Chapter 113: Accept Them as Dogs
The black raven was, after all, the black raven.
In the world of Honkai, the Ural Silver Wolf was a legend in the world of assassins, and Raven was a legend in the world of mercenaries. This was only natural. For an S-rank Valkyrie to enter the mercenary world—what was that if not a dimension-reduction strike? An S-rank on the level of Rita was still an S-rank!
When the substitute AI, who knew how to make good use of this beautiful body, was in place, Midnight Absinthe transformed into the true "Raven." Even without the Divine Key, the Seventh Thundering Retribution, Raven's own combat power was far beyond what ordinary Silvermane Guards or the guards trained by noble houses could compare to.
She effortlessly bypassed the rings of guards, allowing the nobles to die silently in the quiet of the night. From sneaking into the bedroom to kill, to wiping the blood from her Seven-Feathered Headpiece and leaving, the entire process was clean and efficient.
Midnight Absinthe sighed internally. "See, this is what you call professional."
While she guided Raven to the targets that needed to be beheaded, she was also learning Raven's stealth and assassination techniques through 'first-hand experience.'
From this night on, a bloody storm swept through the noble factions of Belobog.
Such a major disturbance naturally couldn't be hidden from the Supreme Guardian. Cocolia even personally visited the death scene of a major noble but couldn't find any clues. The assassin's strength was not on the same level as an ordinary Silvermane Guard; the culprit had to be a Pathstrider. And the number of Pathstriders in Belobog was limited.
After eliminating all other possibilities, the first people Cocolia thought of were those elusive outsiders. On second thought, they, who had come to seal the Stellaron, had no reason to do such a thing. But that didn't stop Cocolia from pinning the blame on them.
The infiltrators, intending to start a rebellion, failed in their assassination of the Supreme Guardian and have now turned their sights on the great nobles of Belobog...
Enemy attack, nobles dying violently... it sounds so perfect!
After becoming the Supreme Guardian, Cocolia had centralized power but hadn't completely eliminated the noble class. Doing so would have triggered a desperate counter-attack from the noble factions, a backlash that even she couldn't easily withstand, and it would have plunged Belobog into violent turmoil from top to bottom. This was something Cocolia did not want to see. So, after establishing her absolute authority, Cocolia had left the remaining noble factions alone.
These nobles being alive wasn't of much use to Cocolia, but their deaths had some value. She could use the nobles' deaths to her advantage, shift the blame to the outsiders, guide public opinion to hate them, recruit more Silvermane Guards, send them into the Fragmentum to apprehend the culprits, and accelerate the arrival of the new world.
As for who the real culprit was? And what their purpose was in killing these pests? Cocolia didn't know; there were no clues. Unable to catch those outsiders, the ominous premonition in Cocolia's heart grew. She became more and more anxious, dedicating all her energy to pushing forward the 'new world' plan.
The noble factions that Bronya had "feasted" soon discovered they were being bled dry at an absurd rate! Many nobles' impressions of the heir were still stuck on her past purity and simplicity. But after taking a side, they discovered that behind her smiling face was a blade sharper than Cocolia's.
With Bronya's subtle hints, the nobles, who had their own ulterior motives, turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat when they learned the origin of the 'black hand.' Damn it, we boarded a pirate ship! This wasn't a bus to their family's glorious future, but a black cab driven by a sinister, treacherous demon!
In this situation, no one dared to betray Bronya and go over to Cocolia's side. First, they had no proof. Second, let alone telling Cocolia who the real culprit was, just contradicting the conclusion she had already set in stone in front of the Supreme Guardian's absolute authority would lead to only one result. What? You say it wasn't the enemy invaders from beyond the sky? Then you did it! I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Become a Silvermane Guard and go fight in the Fragmentum. Guards, take him away!
The Supreme Guardian was on the verge of madness. Ever since the assassination attempt, Cocolia's face had been perpetually gloomy. She worked day and night, designating policies, and one decree after another was sent out from Qlipoth Fort, turning the Overworld upside down. Many could feel the Supreme Guardian's obsession and madness regarding the counter-offensive against the Fragmentum.
And if they were to lay bare the heir's plan to rebel, let alone whether the Supreme Guardian would believe the nobles or her own daughter she had raised, the noble factions that had already taken a side couldn't possibly extricate themselves. Even if they presented evidence, setting aside how the Supreme Guardian would deal with her unfilial daughter, all of them would be executed!
In short, defecting to Cocolia's side was certain death, while swearing fealty to Miss Bronya, as long as they were obedient, might offer a sliver of hope for survival.
Silvermane Guard Commander's Office.
"Lady Bronya, a letter from the head of the Cruspela family."
Pela respectfully handed a letter to the silver-haired girl in the seat.
"Thank you for your hard work, Pela."
Bronya opened the letter, glanced at it, and a smile touched the corner of her lips.
With that, the final step of her plan for the noble factions of Belobog, the "accept them as dogs" phase, was complete.
"The in-city Silvermane Guard units have been reorganized. Lady Bronya, what are our next steps?"
Seeing the smile on Bronya's lips, Pela didn't need to read the letter to guess its contents. Happy as she was, she was more filled with admiration and heartache. Admiration for Lady Bronya's methods, and heartache for the changes she had undergone.
During this time, Pela had noticed some changes in Bronya's temperament. She didn't find it strange; on the contrary, her heart was heavy with pity. Pain and determination were often catalysts for growth, making a person more mature. For the future of Belobog, Lady Bronya had to launch a rebellion against the mother who had raised her. How much struggle, how much intense psychological conflict must she have gone through to make such a resolution! And for those crop seeds that could completely solve the food problem for the people of Belobog, Lady Bronya had sacrificed her all.
She had given far too much for Belobog. After experiencing all that, wasn't it normal for her temperament to change a little?
"Give the electrical equipment blueprints and the seeds to the Research Division. Have the major newspapers begin their preliminary reports..."
Bronya issued a series of orders, which Pela promptly wrote down on a document. To be honest, if it were only Silverwing playing this game, it would have been quite difficult. After all, she had never been involved in politics in her past life. She might not have been able to resist just having fun with it. Fortunately, with the Persona Mask, she could create a virtual persona of the original Bronya, and she also had Little Duckie's help. Big and Little Duckie working together, with the drive of playing a fully immersive real-time strategy game, they were barely able to handle the ever-increasing workload. And if things get really tough, we can always just make Pela suffer a bit~
"By the way, Pela, any news on those two things I had you search for?"
The command phase over, Bronya stretched languidly, her beautiful and full figure on full display.
"Not yet." Pela shook her head. "Lady Bronya, are those two items particularly important?"
"Mhm, you could say that. Those two things are very dangerous," Bronya said, her brow furrowing slightly.
Mobilizing the Silvermane Guards to search the entire city and still finding no trace of the Twisting Divine Machine Armor and the Tala Mask could only mean two things. One, they were outside the city in the snowy wilderness. Two, they had fallen into the Fragmentum! The former was manageable; the latter was hard to say.
"Pela, come with me to the northern front line."
The Stellaron was in the northern snowplains. Bronya had already been to the front line of the restricted zone once. She hadn't entered the deepest part, so as not to alert the enemy. Even with Big Bronya as her substitute AI, she didn't think she could handle the Stellaron on her own. She had at least determined the Stellaron's general location. Bronya had then returned to the city to handle various matters and make preparations.
And now, everything in the city was ready. All that was left was the group of Silvermane Guards on the front line.
"Yes, Lady Bronya."
Northern Snowplains of Belobog.
After Cocolia ordered the defense line to be pushed forward and the counter-offensive against the Fragmentum to be intensified, the Silvermane Guards on the front line faced their most difficult and tragic days. Even though Silverwing was trying her best to reduce the Guards' meaningless consumption in attacks and falsifying military reports, there were still some who blindly believed in the Supreme Guardian. Under reckless command, they went deep into the Fragmentum to fight, losing their lives in vain.
In a tent at a certain border outpost, a group of off-duty Guards were privately discussing the various recent events within Belobog, as well as some rumors they had heard from who knows where.
For example, that the Supreme Guardian's counter-offensive against the Fragmentum was purely to intentionally send the Guards to their deaths.
That the noble families in the city were in turmoil, with some nobles found with several claw marks on their backs, yet the Guard headquarters had ruled it a suicide.
That someone had bought a fish at the market to improve their meal, only to find a pair of tweezers inside the fish's belly, on which was written: King Bronya.
That someone had heard a strange animal cry at night, "Belobog shall rise, King Bronya!"
The Guards discussed this very carefully, wary of officers coming.
And in a certain tent in the camp, Gepard's brows were tightly furrowed in thought. His sister said he was slow, like a block of wood. Gepard had no problem with that, but it didn't mean he was stupid! If they truly carried out the Supreme Guardian's decree, all his brothers would die in the Fragmentum. He was, of course, aware of the various rumors circulating among the Guards, including the recent turmoil among the major noble families in the city. Gepard could sense that something was happening.
So, was blindly following the Supreme Guardian truly the right thing to do?
His thoughts in turmoil, Gepard sighed heavily.
A short while later, the tent flap was suddenly lifted, and two familiar figures walked in from outside.
"Lady Bronya, Secretary Pela." Gepard stood up and saluted. They were close in private, but even someone as dense as him knew to use official titles at work.
"Captain Gepard, what's the situation on the front line?" the silver-haired girl's voice was crisp.
Still heavy-hearted, Gepard stood up straight and gave a formal report. Just then, hurried footsteps were heard outside the tent, and soon a Guard ran in, shouting.
"Report! A new, special type of Fragmentum monster has appeared on the front line! They are covered in black clothes, and... and they can even leave the Fragmentum!"
"What did you say!?" Gepard and Pela were greatly alarmed.
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