"Huh? Lynelle, why are you suddenly acting like Uncle Yang just now..."
March 7th scratched her head, puzzled. "I think this Guardian is being pretty cooperative, though... There's no way she's actually the mastermind behind everything, right?"
"All friendly and polite on the surface, but secretly luring us into letting our guard down, so she can have us arrested tomorrow while we're still asleep?"
"March, you..."
This time, it was Lynelle's turn to be utterly stunned.
One just had to admit, it was so very March. Even Elio would tip his hat to a prophecy like that.
"What's wrong? Was my guess too dark? Want a classic twist, then? Maybe she's also been deceived by the Stellaron and has no way out, so she's forced to..."
"Alright, March, maybe stop spinning your wild little tales."
Just as Lynelle was about to witness another prophecy being born, Dan Heng promptly cut off March's casting.
"Actually, Lynelle has a point. While we were talking earlier, I noticed Cocolia's expression did seem a bit off. That state... I can't explain why, but it somehow felt familiar to me."
"Kinda like someone on the verge of being crushed by Mara but hovering at that critical point of a final, fleeting clarity. To put it simply, even if she's a good person, she must be carrying some unknown burden heavy enough to crush an ordinary soul..."
"Still, without evidence, we can't just jump to conclusions or be overly suspicious. So for this afternoon, let's split up and gather some intel separately."
"I'm fine with that. Dan Heng and I will operate solo. March, you stick with Stelle. Keep an eye on each other."
Lynelle nodded as she spoke.
"Hey, hey, what's with this grouping? It's like you're putting me at the kids' table..."
"The kids' table gets to roam around and take pictures freely. Leave the investigating to us."
"Yay! I am so a kid!"
"Sigh..."
Lynelle let out a helpless sigh, then said, "Dan Heng, I need a bit of your help."
"The Express's database should have some case files or explanations about Stellaron disasters, right? Could you give me a general overview?"
"You want to... add credibility by presenting reference materials? But going back to the Express now might take too long. Besides, most of the entries in the database are conclusive summaries. There probably isn't much that could serve as direct evidence..."
"That's fine, I don't need to go back to the Express."
A hint of slyness crept into Lynelle's voice. "You just need to describe the general situation to me. As for evidence... I can whip some up myself."
"Lynelle, are you going to use your abilities to fabricate evidence?"
Stelle immediately recalled Lynelle's earlier explanation of her powers. "But... will it be discovered?"
"Don't worry. The data I forge might not even be spotted by Herta herself."
Lynelle chuckled. "If anyone on Jarilo-VI can tell my evidence is fake... well, then this place deserves a visit from the Nous itself."
--+--
Bronya sat on a bench by the street in the Administrative District, feeling deeply troubled.
That morning, she had gone to Qlipoth Fort again, hoping to make her mother reconsider, to temporarily consolidate their defenses and reduce the casualty rate among the Silvermane Guards.
After all, Cocolia's recent appointments had been rather bizarre.
Putting aside the fact that she'd stretched the Silvermane Guards' frontline thin during a period of high Fragmentum activity, just her pinpoint-precise orders—like 'move such-and-such position forward five meters'—had been infuriating the frontline soldiers.
If it weren't for the fact that the current leader of the Silvermane Guards, Gepard, was a charismatic commander, and the Landau family had a generations-long military tradition, her mother might have had a mutiny on her hands before the eternal freeze and the Fragmentum could even bring Belobog to its knees.
What took her by surprise, though, was that her mother had rejected all her suggestions with what could only be described as a harsh attitude, and seemed intent on charging stubbornly ahead.
If Bronya were simply a blindly loyal subordinate or an obedient daughter, that would be one thing. But Cocolia had raised Bronya too well.
At least in Bronya's memories, Cocolia had been a quite competent mother and leader. Precisely because of that, she couldn't just stand by and ignore what was happening right before her eyes.
However, something rather unexpected had happened today. Gepard had just informed her that the people she'd run into at Qlipoth Fort earlier were visitors from beyond the sky.
They seemed to want to help Belobog and had gone to see her mother... She just wondered what kind of change they could possibly bring about in the current situation.
"Outworlders who call themselves Nameless... Should I find some time to meet them...?"
"Want to see me? Nothing simpler than that."
A voice sounded right beside her.
"?!"
The moment the voice rang out, Bronya, who had been deep in thought, jolted violently, nearly spilling the drink in her hand.
"Don't be so nervous. I just saw you sitting here with a troubled look and thought I'd see what was up. Didn't expect to hear you muttering our names to yourself."
Only then did Bronya turn her head. A pink-haired... young girl? Came into view.
"And you are...?"
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Lynelle, one of the Nameless from the Astral Express. You probably didn't see me this morning since I wasn't with my companions at the time. But I've heard all about the situation from them."
The pink-haired girl smiled, showing none of the wariness or distance one might expect around a stranger.
Almost instinctively, Bronya categorized her as the type who was naturally sociable.
However, she didn't let her guard down because of it.
First, getting into Belobog from the outside required going through rigorous inspection. Gepard had told her there were only three Outworlders, which meant this girl hadn't been with them from the start. In other words... she had found her own way to 'sneak into the city'.
Secondly, as the heir to the Guardianship, while Bronya didn't dare claim to be exceptionally powerful, she was definitely near the top in Belobog. And yet, this girl had managed to approach her and sit down beside her without Bronya noticing at all. If she hadn't spoken up...
"Huh? Are you wary of me? Or are you wondering how I managed to get so close without you noticing?"
Lynelle tilted her head cutely.
"How about... you look down?"
"Look down?"
Puzzled, Bronya lowered her gaze.
In Belobog, she'd encountered people with... particular tastes before, and quite a few had been drawn to her attire. But being asked to look at someone else's feet? That was a first.
Wait...
Bronya's face instantly lost a shade of color.
Girl, where are your feet?!
Only now did Bronya realize that this girl, who looked almost unnaturally beautiful, was actually just a floating upper body hovering beside her!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.