About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

The leading infected person opened his mouth, his tone a little hesitant, but he quickly made up his mind.

"We're going to get out of here."

"—"

After a brief silence, Tallulah nodded.

"I can understand that."

"Tallulah, it's not that we don't trust you, we just...we just lost confidence in the future."

The infected person frowned and spoke in pain.

"You once said that we would set foot on the land of the south, that the cold of this icy land would eventually melt. But... we are still standing still, and the ice and snow are still as cold as ever."

"I'm sorry, I haven't been able to fulfill the promise I made back then. It's great that you can express these thoughts. As infected people, don't forget that we actually have the right to speak out."

Although the behavior of these infected people had a great impact on morale, Tallulah did not get angry, but just smiled and expressed her understanding.

"Tallulah, we..."

"When are you going to leave?"

"Right now—we won't take too many supplies, so don't worry."

"Take some seeds with you, and may you find warm land full of wheat."

Faced with Tallulah's response, the infected people had mixed feelings, but finally made up their minds to leave the settlement. The once bustling settlement suddenly became visibly empty.

After the meeting, Tallulah still did not leave. She sat in the snow motionless.

"The bonfires are all out, Sister Tallulah."

Orson pointed to the fire in front of the two men, which had turned into white ash and dissipated.

"It's okay, I'm not cold."

"The problem is, I'm a little cold..."

Orson trembled, his tone full of resentment.

It was already past dusk, and the camp was shrouded in darkness. The only light was the stars in the sky.

“…You really are…”

Tallulah gave a wry smile, then stood up and looked at the young man beside her who had been silently accompanying her since just now.

"Please stay with me for a while tonight."

11. Not a fighter, not a tyrant

Don't panic, this is just a technical adjustment.jpg. Being invited into her tent at night by the future Integration Movement tyrant, this seemingly unreasonable thing must have its inevitable reasonable explanation!

Tallulah's sudden invitation immediately made Orson's brain work at full capacity.

Finally got the only answer:

"Am I finally going to be eliminated..."

"?"

Tallulah always felt that Orson's brain was intermittently sick.

After arriving at Tallulah's tent, Orson, who was originally trembling with fear and walking on thin ice, and had prepared himself to "poke out his eyes the instant he saw the beautiful girl's underwear and beg her to spare his life", found that Tallulah's tent was actually much more simple than he had imagined.

"There are no tiger heads or bear rugs."

Orson looked around Tallulah's tent. Apart from a weapon rack, it was almost indistinguishable from other people's tents.

"Even if we had those things, we wouldn't display them in the room. On the one hand, it's too tacky, and on the other hand—we're all people of the same status, there's no need to rely on external things to distinguish ourselves. Survival in this icy plain is difficult enough, and the infected need to stick together even more."

If it were the old Orson, Tallulah's words would probably be regarded as "a useless speech of justice" and simply ignored.

But through his life in the settlement and his interactions with Tallulah during this period, he knew very well that Tallulah was qualified to say this.

"Fighter Tallulah" - the meaning of this title is far more than just that she will be the first to rush to the front line in every battle.

This young Draco really cares about the infected people in this frozen land, and she truly treats everyone equally.

Orson didn't know why Tallulah had chosen this path. In his brief time as a villager, he had already deeply experienced the cruelty and brutality of the Ursus continent towards the infected.

But what Orson knew was that her actions and the goals she was striving for were not something others could blame or ridicule.

"I know, Orson, you're probably wondering, 'Why is this guy who looks like a noble always talking about doing something for the infected?'"

Tallulah took off the greatsword she had been wearing at her waist and hung it on a nearby weapon rack. She sat on a nearby cot, her eyes fixed on Orson.

"Hmm...actually, it's not so bad. It's quite normal for the nobility to drive revolution. As far as I can remember, most of the people driving these movements came from well-off families and social positions. After all, seeing more allows you to more intuitively understand the differences between people, giving rise to the desire to change the world and giving you the resources and wisdom to do so."

Orson responded to Tallulah with the limited knowledge he had from junior high and high school, but Tallulah was still stunned by Orson's response.

"This is the first time I've heard of this theory, but Orson, what you're saying seems to make sense. 'Because of the differences in what they see, the scope of their understanding also varies.' So... in other words, if the infected could become aware of the world outside their own lives, perhaps they would be more proactive in resisting this tyranny?"

Tallulah thought about something, then smiled at Orson.

"That's an interesting idea, Orson. You've provided a new perspective."

"Um...nothing."

Looking at Tallulah, who was tired but still treated others with gentleness and peace, Orson felt something more clearly.

The Tallulah that existed before him at this moment was completely different from the conspirator and tyrant in that game.

This Tallulah who pulled herself out of hell, she has lofty ideals, outstanding action, astute decision-making, and grand goals.

But these are not the main points of Orson's observation.

Tallulah, who would silently wait for Ino to fall asleep,

Tallulah, who would occasionally appear in the kitchen to quietly study recipes and knife skills, and then be taken away for wasting food,

Tallulah, who couldn't find a place to hang her uniform to dry, so she had to wear a black lace dress with a red face and was sullen all day long—

Surrounded by countless halos and beliefs, Orson saw Tallulah's most ordinary, common, and even somewhat clumsy side.

It is these images that make her like a girl next door, a "real living existence" to Orson.

She also has things that she is not good at, but at the same time she still clumsily tries to prove them.

Orson noticed the needle and thread on the table, as well as something crooked next to it, which he didn't know whether it was a scarf, a mask, or a bellyband.

This is the proof that this girl really exists, not as a "fighter", not as a "tyrant", but simply as "Tallulah".

"..."

"..."

I've been sentimental enough, I've expressed my feelings enough, so why hasn't Tallulah said anything yet?

After thinking a lot, Orson discovered the problem. His conversation with Tallulah had not progressed at all after that, and the tent here was quiet.

Orson looked at Tallulah, wanting to ask her if she was holding back for such a long time and preparing to give a big speech of justice. However, when Orson saw her, he discovered that the invincible sister Tallulah was also avoiding his sight with her eyes, and her expression seemed subtly embarrassed.

Not only that, as Orson had been in close contact with Tallulah for nearly a month, his [Drake Biology] had also reached +80 during this period, so Orson easily noticed that the roots of the horns on Tallulah's head were faintly red.

I believe many people are curious about why Drake's horns are red. I also want to know that in fact, the redness at the base of Drake's horns means that he is extremely shy at this time. If he doesn't run away quickly at this time, big trouble will arise.

——It seems like you just pulled me over here casually, without actually considering what you were going to do after you pulled me over! ?

Orson still has self-awareness. He doesn't think that he was called here to "comfort Tallulah", but rather to have a life discussion about his own stay or departure, the future of the resistance army, etc.

But judging from the results, Tallulah never thought of looking for Orson for career planning. It would be better to say that she did not think about the consequences and simply pulled Orson over.

"In that case, I'll go back first, Sister Tazi?"

Staying here now would only lead to trouble. Orson might as well run away before he is even 8% cooked.

But just as Orson turned to leave the tent, Tallulah finally spoke:

"Orson...wait a moment."

Tallulah called out to Orson, but other than that, she couldn't find any other topics to chat about.

Orson turned around and looked at Tallulah. When he saw the loneliness and confusion that flashed across Tallulah's face for a moment, Orson understood why it was him.

12. A moment of peace at the bedside

Seeing Tallulah revealing a hint of loneliness for a moment, Orson finally decided to stay here shamelessly.

Because this is something that "only you" can do.

He felt no different from other infected people. The sense of superiority of being a "traveler" had been completely worn away in the six months since Orson came to Ursus.

If that’s the case, why did Tallulah invite me, and why was I the one standing in front of her?

——Because I am an “outsider”.

All the infected people gathered here, including Frost Star, were invited to join this team by Talulah herself.

They saw the will to resist and the warm flame in Tallulah, so they followed Tallulah and the goal she set.

But he was different. He was not "invited" here by Tallulah, and Tallulah had never taken the initiative to tell Orson about the grand blueprint in her heart.

He was just an "outsider" picked up by Tallulah and brought back to be "raised". He had nothing to do with the future of the infected, nor with the ambition to find a new home in the south.

The only reason he appeared in this village was because he was found by Tallulah and not killed by her. Because of this, Tallulah no longer needed to maintain the image of a "fighter" in front of him, and she was able to temporarily shed the burdens she had carried, imposed by others.

Orson didn't know what he could do with this identity, but at least he had to take action, just like Tallulah.

"Um...right! Sister Tazi, do you have any paper and pen?"

After a brief thought, Orson came up with an idea.

"At that table... Ugh!"

Tallulah pointed to the table beside her, and noticed the strange thing on the table that she had not woven before. The base of the horn turned red again with blood.

"Lend it to me."

Fortunately, Orson, who had a strong will to survive, pretended not to see the lines on the table. He took out paper and pen from the drawer and began to scribble on it.

"Are you making a map?"

Tallulah watched with interest as Orson drew something like a grid on the paper.

"more or less."

After Orson finished drawing the grid, he took out a folding knife and cut out a dozen circles, then wrote something on them with a pen.

"..."

Tallulah watched silently, and not long after, a chess set appeared on the table in front of Orson, although it was just a super simple mode drawn with paper and pen.

"Alright, it looks crude, but the gameplay is fine, and I think it should suit you. This is my... uh, Yan Country's board game called chess. Sister Tallulah, have you ever played chess before?"

"I've heard of it before, but I've never come across it. It seems very interesting."

Tallulah sat on the other side of the table, studying the small war sand table in front of her.

A faint light from an oil lamp flickered in the tent. Although it was swaying due to the howling wind outside, the dim light was enough.

"Then let me teach you the most basic operations."

Orson held up a chess piece and began to teach the seemingly all-knowing girl how to play.

"A horse running away? That doesn't make sense. A good warhorse can directly break up the enemy's line."

"...Maybe it's because the horse isn't very good."

"An elephant walks through the fields. What is an elephant?"

"A super big horse."

"Soldiers can only advance? Haha, it feels like the Ursus army."

"How terrifying is the Ursus army..."

"I understand protecting the generals, but I also have the ability to fight. I will definitely not just hide at the back of the battle line!"

"Sister, try one first..."

Teaching Tallulah was more difficult than he had imagined, and Orson now hoped even more that Alina would wake up soon.