It was not the slaughter, but that lack of shock, trauma, and remorse that made Orum feel as if his heart was constricted and full of terror.
This was that they were lake...
The children of the new era.
Those born into the world of the Nightmare Spell.
Frowning deeply, Orum finally moved and walked slowly toward Little Ki... toward Ki Song.
As he approached, he looked at him and smiled.
"Uncle Orie... I am done here. We can take the Gateway next."
She did not even seem to notice how disturbed he was, and had not assumed that he would be.
Orum studied the bleeding corpses silently.
Eventually, he faced her and asked, his voice trembling a little:
"This... this... do you think that this is what your mother would have wanted?" The young woman looked at him strangely.
She frowned a little, as if confused by his question once again.
Then, she shook her head.
"No, of course not. My mother was a very kind person."
Before he could say anything, Ki Song sighed and added, her voice an odd mix of sorrow, longing, and resentment:
"That is why she is dead."
She looked at the people she had killed, gave one of the corpses a kick, and looked at Orum with calm indifference.
"It is just how you have taught us, Uncle Orie. The world is a ruthless place, and the Spell will not show us any mercy. There is no place for kindness in this world."
He shivered slightly, hearing his own words come out of her bloodied
mouth, spoken so easily and with such confidence. As if it was a trivial truth. "That is not... what I meant...‘
But instead of saying that, Orum winced and covered his face with a palm for a moment.
Eventually, he sighed.
"You still made a mistake, Ki Song. Whether they deserved to die or not, you still needed them. One person can't defend a Citadel... you should have executed the leaders and brought others to heel. You need warriors to serve you! Otherwise, the first swarm of Nightmare Creatures will make the Jade Palace their nest." The young woman looked around, then smiled brightly.
"About that... I've been thinking about my Aspect lately, Uncle Orie. These clay puppets we've made, I think they were the wrong solution all along."
Orum frowned, not understanding what she meant.
...He remained confused up until the moment the first of the corpses suddenly moved, and then slowly rose to the ground.
Ki Song rubbed her chin, and then nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes. This works much better."