Глава 8

Thank you for your cooperation, Infected.

Nnf... nnf...!

Talulah...

Talulah! Come back! Don't!

Is that... fire?

What?! Why is the house on—

Talulah! Did you—

Don't! Talulah! They'll destroy the whole village!

Nggaaaaah!

Aahh... aaaaaahh!

Talulah...! You... ngh...!

Is that fire your doing!? You're the one who set them alight... guh!

Alina, I'm sorry. This will surely mean even worse to come for the village. But I just couldn't stand it.

I just couldn't stand this sort of...

...Alina?

Facing her, Talulah was taken aback. Alina met her gaze with an expression she'd never seen her wear before.

There's a fire in your eyes.

I knew from the moment you came to this village, you'd never be willing just to stay here.

You came from somewhere. Where you came from, you'll go back to. This village can't hold you.

I won't go back. Don't look at me like that...

But within your eyes, truly, there's a fire.

You wanted to set something alight, burn it away, you thought none of this was how it should be, you bore it until you could bear it no more...

It shouldn't have been now, Talulah. Not now.

The villagers are innocent. Your one flare of anger only served to hurt them.

What happened—oh, God! What the hell is going on?! Who!? Who did this!?

Talulah! Talulah! Run, now, run! And don't look back! Don't ever come back!

Blessings, your Majesty, bless this girl like my daughter, bless her to live on, bless her so she can live on!

Talulah, we need to go!

No... those hideous patrolmen!

We're Infected, but none of the villagers are!

...What did you say?

I'm Infected too, Talulah. I'm Infected too.

*Pant*, *pant*... This is... where we'd planned to move. We had everything ready... but...

They... The old man was...

We can't let them do this again... we can't let them...

He saved you, saved me, saved the whole village.

You threw... his whole plan into disarray.

What do you even mean? The villagers were the ones who—

...Wait. You mean the one who turned him in... was...

It was his idea. That way, the Patrol wouldn't come again, and hopefully, that would've been that.

No matter how much strength you have, you can't resist the Patrol Unit.

I can.

And then? What if the Gendarmerie came? What if the city's garrisons and all the nobles' soldiers came?

We just don't have the firepower. Once we've accumulated enough strength...

Because it's not right. It's not right! We can't just look on like this!

All these wicked things right before our eyes, but we turn away, just to save ourselves?! That's not right!

...That's selfish. Heartless, even.

If righteousness can only be upheld by greater and greater violence, how can it even be considered righteous?

I can't answer these questions of yours, Talulah. You've studied more than I have, that I know.

But someone died today in the village. And no more ought to die.

You're so clever. You can understand that.

Now, go, Talulah!

...I'll be back.

Tell yourself that, Talulah. Tell yourself that.

Hui-chieh:

If memory serves me correctly, and I don't trust it to, the old man's name was Ivan Iziaslav.

A very common name. And he was the sort of peasant farmer you could find anywhere.

But he sacrificed himself. For a whole mess of reasons, he gave his own life...

I think about it every now and then. Am I truly worth people sacrificing their lives?

Alina went with me. She was gentle most other times, but would suddenly just come out with venomous tongue-lashings. That made me uncomfortable, to say the least.

The plan was proceeding smoothly.

In accordance with my own ideas, rapidly, the Infected of this place would surely unite as one.

I hoped it would be effective.

And I hoped it would be enough for the old man to rest peacefully. Aside from the old lady, no-one else had been closer family to me.

February 7th

Third year without the Black Snake

Sir, I'm...

Whatcha here for? Don't like the look of your clothes. Some old vet, are you?

Get lost! There's nothing even left here. You lot stole it, all of it! And what you couldn't steal, you burned!

Bastards! You came to kill me? Kill me, then! Goddamned demons!

No, sir, I'm here to tell you that the Infected Patrol Unit is sweeping this area today.

Then let 'em sweep! Let 'em kill us all, why don't you!

We built our pathetic, unlivable village all the way out here, and they still come for us! What else can we do but let 'em!?

Sir. You can hide yourselves, and I'll talk to them. Or I can conceal myself...

And who're you? I always said, you military noble bunch, no matter what you pretend! You're all just out for our lives—

Hah, you're not quite their sort. You actually talk with us! And they think we're barely even worth whipping!

Huh? Hello?

Gone...?

What kind of stunt is this? Oh... damn us all...

Damn us all. What a pathetic ending.

It's no bad thing to know your own damnation.

Ah... Mr. Patrolman...

...Destitute and lousy. Bad physique. You wouldn't be much use even if we sent you to the mines.

How do you want to die, then? Painlessly? Slowly?

...Mr. Patrolman! Look at me... what harm would leaving me alive do you?

You say that with a weapon in your hand?

...Sorry, Mr. Patrolman! This was for whoever that was just a minute ago! I don't know where she's gone now, but...

Even burdenbeasts are worth more than you Infected. They can at least move goods. Your existence is a waste of His Majesty's land!

Why is that?

Where did you come from?

From far, far east.

What the hell are you...? You, are you Infected too?

I am.

I can think. I can speak.

We Infected live and die. Why should you decide when and how?

What is this bullshit?!

If you could let us die peacefully on our own terms, we'd hardly even be upset about it...

But, my Infected brother, look up at him! Look at his face, his grin, his laugh!

They want to decide our fates. Control us. Perhaps our lives aren't worth much, but do you think you'd be worth a single gold coin?

You!