Comrades who will be fighting and dying together... huh?
When Bronya heard Leo's words, she instinctively felt a sense of absurdity.
Before coming to St. Freya High School, that woman named Theresa Apocalypse had spoken with Bronya one-on-one.
In her hazy memory, Bronya remembered that Theresa already knew her identity as a member of Anti-Entropy and as Cocolia's adopted daughter.
But even knowing this, she still took the initiative to invite her to join Schicksal.
Does Bronya... even have that right?
At that time, a confused Bronya had posed this question to Theresa.
And the other party had nodded directly, giving a very firm answer.
"Of course, you do."
"I don't know what Cocolia told you, but what she's doing now is, to put it bluntly, inducing a Honkai Eruption."
"Even causing a large-scale Honkai Eruption in an empty, uninhabited area would create a large number of Honkai Beasts to endanger the world. What's more, she chose Nagazora City, a city with a population of millions, as the location for the eruption."
"Such a blatant disregard for human life is obviously not right."
*Yes, such a blatant disregard for human life is obviously not right.*
*But back then, growing up on that snowy plain, we didn't have the luxury to think about these things.*
*But now, thinking about it carefully, what Mother Cocolia did was clearly wrong.*
*If her plan had succeeded, it would have created even more children like us, whose lives were destroyed by the Second Eruption.*
*Even though this was obvious, Bronya at that time...*
"Of course, it's not realistic to expect you to betray your adoptive mother on the spot right now."
Noticing the distress and helplessness on the girl's face, Theresa continued.
"But I also hope you understand that the fact you're a member of Anti-Entropy means we can't just send you home like a civilian."
"Does that mean... Bronya has become a hostage?"
Facing the girl's direct gaze, Theresa said very bluntly.
"If you don't join Schicksal, then even as the Branch Commander of the Far East Branch, I have no reason to protect you."
"You're not only a member of Anti-Entropy, but also one of Cocolia's confidants. After Cocolia caused this massive Honkai Eruption..."
Theresa didn't continue, but the intelligent Bronya already understood what she meant.
*Yes, the two sides were already hostile forces, and this time Cocolia acted in a way that seemed like she had completely defected to the Honkai's side.*
*If their roles were reversed, Bronya would never let a confidant of Cocolia like herself go. She would definitely find a way to interrogate her and extract all the information she knew.*
*As for the means of interrogation...*
*As a child soldier, Bronya certainly knew better than any ordinary Schicksal member just how terrifying those methods could be.*
*She never really had a choice from the beginning.*
*In fact, Theresa Apocalypse's actions were already excessively lenient towards Bronya.*
"Why..."
"Huh?"
Seeing the mix of melancholy and confusion in Bronya's eyes, Theresa asked curiously.
"What's wrong?"
"At first, you treated Bronya as a civilian. You, as a person from Schicksal, saved Bronya. Bronya can understand that."
"But after finding out that Bronya is Cocolia's daughter, why did you... continue to help Bronya?"
"Ah, that... Do you need a reason to help people?"
Listening to Bronya's words, Theresa replied, exasperated.
"Especially a child like you. Tricked by Cocolia into becoming a terrorist at such a young age. I don't think you're the main one to blame for what you've done."
"You once walked a bloody path because of your country's teachings, and Cocolia, as your adoptive mother, failed to guide you onto the right path."
"You have indeed done shameful things, but I only find you pitiful."
"I founded St. Freya High School precisely to stop Valkyries from being used like tools by others. Under these circumstances—do you think I would just ignore a lost lamb like you?"
"Don't worry. After you join St. Freya High School, I can tell them you've turned over a new leaf."
"As for intelligence on Cocolia, I won't force you to reveal it. And for missions related to her, I can give you special permission not to participate."
...
Listening to these generous terms, Bronya was stunned for a moment before gently shaking her head.
"Bronya is not worthy of you trying to win me over like this."
"Aaargh, so annoying—you little girl, why are you so focused on personal gain?!"
Seeing Bronya's expression, Theresa said, exasperated.
"If you don't object, then it's happily decided."
"Come with me to the Far East Branch tomorrow. As for what happens next—we'll figure it out later."
And just like that, Bronya followed Theresa to the Far East Branch.
And here, for certain reasons, Theresa did not disclose her identity.
Originally, between Theresa's half-forced and half-comforting words, Bronya felt that her mood had stabilized considerably.
But today, after seeing the expression on Yuno's face, as if she could burst into tears at any moment, she felt deeply that...
*Sin is not something that disappears from her just because others are unaware of it.*
Now that her emotional circuits were normal, Bronya truly found that she had become 'weaker' compared to before.
Even just 'walking' down the road, she was constantly distracted by her past actions.
After everyone's gathering ended today, Bronya had come to the small balcony on the second floor because her heart was extremely restless and uneasy about these things.
But now, upon seeing this man, Bronya discovered that...
When she was alone with him, the negative emotions in her heart, not surprisingly, began to intensify.
"Ha, why are you so scared of me?"
Seeing the girl's body instinctively go on alert, Leo opened his cold beer and took a light sip.
"Relax, I'm in a decent mood today. I won't suddenly attack you."
"I really just want to talk to you."
Hearing Leo's words, Bronya, who had caught the beer, mimicked him by opening it and taking a small sip, then frowned.
"...It's not good."
"This stuff was always a cheap consumable."
Chuckling and shaking the can in his hand, Leo suddenly drained the beer in one go.
"Just like your life and mine. To those at the top, our lives are just like this can of beer—cheap consumables."
"...Mother Cocolia truly saw Bronya as her daughter."
At this moment, hearing the undertones in Leo's words, Bronya immediately retorted angrily.
"Even if she has done bad things, Bronya believes that this love is definitely not fake!"
[Ha, listen to that. Such a touching mother-daughter bond. But you, who knows what really happened, really want to say right now—]
"Ha, that's why I say..."
Leaning against the balcony railing, Leo wiped the sneer from his face and looked calmly at the scenery outside the villa.
"A little girl like you is really easy to fool."
"Bronya's IQ is very high."
"Yes, you're very smart."
Without denying the girl's rebuttal, Leo continued along with Bronya's words.
"But it's precisely because you're too smart that you've managed to deceive even yourself."
"I've seen the intelligence our organization has collected, so I know what Cocolia is really up to."
...!
*Could it be that Schicksal has always known what Mother Cocolia was doing?!*
"The X-10 Experiment. This was a project she announced was over last year. And this project, to put it bluntly, used young children with little knowledge of the Honkai to conduct experiments related to quantization."
*I knew it. Schicksal really knows about these things. The radical faction... already has a mole?!*
"Cocolia might genuinely have feelings for you all. Perhaps that's how it seems in your eyes."
Opening another can of beer, Leo looked at the bright moon hanging in the sky and continued speaking to Bronya.
"And because of this, you believed that 'Mother wouldn't harm me,' so you chose to participate in the experiment."
"In the list I obtained, I saw the name of that friend you mentioned—that little girl from Estonia, named Seele Vollerei, right?"
Hearing Leo mention her dear friend's name, Bronya instinctively felt a pang in her heart.
"She went missing because of the X-10 Experiment, and your body's problems are also because of the X-10 Experiment. So now, Miss Bronya Zaychik, could you, in your wisdom, tell this foolish idiot..."
"Who was the one who carried out the X-10 Experiment and caused all these tragedies?"
Irrefutable.
No matter how hard Bronya thought, she found that she couldn't come up with any solid reason to refute him.
Because no matter what reason she came up with, Cocolia's X-10 Experiment was the true cause of her orphanage companions' disappearances and deaths.
"A person's true intentions are not judged by what they say, but by what they actually do."
Leo turned around, stared directly at the girl before him, and said to Bronya.
"I don't know what Cocolia told you. But I can guess she must have used reasons like fighting the Honkai and saving Seele, right?"
"But unfortunately, you're too smart, and because of this hard-won motherly love, you chose to ignore the pain she inflicted on you and the world."
"Cocolia, who spoke of loving her children, as a mother, let her children become sacrifices in human experiments."
"Cocolia, who spoke of fighting the Honkai, as an executive of an anti-Honkai organization, directly orchestrated the descent of the Herrscher of Thunder, causing countless innocent people to be harmed."
"This is the 'truth' about Cocolia. And now, the brilliant Miss Bronya, where do you think I've misspoken?"
There was nothing to say.
It was precisely because Bronya was smart that she was now speechless.
Because Leo's words were, in fact, the truth.
No matter how nicely Cocolia spoke, she had inflicted irreparable harm on those around her and on those innocent ordinary people.
"The reason I said we'll be comrades who fight and die together in the future is also very simple."
Seeing Bronya lower her head in dejection, Leo continued.
"If you want to save your friend, you'll need a Herrscher's power and scientific technology. You should get on good terms with Mei and gain some influence within Schicksal."
"As for Cocolia, although this is a bit blunt and hurtful, you should know that she has no future."
*Yes.*
*After deliberately triggering the Third Eruption, Mother Cocolia's reputation among the organization's higher-ups and those of other nations is already ruined.*
*Schicksal won't let her go, Anti-Entropy won't let her go, and even the other nations of the world will despise her.*
*Because—what she did was truly too much.*
"But... she is, after all, Bronya's mother!"
Thinking of the future Cocolia would face, Bronya's voice suddenly grew louder.
"Are you telling Bronya to just abandon her own mother and defect to Schicksal? Would you—trust a Bronya like that?!"
"Of course. I believe you're a truly smart person."
At that moment, a smile appeared on Leo's face.
"Cocolia is basically a dead woman walking, but as long as she doesn't cause any more trouble, she can live a little longer."
"If you can achieve enough merits in Schicksal and climb to a high enough position before she gets herself killed, then with the influence you'll have, you might just be able to save her life."
"You joining Schicksal isn't a betrayal. It's an act of love."
At this moment, Leo walked over to Bronya, squatted down, and gently patted the girl's shoulder.
"Because you're a smart person, you should know that I'm not just trying to fool you with these words."
"Even at full strength, Anti-Entropy is at a disadvantage against Schicksal, let alone Cocolia, whose mechs have suffered heavy losses. Going up against the entirety of Schicksal is a death sentence."
"I'm not threatening you, just making you face reality. If you want to give your mother a glimmer of hope on her path to ruin..."
"—then obediently become our comrade and atone for your mother's sins in advance."
"Trust me, this is the best choice for you. When you look back on this conversation in the future..."
"—by then, you will surely thank me."
[Brilliant, simply brilliant.]
[You knew that for her to join Schicksal, someone must have played the good cop. And now, you've come in as the bad cop, made her see the situation clearly, and resolved the unstable bomb by your side.]
[With Yuno, you talk of revenge. With Bronya, you talk of atonement. Cocolia's life or death is in a state of quantum superposition depending on who you're talking to.]
[When it comes to telling people what they want to hear, and ghosts what they want to hear, this System will call you—the strongest!]
..