Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 487: The Death of the Idealist
As for Talulah's decision, Steven naturally had no intention of stepping in to stop her. He had said before that he wouldn't interfere too much, and in most situations, he intended to honor that promise.
That said, making a few small optimizations on top of her choices? Steven felt that was simply what a good boyfriend ought to do.
So when Talulah forcefully unleashed a wall of flame, violently splitting the once-chaotic battlefield in two, Steven followed close behind her, silently stepping into view.
The scorching heat melted the snow-covered earth around them, and the rolling heatwaves seemed capable of incinerating everything in their path, even causing the black threads wrapped around the Infected to curl and twist under the burn.
Because of that, Brull temporarily halted his control over the Infected, shifting his gaze toward these sudden, unwelcome intruders.
At the same time, the Ursus army squad that had been locked in a desperate struggle also saw the girl who looked like a demon god incarnate, effortlessly cleaving the battlefield apart. The moment they laid eyes on Talulah, they recognized her—an infamous terrorist leader who had gathered countless Infected under her banner, a name already well-known even within the Ursus military.
Dealing with those monster-like Infected alone was already enough to give them headaches. If they now had to face an Infected leader wielding such terrifying Originium Arts, their chances of survival would drop even further.
The commanding officer had already prepared himself for a fight to the death. Yet, to their surprise, Talulah—who had used searing heat to divide the battlefield—did not advance on them. Instead, she stopped between the soldiers and the Infected, then turned around to face the very Infected who should have been fighting alongside her.
"There's nothing for you to do here anymore. If possible, could you leave for now?"
At that moment, Steven appeared before the officer leading the squad, wearing a gentle, smiling expression as he casually gestured for them to withdraw.
"Consider it doing me a favor."
The officer was just about to question this strange young man who had suddenly jumped out of nowhere—why on earth should they believe such nonsense?—when Steven rummaged through his pocket and took out a badge engraved with the crest of the Ursus imperial family.
In an instant, the officer's expression changed.
Obedience was a soldier's duty, and he knew exactly what that object represented. It was something no ordinary Infected could possibly possess, nor something this mysterious person could have obtained through trickery. After all… that badge was a symbol granted only by the most exalted person in all of Ursus.
Without a word of protest or even a question, the officer immediately saluted upon seeing the badge, then led his subordinates in a swift retreat toward the rear.
"By the way," Steven called out, almost as an afterthought, "which unit are you from? I'll remember this favor. Maybe I'll drop by to visit you sometime."
Even Steven himself hadn't expected the item the Emperor once gave him to be this effective. The man hadn't questioned him at all—just carried out the order. Didn't that mean that, as long as he carried this thing, he could practically eat and drink for free anywhere in Ursus?
Of course, he hadn't forgotten his real reason for asking. A unit with discipline clearly surpassing most Ursus troops had to be trained by someone exceptional. Finding a capable instructor for his maid army wasn't just idle thinking on Steven's part.
"We are former subordinates of General Hellagur."
Though they didn't understand why this stranger was asking, the squad still answered before leaving. As soldiers, they had no right to refuse his question.
And with that, they disappeared from the battlefield.
After committing the general's name to memory, Steven finally turned his gaze toward the very center of the conflict.
"So that's it, I was wondering what kind of special relationship that guy you've been tangled up with had with the Empire's military. Now you're not even bothering to hide it anymore—standing in the way of the Infected to protect Ursus troops. Truly admirable behavior for the so-called leader of Reunion."
Brull had watched from start to finish as a single, casual order from Steven caused the Ursus army to withdraw. His eyes were filled with undisguised mockery—but the moment his gaze shifted to Talulah, that mockery condensed into something far more tangible: hatred.
Everything he was suffering through now—every hardship, every desperate situation he found himself in—had its origin in the girl standing before him.
He had realized long ago that she was not someone to be trusted. And now, her actions had perfectly confirmed every suspicion he had ever harbored.
Why had Talulah appeared here? Why had the Ursus troops managed to catch up with them so quickly?
There was only one possible explanation.
This woman, who had deceived everyone, must have already contacted the upper echelons of Ursus. She had betrayed the Infected long ago, intending to use the Empire's army to eliminate those like him—those who had noticed that something was wrong.
And now, because of the unexpected variable that was his own existence, she had no choice but to personally step onto the stage and silence him for good.
"I don't know how to explain this to you," Talulah said quietly, "but Brull, I hope you still understand what you're doing right now. Look at the Infected around you. Is this really the state you want to see them in? Are these the people you want to protect?"
The moment she heard Brull's accusations, Talulah understood that a deep misunderstanding lay between them. Even so, she still wanted to make him realize his mistake—to prevent further, needless casualties.
Gazing at the Infected who had been twisted beyond recognition, no longer quite human nor fully monstrous, Talulah couldn't bring herself to fight them.
If it were possible, she would much rather have Brull sit down with her, talk things through properly, and clear up all the misunderstandings. If that happened, she was still willing to forgive everything.
"Ha! Why wouldn't I?" Brull laughed, his voice dripping with ridicule. "Talulah, at a time like this, you're still putting on that mask of false kindness? Do you even know what the Infected truly want?"
The man controlling the Infected let out a mocking chuckle, as if he'd just heard the world's funniest joke. He then looked at Talulah with the pitying gaze one reserved for the hopelessly naive.
He didn't know whether she was genuinely this naive, or simply hypocritical to the extreme.
Once, he had been lost and conflicted. Once, he had believed that what he wanted was a better life alongside his fellow Infected. That was why he had rejected this Black Snake back then.
But now, everything was different.
He had finally found his answer.
"Don't tell me that the Infected only want a home," Brull continued coldly, "a world where they can live peacefully with the uninfected, without oppression or conflict."
"All of that is a lie. Just an excuse, nothing more than a justification we cling to so we can keep living."
"Only after linking my mind and consciousness with theirs did I truly understand what the Infected really want."
Reaching out, Brull lightly brushed his fingers across the red threads linking him to the others around him. His laughter grew more and more unhinged.
"You think the Infected are truly satisfied with just that?" he sneered. "That was never anything more than a compromise, something they settled for just to survive. Do you know what I'm receiving from their consciousness right now?"
"Hatred. Hatred toward everything that has oppressed them. Hatred toward all ordinary people. And even hatred toward you, toward me, toward people like us who want them to live better lives, who would even sacrifice ourselves to protect them."
"They hate the oppression of the uninfected. They hate this nation's indifference. They hate the comrades who turned them into Infected in the first place. And they even hate you and me, asking why we couldn't give them a better life!"
"This is the most honest truth the Infected are sending me. This is the very group I once wanted to protect." Brull burst into laughter. "How tragic. But it doesn't matter anymore. They're obedient children now, and I will lead them to build a truly harmonious homeland."
In an instant, the madness vanished from Brull's eyes, replaced by nothing but boundless coldness.
Steven knew that kind of gaze all too well.
The Talulah from the false future who had appeared in his dreams wore the exact same expression.
Perhaps… this is what the eyes of an idealist look like after their ideals have died.
"You're twisting their feelings," Talulah said, her voice trembling. "They wouldn't be like this. As the weak, as the oppressed, the Infected should understand each other's pain better than anyone. Already living in hell, how could they possibly hate others?"
She wanted to refute Brull's words. She wanted to say that everything he claimed was wrong—that it was all the result of manipulation and deception.
But her own heart told her otherwise.
From everything that had happened before, Brull's words were likely the truth. Otherwise, she wouldn't have believed that the man she once knew could change so easily into what he was now.
"Think whatever you want," Brull said indifferently. "Whether you're genuinely naive or just a hypocrite doesn't matter anymore. You're standing in my way now, so there are only two choices left."
"Join my ranks, or become part of the foundation of my perfect world, along with your precious Reunion."
"When the time comes, it won't just be Reunion or the guerrilla fighters. Every Infected on this land will rise under my leadership and completely tear apart the false prosperity built by ordinary people."
As he openly laid out his plan to Talulah, Brull subtly flicked his fingers twice.
Silent and unseen, a thread buried deep beneath the ground began to creep toward Talulah's feet.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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