Chapter Sixty-Six: The Eve of Chaos (Part II)
As much as I wanted to unleash a barrage of curses right now, maybe the old man had a point. But that was only if everyone could toss aside their so-called “human” emotions.
If everyone could think rationally, treating themselves and their important people as mere tiny screws in the grand wheel of innovation, they could acknowledge, accept, and support everything that woman did, even if it shredded them to pieces, without a hint of complaint—then maybe what the old man said would actually make sense.
But…
That was never going to happen.
Because we are human…
We are vibrant, emotional beings!
Everyone feels the same…
All lives are equal; no one has the right to place themselves in some lofty position where they can whimsically decide the fate of others… decide who lives and who dies…
It didn’t matter what the reason was; it simply wasn’t acceptable.
Who did that woman think she was, thinking she could do this?
Darn it…
I was bubbling with frustration, itching to curse someone out, but then it hit me—arguing with this old man was pointless. I suddenly didn’t want to say another word to him.
Maybe sensing my mood swings, the old man across from me wiped his eyes and fell silent, leaving me curious about what he was thinking.
The cellar was quiet for a brief moment as we stared at each other, neither of us speaking, with only the flickering flames from the table casting strange shadows.
Suddenly, the sound of a creaking door broke the silence.
Little Girl Betty popped her head through the door, brandishing a stack of fresh bed sheets. Upon seeing the two of us sitting silently at the table, she paused, then playfully stuck out her little tongue.
“Grandpa, Sis, what are you doing?”
Ah.
She sure has impeccable timing…
“Let’s just do this.”
I jumped up from the table, and the old man opened his mouth, seemingly about to say something. I quickly waved my hand at him: “Don’t bother. It won’t make any difference. Your words won’t convince me, and you can forget about me developing any fondness for her. That’s out of the question. We are clearly on different paths… Just arrange for me to head to Sand Valley tomorrow.”
“…Fine.”
He pondered for a moment and finally nodded.
Soon enough, the old mayor stood up and left. Little Girl Betty made the bed and flashed a sweet smile at me before turning to head towards the door, attempting to follow her grandpa out. However, as she reached the doorway, she suddenly hesitated, turned back, and walked towards me again.
“Sis…”
The girl walked right up to me, calling out in her bright little voice. I was still dazed at the table when I snapped out of it and looked up at her: “Hmm? What’s up?”
“Sis, are you planning to go somewhere tomorrow…?”
Her voice was sweet, with a tiny crinkle at her nose as she seemed a bit shy. Perhaps she picked up on something from her grandpa’s expression or overheard my last words, realizing I was leaving the town tomorrow. She couldn’t help but tug at my clothing, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
“Are you leaving… to Sand Valley?”
“Yeah…”
I ruffled her hair with a chuckle, saying, “It’s just temporarily, a few days, you know.”
Yeah…
Maybe it is just a few days away.
Honestly, I have no idea if I’ll come back after all this, especially if I don’t find that woman in Sand Valley. Who knows, maybe her mangled corpse will be the only thing left for me to see…
It’s all so uncertain.
But for some reason, I didn’t want to tell the little girl about this, so I instinctively said I’d be back in a few days.
“Really…”
Little Betty seemed skeptical at first, scrunching her nose tighter as she stared at me for a moment. Then her face lit up with a clear and innocent smile: “Then Sis, you can’t lie to me, okay? Are you really leaving tomorrow? You have to come back in a few days, promise!”
“…Okay.”
I nodded.
“Betty has a lot to say to Sis…”
“What is it?”
“Um… well… oh, you’ll find out when you come back. But I have to wait until then to tell you… I can’t tell you now!”
“Hmm… Fine then.”
I patted her little head.
Honestly, it was obvious she hadn’t figured out what she wanted to say to me. Her thoughts were really simple; she just didn’t want me to leave, and she was fishing for a reason, hoping I’d come back.
I could see that emotion sparkling in her eyes.
“Betty just got familiar with Sis… wants to be close again…”
As I patted her head, she leaned in unconsciously, her eyes squinting in pleasure: “I was so shy before… I didn’t dare to get close to you. I thought you were really scary, especially after seeing you at your scariest… Sis, don’t be mad! Back then, I thought you looked just like a demon…”
“Ha ha.”
I chuckled, shaking my head as if I didn’t care that much.
“Every time I came down to the cellar, I was scared out of my wits, afraid you’d just sit up in bed and gobble me up in one bite… I even had nightmares where you turned into a terrifying monster, devouring everyone in town… with bl**d splattered everywhere, laughing like a maniac… ow!”
I gave her a playful smack on the head, and she quickly covered her forehead, wincing: “Sis, you’re mad…”
“I’m not.”
“Then why did you hit Betty…”
“I didn’t.”
I said without blinking: “My hand just moved on its own.”
“Wah…”
She whimpered a bit, leaning her face on my leg cutely: “Either way, I was so scared back then…”
“Right, you were scared silly.”
“Hey—”
Her face turned bright red: “Sis, don’t bring that up again!”
She then dashed off toward the cellar door, practically sprinting: “Sis! If you could stay here, I’d get to see you and talk to you every day! That would make me so happy! Very~ very happy!”
The little girl’s voice echoed cheerfully in the empty cellar.
“I want to hear more of Sis’s stories from before! They must be incredible tales…”
Bang—
The wooden door slammed shut.
…………
The moonlight was thin, casting a gentle glow over the yellow earth, outlining the tranquil silhouette of the town at night.
Meanwhile, in the desolate desert to the east, two figures dashed under the moonlight. From their silhouettes, it seemed to be a man and a woman, moving at breakneck speed like cheetahs. Before long, they reached a sand dune and came to a halt.
“Hey, did we go the wrong way…?”
The scruffy swordsman pulled out a telescope from his pocket, peering at the rolling yellow hills in the distance, sounding a bit lazy.
“The compass is with you; why ask me if you can’t tell the direction?”
The red-haired woman rolled her eyes, looking exasperated: “You’re in such a hurry to chase that girl; why not just stay in town and drink? Is she really that important to you…? You met her once, and now you look like a lost puppy…”
“Cut it out.”
The man waved his hand, putting away the telescope and pulling out the compass to check it for a moment: “Let’s go; we should be getting close.”
