Section Thirty-Two · Alina, Terrifying!

She placed a little extra emphasis on the word "heavy."

The woven sack gave an almost imperceptible wobble, as if expressing some kind of dissatisfaction.

Miss Surtr sniffed. She found it strange. She clearly hadn't used her abilities, yet the air seemed to be filled with something resembling the smell of gunpowder—no, gunpowder and Sulfur were different. In that case, perhaps some nearby fire had brought over a foul gust of wind?

Ah, that was it. Yelena was so cold that there had to be wind around her—but she didn't seem cold now.

She didn't understand. She couldn't make sense of it.

But manners still mattered.

"No need. I think I'm still a little stronger than you, considering you're a caster," Surtr replied.

"Then let me show you a place. It's safe, and it's perfect for storing things." Yelena's eyes shifted, and no one knew what little trick she was plotting. She gestured for Surtr to follow, then began speaking as they walked.

"You injured Old Stubborn very badly."

"Is this an accusation?"

"No, it's thanks." Yelena shook her head. She reached out and caught an Ursus old man who nearly fell in the street. Surtr, meanwhile, hurried forward and moved aside a fallen traffic light that had become a roadblock.

"You saved his life. He wouldn't have lived much longer, and he might not even have made it through the next winter. Yet now his body is recovering. He's still very weak because of the missing flesh, but his voice is already full of vigor."

"Then should I say congratulations?"

Several drones flew over, broadcasting Persephone's soothing voice as they guided a refugee group of more than a hundred people in an orderly retreat toward a nearby shelter. An Ursus military policeman maintained order with the drones' assistance, while beside him, a red-eyed Ursus girl busily hurried around in a clumsy fashion.

Surtr knew that girl. What was her name again? Absinthe? She seemed to be an Operator given out during some event. But it looked like she probably wouldn't be seen on Rhodes Island in the future.

But that was a good thing.

"Thanks to you." Yelena nodded. The Yan-style pleasantry always sounded a little awkward coming from her. She and Surtr stood at the intersection, waiting for the group ahead to pass, then continued forward. "Quite a few of Old Stubborn's subordinates know Chernobog very well. After seeing his injuries, they unanimously decided to take him to a famous clinic here to recuperate. Some of them were concerned about the Catastrophe here, but more of them felt that the worse the Catastrophe was, the less they could simply leave."

"We bear responsibility for the people of this city, even if I'm no longer Frostnova, and no longer part of the Reunion Movement."

Persephone's voice drifted over again, this time from several pieces of construction machinery. Under the drones' remote control, they cleared a temporary passage. A group of Terra residents, newly outfitted in Ursus military-police uniforms but perhaps still members of the Reunion Movement ten minutes ago, shouted slogans as they headed toward various destinations under the guidance of the drones and broadcasts. Quite a few paused when they saw Yelena, seemingly preparing to salute, but Yelena waved for them to continue.

"But I think Frostnova is a pretty nice codename. Perhaps you'll still be able to use it on Rhodes Island."

"Do you like it? Then I'll remain Frostnova from now on." The white rabbit subconsciously gathered her hair, then realized that the conversation seemed to have taken a strange turn. She turned her head away from Surtr but continued speaking. "They found the clinic. Azazel—the name of a Sarkaz. Guess what Old Stubborn encountered there?"

"An old acquaintance?"

"You guessed right." Yelena smiled, her expression slightly mischievous. "And he was Old Stubborn's former superior, too. The old man even planned to climb off the stretcher and salute him."

Miss Surtr clicked her tongue softly, but she felt somewhat relieved inside. Patriot and Hegre meeting in a non-hostile state could be considered the resolution of one of her regrets from her previous life, when she had played Arknights in that other world.

"I arrived just then." The two walked on for a while longer. A few minutes later, Yelena waved across the street, and several Guerrilla Squad shield guards waved back. They then joined the effort to maintain order and evacuate people. Persephone's drones were nearly everywhere, and the Guerrilla Squad shield guards, who had always believed in strict laws and harsh punishments, seemed to be following her rules as well.

This city had already fallen under Persephone's control.

Not through violence, but through words and the order those words brought.

Her voice filled the broadcasts everywhere. She had prerecorded suitable speeches for traffic congestion, conflicts, rioters, emotional breakdowns, and various other situations, while controlling the drones to conduct multithreaded surveillance of the city. Wherever there was chaos, her will was there. Her voice had also been specially adjusted. Through sound waves of specific frequencies, it could induce the glands in humanoid brains to release hormones with a calming effect.

Surtr found it difficult to say how Persephone differed from an artificial intelligence. Perhaps the only gap was computing power? Yet after connecting with PRTS, even that gap would be made up for.

A genuine monster. Her talent could even crush the staff of an entire empire.

Of course, that wasn't important. If this woman caused trouble, then the matter could be settled with a single sword strike. Miss Surtr's thoughts lasted only an instant and didn't affect Yelena's story in the slightest.

"Old Stubborn was quite happy. He even introduced me to General Hegre's daughter. Miss Nain, a... rather energetic girl." Yelena carefully considered her choice of words. "She's as reckless as Talulah used to be. Like a little piglet that hasn't been fed enough."

It moved! The woven sack had moved again!

If Surtr hadn't tied it so tightly, its contents might have leaped out the next moment and shown the white rabbit through firsthand experience exactly what recklessness meant.

Yelena, however, pretended not to see it.

"But I didn't stay there long. Miss Nain was rather busy, too. I only met her briefly before hurrying over toward the control tower. As it happened, I ran into you beneath the tower."

She stopped.

The entrance to the Azazel clinic appeared before them. Infected and ordinary patients mingled together, heading to various areas for triage and treatment under the guidance of drones and shield guards. A shelter was also operating nearby, so the former Reunion Movement members had taken on the task of settling the refugees.

Of course, that wasn't important. What mattered was the figure standing at the clinic entrance. An Elafia familiar to both people present.

Miss Surtr understood why Yelena had insisted on leading her here. That white rabbit clearly enjoyed watching a spectacle. Or perhaps it was precisely because the greatest problem had been eliminated that she had the leisure to arrange such a show here?

The girl looked at the woven sack with a hint of pity. You're on your own, Miss Talulah. If you survive until tomorrow, I'll remember to bring you a gift.

Frostnova tilted her head toward her.

"It's a good place to store 'local specialties,' isn't it? And there's an exceptionally suitable keeper here, too."

The next moment, she gave someone no chance to escape or catch their breath. She swung her arm and shouted at the top of her voice.

"Over here! Teacher Alina! Look who I brought!"

The woven sack in Miss Surtr's hand fell silent.

It didn't move at all, as though it contained a dead pig.

Section Thirty-Two · Alina, Terrifying!

Alina.

The Elafia.

Little Deer.

The thing Miss Surtr was most satisfied with was that three years ago, she had successfully reached that grove through the freezing snowstorm, found the path, discovered the group of infected thugs, and rescued Little Deer just before the blade was about to fall on her.

The cleaver that should have severed Alina's arm landed on her shoulder, yet didn't even leave a white mark. After that, Laevateinn was unleashed, turning everything within a hundred-meter radius except her and her protector into shattered ashes and Remnant Fire.

She had saved Alina.

When the tear-streaked Talulah arrived, gasping for breath, the slightly overfrightened Little Deer was quietly curled up in her arms. At that time, she had even been in the mood to mock the Drac's weakness. The lively Elafia wasn't heavy to her at all.

Thus, that day, she gained Talulah's friendship and gratitude. On the same day, she visited the infected refugee camp that had yet to become the Reunion Movement under the identity of the wandering mercenary Fire Giant King. She stayed there for quite some time, teaching Talulah swordsmanship, helping Yelena refine her Originium Arts, assisting at the camp, and witnessing Alina formally join them. Once all the preparations that could put her at ease were complete, she executed the approaching Emperor's Blades and used the divine incinerating flames born from Laevateinn to bring an end to the Black Serpent's fate.

She had succeeded.

She had thought that the Reunion Movement's tragic future would be completely erased. Talulah's close friend, Alina, who could stand against the Black Serpent ideologically, was unharmed and protected. That was why she had left satisfied at the time, journeying across the land to search ancient ruins for equipment and medicine capable of curing Originium Infection. After that came battle after battle, slaughter after slaughter. When she finally achieved some results and returned to the civilized world, the returning flow of fate revealed her mistake.

I thought everything I did was meaningless. In the end, fate still flowed back to where it began whenever I wasn't looking.