Inside Alina's home, the room was clean, with a few books neatly arranged on the shelves. The group sat in a heavy, brooding silence, their expressions grim as they contemplated their next move.
"Jeanne, you and Talulah must leave the village immediately! You killed members of the Patrol—those beasts will never let this go!" Grandpa said, his eyes clouded with worry.
"Go now, tonight! We two old bones will stay behind and take the blame!"
"How can we do that! If we leave, we leave together. I have the strength to carry you both out of here!" Talulah insisted. She understood exactly what the elderly couple was implying, and she knew the horrific fate that would await them if they stayed to "atone" for the girls' actions.
"Don't talk nonsense! You killed the Patrol! If they can't find the culprits to hand over to their superiors, the entire village will suffer! We're already old; we don't have many years left anyway..." Grandpa's voice choked up. They truly couldn't bear to part with these three children, but they couldn't stand by and watch them be dragged away by the Empire.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. Jeanne opened it to find the Village Chief and several villagers standing there, holding bundles in their hands. The Chief stepped inside and sat down, looking somewhat ashamed.
"Old Ivan, regarding this matter... we've discussed it. Everyone agrees that you and Alina can stay. We will move the rest of the village tomorrow, heading further away to hide."
"That's wonderful! Everyone..." Before Grandma could finish, the Chief raised a hand to silence her.
"Jeanne and Talulah cannot stay in the village anymore," he continued. "After all, you killed a noble's soldiers, and those returning today found the corpses of several 'black bugs' nearby! It's too dangerous."
Everyone understood the hidden meaning. To be honest, it was already a testament to their kindness that they were allowing the elderly couple and Alina to remain. For the girls to leave was the only rational outcome, and they accepted it readily.
"This is a small gesture from everyone. Your home is gone, and this is all we can do."
Truthfully, two years ago, these villagers would have driven them out like any other settlement would. But over these years, Jeanne had truly helped them. Her light had changed many of them, making the village a better place.
"I understand, Chief. After you leave, head toward the West. You might find a new turning point there." Jeanne offered one last bit of guidance. She could sense that a better future awaited them in that direction.
"Thank you, Jeanne. We're so sorry... we simply don't have the power to protect you two. This is all we can manage..." The Chief was moved. He knew Jeanne possessed a prophetic intuition that had saved a villager's life before, which was why they trusted her words.
Before leaving, the Chief handed over the supplies gathered by the villagers. It wasn't much—about a day's worth of rations and some old clothes. These were from people who had been helped by the girls and wanted to show their gratitude despite the harsh winter.
The girls tried to refuse, but eventually kept a portion. In reality, they hadn't lost everything; the cellar was untouched, and their truly important belongings had been hidden away.
Still... the elderly couple was heartbroken. Jeanne comforted them: "Don't worry, Grandma. Once we find a place to settle down, we'll come back for you."
"Don't worry about us! Think about yourselves! It's the dead of winter! It's so dangerous out there! You'll be eaten by the Originium slugs and beasts!" Grandma finally broke down, her voice thick with tears. Grandpa sat there, puffing on his pipe incessantly.
"Be careful out there," he said after a while. "Jeanne, keep an eye on Talulah. she tends to act without thinking... she's impulsive..."
Alina: "..."
The day passed in a blur of sadness and silence. Other families in the village were also packing to leave; the village was no longer safe, and the Searchers could return at any time.
Late at night, Jeanne and Talulah were double-checking their luggage and the items salvaged from the house.
"By the way, I didn't see you pack that bag of gold," Jeanne asked curiously. She knew Talulah had dreams she wanted to chase and had assumed that was her "starting capital."
"I left it for Alina and the others. It's enough for them to live on for several years. By then, maybe we can bring them to wherever we end up staying." Talulah hoisted her pack onto her shoulders. "Let's go. Leaving under the cover of night is better; I never did like goodbyes."
They looked back at the wooden house one last time, then turned and walked straight into the desolate, frozen tundra.
"There are a few things I haven't told you..." Talulah's voice was heavy, as if she feared her words might trigger something terrible. "I... I'm actually an Infected."
"I know."
Talulah's eyes widened in shock at Jeanne's immediate answer.
"Please, we lived in the same room. Did you really think you could hide that from me? It's not just me—Grandma and the others figured it out long ago."
Hearing Jeanne's amused tone, Talulah managed a small smile. "And here I thought I was being so stealthy... But there's one more thing. I know those men from today. They were likely coming for me."
As they walked, Talulah began to tell Jeanne about her past with Kashchey. She was so focused on the conversation that she didn't realize their group of two had grown.
"So, I'm sorry. I dragged you into this fight. They probably did this to get back at me. If it weren't for you, the whole village would have been slaughtered!" Talulah hung her head, unable to look Jeanne in the eye. She felt a crushing guilt for turning Jeanne into a wanderer. Jeanne wasn't even Infected, yet she was suffering this punishment. It wasn't fair.
"It's fine. It's not your fault. If I want revenge, I'll take it out on Duke Kashchey and his men."
"Little Talulah, don't carry such a heavy burden. This wasn't your mistake."
"Even if you say that, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be wandering the wilderness—!!"
Talulah suddenly froze. Two people were talking... so why were there three voices? She snapped her head up. A small Elafia (deer-girl) carrying a rucksack was looking right at her.
"Eh? ...Eh?!" Talulah's eyes nearly popped out of her head in disbelief.