NOVPUBTalia spoke as if it were a matter of course.
She had grown fond of the identity of Calila.
She also wanted to become a member of the Great Demon Clan like Calila.
"You donned the Veil of the Fallen Heaven and became Calila, but only in appearance, and you were already quite good-looking, so it’s like nothing changed," Lanci raised his doubt.
Although Talia’s skin had changed again.
He thought it was an ineffective disguise.
"You’re saying there’s no change inside of me, right? I won’t take offense, considering you always sincerely think I look good," Talia huffed and moved forward.
"You today..."
Lanci was confused.
If Talia responded like that, she truly seemed to possess the demeanor of Calila, the ruler of the Demon World.
The two made their way past the counter towards the magic energy elevator.
Lanci looked around, giving all the employees in the lobby a brief glance.
"What’s wrong?"
Talia felt Lanci’s behavior pattern was unusual.
"...Back then, Small Stone City stood at the southernmost edge of the Land of Perpetual Night, perpetually winter, the vast land covered in brilliant snow, a community dominated by Orcs, filled with a raw, rugged beauty, yet infused with a modern sense from the human city-states," Lanci shared, stopped in his tracks, propping his chin, thinking.
And on his brow, aside from doubt, there increasingly appeared memories.
Of the six city-states along the way, Small Stone City, as the southernmost city of the Land of Perpetual Night and the independent city-state closest to the Polante Empire, had relatively normal relations between Orcs and humans, often engaging in trade and deeply permeated by human culture.
Further venturing into the depths of the Land of Perpetual Night, the conditions would become increasingly harsh, until reaching the last city-state, where one would hardly encounter humans in the city and might even see members of the Demon Race.
"!"
"Right, Small Stone City is a Beastmen City-State, so why are all we seeing now humans, Bear Men?"
Talia also realized the oversight.
She began to understand why Lanci felt something was amiss when they first arrived and were waiting for the carriage.
Not a single adorable little bear was in sight.
It was one thing on the outskirts of the city-state, but still not seeing any trace of the Bear Man race even after reaching the city center, and even the proud Snow Bear Hotel of the Bear Man race had no staff from their kin.
"I’m going to ask."
Lanci told Talia, and after she nodded, they both turned around.
Heading towards the hotel lobby’s counter.
There stood a young woman in uniform, focused on organizing documents.
The approach of two distinguished guests caught her attention.
"Good evening, sir, madam, how may I assist you?"
The receptionist looked up, revealing a professional smile.
"I was wondering, the Bear People of this city… why does it seem like there are none to be seen?"
Lanci asked pensively.
The receptionist’s smile gradually stiffened, until a hint of pity flashed through her eyes.
She hesitated for a moment, seemingly choosing her words carefully.
"Sir."
She took a deep breath and slowly said,
"The Bear People... have long been extinct."
Lanci felt as if he had been struck by a blow to the head upon hearing this news.
"How, how could this happen?"
He asked the receptionist, his heart nearly gripped by an invisible hand.
"Six years ago, the Huo Ning Empire and the Blood Clan launched a total assault on Small Stone City. Lord Algom led his Bear Man warriors to resist to the death, refusing to betray their allies. The price they paid was that, after the city-state was breached, they were massacred by the invaders. Every single Bear Man, whether warrior or civilian, was subjected to abdomen-stabbing executions and hung on the city walls to deter the other Beastmen City-States..."
The receptionist recounted the history of six years ago to Lanci.
Perhaps only those who hadn’t visited Small Stone City for many years were unaware of these events.
The closer to the Beastmen City-States, the more heart-wrenching for those who came to the city, which no longer had any Bear Men, after the war.
Hung on the city walls, enduring the agony of cruel punishment but unable to die, until their blood and intestines dried up, to be replaced by fresh Bear Men to hang, not sparing a single one.
"..."
Facing the counter, Lanci was silent for a long while.
A deep sense of sorrow welled up, his throat tightening.
What in the world did the Bear Men do wrong?
Was resisting the Blood Clan a mistake?
"So, where do the departed Bear People clan... rest in eternal sleep?"
Lanci’s voice trembled slightly.
"In the city center, behind the original rocks and the Sanctuary Temple, there is a cemetery specifically built for the Bear People clan, where many unidentifiable Bear People corpses are buried. The Pope personally carved tombstones for them, and it also serves as a place for mourning and remembrance."
The receptionist pointed in the direction of the north of the city and spoke softly.
She couldn’t forget that night when the Pope, as if possessed, carved until his hands bled, guilt-ridden and weeping as he built the tombs for the Bear People.
"Thank you."
Lanci thanked the receptionist and then quickly walked out of the hotel.
Talia followed him, her worry barely concealed.
A cold wind bringing snowflakes slapped their faces, but he didn’t mind.
He walked with a sole direction in mind—toward that cemetery.
Through the increasingly quiet streets.
Lanci arrived at Small Stone City Memorial Park.
In the pitch darkness of the night, a vast expanse of the cemetery appeared before him.
Countless simple tombstones stood in the pure white snow, like silent sentinels guarding the eternal sleep of the deceased.
Lanci walked slowly into the cemetery as the bone-chilling cold hit him.
His gaze swept over the nameless stones, imagining the faces of the departed Bear People.
The snow grew heavier, quickly piling up on the shoulders of Lanci’s coat.
He stood like a frozen statue in front of the cemetery, motionless, letting the icy snowflakes cover his entire body.
"The Blood Clan really did destroy the most important temple and divine statues of the Bear People."
He remembered that this place used to be where the Temple stood.
The one behind it now must have been rebuilt by humans.
Silent, he reminisced about those years that could no longer return.
He finally understood why, even when the Black Sun Lankros was cut off from the Land of Perpetual Night by the Blood Clan’s schemes, he was still able to break the blockade and go to aid the Demon World.
Without these Orc allies’ desperate resistance that held back the Blood Clan’s offensive for days, the Black Sun Lankros would never have had the opportunity.
"..."
Talia couldn’t discern what was going on in Lanci’s mind, anxiously clutching at the sleeve of his coat, watching him.
But she felt it was the first time Lanci wavered.
Perhaps he was pondering if this present peace was truly fair?
Or was this really the outcome that the Black Sun Lankros had wished for?
The mission information changed slightly at this moment.
[Objective 2: Understand the mindset of the Black Sun Lankros: 2.71%. (Incomplete)]
Talia caught a glimpse of this detail unintentionally, and a very bad premonition surged in her heart.
To understand the Black Sun.
Could the endpoint of understanding the Black Sun be becoming the Black Sun?
If.
If the true history was that the Black Sun Lankros, by chance, had defeated the Blood Clan, and the Blood Clan had chosen to surrender, much like the condition of the Shadow World they currently resided in.
Then, this beautiful Shadow World was not some illusion, nor was it a victorious path created solely by Lanci; peace had truly descended on history.
A force was causing the Shadow World to begin returning to the historical line, approaching an unshakeable direction.
Talia believed the Black Sun Lord himself was a kind person, as could be seen from Calila’s Shadow Weave Record, which showed that even when his eyes were no longer clear like those of a youth, but hazy, his tears remained pure.
Faced with such a compromised peace.
The Black Sun Lankros had long given up on creating more sacrifices.
He was ready to embrace a quiet and solitary end.
Yet, on the brink of death, he received the farewell letter from the fallen Calila.
Deciding to embark on a final journey to revisit his old haunts.
What would be the state of the Black Sun Lord’s heart upon witnessing these things?
"Lanci, don’t be lost in thought, when you’re indecisive, just listen to me."
Talia raised her hand to touch Lanci’s cold cheek, trying to give him some warmth.
But his hair was wet with snow, concealing his green eyes beneath.
She believed Lanci possessed a flawless heart, that glass-like heart that seemed not to be fashioned from flesh and blood, was the reason he always managed to maintain his composure unlike other humans.
Although Enon’s death might have cracked it, Lanci’s exceptional traits had never changed since then.
"Don’t worry, Master."
Lanci shook his head, moving Talia’s warm hand away from his face.
He looked at Talia with a troubled expression, but his face was the same as always, showing no difference.
