talula sis!?"

Realizing that Talula in front of him wasn't an illusion, Orson, utterly bewildered, tried to get out of bed, only to be pushed back down by Talula.

"Um... what's going on, Talula sis?"

Orson was still confused about the situation.

"What do you mean, Orson?"

Talula gently stroked Orson's bangs, her tone calm and gentle.

"Everything—why are you here, Talula sis? What happened to me? How much time has passed? Where am I..."

"Calm down, Orson, you've always been too tense."

"—"

Talula cupped Orson's cheeks with both hands, gently pressing their foreheads together.

"Are you calmer now?"

After a moment, Talula let go and looked up, her cheeks still warm, asking Orson.

"...Mm, mm."

Orson mumbled vaguely. He couldn't exactly say he was even more flustered now, though it was a different kind of flustered.

"Anyway, after I received your communication, Alina and I arrived in Kazimierz City. Considering the eyes and ears of the old noble factions, I went directly to the Rostov family. Thanks to the family head's help, my identity and information haven't been exposed yet."

"Alina too?"

"Mm, it's just that she has other things to do... Don't look at me like that, I tried to persuade her, but..."

"Instead, you were persuaded by Alina?"

Seeing Talula's expression, Orson had a pretty good idea of what happened.

"Mm... Alina said she couldn't always hide under protection. She chose to follow me, not to be protected."

Talula sighed. Although she had the ability to inspire people, she was completely dominated by Alina.

"She is Alina, after all..." Orson expressed his understanding.

"As for you, Orson. You were unconscious for about 10 hours due to extreme mental exhaustion. Someone calling himself Azazel brought you back to the Rostov family. This is the infirmary."

"Azazel... Hmm, I'm sorry, Talula sis, I couldn't convince old man Hegre, and I—"

"Orson!"

"Eek!?"

Talula suddenly called Orson's name sternly, startling him.

"Promise me, don't push yourself too hard again—no, I know you won't... So, at least, can you rest properly once in a while?"

"...Mm, I know."

Talula's eyes were fixed on Orson, which forced Orson to become serious and respond earnestly.

"I understand, you've been overexerting yourself to make my dream come true—but that's not what I want, Orson. No matter what obstacles we face, we'll overcome them together, so please don't push yourself."

"Talula sis..."

Orson looked at Talula, feeling a mix of guilt and emotion.

"Okay, so next, let's talk about 'engagement,' 'confession,' and 'going to school together'?"

After receiving a satisfactory reply, Talula smiled and leaned closer to Orson.

The air instantly became incredibly tense—this is a statement of fact.

"Ah... Ahaha, well—that... there are various reasons... Anyway, on my end—"

"Orson! Are you awake!"

Before Orson could explain, the person in question, Lumen, appeared at the infirmary door.

"—" "—"

Since Talula had been hidden by the Rostov family head until now, this was the first time Lumen and Talula had met.

"You must be Miss Natalia, right? I am Talula, the leader of Reunion, and also Orson's—big sister."

Talula froze for a moment upon seeing Lumen, but she quickly recognized the noble lady and got up to greet her with a smile.

"Eh?" Orson blinked in surprise. How did he unlock a new title for Talula after being away for a few days?

"Big sister—"

This self-proclaimed title made both Orson and Lumen blink, but Lumen quickly regained her composure and responded with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Natalia, the heir of the Rostov family. And also—the person Orson promised to protect."

"Eh?"

Orson let out another sound of complete confusion. He was just a security guard, so why had his title become so grand?

"I see, you haven't reached adulthood yet, so you probably don't understand the power of the word 'promise.' It's best not to use such words casually with others—especially when it comes to things like engagement."

Although Talula was still smiling, her entire demeanor was as serious as if she were about to go to war.

"En-en-engagement... Cough cough, please don't worry about me. I'm well aware of the responsibilities these words carry; I don't need you, Auntie, to lecture me."

"A-Auntie...? You really have the nerve to say that."

Talula, who was indeed the oldest person present, took two steps back from the address, but she shook her head, then charged forward again, locking horns with Lumen for round two.

"My, my, is this what youth is like."

Lumen's father, the culprit behind it all, leaned against the infirmary door, sighing as he watched the scene.

After the commotion of Orson's awakening and the encounter between Talula and Lumen, everyone was now seated around the conference table, discussing their next course of action.

"I've already leaked the only trump card I had—Duke Baikal's ledger and evidence of several political assassinations. This information should buy us another three to four days, but the retaliation from the other side afterward will be absolutely devastating."

The head of the Rostov family had released some unsavory documents and evidence concerning Duke Baikal a few days prior. While this would temporarily alleviate his worries about the group army's intervention, once Duke Baikal finished blocking the information, the other party would undoubtedly lose all patience.

"So, the outcome hinges on these next few days."

Talula lowered her head in thought. Beside her, Orson, bearing claw marks and burn scars, raised his hand to ask.

"Master Andrei, can you use your authority to allow the residents of the Northern Territory to migrate here without obstruction? Although the numbers might not be very large, it's still a considerable force. As for the infected in Kazimierz City itself... honestly, I don't want to mobilize that general again."

"General Hegre... Hearing his name here even surprises me, but if he no longer has the will to fight, then we shouldn't count him as a combatant."

Talula frowned as she spoke, then looked at the head of the Rostov family.

"The Reunion can offer you assistance, Marquis Rostov, but only if you swear upon your bloodline and your family that you will provide shelter and aid to those in the Northern Territory, whether they are ordinary people or infected."

"I swear. In fact, I've already found a way to handle the infected and the civilians of the Northern Territory afterward. If we survive, you'll know then."

Lumen's father stood up very formally, walked up to Talula, and knelt on one knee, bowing his head to swear allegiance.

An adult kneeling before a young girl was a somewhat strange sight, but no one, including Lumen, felt anything was "off."

This Sarkaz, who possessed "unrealistic dreams," now held a power that allowed others to glimpse her leadership aura.

"Then, the Reunion officially joins the Rostov family's ranks—oh, and one more thing."

Talula nodded at the head of the Rostov family, then thought of something else.

"Cancel that bizarre engagement for me!"

Talula, who had just been acting like a leader, instantly broke character. With a hint of embarrassment but still firm, she added this condition.

As for Lumen, while she agreed with canceling the engagement her cheap father had inexplicably arranged, hearing those words brought a strange feeling to her heart.

After the meeting, Orson and Talula left the conference room ahead of time, while Lumen silently watched the sky outside the window.

—Even though the family has officially confronted Duke Baikal, why am I... thinking about such strange things at a time like this?

After agonizing for a moment, Lumen shook her head fiercely, got up, and walked towards Orson's room.

"Orson? I wanted to ask you something—huh?"

Lumen was about to knock when the door, not being latched, pushed open on its own. Behind the door, Lumen's eyes widened at the scene before her:

The Reunion leader, Talula, lay on the bed with her eyes slightly closed, while Orson was sprawled beside her, also breathing shallowly.

"You, you clumsy idiot Orson! This is too improper!"

Blushing, Lumen fled the room.

"Mmm... Huh?"

After Lumen left, Orson groggily sat up in bed, staring at the open door in front of him with confusion and bewilderment.

"I didn't close the door... Mmm, anyway, Tazi-jie, how did it go?"

Orson looked at Talula, who had also woken up, and she got up from the bed, grooming herself while nodding to indicate everything was fine.

Meanwhile, within the consciousness domain of the "Undying Black Serpent."

Koschei sat alone on his throne, playing with a "Queen" chess piece in his hand.

"A surprisingly bold proposal, Talula. Have you really changed that much, all because of—that underdeveloped, brainless, human-skinned, single-celled idiot whose every word is meaningless nonsense and whose actions lack any logic?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier Koschei became. He tossed the Queen piece aside and calmed himself by calculating prime numbers.

"Then, let me see, my daughter. If you insist on continuing this self-destructive path that no one approves of, this Icarus-like unattainable road—at least let me witness the moment your dreams completely crumble along with you."

Koschei rose from his throne and walked to the table where Talula had just been sitting. He suddenly noticed an envelope left there.

[Every time I see you, I want to smash that face of yours, but you and Tazi-jie will probably be bound together for a long time. Since that's the case, let's try to get along. This envelope contains a gift from me, perhaps it will allow you to experience the sealed emotions of being a 'father'.]

"Fools sometimes behave this way."

Koschei raised an eyebrow, opened the envelope Orson had left in his consciousness, and took out the materialized item Orson had extracted from his consciousness—a peculiar medium called a "CD."

It read: [The Sims 2]

"...?"

Koschei held the CD. While he didn't quite understand, he had a feeling he had been provoked by that brat Orson again.

47. A Walk Outside Leads to Picking Up a Cockroach

In a secluded residential area somewhere in Kazimierz City, a Sarkaz mercenary, a cockroach-haired girl codenamed W, sat on a table piled with weapons and explosives, silently gazing at a well-worn, seemingly selfie photo in her hand.

If Orson were here, he would absolutely be startled by the scene before him, because W, who was almost always grinning wickedly, was now silent and expressionless.

After carefully putting away the slightly faded photo, W began assembling fuses for the explosives while reviewing today's mission briefing.

Duke Baikal had recently been plagued by a sudden scandal, leaving the army group stationed within Kazimierz City unable to divert resources. However, in its place, Duke Baikal had issued several missions to the Sarkaz mercenaries, indicating that the other party had finally decided to completely eradicate the Rostov family.

The mercenary captain, Garson, would be responsible for the decapitation strike against the head of the Rostov family, while W's squad was tasked with seizing control of the Kazimierz City port.

W herself had received a sabotage mission for a team of only 4 people.

It was a typical mission to stifle the flow of intelligence, but W felt something was off.

"W, we're moving out in 25 minutes."

The door to the safehouse was pushed open, and a Sarkaz walked into the room. At the same time, the usual confident smile, as if plotting some devious trick, reappeared on W's lips.

"Got it. Speaking of which, how do you feel about causing chaos in a strange city?"

W asked the mercenary with a smile.

"I don't feel anything. We're just carrying out our mission."

"...Hmph, I see. I should have known that would be the answer."

The other party's cold, mechanical response made W show an impatient expression.

"W, you're too idealistic. I know you wish for Sarkaz to die not as expendable pawns of war, but as 'named individuals.' But the whole world sees us as the embodiment of war and Oripathy. How do you plan to change that?"

The mercenary's words made W's eyes widen.

"Idealistic? Hahaha! To think I'd be called that one day. This is too amusing."