Hearing Talulah's words, the two children initially showed expressions of wariness, but after a moment of consideration, they agreed.
From their perspective, they truly had nothing left for anyone to covet. Besides, as a fellow Infected, she surely wouldn't harm them, right? More importantly, they had reached a state where survival itself was in question; following these women meant they might finally get a full meal.
Still, the children were curious deep down: just who were these two? How could they afford to drive an Originium vehicle while being Infected?
And so, the two children boarded the car. Perhaps due to sheer exhaustion, it wasn't long after getting in that they both fell fast asleep in the back.
As for the car being stuck in the ditch? That was a trivial matter for Jeanne. Under the shocked gazes of the two children, she had lifted the vehicle with a single hand.
Watching this display of strength, Talulah couldn't help but wonder if Jeanne's power had increased again. In her current state, Talulah was certain she couldn't match her. If things continued like this, she wouldn't even be surprised if one day Jeanne started using entire vehicles as throwing weapons against enemies.
Having taken a brief moment to rest, Jeanne glanced at the sleeping children in the back and began chatting with Talulah in a half-joking tone.
"I've suddenly realized you have a real talent for getting kids to trust you. You managed to coax these two into the car with just a couple of sentences."
"You should get some rest! Otherwise, I'm worried that when we reach our stopping point after dark, you'll struggle to keep watch tonight."
Hearing that Jeanne still had the energy to tease her, Talulah gave her a flat look. As for the teasing itself, she didn't pay it the slightest bit of attention. If Talulah took every single word to heart, she'd never be able to live her life in peace.
As the sky gradually darkened, Talulah—knowing from Jeanne that there was a cave nearby large enough for the four of them—sent her friend off to rest. She didn't want to spend the entire night cramped in the car. Comfort aside, the vehicle's fuel wasn't a luxury they could afford to waste on running the heater all night.
The most practical solution was to find a cave, light a bonfire, get a good night's sleep, and head for the village tomorrow. Although Jeanne claimed she could drive through the night without any issues, Talulah wasn't comfortable with her navigating unfamiliar mountain terrain in the pitch black for safety's sake.
Furthermore, Jeanne hadn't had a proper rest since her journey back from the city. No matter how much she denied it, she had to be experiencing both mental and physical fatigue. Even if Jeanne said it wouldn't hinder her actions, being "able to act" and being "tired" were two different things. There was no need to push her to the point of total exhaustion.
While they had urgent business, the severity wasn't so extreme that they couldn't spare a single night for rest. Besides, Jeanne's intuition told her that nothing major would happen in the immediate future... Wait, could that really be called intuition? It's practically a prophecy!
Even though Patriot usually scoffed at things like "feelings" or "predictions," even he had to acknowledge Jeanne's miraculous ability. It was because of this power that many of their operations had gone smoothly, saving them from numerous dead ends.
"Yes, yes, yes. Understood, Leader Talulah~"
Hearing Talulah's nagging, Jeanne closed her eyes to rest. It was good to take this time to let her nerves relax slightly. Although she had been resting in fits and starts on her journey back, that kind of rest didn't truly ease the mental strain.
Walking alone across the wasteland, one never knew if a Catastrophe or a man-made disaster would drop on their head the next second. In such circumstances, even while sleeping, one had to keep their guard at the absolute maximum, waking at the slightest sound to check the situation.
"Don't call me that in that weird tone! When do you ever normally call me that? You won't even call me 'Leader' properly..."
Talulah's voice trailed off as she looked at Jeanne, who had already closed her eyes. She couldn't tell if her friend had actually fallen asleep or was just resting.
It looked like she was asleep. Talulah stared at her friend's closed eyes. Should I do something to her right now?
Ultimately, Talulah resisted the urge to draw a few turtles on her face. It wasn't out of kindness, but out of fear that her movements would wake her. How strong were Jeanne's senses while on alert? When sleeping, she could supposedly hear the sound of a bird flapping its wings ten meters away.
Talulah's little prank would likely be detected before she even touched her. It wouldn't be fun to be "counter-killed" by her friend. Plus, they were driving through mountains; one slip-up could mean a fatal crash. She didn't have Jeanne's superhuman intuition.
"Tch... fine. I'll save it for next time. There will be plenty of opportunities."
Talulah begrudgingly gave up on her plans for the sleeping Jeanne and focused entirely on the road. Whether it was her imagination or not, the moment she gave up her plan, a slight smile—mixed with a hint of disappointment—seemed to flicker across Jeanne's face.
Maybe I'm just being too sensitive, Talulah thought, turning her attention back to the surroundings.
While Jeanne had her own deductions about the safety of the path ahead, Talulah knew this wasn't an easy route, as evidenced by the fallen tree trunk she just had to swerve to avoid. No one used this path, which meant danger was everywhere. She had to keep her nerves taut to ensure their safety.
After an unknown amount of time, Talulah finally spotted a cave large enough to accommodate them—it looked to have been formed by a collapse of some sort. After scouting the interior and confirming it was safe, she decided to make it their camp for the night.
"Is this where we're staying? It feels spacious enough, though I wonder if this place might suddenly collapse on us..."
The moment the car stopped, Jeanne, who had seemed dead to the world, woke up instantly. The task of gathering firewood naturally fell to her. She roughly snapped several thick branches and dragged them back.
If it weren't just for a single night—meaning they didn't need that much wood—Jeanne might have even tried to see if she could uproot a pine tree. Though, such a display of brute strength probably didn't suit a "frail young girl" like her, right?
"If it collapses, I'm absolutely sacrificing you to the heavens. I mean it!"
Talulah responded sharply to Jeanne's comment about the cave's stability. She gathered the wood and ignited it. Only then did the two have a chance to truly rest. The two little ones were still sleeping in the car, and neither woman wanted to wake them yet.
"When you saw those two children today, your mood seemed a bit off. Is there something wrong with them?"
Once everything had settled down, Talulah turned to Jeanne. Her state when meeting the kids had been significantly different from her usual self. Others might not have noticed, thinking she was just lost in thought, but Talulah was sensitive to the discrepancy.
Just as Jeanne claimed to know Talulah perfectly, Talulah knew Jeanne just as well. There were very few things they could hide from one another.
Hearing this, Jeanne's expression grew solemn. She glanced back at the sleeping children before speaking:
"If I told you that I discovered that Eno has the potential to become an extremely mad person who seeks revenge against the non-Infected... would you believe me?"
Jeanne stared directly into Talulah's eyes. Her expression told Talulah that this time, she wasn't joking.
(Fumina: Somewhere within a vast cosmos, a Genius Society Member is probably off is rocker from reading this chapter title)