Глава 8

Phew.

...Dragon lady, I can't believe you didn't destroy the key.

Hey, you playing dumb?

——She didn't want to.

Kashchey must have tried every possibility at tempting her into destroying that key, but he couldn't.

Because... There must have been that little bit of conscience that he couldn't shake or erase with his Arts.

Or maybe she never considered it. Even if she thought to destroy everyone in a fit of rage, I don't think she would've ever gone through with it.

At the very least, she wanted the Infected to be able to go on living.

...Stand up.

Come on. You've disappointed everyone enough already. Stand up, Talulah!

Stand up, Talulah!

What is this? Didn't you say it yourself? That you understood best whether you were being genuine or not, whether your words were coming from your heart or if you were just borrowing someone else's mouth.

You said this corrupt world was your enemy. Do you understand what that means, Talulah?

No, you should know better than me!

For the Infected——No, to break down the high wall that separates the Infected and non-Infected, to put an end to the ugly murders and wicked slavery.

You who have fought alongside the Infected for so many years would have to know better than me!

You know we can't win against the world.

You don't have a ghost of a chance... They will oppress you, slander you, drown you, abandon you, deceive you!

As long as you dare to stand out, they will drag you into the filthiest places and use the foulest methods to deal with you!

You will be knocked down if you make even a single mistake, yet your enemies are endless. You choose to move forward, to oppose them, to devote your life, but your enemies are immortal.

There's only one possible ending. You will be knocked down, you will be destroyed, even if you took just a single misstep!

A single misstep would become an excuse for them to hurt you... a perfectly justifiable one.

They would pounce onto you like beasts on the scent of blood, tearing at your flesh, ripping at your tongue and eyes as they howl insults at your dignity!

But no one is perfect. You will be knocked down. You will fall to the ground.

...Even so, you cannot. You understand better than me that you cannot fall, Talulah...!

Even if they are all staring at you! Even if they are all aiming at your weak points, even if they are planning to tear away your facade.

Even if they want to drag you out to laugh and mock at, to insult you and call you an overambitious, immature fool...

You cannot fall.

...We've grown completely unrecognizable to each other in the time we spent living in different cities. The past will not return.

We both have our own undertakings.

Right now, mine is still incomplete... so is yours.

The road is still long.

Because we still have things we need to do. It will be so, until the day we are done.

You should understand better than me.

Talulah, your road is just as long.

Wow, that was cool.

(Glares at W.)

Hm? Eh? Fine...

The officer stops speaking.

Because the warrior is moving. Slowly, she stands up.

When did your claws get so sharp?

Alina should've been here to see this.

You're finally willing to talk.

——Before that, I need to arrest you.

Who will be judging me?

For now, no one. Ursus and Lungmen... do not have the authority to judge you.

I am not yet so pitiful that I would need my sister's protection as I struggle in shame.

That's not it, Talulah. Right now, there isn't a place in the world just and capable enough to judge you.

There isn't even a place capable of judging the Infected.

Is that your ideal?

...To build a place just good enough to judge everyone, no matter who they are, where they are from or whether or not they are Infected?

That's not an ideal. That's my job.

Long time no see.

Long time no see, sister.

Looks like I saved you.

I won't just give up without a fight. Even now.

I don't dare to die yet.

You can... make amends.

Nothing I can do will make up for it. In the course of a single winter, I've destroyed countless people. I am in no position to make amends.

It's just... I can't die yet.

I can't do that. It's all over if I die. If I die, that means they've won. That means the names that only I remember will die along with me.

You will continue living?

Perhaps I don't deserve to. However, I don't deserve to die here either. I don't deserve such an easy death.

——The world will never again be as it was. What's happened has happened. What hasn't happened yet will continue to happen. The falling rain will wet the earth, but the dead will not return.

...I will continue living. I will live until I have the right to die for them.

When we were young, we once played a game. Face, 3 points. Chest, 5 points. Waist, 2 points.

I don't know why Wei Yenwu taught us that game. I think it's useful, though.

It's because I was bullied by the other kids in school.

You were protecting Beatrix. So you got beaten up badly.

You weren't the one who did it.

I can subdue you in two moves now.

...Just try it. You've become very competitive.

Put the sword down. You look silly holding it.

Let's all do that, then. By the way, are you using that Chi Xiao to fulfill your dream of being an adventurer?

'Good food, great wine and amazing scenery; Pretty women, good manners and great company.' Isn't it like those weird novels you used to read?

Hey! Shut up...!

Don't tell me you're still into those?

...I'll beat you so bad you won't be able to spill anymore.

Hmph.

Anyway, thank you.

Thank her, not me.

You should be thanking that brave little rabbit and all the Infected who fought alongside her.

She was the one who braved your fire and flames to get all the way here. Amiya is the one who really saved you.

Before that... Let's settle things between us.

There are barely any left.

No, Talulah. The future stretches far ahead.

Ah, they...

It's okay, little bunny. Everybody has a past that needs to be shattered.

Miss W, I have to ask... Why do you know the brake command for the core city?

A girl has her ways, yeah? I'm gonna pass on answering that one. You'd probably kill me.

But since you trusted me just now, maybe I can make an exception... If you promise not to get mad.

You're talking about Misha.

No, it was Alex. Skullshatterer. Yeah.

His father told him about it before he died. He wasn't a dumb man. He knew pretty much what Reunion was planning to do.

But he couldn't do anything about it. Just like how he couldn't stop Ursus from killing his friends, and how he couldn't keep his kids alive. Hah.

At the time, none of us got it. I really only figured it out just now... That liar Kashchey really had us all fooled.

Me, old man Patriot, FrostNova, Faust, Mephisto, Skullshatterer, Crownslayer, all of us were fooled.

Misha didn't need to die. I got her killed back there to keep Chernobog in place. Then when I couldn't stop Chernobog, I really regretted that one.

I thought my dumb bullshit was gonna get everyone killed. Thankfully that dragon lady still had a little bit of conscience left in her.

I screwed up. Right, I won't ask for forgiveness or anything. At the time, I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. If everyone used common sense, the world would've died a long time ago.