Before victory was achieved, sacrifice was worthwhile, because it was a necessary price—the ladder leading to success.
Yet after victory was clutched in one's hands, every sacrifice turned into pain, because the force supporting one's heart faded away along with the completion of the goal. All that resolve and strength would also collapse in the wind like a castle in the clouds.
She was afraid.
Or rather, she was afraid in hindsight.
One terrifying illusion after another appeared before her eyes: snowfields, ruins, rioting crowds, blood, and the familiar faces within her field of vision that were gradually turning gray and white.
She wanted to scream, but the stabbing pain in her lungs kept her breath from escaping. She stared wide-eyed into the darkness. Something massive and indescribably horrifying seemed to be lurking within the dimness of her vision.
She could no longer hear what Alina and Surtr had said afterward.
She did not know whether the two of them had parted on good terms or bad.
She only felt herself falling into a cold abyss, falling and falling, endlessly plunging deeper.
—Until a ray of light sliced through the boundless, empty darkness.
"What a sorry sight, Little Tal."
Alina undid the drawstring of the woven sack. The Dragon Girl that appeared before her eyes was curled up like a shrimp in a cold storage room. Her seemingly broad yet actually slender and frail shoulders trembled. As she followed the light, the Dragon Girl raised her head, her face already blurred with tears.
"A... Alina." The cotton cloth sealing the sack rolled to one side. The Dragon Girl's voice was both aggrieved and timid. The once-imposing tyrant of the Reunion Movement now looked like a wounded little beast caught in a trap. Unable and unwilling to resist, she could only let the Elafian huntress manipulate her as she pleased.
"Know what you did wrong?"
"Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo..."
"Al has already left. She has no intention of judging you. She said there is no law in this world capable of judging you, either. After all, Little Tal, you are both the heir to the Ursus dukedom and a descendant of Victoria's royal family. Even if you really blew up this city, your identity and bloodline would provide you with political protection and diplomatic immunity." Alina extended a finger and idly toyed with Talulah's hair. "Little Tal, you really are amazing. So many people died because of you, yet you don't need to pay any price for it."
"J-just stop making fun of me, Alina..."
"Call me Teacher."
Talulah's shoulders suddenly trembled. Then she hunched her neck and looked at Alina pitifully.
"Teacher Alina..." The Dragon Girl's voice was as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.
"Al said she won't judge you, either. After all, she was involved and needed to avoid any appearance of bias. So, before taking you back to Rhodes Island, she decided to let the people you hurt deal with you." Alina's fingertip slid down from Talulah's brow, tracing her smooth forehead, straight nose, and pale lips before lifting slightly at her chin.
Wherever her finger passed, a patch of crimson appeared.
"The Reunion Movement no longer exists, so you don't need to take responsibility for it. But as for Mr. Bodegard and Miss Yelena, whether you can earn their forgiveness depends on what you do. And as for me..." She tilted her head slightly and gazed at Talulah before her. Though she was a frail Elafia, the girl now radiated an oppressive force like the most vicious Lupo.
"An unruly child needs to be disciplined. Don't you agree, classmate Talulah~?" Her final syllable stretched out for a long time.
Talulah felt that she was probably going to die here.
She wanted to run and struggle, but her hands and feet were completely powerless, as if she had changed from a Drak to a Caster and was utterly incapable of resisting before a predator. All she could do was obediently accept her fate—and the outcome of being eaten clean.
—Perhaps the ropes really had been tied too tightly. Even though they were nothing more than strips of cloth that a child could easily break free from.
So she turned her head away. Her body tensed first, then relaxed. From the tip of her flushed nose came a weak, faint hum.
"Yes..."
Miss Surtr left Alina's room and the corridor outside it. As she left, she casually closed the two doors at the end of the corridor, just in case any strange noises came from inside.
After all, this was a clinic. It would be bad to disturb the others. Miss Surtr herself did not care, but frightening some Ursus flowers and plants would ultimately be a bad thing.
"I thought you would stay a while longer. Are you leaving already?"
A cool voice came from nearby. As expected, Yelena was quietly waiting beside the wall on the outer side of the corridor. She seemed to be in a good mood—or rather, she had been in a pretty good mood all day.
"No need." Miss Surtr waved her hand. "I've changed my mind. Since Persephone has already taken control of this city, that means she will obtain certain benefits here for Rhodes Island. Whatever those benefits may be, the passage of time is inevitable—I should stay in this city for a few more days. During that time, it would be better to leave the 'local specialty' in the care of someone suitable."
—She had selectively forgotten her bold declaration about locking Talulah in the basement to "educate" her. The tragedy of a herbivorous shut-in was laid bare here.
"Is that so?" Yelena clearly could not have known the thoughts of that good-for-nothing, but her steps became even lighter.
When she saw Miss Surtr heading out of the clinic, she naturally followed alongside her, just short of taking her arm.
She seemed a little hesitant.
"Actually, you could have stayed in the room a little longer. Can't you tell? The two of them actually feel..."
"Respect, right? I know. After all, I taught them quite a few things and offered them some help in the past. I can still tell that much. That's why I left, to give them some time alone so they wouldn't feel constrained."
"..."
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I was just a little curious. Can rocks actually talk?"
"Some Originium Arts can indeed accomplish that. Why did you suddenly think of that..." Surtr showed a puzzled expression, then quickly realized. "Oh, I remember now. I recall there was an officer in the Reunion Movement named Mudrock, right? She seemed to use that kind of Originium Arts... I remember she was a Sarkaz, too, and quite pretty—mmph?"
Yelena stepped on her foot.
So she instinctively steadied Yelena.
"Be careful when walking. Your organs only recently regenerated. Your balance system may still be affected."
Yelena: "..."
Surtr felt confused.
She felt that Yelena was looking at her as if she were some kind of inorganic substance. But it did not seem like indifference or contempt. Instead, her gaze was filled with some emotion that Surtr could not understand at all—she felt that she might need to ask about it. However, by then, the two of them had already reached the clinic entrance.
She saw a convoy parked on the street outside. Several drones circled around it. Everyone getting out of the vehicles wore uniforms, with Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals' insignia on their shoulders—ah, right. The Azazel Clinic and Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals were partners. The two organizations had already established extensive connections during the Chernobog incident.
And since Rhodes Island's convoy had arrived here...
"Surtr!" She saw a short Caster girl jump down from the convoy. When she saw Surtr, a genuine smile spread across her face. She ran toward her while waving cheerfully.
Ah... it was Amiya. She had arrived, too.
Surtr smiled in response, opened her arms, and waited to receive the impact of Little Rabbit and the hug that would follow.
She did not notice that Yelena and Amiya's gazes had been colliding in midair the entire time.
It took me more than half an hour to revise the euphemized wording... I deleted some content _(:з"∠)_
The Trident River Campaign is a Game of Thrones reference. The Baratheons, symbolized by stags, defeated the Targaryens, symbolized by dragons, here. Put simply, it was a stag taking down a dragon.()
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