Chapter 139: Talulah [Not Yet Corrupted]
"You..."
Talulah heard the answer she had expected, yet she still found it difficult to accept.
Yes, Steven had always been this kind of person—she knew that.
He had never distinguished between the Infected and ordinary people.
Because of this, he neither sympathized with the Infected nor felt pity for them.
The same applied to ordinary people.
"What? Did I do something wrong? This was their own choice. People have to take responsibility for their own decisions."
Steven put down the cup of water in his hand and looked directly at the girl in front of him, who was clearly shaken.
"To be honest, I'm only telling you this because we are friend."
"And the reason I'm telling you this isn't to lecture you or to guide you—I don't have the patience for that. I just think it's necessary for you to see these things clearly, rather than getting lost in that dream world of ideals you've woven for yourself."
"You always think people only do bad things when they're forced to. But that's not the case. This land is home to so many people, and each person has a different heart."
Steven sharply pointed out the flaw in Talulah's perspective. Simply put, she still saw humanity in an overly idealistic way.
She had not considered that people have desires, nor had she thought about how people are shaped by their environments.
What they eventually become—even Steven couldn't predict that.
And it was precisely because of this unpredictability that humans were called humans.
In truth, Steven himself didn't fully grasp this principle, but he had encountered it countless times in various literary and cinematic works.
If it was a contest of who had read more books, Steven might not necessarily win against Talulah. But if the contest was about novels instead, then he would undoubtedly have the upper hand.
After all, in this era, what novel doesn't explore human nature?
Steven had long grown tired of it.
Even if he had never personally experienced such things, he had seen enough stories to the point of exhaustion.
"But how could they do that…? What they did was clearly wrong… They didn't have to do those things at all."
Talulah clenched her fists tightly, doubt flickering in her silver-gray eyes over and over again.
This matter, though seemingly unrelated to her, had deeply shaken her.
Steven, on the other hand, merely squinted his eyes and observed the flickering black snake suffix above Talulah's head.
He had a rough guess about the conditions for its awakening.
Was it triggered whenever Talulah's beliefs wavered?
Interesting.
He wondered if Talulah herself was aware of this.
Fortunately, aside from Steven, who was calmly watching Talulah struggle with her thoughts, there was another person present—someone who was a true confidant to her.
"Talulah, you're not wrong. And Steven… he's not wrong either. You don't need to doubt yourself, nor do you need to hate those people."
Placing both hands over Talulah's clenched fists, Alina looked directly into her silver-gray eyes and spoke softly.
"You must not only see the people Steven described—you must also remember the kind-hearted villagers from your home. They, too, were born on this land. They, too, are the people you wish to save. If they are wrong, then that's all the more reason for you to change them. People can change—isn't that the very belief you have always held onto?"
The same village Steven had spoken of had also deeply shaken this kind-hearted girl. But what she saw went beyond what Talulah had noticed—her thoughts were more intricate, her mind more meticulous.
"I think this is what Steven truly wants to convey to you. If you wish to save the Infected, to rescue the oppressed, to become the savior they hope for, then you must recognize and accept all of this."
"Not all people are good—this applies to both the Infected and ordinary people. But precisely because of that, we should strive to ensure that there are more good people in the world and work toward that goal, shouldn't we?"
Turning to look at Steven, Alina found herself unable to understand how he could speak about such things with such calmness. She had never been able to see through this young man's heart—never able to guess what he was truly thinking.
Steven, on the other hand, looked at Alina with admiration in his eyes.
He had already held a high opinion of Talulah, but Alina's mindset and awareness still managed to exceed his expectations.
Perhaps this was the direction Talulah needed to change toward—one of holding onto ideals while staying grounded in reality.
Was this truly something that a simple village girl, who had barely read a handful of books, could say?
If it had been up to Steven, he doubted he could have put it into words so well himself.
Talulah, after hearing Alina's words of reassurance, finally seemed to calm down a little.
Clearly, Alina had managed to reach her.
However, judging by the confusion and hesitation still lingering in her eyes, it was evident that she had yet to fully grasp the issue. At most, she had stopped doubting herself so intensely.
Steven had nothing more to say about this outcome. It was something Talulah had to figure out on her own. Alina could only guide her—Steven himself had even less reason to intervene.
"I need some time to think things through."
Talulah pressed a hand to her forehead, looking more exhausted than either Steven or Alina had ever seen her before.
She had always acted tough, never flinching even when injured, yet now she looked so shaken.
Steven found himself at a loss for words.
Even so, he didn't regret his decision.
Telling her now and allowing her to prepare herself mentally was better than having her encounter this reality unprepared.
When that time came, who knew if he and Alina would still be by her side? Without anyone to guide her, given her personality, she might take a far more extreme path.
"Tsk. You're making it seem like this is all my fault. What, do I have to comfort you now to heal your wounded soul?"
Steven clicked his tongue, his tone laced with exasperation. He had expected this reaction from Talulah, but that didn't mean he enjoyed seeing her like this.
Young people should be more energetic—if you fall, you get back up. If you realize you're wrong, you correct yourself. It's not that hard.
"I'm not in the mood for your jokes. You acting like this just makes me feel worse, you know?"
Talulah shot Steven an irritated glare.
She was in the middle of contemplating life itself, yet this guy still had the energy to tease her.
"That's your own problem. You're the one overthinking everything. My only advice? Just focus on being yourself."
Steven really had nothing more to say to persuade Talulah.
The only principle he followed himself was to simply be true to himself.
If something interested him, he'd step in; if it didn't, he just wouldn't bother.
Shrugging, Steven left the room to Talulah and Alina. As long as Alina was there to guide her, he wasn't too worried about returning later to find some ridiculous scene like "Talulah (Now Corrupted)".
"Oh, and one more thing—once you've sorted out your thoughts, you should start organizing the villagers for migration. Take advantage of the good weather these next few days… and before trouble comes knocking at your door."
As if suddenly remembering something, Steven turned back and gave Talulah this reminder.
Based on what he had observed on his way back, this village's peace wouldn't last much longer.
Setting aside the issue of that Collapsal, the fact that the guerrillas had attacked the mines meant that Ursus officials wouldn't sit idly by. Steven had already noticed signs of guerrilla activity along the way, so it was only a matter of time before the authorities organized a search operation.
And this time, it was going to be far worse than the minor raids by the Infected patrol squad. This village didn't just have Talulah and Alina—it had far more Infected than that.
The best way to escape this predicament was clearly to migrate to a more distant, safer location.
Steven's reason for reminding Talulah wasn't entirely selfless either—he bore some responsibility for this mess. After all, the chaos at the mines had a lot to do with him.
On top of that, now that he had dealt with the biggest local threat—the Collapsal—there was nothing stopping the authorities from launching a large-scale operation. If they had managed to find him, they probably would have given him some kind of "Model Citizen" banner.
"Trouble?"
Despite her pounding headache, Talulah immediately furrowed her brows and questioned Steven the moment she heard something concerning her village.
"Let me put it this way—there are Guerrilla Fighters operating nearby. Do you really think this village can withstand a few more rounds of destruction from the Infected patrol squads?"
Steven stretched lazily. To be honest, the only reason the people in this village hadn't starved to death yet was because of him. Without his efforts, the previous raid by the Infected patrol squad alone would have been enough to wipe out most of them.
And obviously, the "Headless Horseman" rumors he had spread earlier were only useful for scaring off the Infected patrol squads. The local Ursus military forces? They wouldn't be fazed by such tricks.
Ignoring the now-silent Talulah, Steven casually walked away, his steps light and carefree.
She could keep brooding over it all she wanted—he had far more interesting things to do.
Like, for instance, checking out what these so-called Guerrilla Fighters were actually up to.
And who knows? Maybe he'd even run into an old friend.
Just the thought of a certain big white rabbit's ears and their nostalgic, pleasant texture made Steven instinctively rub his fingers together in anticipation.
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