After hearing Patriot's suggestion, the two agreed. They were both curious to see exactly what this "Sarkaz fighting style" Patriot spoke of looked like.
However, Patriot cautioned them that due to the limited time, Mudrock's squad wouldn't have the same level of seamless coordination as the elite Sarkaz units that had trained together for decades.
As for the upcoming battle, Talulah showed significantly more enthusiasm than Jeanne. Meeting that "other" Kashchey had left her with a lingering, smoldering rage—and the simple thought of him made her blood boil even more. Having spent the trip suppressing a stomach full of fire with no outlet, this sparring match was exactly what she needed.
Fueled by this slight excitement, Talulah even ate two extra bowls of porridge at dinner to bolster her spirits.
"Uh... you two haven't been gone that long, but I feel like your appetites have grown again. Are you both still going through a growth spurt?"
At dinner, Alina watched in surprise as the two travelers put away far more food than usual. Had Talulah lost her rations on the road? Or had Laterano been stingy with the meals? How was all that food fitting into them? In the old days when food was scarce, appetites like that would have seen them eating the house for dessert.
"Is it that much? I didn't think I ate much more than usual," Talulah replied, pausing briefly to reflect.
"Oh, by the way, Alina, you saw the two children we brought back, right? How is their Oripathy situation?" Talulah asked, turning the conversation toward Sasha and Eno. Despite the children appearing fine on the surface, Oripathy was unpredictable until a proper check-up was conducted.
"It's alright. Their condition isn't life-threateningly severe yet," Alina said, her expression softening into one of concern. "But the boy named Eno has a problematic lesion. His Originium crystals are growing on his throat."
Alina looked worried; internal crystal growth was far more difficult to treat than external ones. It would undoubtedly affect his future development—at the very least, his speech would be impacted.
"And the doctor said... the crystals look strange. He suspects they didn't grow there naturally."
The implication in Alina's words was clear: the children hadn't been infected by accident. It was the result of deliberate, malicious harm.
"That's not entirely surprising," Jeanne noted, pausing. "Knowing what drove them here to survive, finding out it was intentional fits the pattern, though it's still hard to swallow."
What kind of monster would force Originium into a person's mouth to intentionally infect a child? In a more just world, such people would face execution. Unfortunately, in this era, few nations would pass such a sentence for crimes against the Infected.
Hearing this, Talulah finally understood why Jeanne had warned that Eno might become extremely dangerous or harbor a deep-seated hatred for the non-infected. Anyone would feel a thirst for vengeance against those who ruined their life; it was only a small step from there to hating the entire world of the "healthy."
"The boy's mental state is also a concern. It's likely linked to what happened. I'll have to ask you to keep a close eye on him, Alina."
Talulah knew such deep-seated trauma wouldn't be resolved overnight. It would take long-term care and companionship to see any change. This task would fall to Alina, who acted as the children's teacher.
"I know, I know. Besides, he's a good kid; it's not as dire as you think. He just needs a stable environment without too much stimulation," Alina said optimistically. She believed that with her help and the support of his friend, Eno could still grow up healthy.
"Just leave it to Alina! She's way better at teaching kids than we are," Jeanne added, cheering Talulah up. "The two of us combined couldn't match her."
"But Alina, when you have a moment, I have some things to teach you."
Jeanne was worried about the possibility of the Sarkaz trying to "backdoor" the village while they were occupied. Although the barrier protected the villagers, one could never be too careful. Jeanne planned to teach Alina some basic defensive arts. Even if Jeanne only knew a few herself, she was confident that once Alina learned them, she'd be more than capable of teaching those Sarkaz a lesson in manners.
The next day, Jeanne looked at Mudrock's neatly ordered squad and then at Talulah, who seemed a bit less confident than the night before.
"If you go up against them now, what do you think the win rate is?"
Looking at the enemy's formation and aura, they were worlds away from the mercenary rabble Jeanne had first met. They had the presence of a proper Sarkaz army—solid as a mountain. It was clear Patriot had put them through hell to achieve such a transformation.
"Honestly? If Mudrock and I don't go all out with our Originium Arts, it's a 50/50 toss-up. But Mudrock has the home-field advantage with the terrain."
Talulah wasn't entirely certain. The Reunion fighters still lacked the battle-hardened edge of these mercenaries. Furthermore, the Sarkaz were naturally stronger than other races, and they clearly intended to leverage that advantage to the fullest. Talulah's only real trump card was her flames, which could act as a shield against their Arts.
"I didn't expect to face you both again so soon," Mudrock said as she walked over to greet them. The anticipation in her eyes was palpable. She wasn't wearing her massive, soil-filled armor today, nor was she hiding behind her heavy mask.
"It's been a while. I didn't expect you to stop hiding your face!" Jeanne said, curious about how the mercenaries had reacted to their captain's true appearance.
It was a hell of a contrast. Could you imagine the shock if the Shieldguards suddenly discovered Patriot was actually a woman? The mercenaries likely felt something similar.
"Mr. Patriot and the others were repairing weapons, and they offered to fix my suit as well. I figured it was a good opportunity to be open with everyone," Mudrock said, scratching her head, her voice light and ethereal.
"As for their reaction... they were surprised at first, but once they realized I was still the same person, they went back to normal."
After all, Mudrock's strength was undeniable. None of them were going to argue with the fact that her stone colossus could still crush them, regardless of whether she was a girl or a Sarkaz brute.