About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

"...?"

Orson looked at Tallulah in confusion, not sure what she meant.

"What happened to the infected people in that village... If I had witnessed it with my own eyes, I have no idea what choice I would have made."

Tallulah withdrew her gaze from the window, looked at Orson and spoke softly, and her previous anxiety was much relieved.

Because of the existence of Orson, a survivor who seemed to have slaughtered those "troublemakers", Tallulah did not focus on the infected people who died, thus avoiding the last straw that could have crushed her.

"You're right, Orson. If I forget how to move forward, then I'll seek help from others. My original goal was to make ordinary people on this continent, including those infected, smile."

Tallulah shook her head, wanting to shake off all the anxiety and fear she had accumulated before and greet a brand new tomorrow.

"We'll go back when the snow stops, Orson. Then we'll figure out what to do tomorrow—"

"Be careful!!"

Orson had been passively turning on a small-scale low-frequency monitoring system before. Although the detection range and frequency were weakened due to his current physical condition, he still sensed several figures approaching outside the window at the first time.

Those figures did not just pass by here, but stopped by the window and took out some kind of bowstring structure prop.

It's a crossbow arrow—

Orson shouted as he got up from the bed and pushed away Tallulah who was near the window. Almost at the same time, the sound of glass breaking and crossbow bolts piercing flesh broke the silence.

"Uh... uh, cough!"

Orson covered his abdomen, where half of the crossbow arrow was stuck.

Before he could say anything, Orson collapsed to the ground in a cold sweat from the excruciating pain. This was different from the hunger that had drained his life away before; it was a more searing, agonizing experience. It was like someone pouring hot oil over his abdomen. He couldn't even exhale, only passively inhaling air.

"What are you doing—!? We clearly pose no threat to you!"

"How dare you say that when you carry that sword with you."

The guy who seemed to be the village chief looked at the chipped and worn sword in Tallulah's hand with disdain.

"...I see. Is this okay?"

Tallulah threw the sword to the group of villagers. The village chief took it and looked at the sword that had once killed Kochiche with a wry smile.

"It looks like it can fetch a good price."

"I'm no longer a threat. Stop Orson's bleeding!"

Tallulah spoke loudly, but the villagers remained unmoved.

"What else do you want to do?"

Looking at the villagers in front of her with sinister smiles, Tallulah realized something: these people were not acting in "self-defense" at all.

"You're not nobles, are you? No, even if you are, it's the same for everyone. It doesn't matter if a few nobles die in this remote place. Anyway, all your things belong to me."

The village chief raised his crossbow and aimed it at Tallulah.

"—"

Tallulah's mind went blank at that moment, not because of fear of the current situation, but because of anger.

This village has sufficient resource reserves, no signs of patrol teams, and has even prepared for the cold winter season.

These people are not desperate, they have a pretty good life.

But even so...

Greedy, short-sighted, illogical, cold-blooded, he kills people for such a ridiculous reason just for the sake of some unknown petty profit.

They had no idea what kind of retaliation they would receive if they attacked the "nobles", and this group of people had never considered the karma they would bear after killing someone.

They don't think about anything. Even if life is not difficult, they will kill strangers who have expressed no hostility for unreasonable reasons.

Is this the person he wanted to save? Is this the person who pulled the trigger on Orson?

"You, this group of—"

Tallulah raised her hand tremblingly. She had the power to burn the village to ashes, and she intended to burn the village to ashes.

Just before the infernal flames engulfed the village:

"【pause】"

Orson, who was lying on the ground, stretched out his hand with difficulty. The shadow named [Rest] turned into a solid entity, pierced through the village chief's head, and completely exploded it from the inside.

“…Huh? What, something exploded in my face…?” “Ah… Ahhhh, ah!?” “Wuuuuuuuuuuuuu!? They’re infected, they’re infected!!”

Following the sudden death of the villagers, the rest of the villagers immediately fled the room in a panic.

"...Orson!"

Without a target to burn, Talulah could only withdraw her hand and turn to look at Orson, who was lying on the ground with his breathing becoming increasingly weak.

"You can't kill them—isn't that what you said? This continent is worth saving, but some people aren't worth it. Leave these people to me. Tallulah, you, keep your own..."

"Stop talking!"

Talula tore off Orson's clothes and tried to treat the wound using the method she learned from Froststar and other guerrilla infected.

"I'll cauterize it, and then we have to go back...now...! Hold on, Orson, hold on!"

After all, Tallulah was just a girl. She couldn't move Orson in a front-carrying position to avoid touching his wounds, so she could only drag Orson out of the village half on her back and half leaning on him.

Orson knew very well that if he continued like this, he would not be able to return to the settlement alive and would die of suffocation from fainting on the way.

Orson was more panicked than he had imagined about this fact, not because of the fact that he was "going to die", but because of what might happen after his death.

Alina hasn't woken up yet. If I leave now, who will accompany this girl walking on the edge of the cliff?

Survive... I must survive and find a way.

This time, don't wait for Tallulah to save you, but use your own abilities to survive - because Tallulah is the one who needs to be rescued.

You must not lose consciousness, once you fall into a coma, everything is over.

As he was about to lose consciousness, Orson finally came up with a solution. He used his last bit of strength to materialize a white musical score - the score of his soul.

Orson reached out his hand towards the white music score, then used all his strength to control his palm and pinch it.

“——!!??

The incomprehensible and indescribable pain burst out directly from the inside of his body, but this tearing from the soul allowed Orson to temporarily regain his consciousness that he had almost lost.

——Can’t die

Orson desperately grasped his soul with a strength that could break his teeth.

——I can’t die here

Every second seemed as long as a minute. The endless pain and torture at the soul level made Orson want to let go of his soul music at all times.

——If I die here, everything will be completely gone...!

Orson held his soul tightly, like a climber holding onto the edge of a cliff. Even if his palms were completely torn apart, he would not let his consciousness fall into the endless abyss.

—I want to change those damn tragedies. I want to see her get the rewards she deserves. I want to gather around the campfire with everyone and gaze at the stars again...

——So, even if I muster the will to die, I can’t die here…!

Orson didn't let go, and neither did Tallulah.

There are no gods or miracles in this world. Orson has known this for a long time.

In that case, then rely on yourself.

Until the end, Orson still did not let go of the hand that was tightly holding the music score of his soul.

17. Snowfields and Dandelion Fields

In a pure white ward, Orson stood quietly beside a bed filled with medical equipment.

Orson hated white. Endless white, white everywhere, white as if it were a snowy winter day—it only made Orson angry.

Orson looked at the girl lying on the bed. Although he still couldn't see her face clearly, Orson didn't care about this detail.

He held the girl's slender hand tightly, hoping to transfer his body temperature to her in this way. But Orson didn't dare to squeeze too hard, for fear of hurting the back of the girl's hand, which was covered with blue needle holes.

"Don't give up. You can get through this. I've talked to the doctor and the next time will definitely be better."

Orson whispered to the girl, and the girl tried her best to give Orson a pale smile.

"Probably. Listen to me, Komori."

The girl turned her head slightly and put her lips close to Orson's ear.

"Xiao Sen, you are very gentle. Although you never think so yourself, I know that you can't watch the inevitable tragedies around you and turn a blind eye. You have suffered a lot because of me, right?"

The girl smiled at Orson. Orson was about to retort, but the girl stopped him by shaking her head.

"I wanted to be a violinist, so you desperately asked around for spare violins and even secretly brought sheet music from the music room for me—what an idiot you were."

The girl let out a soft laugh, but it quickly turned into a cough.

"Thank you, Xiaosen. If possible, I hope... in exchange for the suffering I have endured in this life, Xiaosen, you will be able to meet someone who is worthy of your kindness and can truly stay by your side in the future."

"Wait a moment--"

The girl's heart stopped beating. I don't know whether it is a blessing or not, but at least there is still a smile on her face.

Orson opened the window and saw an endless field of dandelions outside. He just stared at the field in silence.

Just stay here forever. Even if I leave, there's nowhere else I can go.

No...really not?

While Orson was confused and thinking, there was a knock on the ward door.

Orson mechanically walked to the door and unlocked it, then stared blankly at the visitor in front of him.

"..."

Dragon horns, silver hair, straight military uniform, and a firm but gentle expression.

"Orson, we still have to keep moving forward, right?"

Tallulah stood at the door and extended her hand to invite Orson.

"I……"

Orson hesitated and turned his head back, only to find that behind him was no longer the ward, but a dandelion garden stretching to the horizon.

The girl stood in the flying fluff and smiled at Orson.

Orson looked back again, and in front of him was a dark and gloomy sky completely covered with ice and snow. Cold snowflakes swept violently from the sky, and the cold air tore at his skin and face like a sharp blade.

Orson stood at the junction of midsummer and severe winter, silent.

There was endless darkness and coldness in front of him, filled with the white that he hated.

Behind me is a warm and bright flower field, and under the clear sky I can forget all my worries.

It is already obvious how to choose.

"...I'm sorry, Xiao Pu. I really don't feel comfortable leaving her alone in that environment."

Orson turned around and looked at the girl surrounded by dandelions. This time, her face was finally clearly visible, with pale blue eyes, short golden hair, and a smile as warm as the sun.

"Come on, Komori."

The girl smiled and waved to Orson, then disappeared from the dandelion garden.

"Well, I will."

Orson returned his gaze to the frozen ground and then extended his hand toward Tallulah.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting—"

----------

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Tallulah's horns.

Orson blinked hard, and his vision gradually became clear from blurry. Only then did he notice that he was lying on the bed, and the "Tyrant of the Integration Movement" was sitting next to him, holding his hands tightly.

I am still alive.

"Morning, ta-rua!"

Before Orson could even say hello to Tallulah in front of him, she jumped into his arms.