Chapter 47 Chapter 47: Bronya, We Have No Other Choice
Chapter 47: Bronya, We Have No Other Choice
On the other side, in the Overworld, after following Cocolia for a while and ending up in a dimly lit room, Bronya finally couldn't help but ask:
"Mother, why have you brought me to a place like this?"
It wasn't that Bronya was deliberately complaining about anything; it was just that if there was something to discuss, couldn't it have been said in the original room? Why did they have to move to a room like this?
Her own time didn't matter, but for the 'Supreme Guardian,' every minute and second was precious.
"Do you know, Bronya?"
Cocolia didn't directly answer her daughter's question. Instead, she stepped forward, gently turned on the dim switch in the room, and began to explain: "This used to be the most important research institute in all of Belobog. Its experimental goal was to study the source of all disasters—the Stellaron."
"Stellaron? What is that? You've never told me about it... Is the Stellaron you mentioned the source of the Fragmentum disaster? Then why don't we find a way to solve this problem as soon as possible?"
What Bronya cared about wasn't that she, as the heir to the 'Supreme Guardian,' had been kept in the dark about such an important matter. Rather, since they had already found the source of the disaster long ago, why hadn't they tried to resolve it?
Wouldn't freeing Belobog from its troubles be something everyone hoped to see?
"Things aren't as simple as you think, Bronya."
Cocolia crossed her arms and turned her back, making it impossible to see her true expression. "Not only the Fragmentum, but even the cause of the Eternal Freeze originates from the Stellaron. And there is one thing that only successive 'Supreme Guardians' are qualified to know—the one who activated the Stellaron and brought about the Eternal Freeze was the very first 'Supreme Guardian,' Alisa Rand."
"But... how could that be...?!"
Not just for Bronya, but in the eyes of all Belobog's people, the first 'Supreme Guardian,' who built all of Belobog and led them in resisting the Legion's invasion, was undoubtedly a figure of spiritual faith.
Imagine if one day you learned that the savior you had admired for so long was actually the one who truly wanted to harm you. What would you think?
"But this is the truth, Bronya. The truth never changes according to what most people think."
"That first 'Supreme Guardian,' she certainly had her own reasons. If the Eternal Freeze hadn't descended, Belobog would have already been annihilated under the iron hooves of the Legion. How could we be here now discussing her right or wrong?"
"This isn't some secret exclusive to the 'Supreme Guardian,' but rather a matter of necessity... Just imagine, if Belobog's people knew that the great Alisa Rand activated this thing, what would happen?"
"The people losing their faith would be a minor issue. Those with ambition but no vision would seize the opportunity to create chaos. They believe that as long as they climb to the peak of power, they can get everything they want and act recklessly—unaware that it is precisely in this position that one is truly crushed and unable to breathe."
"Tell me, Bronya Rand—if it were you, what would you do?"
Compared to her daughter, Cocolia's abilities indeed surpassed hers by more than just a little. A series of questions left Bronya speechless.
"I know your love for Belobog is no less than anyone else's, Bronya."
Suddenly, Cocolia's tone gradually softened. She turned around and, for the first time in a long while, used her cold hand to stroke Bronya's head. "But your depth of thought is still far from enough. Most problems in this world cannot be solved by love alone. Some problems... don't even have a correct answer from the moment they are posed."
"For hundreds of years, countless brilliant researchers have devoted their entire lives, and successive 'Supreme Guardians' have tried countless methods, yet they have never found any way to destroy the Stellaron or eliminate the Fragmentum and the Eternal Freeze."
If possible, wouldn't Cocolia also want to become a qualified leader, leading Belobog's people to repel the Fragmentum, eliminate the Eternal Freeze, save the entire planet from then on, and become a sculpted leader for people to admire?
But generation after generation of 'Supreme Guardians' have passed down not hope, but an abyss with no end in sight.
The spread of the Fragmentum grows increasingly severe day by day; the shroud of the Eternal Freeze is endless; research on the Stellaron has made no progress... Despair from all sides almost weighs solely on the 'Supreme Guardian,' because they are everyone's shield and cannot entrust these problems to anyone else.
Just as Cocolia said, for her, there was never any correct answer to all of this from the beginning...
"Even if I could possess abilities like Alisa Rand's, even if I could lead the Silvermane Guards to great victories in every battle, such a Belobog would absolutely not survive until the next 'Supreme Guardian.'"
As she spoke, Cocolia's gaze never left Bronya for even a moment.
After all, Bronya, her own daughter, is the next 'Supreme Guardian.'
"But... there must still be some way, there must be some way to solve these problems..."
Even though she said this, from Bronya's current perspective, she truly couldn't propose any useful conclusions. Problems that successive 'Supreme Guardians' and countless researchers couldn't solve—how could she possibly come up with an answer just by speaking?
"So, I accepted the Stellaron's terms."
"...What?!"
Cocolia's sudden words left Bronya even more confused, as her mind was already struggling to keep up.
"Just as Alisa Rand asked the Stellaron for the Eternal Freeze that sealed away the Legion back then, the Stellaron has also agreed to create a brand new world for us. The price is to eliminate all remnants of the old world."
Since the wish of the first 'Supreme Guardian' succeeded, who could criticize her for not being able to do the same?
"But... didn't you just say that the Stellaron is the culprit behind bringing both the Fragmentum and the Eternal Freeze..."
"Bronya, no matter what, it is merely an object. Would you hate a gun in someone's hand just because someone used it to shoot another person?"
Who created the Stellaron? Who threw it onto their planet? Cocolia didn't know any of this. But she wouldn't resent such an immobile dead object because of it.
Even if it does have the ability to bewitch people's hearts, isn't it ultimately humans who make all these decisions?
"Then... then what does the price you mentioned—the remnants of the old world—refer to?"
For some reason, a very bad premonition suddenly arose in Bronya's heart.
"...Belobog as it is now—almost beyond saving."
There is an illustration here; it can be viewed after updating to a newer version.
There is an illustration here; it can be viewed after updating to a newer version.
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!