I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

Chapter 70 The End

"..."

Everyone present who witnessed this horrifying scene was stunned and fell silent, a chill slowly creeping up their spines as they shivered.

However, Gretchen has never cared about other people's opinions or reactions, and she doesn't even give others a second glance.

The little girl then silently put away her easel and special weapon, and glanced at Talulah and the others expressionlessly.

He quickly turned around in front of everyone, left the chaotic scene, and headed towards the tent where he had been sleeping.

When they saw Gretchen was about to leave, almost everyone instinctively made way for her, clearing a large space around her.

Some people even watched her petite figure leave with fear in their eyes...

Of course, there was fear, and naturally, there was excitement... A very few people looked at Gretchen with eyes full of excitement, curiosity, and inquiry.

As for why Gretchen chose to leave so quickly, the reason is quite simple.

Since I promised Talulah and the others that I wouldn't run around, and I've already been so flamboyant, I should just go back and stay there obediently.

Furthermore, the little girl was surrounded by so many people watching her... all she could see were mixed colors, and she already felt a little uncomfortable, no longer wanting to stay in the crowd.

As for the chaotic battlefield outside, Gretchen felt that it would be more than enough to handle the situation with the help of her own Tarua and the Knight.

After watching Gretchen leave safely, Talulah and Yelena both breathed a sigh of relief.

Then they turned their attention back to the last enemy and began to hunt them down.

————————————————————

In the camp—

Before Gretchen could even step back into the tent, she encountered Alina and a large group of children and wounded outside. Servants were also busy helping out.

"Is little Greta injured?"

Looking at the little girl who looked exactly the same as when she left, Alina approached her anxiously and asked.

Alyona, who was sitting to the side, quickly stood up and walked to Gretsch's side. Her light green eyes subconsciously swept over Gretsch's petite body to check on her current situation.

"Hmm...no, and there's nothing going on over there, so I came back." Hearing this, Gretchen looked up at Alina, then gently shook her head.

"It's good that you're alright. Little Gretsch was a great help again this time." Hearing Gretsch's words, Alina breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before Alina could relax for long, her keen and perceptive nature quickly noticed that Gretsch's slightly off mood was not quite right.

But just as she was about to ask something, Gretchen acted first...

"..."

Gretchen strode forward and threw herself into Alina's arms, holding her tightly without moving, then closed her large eyes, which held a complex expression.

"Sister's here... Don't worry, everything's alright~"

Although Alina didn't know what had just happened, that didn't stop her from gently comforting the "frightened" little child in her arms.

At this moment, Gretchen listened to Alina's gentle words and felt the warm color on her body; the effects she had suffered earlier were beginning to fade away.

Alyona, standing to the side, already knew Gretchen's current situation through her own observation.

After all, she had seen her partner in this state before when they were at the mine.

So, after realizing what was happening, Alyona gently tugged at Alina's sleeve and whispered to her, "There must be too many people outside, and Gretsch was affected by them..."

"……okay, I get it."

After listening to Alina's quiet explanation, Alina was slightly taken aback at first, then nodded gently in understanding.

Then, holding the little one in her arms, she carefully walked towards the tent not far behind her.

Although Alina was curious about how Alyona knew this, she knew now was not the time to ask.

The most urgent thing is to move Gretchen to a secluded place so the little one can be alone for a while and calm down.

……

After bringing Gretsch back to the tent, Alina continued to comfort her softly.

After obtaining the little girl's consent and giving her some more careful instructions, the little deer left her alone in the quiet tent before going out to continue caring for the wounded.

Actually, Alina and the children and wounded she is currently caring for should have evacuated the camp earlier.

However, they were initially caught off guard by enemies who suddenly flanked them from behind, and were forced to retreat back to their camp.

Then, during the second attempt to force a breakout and retreat, before they even got there, they saw that all the enemies behind them had been wiped out by the Crimson Tyrant...

Then everyone saw that such a powerful tyrant had gone to the front to provide support, and given the one-sided situation ahead, everyone eventually abandoned the evacuation operation for the time being.

After all, there were many children, the elderly, the infirm and disabled in this group. No one would want to retreat so hastily if they were not forced to.

-----------------

Ultimately, with the help of the Azure Knight and the Crimson Tyrant, Talulah quickly dealt with and suppressed all the enemies.

However, just as the tyrant was about to deal with the last few enemies, Talulah stopped him.

The reason why the Dragon Girl did this was very simple: she planned to leave a few survivors and then "friendly" ask them for information.

After all, being directly attacked at the newly relocated camp was quite unexpected.

This is something that Talulah never encountered during the trial of the painting. Although she knew Gretchen was there, things weren't exactly the same.

However, this also served as a wake-up call for her, making her more cautious. At the same time, it fueled her desire for power, making her want to become stronger as quickly as possible.

Because no normal person likes to always hide behind someone else, and Talulah is no exception, especially since she is now one of the leaders of the Reunion Movement.

In this situation, she couldn't, and was unwilling to, simply hide behind Gretsch, a child, and be protected...

P.S.: I've done some quick calculations, so next I'll write about my daily life with the mercenaries, set up some background on Snake's side, and then I can start a new chapter. If I rush over now, I should still be able to catch up with Cygnus and Charmander...

This is hilarious! Let's see how this stubborn "bad" woman behaves!

Chapter 71 Current Situation and Shadow

Despite some casualties from the surprise attack, the Reunion Movement did not suffer significant losses overall, thanks to Gretchen's help.

The mercenary group also suffered almost no damage.

If there is any problem, it is that a small number of Reunion Movement infected people, after hearing what the previous guard said, became wavering and began to question Talulah.

However, this kind of thing is not a big problem for Talulah, who has now transformed, and she naturally has a way to handle it.

She won't now.

Instead of simply letting these infected people who wanted to escape leave like before, and even foolishly providing them with food.

Since a choice has already been made, there will naturally be a price to pay if you want to give it up now.

……

?

Talulah has already decided to relocate the base and has ordered the Reunion Movement personnel to rest and recuperate.

After resting, she planned to lead everyone into action.

The enemy has already found this place; it's no longer safe. Staying here will only result in constant harassment from the enemy…

In addition, two imperial guards have gone missing here. Given the importance and special nature of the imperial guards, it is possible that the higher-ups will send other imperial guards to investigate.

Given Reunion's current situation, encountering the Inner Guard again would still be extremely difficult. Even if Greta intervenes, there's no guarantee that there won't be any casualties if they're caught off guard.

Therefore, for safety reasons, Talulah is in such a hurry to organize the relocation of personnel. However, the relocation plan and the location of the base will definitely need to be discussed with others.

Meanwhile, Talulah was discussing the next steps with Patriot, Yelena, and others who had already returned.

————————————————————————

"Well……"

Gretchen, who was alone in the tent, finally calmed down after sitting for a while.

Therefore, a hint of frustration flashed in her beautiful violet eyes at the same time.

This was the second time Gretsch had faced that situation. To be honest, if she hadn't run away quickly, she might have already been stained with someone else's dye.

Sure enough, she's not suited to be in a crowd right now; she might accidentally become someone else's color.

"..."

Suddenly, Gretchen seemed to remember something and slowly stood up from the bedside. Then, with a thought, a painting of a knight fighting a "monster" appeared in her small hand.

This painting, which the little girl just drew on the chaotic battlefield to seal off two inner guards, is simply and crudely titled "Inner Guards."

The scene was too chaotic, and Gretchen was somewhat affected, so she was in a hurry to leave. As a result, she forgot to hand the painting over to her family's Tarua.

As for why the painting was handed over to Talulah, it was naturally because the little girl herself had no use for it; all she could do was either keep it safe or destroy it.

Therefore, rather than keeping it herself, Gretchen felt it would be more useful to give it to Talulah.

Whether you destroy it to increase prestige, intimidate enemies, or use it as leverage, it's a good choice. It's definitely more useful than leaving it in the little girl's hands.

However, Gretchen is now struggling with how to hand over the painting she has to Talulah.

To be honest, the little girl actually wanted to go out and see the world, but she didn't want to go through what had just happened...

After all, if they accidentally dyed their clothes with some bad color, it would definitely cause trouble for Talulah and Yelena.

……

After much deliberation, Gretchen decided to leave the tent and deliver the painting herself, while also checking on the situation outside.

Hmm... It's definitely not because I wanted to see the mercenary group, absolutely not.

“???)?”

However, when Gretchen lifted the tent flap and saw the person standing at the door watching her with worried, light green eyes, a question mark slowly appeared on her head.

Clearly, the little girl had no idea or notice that someone was standing outside the tent waiting for her.

"Do you feel better?"

Looking at the blue-haired little girl who emerged from the tent, Alyona asked softly.

"It's all alright now. Was Alyona guarding the door the whole time?" Upon hearing this, Gretchen gently shook her head.

"No... I just arrived." As she said this, Alyona slightly turned her head to avoid eye contact, and at the same time, a hint of guilt flashed in her light green eyes.