"This girl's feelings, I completely understand. As the heir to a nation's leader, the pressure on her shoulders is truly unimaginable…" Caitlyn sighed sympathetically.
To wear the crown, one must bear its weight—this was a lesson her mother taught her when she was young.
In her view, ever since Bronya was adopted by Cocolia, her starting point was already higher than the endpoint of most people from the lower districts. But the higher the starting point, the higher the endpoint.
Becoming the Supreme Guardian… Surely, that lofty, unattainable goal was nearly crushing her, wasn't it?
"Little cupcake, could you handle that kind of pressure?" Vi asked.
"I don't know… But if the day ever comes when I have to bear the fate of all of Piltover, I'm sure it'd already be a complete mess, wouldn't it?"
Caitlyn speared a small piece of fruit cake with her fork, leisurely popping it into her mouth. "So, I hope that day never comes."
["Wah, wah, wah, so noisy."]
[Seeing Bronya's teary-eyed expression, Seele didn't hold back, unleashing her full force: "What? Feeling sorry for yourself with a few self-righteous words, thinking I'd sympathize with you? You think hiding in a palace and overthinking things means you don't have to risk your life on the front lines? But what about the people in the lower district? They don't even know where their next meal is coming from, surviving is already a miracle!"]
["'Even if you're just a faint glimmer, you should still shine for others'—didn't you say that yourself? Don't you want to protect everyone? Instead of sitting here crying, don't you have more important things to do?!"]
[Though her words were harsh, Seele's blunt outburst surprisingly snapped Bronya out of her funk.]
["You're right. Wallowing in self-pity won't solve anything. Thank you, Seele. Usually, when I'm caught in negative emotions, everyone around me just tries to comfort me. No one has ever woken me up like you just did."]
[Seeing the spark return to Bronya's eyes, Seele's lips curled into a slight smirk. "Comforting? Not my style. But waking you up? I can do that as many times as you need. I could tell at a glance—you're carrying way too much baggage. Why push yourself to that point?"]
[Bronya's expression turned serious. "As the future Guardian of Belobog, I must constantly examine my actions and thoughts."]
["Yeah, yeah, Miss High-and-Mighty~ Hmph, the future Supreme Guardian, coming from the same orphanage as me. What a twisted fate. Want me to take you for a stroll around the orphanage? Unlike you, I remember every detail of our childhood crystal clear."]
["Sure, I'll indulge you for a little while then."]
[Bronya gave a small smile, happily agreeing.]
[Looking at the two figures by the railing, Stelle fell into deep thought.]
[It's obvious who's the top and who's the bottom… They're pretty shippable, but did Natasha really call me here just to be a third wheel? Or did she already see through something?]
["Maybe I should've just stayed on guard duty tonight, honestly and dutifully…" Looking at her lonely shadow on the ground, Stelle suddenly felt a pang of regret.]
——
"You two, hurry up and get together already!"
Sein, holding a mug of beer, slammed it down on the table. His soulful shout quickly resonated with the other drinkers.
At this point, not getting together would be hard to justify, right?
Though the sweet, poetic romance of young girls was indeed touching, Sein still wished today's youth could be more straightforward in their love lives.
He glanced at Fern and Stark sitting at the next table.
…He was talking about those two!
Stop feeding him sugar with their constant flirting and show some real progress already!
[To avoid disturbing the two on their date nearby, Stelle began gathering supplies alone. But suddenly, she heard a familiar voice coming from a corner by the stairs.]
[Curious, Stelle poked her head out to investigate and discovered it was Clara!]
[Upon spotting Stelle, the robot beside Clara began issuing warnings and assumed a defensive stance.]
[Stelle let out a dramatic scream: "My life is over—!"]
[The commotion startled the robot into activating its auto-defense mode, but Clara quickly intervened, preventing a fight.]
[After a brief explanation, Stelle learned that many of the vagrants in the mining conflict had been injured. Clara had come here to gather supplies for them. Upon learning of Stelle's needs, Clara generously shared some of her medicine and resources with her.]
[The two chatted briefly, and from Clara, Stelle learned that she had met Svarog at a very young age and was raised by him, their bond akin to family.]
[Svarog had no intention of harming others. In his calculations, the upper district was no longer safe. Only by keeping everyone in the lower district could he continue fulfilling his duty to [Preserve] humanity.]
["…Clara, what are you doing here?" Seele and Bronya arrived after hearing the commotion.]
[Stelle briefly explained what had just happened and their conversation.]
["Hah?" Seele's face twisted in annoyance. "Aren't those vagrants supposed to be tough? How dare they let a little girl run around doing their errands?"]
["No, it's not like that." Clara quickly waved her hands to explain. "Clara wasn't asked by anyone. The vagrants' living conditions are really bad, and their settlement doesn't have a clinic, so Clara just wanted to help them."]
At this moment, in the Hero Association, aside from a few absent heroes like Genos and Watchdog Man, a group of S-Class heroes, including Tornado, were gathered in the office, watching the Celestial Screen.
With just a glance upward, the heroes could see Clara's adorable, doll-like face on the screen… and her flawless, jewel-like feet, a treasure of humanity.
Of course, most heroes weren't interested in this. To them, Clara was just an ordinary, fragile girl—cute, but nothing special beyond that.
Among them, only KING was staring intently.
"Clara is so cute, she's practically an angel… When will the heavens send a girl like her to my side?!"
"She's just too adorable… I'd love to play a galgame with her as the protagonist."
KING was screaming internally, and perhaps due to his excitement, in the quiet meeting room, his heartbeat—thundering like a drum—grew increasingly loud and clear.
Thump—Thump—Thump!
"It's the Emperor Engine," Bangu said, glancing at the man across from him wearing a cap, his face marked with three scars. "Does KING sense something wrong with the girl on the screen?"
Legend has it that KING is overwhelmingly powerful, and whenever he faces a formidable enemy, his heartbeat roars like a car engine—a declaration of battle and the death knell for countless monsters.
As if suddenly intrigued, Tornado slowly lifted her slender, shapely legs, crossing them on the desk. Propping her chin with one hand, her gaze locked onto the low-key, mysterious "strongest human" across from her—KING, his cap pulled low.
"KING, what did you sense from the screen? To activate the Emperor Engine in a setting like this?"
Tornado tilted her head slightly, looking at Clara's pristine, jade-like face on the Celestial Screen.
"This girl… is there something special about her?"