Глава 13

I can smell an unimaginable fury in your flames.

Do you not crave it? How can that be?!

...Fury?

Do you still wish to continue playing house with the Infected? How are you this narrow-minded!

Infected? This status does not merit mention. You can step over it, disregard it, save it.

I give you a chance now, Talulah.

I can disregard your Infected status, and even this pitiful mutual aid program you control.

Your flames move me, Talulah. Stand with me, and I pledge that everything you desire shall be realized into reality.

Come to my side, submit to me, and Tara shall stand together with you.

Our careers hold no conflict with each other at all. Both you and this Infected movement of yours need an end more powerful and prosperous than this.

Are you finished speaking?

You—

Draco.

Your eyes have only desire in them.

A desire to free Tara, exact revenge on Victoria, fulfil your own desires, or perhaps...

You have yet to even grasp what exactly lies in the depths of your desires.

Fury... It's true, and I won't deny it.

And that's why...

Come any closer, and my flames will consume you whole.

Fire.

Fury.

A calm fury.

It burns at the extremities of her death.

I'm not interested in the Draco's lineage, power or the country.

You...

Do you lead the Tarans' resistance with such a narrow-sighted desire and ideals?

If so, then perhaps it's better if I just cut you down, here and now.

Truly a pity.

Uninterested in lineage, power, nor country.

Our history summarized. An imaginary crown, an instigated resistance. Well said.

Perhaps I don't know what's going on? Or could it be... do you think I'm indulging myself with my actions?

You shall be my most powerful vassal, though my other subjects are eager for me to kill any other living Draco to uphold my 'legitimacy'.

But they don't know why exactly I wish to establish a nation.

And you know it yourself?

Of course.

And my sister will do it in my stead.

Don't leave your affairs for your family to do, Draco.

You're the one ruining the lives of others with utter disregard.

Death is only my prisoner.

No death is taken for granted, or without meaning.

All with power will die worthy deaths.

Is that up for you to decide?

Haven't you realized yet that your manners, gentleness, affection, and even your arrogance and scorn are all fake?

You're just a hypocritical tyrant despite your bombastic words.

Death is just a scepter for you to brandish your authority, and you're not the first tyrant I've met either.

Stay away from Reunion.

What an extremely dull answer.

But your answer will change in the end, so it'd be a pity for you to die here.

'Reunion'. Indeed, those flowers death could not burn earlier are equally deserving of affection.

So, what if I tell you... Dublinn's forces will exterminate every last one of Reunion's members if you refuse to submit to me...? What will you do then?

You...

Do you wish for us to be enemies?

I don't know what happened in the time you spent drifting about Ursus after leaving Victoria, but I can feel it.

From your flames—strong and weak, profound and superficial, angry and remorseful.

I—

She's a sinner from Reunion.

Don't think too highly of yourself, Draco.

Ah. The little flower.

Your team's not too far away. You must be so concerned for her.

It doesn't matter, this isn't the first time Reunion is up against a strong foe.

Dublinn's forces? You already erred by not calling in your high-speed battleships immediately.

We'll kill you before your drones arrive. I'll do my best, and everything it takes to kill you.

Your desires and ambitions—we don't care for them, and I'm in no mood to listen to your red dragon chat with Talulah.

All I know is that you'll die.

For sure.

Enough with that look. All of us have no wish for this to continue, right?

—Alright, Talulah, other descendant of the red dragon.

Even if you reject me, and your actions have wholly nothing to do with my Tara...

But your fury, resistance, desires and answers—your end lies me with too.

Let us treat today's meeting as a first prophecy.

Tara's loyal servants shall come here one after the other.

Go, Reunion. Bring some chaos to Victoria, and create some opportunities for us.

The next time we meet...

One red dragon is bound to bite the other to death.

That's enough hiding. Come out already.

It's only going to become more humid after night falls, and you won't be able to light the firewood you got.

Who... are you?

...You're Infected.

Doesn't matter, I'm the same. I won't harm you or anything.

There's no need to be so wary. I'm not lying, I really am Infected.

You're... not a Victorian?

I'm from Yan.

What's a Yanese doing here?

My family came here for business and got caught up in the war. I was going to evacuate with them, but I accidentally contracted Oripathy.

So they left me behind.

Hmph. Everyone's unfair to the Infected everywhere. Your luck sure sucks.

But we can't help you either.

I can tell.

You don't even have a way to start a fire, so you're probably no Arts users.

Don't seem to be hunters either, so you won't live more than a few days.

Getting captured by the military as an Infected, or by the Sarkaz as a Victorian, either way is a terrible way to go, right?

So?

I can help you get a fire going at least.

Watch.

Woah! It's really burning! It was that easy?

Thank you so, so much, Yanese lady.

What about you? Do you need us for anything?

The sky's getting dark. Can I rest here for the night?

I'll leave at first light tomorrow.

How's a foreign refugee like you this calm and unruffled?