--I exiled Alina, used Ino and Sasha as weapons, distanced myself from Yelena, betrayed Bodegard, misled Ludmila, and used Alex... I personally stained white paper black, drove away the good people, all so that the Reunion Movement's corruption would draw her attention, so that she would destroy me in front of everyone... She would give me an opportunity, and so I would have a chance to shake her resolve. Even if I could only open a crack, that would be enough. At the very least, I had to make her realize just how much influence and power she truly possessed in this world.
The evil that had already been committed could not be erased.
Even though Surtr had arrived earlier than she had expected—before the later stages she had originally predicted, such as the slaughter of Chernobog, the assault on Lungmen, and the outbreak of war between Ursus and Yan—neither the evil she had committed nor the sins she had allowed the Reunion Movement to commit would disappear. They would become her retribution, and that retribution was about to answer upon her own body, just as she had anticipated.
However, compared to the retribution she had already resolved to bear, another matter had inflicted an even greater wound upon her. No matter how righteous her purpose had been, no matter how lofty the reasons she had sought sounded, the essence of her actions still amounted to betrayal—betrayal of her friends, betrayal of her family, betrayal of those who trusted her, betrayal of...
The figure with flaming hair flashed through her eyes. She seemed to have returned to that winter three years ago—to that war, that separation, the despair brought by that dreadful news, and the scorching heat and Sulfur that had descended from the heavens like the light of dawn.
That was a strange flame.
And that flame had easily dragged her helpless self out of the darkness, burning away the shadows of snakes in the darkness and the despair brought by that miserable reality as easily as igniting a bundle of wastepaper.
The darkness receded.
Then, having accepted the guidance, she was abandoned within the light.
--I... admired that figure.
--And yet I still schemed against her and forced her, just as I had betrayed Alina, Yelena, and Bodegard. I had betrayed her as well.
--I really deserved to die.
The girl's emotions tormented her. Even though her resolve had been made, shame and self-reproach continued to tear at her heart and guts—ripping them apart, grinding them to pieces, pouring them into boiling molten iron and stirring them, then pounding them with a sledgehammer until every beautiful fantasy became scraps, until every thread of sorrow dissolved into meaningless noise.
"Surtr..." the Dragon Girl whispered from between her lips. "If only I could..."
She stopped speaking, sensing something. For at that moment, wind suddenly rose behind her.
The force of a fist striking the back of her neck.
And she had no time to react.
Section Thirty: People Can't, or at Least Shouldn't...
As it turned out, there was no absolute difference between a draco's skull and a Homo sapiens skull. Their sturdier and weaker parts, as well as the distribution of their contents, were roughly the same. Striking the brainstem at the back of a Homo sapiens's neck would cause their motor neurons to lose control, resulting in unconsciousness. The same method worked on a draco.
Of course, using a neck strike on a Homo sapiens was not a wise choice. Compared to merely knocking someone unconscious, the odds of this blow breaking their spine or killing them on the spot were much higher. But for a draco whose skin and flesh were not particularly tough yet who could take quite a beating, the above concern naturally did not need to be considered. Thus, Talulah, struck in the back of the neck, fell to the ground with a thud like a sandbag with its strings cut.
But she had not actually fallen, because Miss Surtr had reached out a hand before her body hit the ground and caught her. The girl's soft body provided a remarkably comfortable sensation in her arms.
--Good. My Lsp Heart is back.
Miss Surtr silently breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought her mental anxiety would have to continue for a little longer. She had not expected the fragrant softness and warmth of a girl, along with her scent, to have such an especially effective healing effect. Her previously low spirits instantly became light and carefree.
--Maybe I'm just starved for affection.
--Maybe even the "maybe" isn't necessary.
She pursed her lips, then opened the woven bag. She took out the rope and bandages she had prepared inside and began wrapping them around Talulah. Strictly speaking, this was unnecessary, but since she had even prepared a woven bag, failing to properly restrain its contents would have made the whole thing feel somewhat lacking in ceremony.
A sense of ceremony.
A sense of ceremony was a necessary seasoning for a happy life.
She felt the girl's heartbeat change involuntarily. As she packed her away, some of her muscles also tensed faintly.
Well, it seemed a draco's recovery ability was indeed more than a notch above that of a Homo sapiens. But so what? Once she woke up, she could just hit her again. Talulah herself surely understood that.
The Sarkaz with flaming hair gently exhaled. As she tied a knot at the girl's chest, she muttered to herself.
"I know your plan, but I don't think there was any need to carry it out to such an extent."
"Since you forced me to come, I came. But as the price for trying to dictate how I should act, I'll keep you by my side and take you to Rhodes Island for some proper discipline."
"Let's just say I brought back a local specialty."
Thus, the draco's tense body silently relaxed. Clearly, talking to oneself could sometimes have quite a few effects. The only thing that puzzled Miss Surtr slightly was that after the girl's skin relaxed, it silently took on a blush, while her heartbeat did not slow or grow sluggish. Instead, it became even more rapid.
Strange. Was she tied too tightly?
The brainless woman cast a puzzled glance at the girl in her arms. She did not think this was some sort of romantic development—how could Talulah, an idealistic warrior, possibly blush and have her heart race from such simple physical contact? Was she still planning to fight? Would she leave such an opening during a life-or-death brawl? Obviously, that was impossible.
So she extended a finger and gently poked the unconscious Dragon Girl's pretty face. It felt soft and warm. Her gaze drifted downward, passing over the girl's smooth neck, her figure made especially prominent by the restraints, her slender waist, her long legs, and her tall boots. She felt her own heart grow faintly restless as well.
"How interesting. Do I actually have a thing for noble women who are restrained and unable to resist?"
"Just how insecure am I deep down? Maybe I should be grateful that I at least don't get sexually excited by young girls?"
She felt somewhat regretful as soon as she said it. Perhaps she should not have spoken those words aloud and should instead have buried them in her heart, just as she had done so many times in the past.
Yet she also felt that turning back time over something so minor would be making a mountain out of a molehill.
--Hypocrite.
She felt disgusted—disgusted with herself.
So she shook her head, stuffed the girl into the bag, and left. She departed from the topmost tower.
Surtr had arrived without a sound, but she did not leave without a sound.
When she carried the opaque, completely stuffed woven bag down from the top floor of the main control tower, her appearance and form were exposed to the entire Talulah guard unit waiting there.
They saw her.
They saw the woven bag in her hand.
They saw even more clearly where she had come from.
And so they fell silent.
"You can leave." Surtr gazed at them, looking at each face hidden behind a mask and sensing the quietly accelerating flow of blood within each of them. She spoke loudly, stating a fact: "The Reunion Movement no longer exists. Talulah must pay the price for what she has done."
"She is the leader, so she has taken on all the responsibility. From now on, I will watch over her until she has atoned for the mistakes she committed."
The meaning of her words was perfectly clear. First, she already knew what Talulah had done. Second, she had no intention of taking Talulah's life. Finally, Talulah's plan had not failed. Her scheme had already influenced the direction and objectives of Surtr's actions.
The guards certainly understood what this meant. If Talulah had truly shared oaths and blood with them, as she had in the previous world line, then they should know exactly why they had waited there for a one-sided battle to the death with Surtr.
Obviously, Talulah would not lie about this.
Thus, the guards merely looked at her in silence, bowed toward the woven bag in her hand, then took off their masks one after another and tore away their Reunion Movement armbands. Revealing faces that were young, mature, or old, they left the main control tower and dispersed in all directions throughout Chernobog.
Surtr knew what they intended to do.
Before you continue