As Talulah drove the truck back toward the village, Patriot followed close behind, using his shield to smooth over the ruts left by the heavy vehicle. In this weather, it would only take about ten minutes for the heavy snow to bury the tire tracks completely. No one would ever know a vehicle had passed through here.
In truth, if Crownslayer hadn't been unfamiliar with the way to the village, Talulah could have cleared the tracks even more easily than Patriot. She would only have needed to sweep the road with her tail—though given the biting cold, she might have needed to wrap her tail in cotton first.
The moment Talulah arrived back in the village, she was greeted by the villagers. Looking at the way they looked at her, she felt that everything she had done was worth it.
"Talulah, you're back! How was Chernobog? Was it fun? And is this a new comrade..."
The first to see her were, naturally, the Guerilla members responsible for guarding the village. Everyone was delighted by Talulah's safe return, though they were curious as to why Jeanne wasn't with her. However, seeing Talulah's smile, they didn't pester her with questions immediately. They welcomed her back first, leaving the inquiries for later.
They eyed the cargo hold of the truck, speculating on its contents. Some guessed new weapons; others guessed much-needed supplies. To them, the most important thing was simply that Talulah was safe; half their worries were now gone. As for the rest, they would wait for Jeanne's return to settle their minds completely.
"Whew. I know everyone is happy I'm back, but they're almost a bit too enthusiastic. I'm not quite used to this sudden surge of attention."
Fortunately, Patriot and FrostNova eventually helped her escape the crowd of zealous villagers and comrades. Talulah finally managed to retreat to her room to rest. The rest of the business could wait until tomorrow once she was recovered.
As for Lyudmila, once Talulah introduced her, she received an equally warm welcome. The others were clearly very interested in this new addition. When they saw Lyudmila demonstrate her Originium Arts, their curiosity piqued; many began discussing how such a unique ability could be utilized.
Having another comrade with potent Arts could prove invaluable for future operations. However, people like Lyudmila and FrostNova were far too rare. Most people's Arts were weak at best. Unless an Infected was willing to disregard their own life and use their Arts recklessly, it would take years to reach the level of those truly gifted.
"Actually, since you and Jeanne left, everyone has been worried about your safety. They feared something might happen on this trip—that you might not even come back."
When Alina saw Talulah, the smile on her face brightened significantly. It was clear that she was one of those people who had been deeply worried. After all, the idea of an Infected going to negotiate with the Ursus Emperor seemed incredibly unreliable. Nothing like it had ever happened in the history of Ursus.
To Ursus, the Infected were merely cheap tools. They weren't even considered human, let alone a group worth talking to. At the time, if Jeanne hadn't guaranteed their safe return, even Patriot might not have agreed to the mission; he knew the ways of Ursus all too well.
In Patriot's eyes, ever since the nation of Ursus had failed him, he didn't believe a single punctuation mark that came from official channels. He only believed what he saw with his own eyes. This was why, over the years, he had flatly rejected every attempt by the military to recruit him, even drawing his weapon against those who tried to persuade him.
"I was actually quite nervous myself. He is the Ursus Emperor, after all! If it had been like those stories I heard as a child—with eight hundred ax-men hidden behind the walls—I would have been helpless."
Talulah flopped onto her bed like a pancake. Recalling the events in Chernobog, she realized just how harrowing it had truly been. To be honest, if Jeanne hadn't been by her side giving her courage, she might not have been able to maintain a poker face during the negotiations.
Seeing Talulah in this state, Alina sat by the bed and smiled, stroking her head. Her gentle fingers moved across Talulah's scalp as if brushing away the exhaustion of the journey. Talulah squinted her eyes, enjoying the massage; Alina often helped her relax this way when she was overtired.
"From what you're saying, it sounds like the talks with the officials went well. It's been hard on both of you, traveling so far to face them for everyone's sake."
Alina spoke with a smile, listening to Talulah's slight complaints. She knew that asking Talulah to negotiate with the Emperor had been a tall order. She had worried that Talulah might get talked into circles by the Emperor's civil officials and agree to something detrimental to herself or the group.
After all, officials from the capital were far more cunning than average; if they weren't, they wouldn't have survived the court intrigues. And Talulah's personality... was perhaps a bit too straightforward. She often came across as a bit "derpy" in casual conversation; she wasn't built for political scheming.
"It wasn't too difficult. They didn't even try to trick us. On the contrary, we discussed everything very clearly, and they were constantly expressing goodwill."
Talulah knew that this success was also due to the efforts of others—including Kashchey's clandestine maneuvers behind the scenes near the Emperor.
"But speaking of which, where did Jeanne go? Why didn't she come back with you? Did something happen?"
Although Alina could tell from Talulah's expression that Jeanne was fine, the fact that two went out and only one came back still made her uneasy. Knowing Jeanne, she wouldn't have let Talulah come back early without a good reason, and Talulah wouldn't have left her behind otherwise.
"Jeanne? After the meeting ended, she had to make a special trip to Lungmen to fulfill a commission. Don't worry, she'll be fine."
Hearing this, Alina's worries vanished. But Jeanne had gone to Lungmen?
"Lungmen? I remember you saying you used to live there. Why didn't you go back with her to take a look? Don't you still have family in that city?"
Alina looked at Talulah. This was the person who wrote letters to her sister at every opportunity; why pass up such a perfect chance to see her? Alina knew how much Talulah missed her little sister; she could sometimes hear Talulah talking in her sleep about meeting her.
"Me? Better not. If I went back, I'd just run into endless trouble. And right now... it isn't the right time for Ch'en and me to meet."
As Talulah spoke, the image of her sister drifted through her mind. Many years had passed; she must be a grown woman by now. She wondered how she was doing.
Then, Talulah suddenly remembered that she hadn't installed the communication device yet. Instead of moping here, why not just call and ask? Everything would be clear then.
"I'm going to see how to install that communicator I bought. If that shop owner didn't hustle us, we should be able to get in touch with Jeanne tonight."
With that, Talulah hurriedly got up to install the device. Jeanne had been in Lungmen for a few days now, and she wanted to know how things were going.