"Perhaps the Teacher Bai Heng you've always known never existed at all."
A statement delivered as plain fact tugged at every memory Bronya had of Bai Heng.
The warmth of his embrace on that snow-blown night. The rebellious vows they swore together.
At the front lines, as the Fragmentum's tide threatened to break, the resolve with which he entrusted his very life to her.
Even after losing his right arm, the gentle smile he used to comfort her.
Bronya might be naive, perhaps indecisive, but she was far from stupid.
Even if it wasn't the most direct answer, she could faintly grasp the meaning hidden within Bai Heng's words.
He was telling her that all of it… was a lie.
And yet, the last fragile shred of hope clinging to the depths of her heart kept her from speaking that answer aloud.
Her naive nature still fantasized that these words might hold some other, kinder meaning.
But Bai Heng gave her no room for fantasy.
He chuckled softly, drawing a final, conclusive line under it all.
"Bronya, everything you think you know is a lie."
"...All a lie?"
Her silver-grey eyes slowly widened as the girl murmured the words—simple, yet utterly incomprehensible to her.
"Having trouble understanding? Then allow me to explain a little."
"Bronya, did it never occur to you? You, who never noticed Cocolia's abnormalities despite your long time together—how did you manage to uncover the fact that she'd been seduced by the Stellaron so quickly after you started working with me?"
"It was me. I was the one who told you that Cocolia's decrees were too contradictory, too irrational, and that there must be something hidden beneath them."
Bai Heng's tone was as gentle as ever, but the icy coldness lacing it made Bronya shiver involuntarily.
She remembered. That day, the man before her had stroked his chin, deep in thought, and told her that Cocolia's policies were dragging Belobog into the mire, though he didn't yet know the reason why.
"And just as I predicted, your immature self was deeply shaken by the truth. I easily gained your trust and, in turn, fueled your resolve to rebel."
Here, Bai Heng seemed to recall something, his tone shifting abruptly, a stronger smile gracing his lips:
"Ah, and it was warm, wasn't it? That embrace~"
"Come to think of it, it was my first time holding a woman. I may have lacked experience, but given the setting and the mood, the effect was bound to be decent no matter what."
Staring blankly at this utterly unfamiliar man, every beautiful memory Bronya had of 'Bai Heng' was being systematically shattered, piece by piece, with his every word.
Slender fingers curled into her palms. The girl lowered her head, her body trembling slightly.
But Bai Heng's words did not stop.
"The counterattack of the Fragmentum creatures was much the same. These beings, born of the Stellaron, emerge from various Fragmentum zones. But if one zone is taken from them, they solidify and form in the remaining ones."
"So I led the Silvermane Guards on the front lines to push back into the Fragmentum, squeezing their territory, until finally they had no choice but to launch their counterattack on the snow plains outside the city~"
"'I entrust my life to you.' Quite a weighty line, don't you think? I was rather pleased with that one myself."
The cold, hard facts washed over her, sending a strong wave of dizziness through Bronya's mind. Biting her lip, she posed her first question:
"Your right arm then... Was even that a lie...?"
"Oh, that part was real." He gestured lightly with the arm that was no longer there, a wry smile on his face. "I miscalculated the number of Fragmentum creatures that would spawn. Nearly got myself killed for good. But fortunately, thanks to that, you trusted me even more. You handed full control of consolidating the army's morale over to me, allowing me to complete this final step~"
"Alright, I've said all there is to say."
"Bronya, this is the answer you wanted."
"The answer called 'betrayal'."
As Bai Heng's final words gently fell, the girl seemed to have all the strength drained from her body, collapsing to the floor.
Every beautiful memory in her mind had been utterly destroyed by his words, leaving behind only a brutally cruel truth and a reality too painful to accept.
The mentor figure known as 'Bai Heng' had never existed from the start. All that existed was a 'traitor', seeking power to build his own empire.
So.
The feelings she had nurtured… they were only ever for a deliberately crafted illusion, a shadow that never truly was...
"Lament your fate. In some corner where no one will notice. And then, bear witness to the rise of my empire."
"This is the only thing you can do, Bronya—you, who are too naive, too weak to accomplish anything else."
Finally, as he passed by her, brushing shoulders on his way out, Bai Heng left her with these words, seemingly intended to shatter what little remained of her heart.
And after he said them.
Before the empty Qlipoth Fort, the girl draped in the mantle of the Supreme Guardian, sitting collapsed on the cold ground, finally let a single, hot tear fall.
--+--
After witnessing this scene unfold in its entirety.
Everyone in the livestream let out an involuntary, heavy sigh.
Possessing an omniscient viewpoint, they naturally understood the meaning behind Bai Heng's actions now.
He was carrying out the very ending that Sparkle had described!
On one hand, he was ruthlessly listing all the flaws and problems Bronya currently possessed. On the other, he was systematically destroying every positive memory she had of him, replacing that warmth with hatred of equal measure.
What was particularly intricately ironic was that the method Bai Heng was using shared striking similarities with Welt's earlier speculation…
--+--
Lumine: 「Good news: we were right. Bad news: both guesses were right.」
Kiana: 「So… the future really will unfold as Miss Sparkle predicted?... Mr. Bai Heng will take all the blame upon himself, only to be ended by Miss Bronya herself….」
Raiden Mei: 「An ending like that… is really hard to accept….」
Elysia: 「And… Miss Bronya's feelings for Mr. Bai Heng… I'm afraid they'll also…」
Sparkle: 「Hey now~ Like I said, it's beyond sentiment but within expectation. Might be a cliché ending, but for a world like Belobog, it's actually the best outcome, isn't it? One becomes the revered Supreme Guardian, the other dies a traitor's death. We all have a bright future ahead of us~」
Stelle: 「I… I don't believe it! It definitely won't end like this!」
March 7th: 「Why does it feel like you're losing conviction by the second?」
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.