When the Dust Settles, Light Emerges (Continued)

Her throat bobbed slightly.

"I guess you're thinking about how to punish me..." As she said this, she felt subtle reactions in her body—as if she weren't in a forest, but in a private room on Rhodes Island, or some strange underground chamber. And some illusory pain and pleasure quietly wrapped around her body.

Her legs unconsciously came together slightly. This subtle adjustment to her figure accentuated her graceful curves and exuded mature charm.

"Whatever the punishment, I'm ready..." she couldn't help but add softly, her face flushing slightly, her body leaping with excitement, eager to embrace some uncertain fate.

That's very interesting.

Very interesting.

This might be a talent, a gift. A power that pushed her to this point. Perhaps she was deceiving herself, perhaps she was using self-suggestion. Her deepest unease and fear were about to overflow, yet she masked them with a veneer of wishful thinking—perhaps she was simply burying her head in the sand, refusing to believe the despair she was about to face. However, in any case, at this point, Surtr could no longer afford to back down.

Her feverish body turned to ice, and her fantasies vanished into ashes. As nameless fear filled her heart, she finally heard the voice of judgment.

"I'm disappointed." This was the first time she had heard Surtr's emotions during the conversation.

She suddenly widened her eyes—she wished she hadn't heard that emotion.

"I'm really disappointed." — She saw undisguised disdain in Surtr's eyes.

She instinctively took a step back, then two steps.

Surtr did not press forward further.

He simply asked her questions, whispering them to her.

"Tell me. Wise Kal'tsit, intelligent Kal'tsit, experienced and knowledgeable Miss Kal'tsit, what has made you this way?"

"You were once capable of handling the affairs of half a country, and before Persephone showed his true abilities, you could easily subdue seasoned scholars with your knowledge alone. You were once able to dominate between nations and ethnic groups, making those who wielded immense power and force dance in your hands—what made you like this?"

"You once had lofty ideals, and you once schemed against treacherous and cunning people in the court. You once traversed the earth, witnessing many wonders that ordinary people never see in their lifetime. You once ventured into countless dangerous places, leaving behind legends, stories, and your own personal mark. You had many friends, and you had even more enemies. Friends respected you, and enemies revered you—but what exactly turned you into this?"

She looked the girl up and down, from head to toe, at her pale figure and the overwhelming fear emanating from her.

"Look at yourself, what do you look like now? A dodder? A parasitic vine? Trembling and cowering over trivial matters that wouldn't have been worth your time in the past? You..."

She turned her head, walked back the way she came.

"... Compared to his past self, he's practically a piece of trash."

"And me," she paused, "I only give charity to trash, not treat her as a friend."

She then left.

"You'd better watch yourself."

However, the next moment, a slightly cold wind from behind struck her hard.

His body was enveloped in a warm, soft body, and his arms were wrapped around her, as if he were trying his best to keep her there.

"I love you!" She heard Kal'tsit's voice, a voice both despondent and desperate. "Because I really, really love you! Surtr!"

"I love your voice, I love your scent, I love your face, your body, everything about you! So, so!"

She tried very hard to press her body close to the girl's back.

Please don't throw me away. Don't... abandon me.

Her body trembled as she spoke of everything she had kept hidden in her heart, awaiting her fate.

She found herself unable to hear the emotions in Surtr's voice once again.

"So," Surtr without struggling, her voice flat. "You became like this because of me."

"...Yes." Kal'tsit answered instinctively. She still didn't realize that it was still a statement.

"You hesitate because of me, you compromise because of me. You give up your ideals and struggles because of me, you are willing to stay by my side because of me, care about me and want to please me, as humble as a servant." Surtr's words are direct and harsh.

"...Yes." A strange emotion lingered in Miss Lynx's heart. Despite the humiliation, she seemed to experience a peculiar pleasure. "...My ideals died along with Your Highness. And with the Doctor on Rhodes Island, there's no longer a need for my abilities. Now, I only want to stay by your side, Surtr. No matter...whatever our identities, I want to be with you."

The air froze for a few seconds as a result.

Then, Miss Surtr reached out and, with a light yet undeniable gesture, gently separated the slender hands that were tightly embracing her. She placed them to her sides, making room for herself to look directly into Kal'tsit's unease and anxiety.

Examine everything from top to bottom—even if there is any hesitation in your heart, suppress it all without changing your expression.

Then--

Smack!

A slap in the face.

It wasn't a hard blow, but it knocked Kal'tsit to the ground in the woods. The Miss Lynx instinctively covered her left cheek, which was rapidly swelling and turning red. Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Do you know why I hit you?" Miss Surtr stared at her, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Is it... punishment?" she still clung to her delusion.

But her dreams could no longer numb her.

"It's disappointment," Miss Surtr replied indifferently. "Not towards you, but towards myself—that I could actually have had feelings for someone like you in the past. Looking back now, it really seems a bit incomprehensible."

"Surtr!?"

"Tell me, how stupid could I have been to like a woman who had no principles, no sense of self, and was good for nothing but a pretty face, someone I could only play with like a doll? Is plastic surgery really that hard? Aren't women like that everywhere?"

She shook her head, looking at the dazed Kal'tsit.

"This was a mistake for me. I shouldn't waste my time on someone who has no ambition, no ideals, and who just clings to me like a parasitic vine—I can't get any emotional support from them, and I can't get any joy from them other than playing with toys... I might as well just sculpt a doll myself; at least I can give it a personality that helps me and that perfectly matches my preferences."

"Mistakes should be corrected, and wasted time should be made up for. The only useful thing you've done these past few days is to make me realize my mistake. For that, I thank you, Miss Kal'tsit."

She bowed slightly to Kal'tsit, who had collapsed to the ground.

Miss Lynx then seemed to wake from a dream and tried to grab her skirt.

"No, no! Surtr —ooh!" A burning pain shot through the spot where she touched it, the pain overpowering her will and taking over Kal'tsit's nervous system, causing her to pull her hand back—it wasn't real fire, but the pain almost tore her heart apart the moment she pulled her hand back.

This was the first time, in her memory, that Surtr had rejected her.

"Be more dignified, Ms. Kal'tsit." The Flame-haired maiden showed no hesitation or emotion.

"I have many things to do. I don't have the extra time or energy to take care of you. The wagon has already left, so I won't invite you to come with me. Just find a quiet place to hide away. If you don't like the dirt in the wild, go to Lothric. That will be one of my last few stops, and it will save me the time of looking for you when I go back."

She turned away without looking back.

But his steps faltered for a moment for other reasons.