A few minutes ago
"Oh? Bronya-chan can cook?"
Inside the dormitory, Mei curiously asked the silver-haired girl beside her
"Of course, except for that Kiana idiotka, there shouldn't be anyone who can't cook."
Bronya replied mercilessly, with a hint of disdain in her normally robotic voice
….
When she was in the orphanage, she was the oldest one, except for Adam. She cooked a lot alongside him. And when he wasn't in the mood, she took the responsibility of cooking
But of course, after coming here…She simply had no need to do so. With the presence of Mei, who is far superior to her in cooking, she only needs to eat like Adam, and the stupid Kiana
….
"Ahahaha…That's true…."
The purple-haired girl awkwardly laughed, her face showing discomfort.
"So, Bronya-chan, how about trying to cook something tonight?" The purple-haired girl suggested, smiling gently at the girl, "I'm sure that you'll cook something great. I want to try-Eh?"
Noticing Bornya's stiff expression and her paused movement on the controller, Mei blinked
"...Bronya?"
"....Ah?"
The silver-haired girl was slightly stunned.
"....."
Recalling what Mother Cocolia had instructed her previously and what Adam had told her, Bronya became silent for a while
"...Okay." She nodded slowly, "Bronya will make Borscht."
…..
The silver-haired girl went to the kitchen and started cooking.
Her movements were very skillful. As an assassin, she could wield any type of knife- even kitchen knives- with ease
Cut carrots, potatoes, and onions into small pieces...
Plus her secret ingredient-
….
Then, Bronya went to her room. She checked under the bed, grasped something, and brought it back
"Bronya, what is this...?"
Mei looked at the cans she brought into the kitchen and asked curiously with furrowed eyebrows
The can in Bronya's hand was written in Russian- thus, she didn't understand what it was
"This is...canned beef."
The silver-haired girl replied with a deadpan stare
-This was a habit she had retained from her past as a mercenary. She would always hide some food under her bed wherever she lived.
This is a 'reserve'- and only canned food is suitable to be used as a reserve
Although life at St. Freya Academy was quite good and comfortable, the ex-mercenary girl still retained this habit. Logically, it didn't make sense; however, she still kept this habit
"All the ingredients have been used. Next, all that's left is to wait."
Bronya looked at the pot in front of her that was gradually boiling.
"Mhm….Smells good."
Sniffing the aroma coming from the soup pot, Mei nodded with an approving smile.
"Oh, by the way…" She looked at the girl, "Can you give me the recipe?"
The purple-haired girl liked cooking, and she also liked exploring new cuisines and trying out new recipes.
For the longest time, however, she has been cooking mostly Far-Eastern meals, and hasn't yet delved into such exotic dishes as Bronya's. Though she wanted to venture into something foreign, she didn't know where to start
"...."
Bronya nodded silently. Then, she kept looking at the soup pot in front of her in a daze, clearly deep in thought
Beyond the comfort of St. Freya Academy, she also had another reason for not cooking anymore
….Whenever the silver-haired girl watched these familiar foods being made, certain scenes from the past would always inadvertently flash in her mind
Life in the orphanage was not very good, so borscht was a common food for the children.
Though Adam occasionally brought ingredients to cook for everyone, once the children learned that these were bought from his own pocket, they started vehemently opposing his spending.
Of course, not everyone was like this. Rosaliia and Liliya, in particular, ate solely to fill their stomachs- with expressions of disgust on their faces. So when the blond boy cooked them something delicious, they always clung to him and showered him with praises
Seele, though... every time she finished eating, she would simply smile and say:
"Thank you for the meal, sister Bronya."
A blue-haired figure seemed to appear before her eyes for a moment, thanking her.
-Then she disappeared as soon as she appeared
"…"
…..
After the 'soup' was ready, Bronya served it to Mei.
The purple-haired girl elegantly took a few sips of it and praised it. Immediately after, she felt sleepy, lying her head on the table directly
Dinggg….
The moment her head dipped down and made contact with the wood, the doorbell rang
"...."
Wanting to sigh yet not having the energy to do so, Bronya got up, preparing to open the door-
Bang
A loud bang echoed throughout the dormitory as the sturdy door was broken off and fell directly onto the floor of the living room.
After the dispersed dust and smoke had dissipated, a hooded man swaggered inside casually
Dark blue hair and eyes, a bandage around his neck, and with a fearless and manic expression….
-Seeing this man, an unprecedented and weird feeling of hatred awakened inside Bronya's heart
"You are the one sent by Cocolia..."
The silver-haired girl looked at the sudden visitor, her silver eyes blankly staring at him
"Yeah, it's me. You can call me Joyce."
The man responded carelessly, hands in his pockets
"...."
…
Joyce... Bronya was not unfamiliar with this name
In fact, anyone affiliated with Anti-Entropy has heard of the name of the legendary First Herrscher, Welt Joyce.
The Herrscher who sided with humanity, the leader of Anti-Entropy, and the person who actually assisted humanity in dealing with the 2nd Herrscher…
This person had many achievements and many titles to his name.
However, looking at the 'person' in front of her, Bronya only had one thought running through her mind
'Is the leader of Anti-entropy…so easy to clone?'
Her dull eyes sparked with a hint of doubt
Cocolia had mentioned the term 'Artificial Herrscher' to her. However, she didn't actually expect her mother to be able to clone a Herrscher
'That's right…..'
-Thinking back on Adam's words- indeed, she should have expected the unexpected….
…
Perhaps relying on his overwhelming power, he did not look any concerned about his flashy actions, and neither did he care about the fact that St.Freya's reinforcements might just be rushing towards his location right this moment
"Hoh?"
Walking into the dining room, his eyes fell on the purple-haired girl who was already sleeping on the table
"Is this the girl? Heh, looks like you've done a good job."
The man who called himself Joyce grinned and stretched out his hand, a formless, unseen force pouring out of him and extending throughout the room.
Mei, who was sleeping on the table, rose into the air and floated beside him.
"Come on, I'll take you back to Cocolia's territory."
"…Back?"
Bronya repeated, tilting her head
"You don't think that you can still stay at this Academy after pulling such a stunt, do you?
'Joyce' sneered in disdain
True. Bronya thought. After her 'betrayal' is revealed, she would have only one choice: to leave St. Freya Academy.
Fortunately….Things aren't always what they appear to be
"…"
But outwardly, the silver-haired girl maintained her silence, neither confirming nor denying
"Good"
-But to the overconfident and self-centered man, her silence was as good as a confirmation
"By the way…" Before 'Joyce' did any moves, she spoke up, "Has Mama Cocolia told you what she will do with Raiden Mei?"
Cocolia had only told the silver-haired girl to bring Raiden Mei back to Anti-Entropy for research.
As for what will happen to Mei and how she will be treated, Cocolia didn't say
"Oh, that?" The blue-haired man shrugged, speaking as casually as ever, "After extracting the Herrscher core out of her body, this woman will be of no use to us."
He looked at the peacefully 'sleeping' girl floating in the air
"But according to that woman, if someone forcibly remove a Herrscher core from a person's body, the person will definitely die."
'…Die?'
Bronya paused as she heard this strange yet familiar term.
….
She has seen a lot of death.
Whether as a soldier, or as Cocolia's 'daughter' that performed various missions for her….
-The blood on her hands is countless. She has seen so much death, and she has lost count of how many lives she has reaped
But…. the death of someone close to her, someone she cared about, was something she had never experienced before.
The closest to that would be…Seele, who had disappeared into the Sea of Quanta. However, she still had hope to save that blue-haired girl
'.....'
At this moment, Bronya couldn't help but feel…disappointed.
Not at Cocolia…But at herself.
Disappointed that she still held hope for Cocolia, even after she confirmed that the chip indeed hid a backdoor that could take control of her body.
And disappointed that Cocolia would reap the life of Raiden Mei, even if it wasn't necessary for whatever her ambition was
….
Dazed eyes clearing up, Bronya pursed her lips and asked
"...Did Cocolia tell you what she will do with the Herrscher Core?"
At this moment, the way she addressed that woman had completely changed
"Huh? I'm not sure about..."
The man named Joyce frowned, scratching his head rapidly in thought-
"If I remember right, it's probably going to be installed on a big Titan as fuel"
'Joyce' replied with a casual shrug
….
In contrast to Shickshal, who uses Valkyries equipped with Valkyrie armor to fight against the Honkai, Anti-Entropy has always relied on mechanical constructs and technology
For example, the various Titan Series mechas are the common force of Anti-Entropy, and are used to clear the various honkai beasts and zombies that appear on their territories
Therefore, it is not surprising that someone like Cocolia, an executive of Anti-Entropy, is researching and trying to construct more powerful mechanical constructs
But…
'As expected….'
This time, Bronya was surprised that she didn't even feel disappointment. Now, she only felt….indifferent
Cocolia had always told her that capturing Raiden Mei was all to save Seele.
And for a year, she believed her. For a year, she had obeyed every single order of hers- all for the sake of Seele
'…'
Before the 3rd eruption, Bronya had always believed in the orders and words of Cocolia, and had never questioned them.
But ever since she reconnected with Adam in Nagazora City, she gradually began to… separate herself from Cocolia.
Yes…Her thoughts had grown far beyond mere doubt for the woman she called Mother.
Adam always looked down on their mother- and he made no secret of it. The silver-haired girl trusted and believed him far more than…that woman
Normally, even if she had doubts, Bronya would still choose to go along with Cocolia's plan- just for Seele.
But since her childhood friend, whom she regarded as more than family, had also given her hope, there was no need for her to go along with her mother's plan
But-
This time, she finally heard the real answer from this so-called artificial herrscher.
-The truth that Cocolia would never dare tell her
….The woman she called mother never intended to save Seele.
Nagazora City, Mei-nee….All these sacrifices are only meant for her greedy and selfish ambitions
So, Bronya regretted it.
She regretted giving Cocolia this final chance.
Fortunately, even before hearing the truth, she had made the right choice
…..
Thoughts were fleeting. Bronya wasn't one to recklessly take action- however, this time, she wanted nothing more than to simply...make an exception and.... irrationally lash out
"Do it."
With cold and indifferent eyes, the silver-haired girl looked at 'Joyce' in the eye and declared
"Oh? Well, sure-"
ZZzzzzzzhzzzzzhzhzhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The next instant, the sound of a fierce current was all that could be heard throughout the dormitory- the next words of the blue-haired man being nothing more than insect buzzing in comparison
…
..
.
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A/N:
How was my cliffhanger?
Not to worry, the next chapter will be on Sunday this time
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