[Cocolia's sudden change in demeanor made Bronya's heart sink.]
[Yet she still complied with her mother's request, detailing everything she had witnessed in the Underworld—including the truth about the Stellaron.]
[Cocolia's expression remained cold: "I'm listening... continue."]
["Lady Cocolia, I swear on my honor that those 'Outworlders' are nothing like the villains we initially assumed them to be."]
[Bronya placed a hand over her chest and declared solemnly: "I saw them draw their weapons for justice, risking their lives for the ideals of others. I can confirm that they truly came for the Stellaron—to end the disaster it has brought upon Belobog."]
["Mother... You've always known the truth about the Stellaron, haven't you? One day, I too would have learned of it. Part of the price of becoming a Guardian is bearing these secrets forever."]
["So... forgive my impertinence. I believe the order to exterminate the outsiders was a mistake. To resolve the Stellaron crisis, the Architects may have waited centuries—and they are—"]
["Enough!"]
[Like a thunderclap, Cocolia's furious voice cut through Bronya's words.]
["Arrogant... ignorant... You disappoint me, Bronya."]
["You've barely glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, yet you presume to know the truth. Just because you got mud on your boots in the Underworld, you dare question my orders?"]
"It seems the Supreme Guardian looks down on the common folk of the Underworld."
Yae Miko narrowed her violet eyes, sighing softly. "'Mud'... What an arrogant way to refer to them."
"I acknowledge her sense of responsibility as Supreme Guardian. But as the ruler of a nation, to treat her subordinate's counsel with such disdain..." Ei lightly shook her bottle of dango milk, only to reveal a disappointed expression upon finding it empty.
"Ei, you can't say that... As your familiar, don't you often ignore my advice too?" Miko suddenly turned her head, playfully blinking at Ei.
"..." Ei instinctively averted her gaze, struggling not to look at her.
Every time Miko made that expression, no one could refuse her—not even a god like Ei.
"Are you counting things like 'swapping roles and having the Shogun serve as a shrine maiden at the Grand Narukami Shrine' as advice?" Ei said irritably. "Do you really want to see me in your miko outfit that badly?"
"Eh~ Would that be so wrong?" Miko widened her eyes, her lips forming a teasing little pout.
"Because you're just so adorable, Ei. I wonder if you'd still keep that serious expression while wearing a miko outfit..."
She leaned forward, resting her hands on the table, her face drawing closer. The warm, humid breath against Ei's neck sent an involuntary shiver through her body—a tingling sensation like an electric current.
Strange... She was the god of thunder, after all.
To the other shrine maidens, this was an almost unbearably intimate pose—like a pair of butterflies, one pink and one purple, embracing each other. That is, if the Shogun would cooperate and wrap her arms around the Guuji's waist.
A passing shrine maiden glanced up, then quickly lowered her head, sweeping the floor absentmindedly.
"It seems... the Shogun is always on the bottom every time."
——
["Silvermane Guards, take Bronya—"]
["—They are not mud!"]
[As if breaking free from chains, Bronya finally mustered the courage to meet Cocolia's gaze: "My origins—the things you never told me—I remember them all now. I won't run anymore, Guardian! Stop feeding me vague excuses!"]
["Tell me what you've seen. What are you hiding? Why send Guards to die in the Fragmentum? Why abandon the Underworld? Why change your mind at that critical moment?"]
["...Very well." Cocolia seemed to finally make up her mind, exhaling as if relieved. "This moment was inevitable... I just didn't expect it so soon."]
["Come with me, Bronya. This dying world... It's time you heard its voice."]
[As Cocolia slowly descended from the platform, passing Bronya... countless voices, as if from the void, suddenly flooded into Bronya's ears. She clutched her head in pain, struggling against their influence.]
"Don't tell me Bronya's being affected too?" Stark frowned in concern.
"Does the Stellaron's voice have mind-control properties as well?" Frieren watched Bronya's pained expression. If even she fell under the Stellaron's sway, the situation would take a dire turn.
"If the Stellaron could truly control minds, Belobog would have been ruins long ago," Frieren analyzed. "Remember that scene in Stelle's dream? How Cocolia raged when Bronya went missing?"
"We have to trust Bronya. She won't be tempted by the Stellaron. And even if she is... her little girlfriend from the Underworld will be the first to snap her out of it."
[Meanwhile, Stelle and the others finally returned to the Overworld under Sampo's guidance.]
[However, the moment they reached the surface, Sampo vanished without a trace, as if teleporting away.]
[Traumatized by the Goethe Hotel, the group decided to find safer lodgings. As for where to go, the ever-reliable Dan Heng offered his expert opinion.]
["I suggest we visit Serval Landau first," Dan Heng reasoned. "Gepard is a high-ranking Silvermane Guard officer—getting to him won't be easy. And... if he isn't convinced by Bronya's letter, we'd be walking into a trap."]
[Everyone agreed with Dan Heng's analysis. Carefully avoiding the Guards, they soon arrived at the workshop.]
[After brief greetings, Serval quickly ushered the wanted fugitives inside. Fully trusting their story, she asked with concern: "What in the world did you do? The Guards pulled troops back from the front lines just to hunt you down. The whole Overworld's in chaos."]
[Just as March was about to explain, Dan Heng cut in, eyeing Serval carefully: "Bronya said we could trust you completely."]
[Serval chuckled: "Reading between the lines here. So Bronya trusts me, but you don't yet?"]