"So, she went down before I even made a move?"
Looking at Cocolia lying on the ground, Stelle held the amber spear, feeling a sense of bewilderment.
I just obtained the power of a new Path. Shouldn't this be my moment to shine?
How did the boss get defeated by Artoria in one hit? I didn't even get an assist!
"Isn't it good that we could defeat the enemy safely?" March 7th gave Stelle a speechless look.
Then she praised the familiar face before them, Artoria. "Miss Saber is amazing as expected! Truly worthy of being Lord Su Mo's attendant!"
"It's nothing. If it weren't for Master's mission, I wouldn't have been able to grasp the power of the Preservation Path so quickly."
Artoria shook her head humbly.
She finally realized why Su Mo had her participate in the battle. It wasn't to protect Stelle, but to let her step onto the Path.
She had now become a Pathstrider of the Preservation Path. Although her strength was still only at the fifth tier, it was a significant improvement compared to before.
"By the way, where is Lord Su Mo?" March 7th asked curiously.
Since he could arrange for Artoria to come, didn't that mean Su Mo knew what was happening here all along?
"That's right! Where's Daddy?" Stelle also asked curiously, leaning closer.
"Master is just—"
Faced with their questions, Artoria was about to speak when she suddenly heard a heartfelt cry.
"Mother!"
After the battle, Bronya was the one with the most complicated feelings for the enemy before her.
With a clank, the spear in her hand fell to the frozen ground. Bronya rushed forward, coming before her adoptive mother, the Supreme Guardian of Belobog.
"Mother, why did you side with the Stellaron? Why did you betray everyone?" Bronya asked in a pained tone.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have imagined that the biggest traitor in Belobog would be its leader, Cocolia.
Faced with Bronya's questioning, Cocolia lowered her head in silence.
If this had happened before she met Su Mo, she could have righteously explained her ideals and invited Bronya to join her plan.
At that time, she still believed she was doing the right thing.
Since Belobog's fuel would only last for another one or two hundred days and would one day meet its end, why not take the initiative to step towards destruction to preserve the hope of a new beginning?
But after meeting Su Mo and being mercilessly used as an experiment, Cocolia's suffering was a given.
More than the physical torment, what broke her was the change in her perception.
It turned out that her so-called hope was entirely a possibility caused by her subconscious self-destructive tendencies.
If she hadn't been so desperate, so pessimistic, Belobog wouldn't have had to go through destruction to be reborn.
And more importantly, both Su Mo and Herta had shown means that surpassed the Stellaron.
This meant that if these two were willing to act, the entire planet could be saved.
For this reason, she had cooperated with all the extreme tests arranged by Su Mo and Herta, not daring to disobey in the slightest.
Including this little combat test.
So, faced with Bronya's questioning, Cocolia was silent for a long time before she spoke.
"Bronya, whether you believe it or not, I was also saving Belobog in my own way."
She was saving Belobog by being an experimental subject.
Although, even if she wasn't willing to be an experimental subject, she had no choice in the matter.
Bronya, who didn't understand the meaning behind Cocolia's words, thought she was still being stubborn.
"Your own way? Is that to destroy Belobog?"
Her eyes were filled with pain.
Seeing her daughter's expression, Cocolia was helpless.
She couldn't just say it was by being Su Mo's dog, could she?
As a mother, saying something like that in front of her daughter, did she still want any face?!
So, after dozens of seconds of silence, she finally spoke. "I've already done what I can. Bronya, you've also proven your will. From now on, you are the Supreme Guardian of Belobog. Don't fail the responsibility on your shoulders!"
Although she felt she was not qualified to say this, Cocolia still gave her daughter some final encouragement.
Bronya naturally couldn't accept such an outcome.
She took a step forward, wanting to take Cocolia and the Stellaron away.
"I won't—"
"I disagree!"
Before she could finish her refusal, a butterfly-like girl appeared from behind Cocolia and stood between the mother and daughter.
The heroic-looking girl held a scythe and drew a threatening line before her. Then she single-handedly picked up Cocolia and the Stellaron inside her.
"This person is now Lord Su Mo's property. No matter what your relationship with her is, you can't take her away."
After stopping Bronya, Seele raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction. "As for the position of Supreme Guardian, I will never acknowledge it until the residents of our Underworld nod their heads!"
She was already dissatisfied with the people of the Overworld, and Cocolia, the leader who tried to collude with the Stellaron, only deepened this dissatisfaction.
Although she didn't think Bronya, who had fought against Cocolia, was a bad person, Seele had no intention of entrusting the fate of the Underworld to Bronya, the successor.
"The acknowledgment of the Underworld... Are you the Seele that Miss Clara mentioned?"
Bronya was slightly taken aback. Seeing Seele's attire, she quickly recognized the girl Clara had mentioned who had left with Su Mo.
"That's right!" Seele nodded, her attitude open and honest. "No matter what you think, we in the Underworld will not acknowledge the leader of your Overworld."
"The Underworld..." Hearing this, Bronya also fell silent. She had always been against the separation of the Overworld and Underworld.
She had also personally experienced the suffering of the people in the Underworld, so she could very well understand Seele's resentment and distrust.
After a few seconds of thought, she looked at the girl before her with great sincerity, patted her chest, and promised, "Seele, I know the Overworld has failed the Underworld too much. But, can you please trust me one more time? If I inherit the position of Supreme Guardian, I will lift the ban, restore traffic between the Overworld and Underworld, and also provide basic living security for the Underworld."
Bronya's attitude was very sincere. In the past, seeing the next Supreme Guardian make such a promise, Seele might have really chosen to believe.
She had always been a person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
But now, having only overheard the idle chat between Su Mo and Topaz, she no longer held any expectations for the promises of politicians.
"I refuse!" she said bluntly.
"Why? Do you not believe my promise? I can give you the greatest assurance possible! In any form."
Bronya said sincerely. As someone who held herself to the standards of a leader, she genuinely wanted to bridge the gap between the two sides.
She wouldn't even mind kneeling for it.
However, faced with her attitude, although Seele was a little moved, she still shook her head.
"No, although I'm dissatisfied with the Overworld, I believe that someone who is willing to risk their life to fight Cocolia will not go back on their promise."
"Then why do you still refuse?" Bronya was suddenly confused.
"Lord Su Mo said something that I think makes a lot of sense. In matters that you care about the most, never hand the initiative to others." Seele answered calmly. "Rather than believing your promise, I would rather hold the fate of the Underworld in my own hands... What we want is the right to be self-sufficient, not the charity of your Overworld!"
Having lived a precarious life since she was a child, Seele had her own expectations for the Underworld, which was why she trusted strong leaders.
If Su Mo and Artoria weren't here, Bronya might have become a leader she admired.
But after seeing their views and methods, Bronya seemed a bit too naive in her eyes.
A personal promise?
"No matter what, we in the Underworld will never be your vassals. As a leader, you may be able to guarantee that you will treat the Underworld well now, but what about the next Supreme Guardian? Is the fate of the Underworld destined to sway with your attitude?"
Seele pointed out the most crucial point.
The Underworld wanted to control its own destiny. They couldn't rely on some god or emperor, nor could they rely on the Overworld, which had already betrayed their trust.
"It's a pity Miss Saber isn't willing to be king. Otherwise, no matter the cost, I would have asked Lord Su Mo to let her be our leader."
Glancing at Artoria, Seele shook her head regretfully.
If there was anyone who could be a leader that she could rest assured with, it would probably only be Artoria.
"Miss Saber?" Hearing Seele's words, Bronya looked at Artoria with some surprise.
She hadn't expected this powerful knight to also be a leader acknowledged by Seele.
After thinking for a moment, she bowed her head sincerely and said, "If it's possible, could I ask Miss Saber to share some of her experience? Faced with such a divided Belobog, how can I win back the hearts of the people in the Underworld?"
Seeing her sincerity, not just putting on a show, Artoria spoke without hesitation, "Push out some of the decadent nobles, make them bear the responsibility for separating the Overworld and Underworld, and confiscate their assets to be used as welfare for the ordinary people of both the Overworld and Underworld, especially the Silvermane Guards."
What a superior needed to grasp was nothing more than the gun and the purse. As the rightful successor, in Bronya's situation, there were countless ways to break the stalemate.
Hearing this, the inexperienced Bronya's mouth fell slightly agape.
"Bear the responsibility means?"
"Beheading or hanging would both work," Artoria answered very calmly. "As long as you are careful not to touch the military nobles at the beginning, there won't be any problems. The key is to alleviate the resentment of the lower class and regain their trust."
"Huh? Isn't that a bit too cruel?" Bronya's mouth hung open. That would mean sentencing at least a hundred people to death, right?
Seeing her naive face, Artoria shook her head. There was no contempt in her eyes. She just said calmly, "You can investigate what they've done first. By then, you won't have any psychological burden. You'll even need to be careful not to kill too many at once for the sake of stability."
Her weary tone was clearly born of experience.
"...Is it really like that?" Bronya was still skeptical.
She believed that no matter how corrupt those families were, they couldn't have committed crimes of that magnitude, right?
If they disregarded justice and killed people arbitrarily, how would they be different from those Fragmentum monsters?
"Is it that serious?"
Even Seele was a little surprised by Artoria's answer.
She knew Artoria had rich experience in governing a country, but she had never thought that the simple "suppressing the factions" that Artoria and Su Mo spoke of was actually so bloody.
Seeing her daughter's naive face, Cocolia, who was being carried by Seele, sighed.
"Miss Saber is right. Belobog is actually riddled with holes. As the Supreme Guardian who personally gave the order to separate the Overworld and Underworld, all the misfortune of the Underworld is directly related to me. I have no room for defense on this point. It is entirely my responsibility as a leader."
"So, I'm not trying to defend myself here, just to introduce the situation in Belobog. The output of Geomarrow is related to the countdown to the end of Belobog's life. Do you think the order to separate was pushed by me alone?"
Whenever the pricing of a unique mineral was involved, the power struggles behind it were something even the Supreme Guardian might not be able to suppress.
They were still in the middle of a freeze, yet instead of actively mining, they allowed the Overworld and Underworld to be separated, causing the price of Geomarrow to skyrocket.
Was such an unnatural phenomenon really something that could be caused by a single order from the Supreme Guardian?
"...Mother, are you saying?!"
Bronya's eyes widened in shock. Even Seele couldn't believe it.
"Obstructing the mining of Geomarrow is tantamount to suicide in a freeze. Are you saying those nobles are willing to give up their lives just to make money?"
Seele couldn't believe there were such stupid people in the world.
"You can't really say that," Cocolia shook her head, her tone sarcastic. "They are very concerned about their own lives. Even if Belobog falls, the heating in their manors can continue for several more decades."
"If they were to impeach me as the Supreme Guardian at the moment the freeze floods Belobog, those families could probably easily turn Belobog into their own manor!"
"..."
Seele and Bronya were completely silent.
If Cocolia hadn't said it herself, they would never have imagined that humans could be so scheming in the face of disaster.
"If that's the case, I can understand Miss Saber's meaning."
Bronya clenched her fists, clearly having made up her mind.
If these parasites really wanted to take Belobog down with them, she would mercilessly eradicate them first.
"Eradicating them isn't a permanent solution... I can suddenly understand Miss Saber's choice."
Seele wore a thoughtful expression.
Clearly, she had also found a way to deal with those parasites.
However, to try her own plan, she first needed to see Su Mo.