Глава 8

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.