"Does he have any utility value..."
Talulah fell into deep thought for a moment after hearing Jeanne's words, then replied: "Many. His power, his relationships with those nobles, the secrets of this continent over the past thousand years, his understanding of Originium Arts and combat techniques... even his regulations and philosophies for governing territories can serve as a negative example for me."
As Talulah spoke, shadows of flames flickered in her eyes. It was evident that she still could not forgive Kashchey, yet she suppressed the fire within her heart.
"We want to fight for the rights of the Infected, but we cannot achieve that with our strength alone. We need power from all sides—even from this country's army and the nobility! These are exactly the things Kashchey knows, and they are what I need to learn."
"Furthermore, if Kashchey simply vanishes from my mind, he might find a way to make a comeback. We would be even more passive then. It's better to maintain the initiative like this."
Listening to Talulah explain her thoughts, Jeanne and Alina wore expressions that seemed to say, 'Our child has truly grown up.' This made Talulah feel somewhat awkward.
"Could you two please stop looking at me like that? It feels strange."
Seeing their gazes, Talulah's face suddenly flushed red. She covered her face and turned away like a child who had just been praised—both happy and shy.
Jeanne and Alina thought: And yet you're smiling so happily!
"Alright then, it's already past midnight. Everyone, go get some rest. There's a lot to do tomorrow. If you two get exhausted, all the work will pile up on me alone."
Jeanne stretched and urged the two of them to go to sleep. This wasn't without precedent; when they first arrived, Talulah had stayed up late so often to handle affairs that she hadn't rested well. Even as a fire-breathing Draco, she had ended up with a fever and tried to hide it from them.
In the end, Jeanne discovered it only when she noticed that the flame on Talulah's tail looked a bit wilted.
At that time, Alina was busy teaching the children and lacked the energy to help, which resulted in Jeanne doing the work of two people for several days. Back then, Talulah had stubbornly insisted she wasn't sick and could still work. Her dedication moved Jeanne—who promptly gave her a headbutt to knock her back onto the bed to rest.
That incident left Talulah with a bit of a grudge against Jeanne's headwear. Whose head can compete with the hardness of metal?! To this day, she still wanted to have a contest with Jeanne to see whose head was truly made of iron.
Since then, Jeanne had taken on the role of their health consultant, supervising their sleep schedules. Realizing it was late, the two prepared to rest. "Going back" simply meant moving to different rooms within the same building.
That night, the sleeping Talulah returned to Kashchey.
"What is it? Are there more questions?" Kashchey looked at Talulah, who had only recently left. His expression was hard to read—neither a cry nor a laugh.
"I want to know why you are so afraid of Jeanne. When you speak to us, your eyes always drift toward her, showing a look of terror. As fellow 'gods,' is the gap between you truly that large?"
Talulah stared at Kashchey. She knew this entity had lived for a very long time and might know something about the deity behind Jeanne.
"You really are sharp," Kashchey remarked. This time, he manifested the image of his old manor. Standing in the study, he looked at one of the books—records of knowledge gathered from his memories. "Even though I agreed to teach you, I didn't expect you to poke directly at my sore spot."
"How should I put it... comparing me to that deity is an inappropriate method. The gap between that God and me is even greater than the gap between me and an ant!"
Kashchey's answer exceeded Talulah's expectations. In her childhood, her family told her that so-called "gods" were merely more powerful creatures—arrogant, ancient beings who mastered certain forces. But for this ancient and arrogant entity to humble himself so much... was it an exaggeration?
"You don't need to doubt it. That kind of disparity is not something you can comprehend. He likely saw that I still have utility value to you; otherwise, I would have dissipated long ago. Why else would I still be here?"
Kashchey shared his understanding. Even now, he felt terror toward His methods. In Kashchey's perception, his own Originium Art was unsolvable. While some had the ability to seal him or pull him out, doing so without harming the host was nearly impossible.
His Originium Art was like turning his soul into a drop of ink. Once he seized a host's body, even if the host reclaimed it, the soul remained stained black. But on that day, even though he had already contaminated a part of Talulah's soul, that light had directly purified his power without harming Talulah at all. He couldn't even begin to comprehend such power.
"As for your friend... I can tell you that she possesses the ability to ignite and purify the entire world. I just don't know if she has discovered that power yet."
While Talulah was processing this, Kashchey dropped an even more shocking piece of news. Talulah was stunned and hurriedly asked him what he knew.
"Such things only have meaning if you find them yourself. However, that power is safe; it is under that girl's control. You can consider that the girl named Jeanne has the capacity to pull the whole world into destruction with her."
This was also why he remained here. If he could learn even a fraction of this power that surpassed Catastrophes, it would make Ursus fearless on this continent. If he could master such power, what did a little humiliation matter? Human lives were insignificant compared to his longevity; he only had to wait for that day to come.
"I feel like you are plotting something," Talulah said warily, trying to see through his thoughts. However, she didn't speculate further and walked toward the bookshelf containing his knowledge.
"I never thought the day would come where I'd be reading books even in my dreams. If this were in the past, I might have woken up screaming from the horror," Talulah joked to herself. Then, her face darkened as she looked at the titles before her.
"Methods of Raising Slugs", "The Complete Guide to Prenatal Care for All Races", "Horn Maintenance Techniques", "How to Attract Passersby: Makeup Tips for the Perfect Lady", "Matching Ladies' Clothing"...
"Can you explain to me what this is?"
Talulah turned her head stiffly to look at Kashchey, her face filled with disgust. "I knew you were a pervert, but I didn't realize you were this much of a pervert! Give me some useful knowledge! I have no interest in this trash!"
"My daughter, I feel you should learn all of these except perhaps the first one! You need to learn how to dress yourself properly."
"Get out!"