How Come You... (Continued)

Mentioning Kal'tsit caused the Doctor's reaction to become noticeably more complicated.

Looking at the campfire in front of her, the smile on her face turned complicated and bitter.

"She accepts this world, she accepts its civilization... She hopes I can also help support Theresa."

"... Is it hard for you to accept?"

Maria inquired.

But the Doctor firmly shook his head.

"I also thought I would have a hard time accepting it, but in reality, I'm much more accepting than I imagined."

"The people in this world aren't that different from the world I was in. Everyone laughs, everyone cries, everyone has the concept of love and family, everyone has children and friends... In my eyes, they are no different from us."

"And... I'm actually quite happy... happy that Kal'tsit has found something she wants to do, instead of just carrying out missions as we asked her to before."

"Only..."

The Doctor's words ended abruptly there.

Because Maria next to her had already turned her head away.

After a while, the Doctor also heard it... faint footsteps were coming from the bushes not far from the two of them...

"A beast?"

The Doctor frowned, his gaze becoming somewhat wary.

"... No, it's a person."

Maria shook her head slightly and slowly stood up.

She didn't take any weapons; she simply walked quietly towards the bushes.

Her near-superhuman vision allowed her to easily see through the figure in the grass.

It was a group of teenagers, led by a young man, cautiously watching this side.

They might have thought they were disguising themselves well, but Maria was watching their bodies clearly in the darkness.

Thin, shriveled... the curves that often appear on the skin are almost like the shape of bones.

Although Theresa has tried her best to make Kazdel a better place, even after all these years, disease and famine have not left Kazdel.

These people, who fled from their hometowns, have become part of Kazdel culture over the long course of history.

This made Maria silent for a moment, then she quietly turned her head away.

"What's wrong?"

The Doctor looked somewhat nervous.

But Maria simply reached out, grabbed the other person by the collar, lifted him up like a cat, and put him back in the car.

"Nothing."

After saying that, she got into the car, but didn't pick up the roasted meat by the campfire. She just glanced outside and then silently drew the curtains...

The sound of rustling footsteps soon approached, tinged with a hint of wariness.

The two didn't have to wait long; Maria quickly opened the car window again.

Everything outside was the same as always, except that the food had completely disappeared.

After confirming that there was no more breathing around her, Maria slowly stepped off the train.

The Doctor beside him nodded thoughtfully.

"Even this little thing is the same...?"

"..."

"So, why did you come out?"

Maria glanced at the Doctor, shook her head slightly, and then asked a question with a puzzled expression.

She reached out, picked up some more pieces of meat, skewered them, and placed them over the fire to roast.

"Because they didn't know what to do."

The Doctor smiled, but his expression was somewhat annoyed.

"Now that Priestess has come out and made his own judgments in this world, I think that by following the same path, I might also gain some insights."

No one present was stupid. After confirming that Maria wasn't lying, she clearly understood that Priestess' departure meant they were preparing to continue the Originium Project.

Logically, as a fellow countrywoman, the Doctor should fully support Priestess, but after recovering her health during this period, she also began to hesitate.

"I spoke with a child named Theresa... She told me that war has never stopped in this world, and everyone is just trying to survive..."

"It was around that time that I realized that the people in this world are no different from us. What we have to face is a monster that is like a natural Catastrophes, while what they have to face is a monster that we left behind in order to deal with the Catastrophes. We are the same kind of people, the same... well, okay, actually there are some differences too."

The Doctor looked at the top of Maria's head, then at the back of his head.

"We have no horns or tails..."

She laughed and told a joke that wasn't very funny.

"..."

Maria did not respond, and after a while, the Doctor also gradually fell silent.

The night passed slowly in this tranquility...

The two of them remained quiet for a few more days.

However, this journey was different from the one Maria had taken with Priestess before.

Perhaps because winter is approaching, there are hardly any exiles to be seen, even on the main roads.

The road was the same as before, but to Maria's surprise, the narrow path, which used to be passable by a car lane, was now full of potholes and loose gravel.

"Can we get through?"

"It's possible, but the wheel rim might also be damaged by gravel..."

Maria blinked.

"I remember there's a carpenters' village not far away... Last time I came out with Priestess, we just passed through and didn't stay long. Maybe we can go check it out this time..."

"Um... okay,"

After hesitating for a moment, the Doctor finally agreed.

Maria, standing nearby, did not hesitate. With a simple whistle, she urged the pack animals to continue moving forward.

The uneven stones could cause the vehicle to shake at any moment, but Maria remained steady, able to quickly adjust her center of gravity.

The Doctor, on the other hand, would occasionally take flight.

He bumped into the car door next to him, then hit the floor, and then bumped into Maria.

This made the Doctor blush slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Maria glanced at him a few times, then shook her head slightly and hooked her arm around his waist.

"Huh?"

The Doctor was somewhat stunned.

But Maria shook her head slightly.

Don't worry about it.

"Hmm... okay."

After hesitating for a while, the Doctor's face flushed slightly, but he still nodded.

Soon, the two of them passed through the gravel area, but as Maria had predicted, the wheels of their car were damaged to some extent.

But if it's just for a short period of time, it's not a problem.

After giving them directions, they arrived at the so-called Carpenter Village.

After parking the pack animal wagon at the village entrance, Maria and the Doctor walked inside.

What puzzled Maria was that when she arrived here a few months ago, this place was a thriving village.

But now...

"There doesn't seem to be anyone around?"

The Doctor followed Maria, his expression somewhat subtle.

Maria, however, scanned her surroundings, trying to figure out what was going on.

But soon, an old man with a sallow complexion noticed Maria.

Their eyes widened slightly, and their previously sorrowful eyes finally regained some color.

They approached Maria tremblingly, and knelt down with mournful cries.

"Are you... Banshees?"

"Um?"

The Doctor was taken aback, not yet understanding what this meant, but Maria, after thinking for a few moments, looked at her clothes.

These were the clothes that Lamaline had specifically given her before she left... Although her hunting clothes wouldn't get dirty, ordinary clothes might have hindered her movements.

But Maria would still wear it once or twice occasionally, as requested.

And today, she happens to be dressed as Banshees.

"I beg you, please help us bid farewell to our compatriots..."

The old man seemed to have fallen into despair, his voice trembling with sobs. At this moment, he only hoped that the mysterious Banshees could bring them peace.

For this reason, they even knelt on the ground and prayed to Maria.

The Doctor next to him realized that this was a rather solemn matter, and he pursed his lips, his expression becoming serious.

"... Um."

Maria blinked, and did not refuse.

"Thank you! Thank you..."

With Maria's nod, the two old people finally seemed to regain their spirits.

They nodded quickly, then led Maria and the others to the center of the village.

And here, Maria finally saw where those missing people were...

A vast crowd of hundreds surrounded them, and in the center was a cluster of gathered tree branches.

Beside it, in order, were stacks of framed branches.

The Doctor turned his head curiously and looked over, then his face turned deathly pale.

"It's a dead person..."

She whispered to Maria beside her.

After a moment of silence, Maria nodded slightly.

In fact, once the other party called out the name of the Banshees, Maria realized what had happened.

What she didn't expect was that the death toll would be so high.

At a glance, there are at least several dozen people.

Keep in mind, this is just a small town with a few hundred people, and yet so many people died at once...

It's truly unimaginable.

However, Maria did not rush to ask what had happened. After a moment of silence, she stepped forward.

As the leading figure, a tall, elderly man resembling a village chief, nodded, Maria began to sing...

"Aaaaa--"

An ancient melody welled up from Maria's throat, carrying a hint of lament, gradually enveloping everyone like a mist, tearing away the pain that had been suppressed within.