Because I Am Surtr

I banished Alina, I used Ino and Sasha as weapons, I alienated Yelena, betrayed Bodegard, misled Ludmila, and exploited Alex… I personally took action to blacken the white paper and push away the good people, all for the sake of making the downfall of Reunion Movement attract her attention, so that she would destroy me in full view of everyone… She will give me a chance, and thus I will have the opportunity to shake her. Even if it's just to open a crack, at least, she needs to realize how much influence and power she has in this world.

The evils already committed cannot be erased.

Even if Surtr arrived earlier than she expected, arriving here long before the later stages she had originally anticipated, such as the annihilation of Kazimierz City, the collision with Lungmen, and the instigation of war between Ursus and Yan. The evil deeds she had committed, the sins she had indulged Reunion Movement in, would not disappear. That would become retribution, and this retribution was about to respond to her as she had envisioned.

However, compared to this retribution that she had already decided to bear. Another matter brought her even greater trauma. No matter how righteous her purpose was, no matter how noble the reasons she sought. Her actions were essentially betrayal—betrayal of friends, betrayal of family, betrayal of those who trusted her, betrayal of…

The Flame-haired figure flashed in her eyes. She seemed to return to the winter three years ago, that war, that separation, the despair brought by that piece of devastating news, and the scorching heat and sulfur that descended from the sky like the light of dawn.

It was a heterogeneous flame.

And that flame easily dragged the helpless self out of the darkness and burned away the snake shadows in the darkness and the despair brought by the tragic reality, as if igniting a pile of scrap paper.

The darkness receded.

Then, she who had accepted guidance was abandoned in the light.

—I… admire that figure.

—But I still schemed against her, forced her, just as I betrayed Alina, Yelena, and Bodegard. I betrayed her too.

—I deserve to die.

The young girl's thoughts tormented her. Even with her resolve made, shame and self-reproach still tore at her heart and liver—tearing them apart, crushing them, pouring them into boiling molten iron and stirring, then hammering them with a great hammer until every beautiful fantasy turned to dust, until every thread of sorrow turned into meaningless noise.

"Surtr…" The Dragon Girl whispered. "If only I could…"

She stopped, as if sensing something. Because at that moment, a wind suddenly rose behind her.

A gust of wind punching the back of her neck.

And she didn't have time to react.

Section 30: People Cannot, or At Least Should Not…

It turned out that the skulls of Draconic and Homo sapiens did not have absolute differences. Their sturdy parts, weak parts, and the distribution of their contents were roughly the same. Striking the brainstem at the back of a Homo sapiens' neck would cause their motor neurons to lose control, leading to unconsciousness, and this method was equally applicable to Draconic.

Of course, using the back-of-the-neck strike on a Homo sapiens was not wise. Because compared to knocking them out, the chance of breaking their spine or even killing them on the spot was much higher. However, for Draconic, who were not rough-skinned or thick-fleshed but quite resilient, the above situations naturally did not need to be considered. The result was that Talulah, whose back of the neck was struck, fell to the ground with a 'thump' like a broken sack.

However, she didn't actually fall, because Miss Surtr reached out and caught her before her body hit the ground. The soft body of the young girl gave her a very comfortable feel.

—Good, my Lsp Heart is back.

Miss Surtr silently breathed a sigh of relief. She thought her mental anxiety would last a little longer. She didn't expect that the scent and touch of a girl, so fragrant and soft, would be so effective in healing her. Her previously somewhat low mood now became light and unrestrained.

—Perhaps I'm just lacking love.

—Perhaps there's no need for 'perhaps'.

She pouted and opened the woven bag. She took out the rope and bandages she had placed inside and began to tie them around Talulah. Honestly, it wasn't really necessary, but since the woven bag was prepared, it would feel somewhat lacking in ritual if the contents weren't properly bound.

Ritual.

Ritual is a necessary condiment for a happy life.

She felt the young girl's heartbeat change unconsciously. As she worked on binding her, some muscles also tensed slightly.

Well, it seems that Draconic's recovery ability is indeed much stronger than Homo sapiens. But so what? She would add another binding when she woke up. And she probably knew this herself.

The Flame-haired Sarkaz let out a soft breath, tying a knot on the girl's chest, and muttered to herself.

"I know your plan, but I don't think this plan needs to be executed to that extent."

"Since you forced me to come, then I've come. But as the price for you dictating my behavior, I will keep you by my side and discipline you properly at Rhodes Island."

"Consider it bringing back a local specialty."

Thus, the tension in the Draconic's muscles silently softened. Obviously, talking to oneself sometimes had quite an effect. What was slightly puzzling to Miss Surtr was that after the skin of the young girl in her arms softened, it silently took on a blush, and her heart rate, instead of slowing down, became even more rapid.

Strange, is the binding too tight?

The somewhat brainless fellow glanced at the girl in her arms curiously. She didn't think this was some kind of romantic development—how could an idealistic warrior like Talulah blush and have her heart race from simple physical contact? Was she still going to fight? Would she leave such a flaw during a life-or-death struggle? This was clearly impossible.

So she extended a finger and gently poked the unconscious Dragon Girl's pretty face—it felt soft and warm. Her gaze moved down, past the girl's smooth neck, her figure that was particularly prominent due to the binding, her slender waist, long legs, and boots. And she felt her own heart stir slightly.

"How interesting, I'm actually fond of noble women who are bound and powerless to resist?"

"How insecure must I be internally? Perhaps I should be glad that I at least don't have desires for young girls?"

As she said this, she felt a pang of regret, perhaps this sentence should have been buried in her heart rather than spoken aloud. Just like so many times in the past.

However, she also felt that it was making a fuss over nothing to go back in time for such a small matter.

—Hypocritical.

She felt a little disgusted, disgusted with herself.

So she shook her head, bagged it, and left. Leaving the topmost tower.

Surtr came silently, but she did not leave silently.

When she descended from the top floor of the main control tower carrying the opaque, fully packed woven bag, her form and appearance were exposed to all of Talulah's guards waiting there.

They saw her.

They saw the woven bag in her hand.

They could see more clearly where she came from.

So they fell silent.

"You may go," Surtr said, looking at them, at each face hidden behind a mask, feeling the quiet quickening of their heartbeats. She spoke aloud, stating a fact: "The Reunion Movement no longer exists, and Talulah deserves to pay for her actions."

"She was the leader, so she took all the responsibility. I will watch over her in the time to come until she atones for her mistakes."

The meaning of her words was clear—first, she knew what Talulah had done. Second, she did not intend to take Talulah's life. Third, Talulah's plan had not failed; her schemes had already influenced Surtr's course of action and objectives.

The guards must have understood what this meant—if Talulah had truly shared their oath and blood, as stated in the previous timeline, then they should know why they were waiting here for a one-sided death match with Surtr.

It was obvious that Talulah would not lie about this.

So the guards merely looked at her in silence, bowed to the woven bag in her hand. Then they removed their masks one by one, tore off their Reunion Movement armbands, revealing faces young, mature, and old. They left the main control tower and retreated in all directions of Chernobog.

Surtr knew what they intended to do.