Lyudmila was not lying; she knew very well that for a normal person, those injuries meant having one foot already in the grave. It was only because that fellow managed to endure through sheer willpower that he survived.
"If that stab of yours had gone directly into his heart, he wouldn't have stood a chance of surviving, no matter how strong his body was. Wasn't it because you intended to leave him a path to live that you did it that way?"
Hearing Jeanne's words, Lyudmila found herself speechless. At the time, she had indeed acted with the intent to kill, yet in that moment, she had truly softened her heart. Otherwise, as a professional assassin from Siracusa, how could she have attacked so many times and still allowed the target to hold on until help arrived?
"I just felt that doing this was enough. Although he was the one who betrayed my father, if I think about it carefully, even if he hadn't, my father would have been killed eventually. The one who truly wanted him dead wasn't Sergei."
As she spoke, Lyudmila recalled the explanation she had heard from Sergei. At that moment, she understood that Sergei was not the mastermind; the one who truly killed her father was the City Lord of Chernobog! And Sergei was merely another unfortunate soul. Even without his betrayal of Ilia's whereabouts, those people would have found other ways to eliminate her father.
"The one who truly killed my father wasn't him, so I didn't kill him directly. I left wounds sufficient for him to die from blood loss; our grudges are now settled."
At this point, Lyudmila suddenly remembered the scene of seeing her relatives while she was unconscious. Their expressions at that time... perhaps they also approved of her choice? Although a bit of lingering resentment remained, the awakened Lyudmila felt that the negative emotions accumulated over many years had finally been partially released.
However, her revenge was not over. The City Lord who had orchestrated everything had not been affected at all. It was just that she currently believed she had no way to get close to him and could only plan for the long term. For now, even getting in front of a discarded pawn like Sergei required Jeanne's help, let alone the heavily guarded City Lord.
"That's good then. I was worried you'd never step out of that cycle. It seems you've finally moved past the shadows of your heart. Congratulations on welcoming a new life and a new goal, Lyudmila."
Jeanne was naturally very happy to hear her words of partial relief. After all, Lyudmila could be considered her friend now, and she couldn't just watch her friend jump into a pit of fire! Hatred was not something that could be resolved simply by the advice of others; no matter how well others spoke, one could only walk out of it on their own. Any other method was useless.
"But, how are we supposed to get back now? It's quite a distance to Azazel, isn't it? You don't plan on taking me back in that manner again, do you? I'd rather walk back than agree to that!"
Lyudmila suddenly thought of a very important matter for the two of them: with Talulah and the others having driven the car away, how were they supposed to return? Too many things had happened over the past two days, and it had truly exhausted the recently recovered Lyudmila. Now, she didn't want to move at all; she just wanted to find a place to lie down and rest. If she had to walk back to Azazel on her own two legs now, it would be better to find a corner to sleep in and find a way back tomorrow—otherwise, it would be dawn by the time they reached Azazel.
"Just follow me! I've already found a way to leave this place."
Saying this, Jeanne took Lyudmila's hand and walked forward. Even without using Revelation, Jeanne could guess the situation. That silly girl (Talulah) wasn't the type to leave her behind and go alone; she would definitely rush back to pick her up.
Just as Jeanne expected, when they reached a road resembling a highway, the Raythean Industries Originium vehicle appeared ahead. The one sitting in the car waiting for them was none other than Talulah!
"You guys sure took your time! I heard from the people running out that the military inside has gone crazy. If you hadn't come out soon, I would have had to charge in to find a way to save you."
A faint smile appeared on Talulah's face as she spoke, and her tail wagged cheerfully of its own accord, making a rhythmic thwack-thwack sound against the front cover of the car. Just as Jeanne could guess Talulah would return for her, Talulah believed Jeanne would bring Lyudmila back safely. They simply knew each other too well.
At that time, Jeanne would certainly need a vehicle to leave the area, so Talulah had pressed the accelerator to the floor all the way back. According to Exusiai's way of describing it, the car was "flying too low," affecting its performance. It was only because the car was produced by Raythean Industries that it could withstand such abuse; any off-brand car made in Chernobog would have exploded halfway due to the speed.
"Thanks for the hard work. We've returned safely."
Saying this, Jeanne gave Talulah a big hug, causing Talulah's tail to stiffen slightly, though her expression remained unchanged, and no one else could see anything amiss.
The three didn't continue their reunion there but got into the car to return. This area could be discovered at any moment; even with Jeanne's peculiar abilities, it was best to be cautious.
"What exactly do you guys do? Over the years, I've seen many groups where Infected and non-Infected act together, but to be honest, it's my first time seeing a group like yours."
On the way, Lyudmila suddenly asked about Talulah and the others' specific identities. It was actually quite funny; after spending two days together, she hadn't even had the chance to find out what organization they belonged to, only that they were in Chernobog for business.
"Us? We are actually an Infected organization from the tundra—Reunion. However, we also recruit non-Infected who are willing to live with the Infected. This trip to Chernobog is mainly for some negotiations and such."
Talulah gave Lyudmila a general introduction to Reunion, though she didn't tell her everything. After all, some things were truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
"Then... is your organization still recruiting? I don't have much to do lately and want to find an organization to train with for a while. You are a team from the tundra; I can use the opportunity to hone my skills..."
"...The way you put it, why does it sound so much like your current company is going under and you're planning to pack your bags and come work for us?"