Chapter 138: I Just Want You to Write a Reflection
Chapter 138: I Just Want You to Write a Reflection
After confirming multiple times that Steven wasnât lying about the situation, Talulah had no choice but to accept it as fact.
This guyâs strength was borderline absurd, wasnât it?
Hearing Steven casually describe how he effortlessly took down the Collapsal and then intimidated the Emperorâs Blades into backing off, Talulah could only give him a couple of once-overs with an expression that resembled someone looking at a mythical creature.
No matter how she looked at it, this outcome was far beyond her expectations.
Talulah had initially thought that Steven must have teamed up with the Emperorâs Blades to take down the Collapsal, or perhaps the Blades had killed the Collapsal first, and then Steven used his abilities to escape from them by the skin of his teeth.
But the reality? He single-handedly took out the Collapsal and then casually strolled away from five Emperorâs Blades.
The only explanation more absurd than the situation itself was the possibility that the Blades thought even all five of them together wouldnât stand a chance against him.
âWhat method did you use to take down that Collapsal and make those Emperorâs Blades so wary of you?â
âI just went in hard, what else? But honestly, the main reason they backed off was that I didnât want them pestering me, so I gave them a little scare. They cooperated pretty well. If only those Infected patrol squads were as reasonable, maybe this country would have some hope left.â
Steven waved dismissively, not bothering to go into detail about how he managed it.
Even if he explained, Talulah wouldnât understand.
âThen tell me thisâif it really came down to a fight, how many of those five could you take down?â
Talulah was already used to Steven being vague about his abilities, but this time, she cared about a different question.
If he could make the Emperorâs Blades this wary, just how strong was this boy in front of her? She needed at least a rough idea.
âThat question should probably be rephrased to âHow long could they last against me?â If I were to be generous, one punch per personâso, five punches in total? Honestly, I think theyâre decent folks. Why pick a fight with them at all?â
Steven scratched his chin, seriously answering her question.
Those five Emperorâs Blades certainly looked strong and gave off a solid impression, but it all depended on who they were up against.
Even without activating any Mod, Steven felt he could handle them without breaking a sweat.
If he really wanted to be over the top, he wouldnât even need to throw a punch.
He could just read their names hovering above their heads, input a kill command, and be done with it.
But where was the fun in that?
âItâs not about picking a fight with them,â Talulah replied, taking a deep breath to steady herself. âTo change the plight of the Infected, the Emperorâs Blades are a hurdle that canât be avoided.â
Hearing that, Steven rolled his eyes.Â
This was the first time Talulah had heard him openly admit his strength.
But hearing him casually say he could easily take down five Emperorâs Bladesâwas that even something a human could do?
Even she wouldnât dare claim she could escape unscathed from an ambush by just two Emperorâs Blades.
âOh, so youâre saying you want me to help you fight them, right? Well, forget it. Thatâs not happening.â
Steven shot her a glare.Â
All her probing was probably just to gauge how much help he could offer and how many Emperorâs Blades he could fend off during critical moments.
It wasnât exactly exploitation, but the comparison still made him uncomfortable.
Why should a bystander like him get dragged into something as messy as saving the Infected? He wasnât infected with Oripathy, nor did he owe those people anything.
If it were about protecting Alina and Talulah, heâd help out without hesitation.
But as for everyone else?
Steven could only say: âDonât know them, so it depends on my mood.â
Steven disliked how Talulah had presumptuously assumed he would align with her.
"But you're so strong... For someone like you, this kind of thingâ"
"No, that's not right. This isnât something you should have to do. Thereâs no rule that says the strong must save the weak. Iâve been too presumptuous. You have no obligation to help me."
Before Steven could rebuke her, Talulah pressed her hand to her forehead and started reflecting on her own.
She realized she had no right to demand anything of Steven just because he was strong.
To assume that his strength automatically obligated him to help her was utterly unreasonable.
Talulahâs ability to reflect on her own thoughts and logic was exceptional.
She didnât need anyone else to point it out; she quickly recognized the flaw in her mindset and began reevaluating it.
It was precisely this quality that made Steven not see her as a troublesome or unreasonable woman.
Most people find it difficult to self-examine.
When they think or perceive things, their natural tendency is to lean toward self-interest.
The ability to catch oneself in such a bias and immediately reflect upon it was, in Stevenâs eyes, an exceedingly rare traitâperhaps even a sign of someone who was saint-like in their self-awareness.
At least, Steven knew he himself wasnât capable of doing such a thing.
He couldnât help but wonder how Talulah had developed this personality.
Her character was undeniably compelling and attractive in its own way.
"Iâm sorry. I oversimplified things and didnât consider your perspective."
After sorting through her thoughts, Talulah sincerely apologized to Steven.
"You didnât just oversimplify it; you also made it overly idealistic," Steven responded, accepting her apology without hesitation or formality.
If Talulah werenât the person she wasâsomeone who could acknowledge her own faultsâSteven probably wouldnât even bother engaging with her.
Now that sheâd admitted her mistake, Steven thought it might be a good opportunity to tell her something important.
Not to change her entirely, but to at least crack open the defenses of her idealism and encourage her to see the harsh reality of the world with her own eyes.
This world, one that could metaphorically and literally "eat people alive," had frustrated even him, someone who wasnât much of an idealist.Â
For someone like Talulah, who was so driven by her ideals, it would undoubtedly hit even harder.
"What is it? Can I listen too?"
Alina walked over with a handmade denim jacket sheâd sewn for Steven.
Sitting down beside Talulah, she placed a comforting hand on her friendâs and looked at Steven with a playful wink.
"Stop coddling her like this. What happens when youâre not around one day? You think she wonât go astray?"
Steven rolled his eyes. He could tell Alina was worried about the potential blow Talulah might take from his words.
But in a way, her protectiveness was enabling Talulah.
Many idealists canât wake up from the dream of their ideals without taking a hard hit from the cold reality of the world.Â
Thatâs just how it is.
"Really? I just thought Iâd listen along, share some thoughts, and gently guide any friends who might end up overthinking things," Alina said with a playful smile, giving her reasoning without directly countering Stevenâs words.
"Hey, donât treat me like some fragile kid, okay? Iâm not that easily shaken. Just say whatever you want to say. I doubt thereâs anything that could truly rattle me," Talulah finally spoke up, unable to sit still any longer.
The way the two of them treated her like she was some overly sensitive child was frustrating.Â
Talulah believed her mental defenses werenât that easily breached. Were they seriously underestimating her this much?
At the same time, her curiosity about what Steven wanted to share only grew.
For him to approach this so seriously, it had to be something significant.
"Alright, but you said it yourself. Just remember, this is something that already happened, so just treat it like a story. Donât get too emotionally invested. If it upsets you, you canât blame me," Steven warned her again before sighing.
He then began recounting what he had seen in that strange village while tracking the Collapsal.
Midway through the story, Talulahâs previously confident demeanor was gone.
Her expression turned grim as her fists clenched tightly, though it was unclear what exactly she was thinking.
Steven could even feel the Originium energy radiating from her body, causing the roomâs temperature to rise noticeably.
There was no helping it.
The events of the story clashed completely with her ideals.
It was as if reality itself was mocking her beliefs, telling her that what she wanted to doâwhat she wanted to changeâwas ultimately meaningless.
Thankfully, Alina was there.
Though her own eyes carried a hint of confusion and sorrow, she gently patted Talulahâs tightly clenched fists, trying to soothe her emotions.
In the end, Steven didnât describe the villagersâ final fate in detail.
He stopped the story at the point where he sat in the grain storage.
"âThatâs about it. Thereâs not much else to say, really. I just wanted you to write a few hundred words reflecting on it. Do you get what I mean?"
Having finished the story, Steven casually took a bottle of water from his inventory, boiled it, and jokingly suggested the idea to lighten the mood.
But Talulah clearly wasnât in the mood for jokes.
Her gaze was vacant, and she seemed lost in thought.Â
After replaying the entire story in her mind, she eventually looked up, her silver-gray eyes locking onto Stevenâs.
"What was the fate of those villagers in the end?"
She was hoping Steven would give her an answer, something she could use as a reference.Â
She wanted to know what Steven had chosen to do in such a situation.
"They all died. Every single oneâmen, women, the old, the young. Not a single person was spared. They were all wiped out," Steven said as he sipped his tea, his tone as casual as if he were discussing something trivial.
"It wasnât me who killed them. But even if I had left that grain storage earlier, the result wouldnât have changed."
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