Chapter 331: Having More People Isn't Always a Good Thing
Caught off guard when a piece of bread was suddenly stuffed into her hands, Alina blinked at Steven before a faint smile curved her lips. She accepted the chunk of honey bread from him and began nibbling at it in small bites.
Since it was something Steven had given her, she definitely wasn't going to set it aside like before to save for the children. Besides, he would never agree to that. If she didn't eat it in front of him, who knew how he might tease her?
"That's right—girls need a little bit of softness to look nice. Looking like a stick of firewood? Sorry, that's not my thing."
As he helped Alina gather her belongings, Steven voiced his opinion.
Of course, whether someone was fat or thin didn't actually matter. What he really saw was that the girl before him had clearly gone hungry for quite some time—at least her nutrition wasn't nearly as good as when she was living in the original village.
Steven genuinely felt distressed for her. Compared to Talulah, Alina had simply come along to suffer with her. She could have chosen to stay in the safety of the little mountain village under his protection, living a peaceful life, instead of following the guerrillas in this wandering, hardship-filled existence—where even eating was a problem.
"That's not necessarily true. Who says eating more will always make you gain weight?"
Nibbling at the fragrant, honey-scented bread, Alina glanced at the boy who had pinned her down only to start tidying up her things. The sweetness in her mouth wasn't half as comforting as the warmth flooding her heart. This piece of bread was probably the most delicious she had ever eaten in her entire life.
"Yes, yes. Our teacher Alina is surely the type who stays slim no matter how much she eats. That good enough for you?"
Steven shook his head, packed up the tools and books she needed for her lessons, then motioned with his chin.
"You're staying with Talulah, right? Here in camp? Or do you want to come over to my place instead?"
Judging from the worn, tattered clothes she wore—no different from any other Infected—it was clear she wasn't receiving any special treatment here. With Talulah's temperament, there was no way she'd allow favoritism.
But whether the little dragon girl cared or not, Steven wasn't about to let this little deer be wronged.
"Eh? Shouldn't we wait for Talulah first? I don't know if she's out patrolling or busy discussing things with the Infected gathered under her."
Alina tilted her head slightly. Just as Steven had said, she'd only been assigned a small tent like the others. Having her own little house, like back in the village, was completely impossible.
She couldn't exactly invite Steven into the tent she shared with Talulah—it was already cramped enough with just the two of them. Not to mention, she hadn't bathed in ages. What if he minded?
Lost in strange thoughts, Alina waited for Steven's answer. As for how he would bring her all the way to his cabin—dozens of kilometers away from camp—that wasn't something she worried about at all.
If he said it could be done, then it could be done. On matters like this, Alina had always believed in him unconditionally.
"We still have to wait for her, don't we? Hah~ tell me, why does she insist on dragging you to a place like this, making you suffer as if you were in prison? I should have taken you with me and left back then."
Steven muttered a complaint under his breath. If Talulah wanted to chase after her ideals, then so be it—suffering through hardships could be considered a kind of tempering for her. But why drag Alina into it as well?
Just thinking about it made him want to stick up for her.
Yet Alina only smiled gently. After finally finishing the bread in her hands, she wiped her palms and then placed her hand lightly over Steven's.
Sensing her touch, Steven raised his head, only to see the girl quietly shaking her head.
"You know as well as I do—when it comes to certain things, someone has to stay by Talulah's side, someone who can pull her back when she goes too far. If you really left her on her own… could you truly rest easy?"
Alina knew perfectly well that Steven's complaints were nothing more than words. His concern for Talulah was no less than her own. If he truly didn't care, he would've left long ago.
Not to mention, Talulah's ability to accompany the guerrillas now was thanks to him in the first place.
"How could I not be at ease? Let her do as she pleases. When she fails, I'll be there to laugh at her properly."
Steven gave a dismissive snort, though he didn't press on with the tsundere act. For a grown man, being so stubbornly contradictory didn't look great, so soon enough, he shifted the topic.
"You just said a group of Infected are following Talulah, right? They still haven't joined the guerrillas? Don't tell me they're clinging to her now?"
Steven never bothered to sugarcoat his words. In his eyes, that group of Infected Talulah had saved—if they hadn't joined the guerrillas and instead flocked around her—it was most likely because they wanted to set up their own little faction, maybe even crown her as their leader.
Alina's nod was confirmation enough.
"Not only them—many of the Infected who came later also disagreed with the guerrillas' overly simple ideals. They turned to Talulah's group instead. By now, their numbers nearly rival those of the guerrillas."
A trace of worry flickered in Alina's eyes. She knew all too well that once a crowd grew too large, its original purpose and ideals were the first things to be muddled, leading it down a misguided path.
And worse, Talulah herself hadn't even decided what direction to take next. To have such a mass of people already gathering around her was far from a good sign.
"So, having too much charisma isn't always a blessing, huh? She hasn't told you yet about what exactly she plans to do with those infected following her?"
Steven scratched his head.
The fact that so many Infected had chosen to rally around that little dragon girl only proved Talulah had more than enough charm to draw people in. But in truth, most of them were probably just unwilling to keep living obediently as they had been, swept up by the current.
Oppression breeds resistance. And for those who wanted to resist Ursus's official oppression, the choices were simple: either join the guerrillas, or form an entirely new organization.
Under Patriot' guidance, the guerrillas were being molded into warriors, not avengers. That ran counter to the beliefs of many of the Infected—perhaps that was exactly why they rallied behind Talulah.
"She said she's been thinking about this question herself, but ideally, she'd like to hear someone else's opinion on it."
Alina smiled as she glanced at Steven.
Being one of the rare few people Talulah could trust and confide in completely, she naturally knew who that "someone" referred to.
Steven, however, only sighed, and with a hint of annoyance poked Alina's face—her once healthy complexion now pale and lacking vitality thanks to the poor rations of camp life.
"She's already worked you to the bone like this, and she still expects me to give her advice? Why doesn't she just ask me to overthrow all of Ursus while I'm at it?"
Gently pinching Alina's thin cheeks, Steven felt only heartache. This poor little deer had been run ragged by that wretched dragon—he'd have to make sure she got properly nourished again.
"If you really could do that, I'd be willing to give up everything for it. But everyone knows you're just joking. Even if I wanted to ask such a thing of you, it's not like you'd actually do it."
Talulah's still-clear voice rang out from behind him, though no amount of effort could hide the exhaustion weighing it down.
Hearing her, Steven turned around, and the first thing he saw was the same image as always: the young Draco girl dressed in a military uniform that clashed starkly with the ragged camp of Infected around her.
The fatigue on her face had not yet faded, but what shone through even stronger was the joy of reunion—tempered, however, by a trace of faint reproach.
"You've got some nerve showing your face here. Look at how you've been taking care of this little deer! Just look at how thin she's gotten."
Seeing her sparked an odd mix of irritation in Steven. She still had the gall to get snide with him? What did she mean, "just joking"? Overthrowing Ursus is a simple matter to him—but the real question was: what would he gain from it?
More than anything, though, Steven wanted to hold her accountable for how she'd treated Alina.
The moment Talulah realized his words were about Alina, the haughtiness she had prepared for their usual verbal sparring immediately deflated. On most things she could stand tall with a clear conscience—but when it came to letting Alina suffer, she knew she was at fault.
"You're hardly in any position to scold me either. Didn't you run off to other countries to live carefree? If you had stayed with us, we wouldn't have ended up like this."
Her voice was noticeably softer now, and even she knew the excuse sounded weak.
"In any case, when it comes to Alina, I truly am sorry. I promise I'll make it up to her in the future. But that doesn't give you the right to point fingers at me!"
As the one caught in the middle, Alina could only give a helpless smile. She took Steven's hand, led him over to Talulah, and after also clasping Talulah's hand, she spoke.
"Can't you two just not start fighting the moment you see each other?"
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
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