[Bronya Rand's Affection for you is—82.]
"It can jump that high in one go? Bronya really is easy to win over..."
Ron stared at the text on the screen, rubbing his chin.
"When I saw her on guard duty, she seemed approachable, but I could always feel that stubborn, superior air about her. I never thought she was actually this fragile..."
"As long as you can perceive that vulnerability in her heart and protect her before she gets hurt, her affection skyrockets."
In this simulation, Ron hadn't chosen many options to specifically raise Bronya's affection. After all, he had spent most of his time fighting in the Fragmentum and had little contact with her.
Before he had comforted her in front of everyone, Bronya's affection for him wasn't particularly high, only in the fifties.
This one event had raised it by more than thirty points, even higher than the two years of steadfast loyalty he'd shown in the previous simulation.
"Noted. If I need to raise Bronya's affection in the future, I'll start from this angle."
Ron muttered to himself, then found a notebook and jotted down this little affection-raising trick in Chinese.
Flipping through the notebook, one could see that Ron had already filled over a dozen pages with notes, all of them related to the Life Simulation Game.
As a completionist gamer, Ron's attitude towards games was nothing like his lazy, slacking approach to work. When he played, he was dead serious.
After Ron finished his notes and looked up, he saw a new set of choices appear on the screen—
[You have been locked in the front-line prison. Please choose:]
[1. Cocolia has gone too far! Can you really swallow this injustice? Not with the grappling arts you just learned! You decide to storm Qlipoth Fort, tie Cocolia up in turtle-shell bondage, and settle the score while spanking her. (If you choose this option, the "Will of the Preservation" trait equipped in this simulation will be nullified, but the desire for revenge will lead you down another Path.)]
[2. You know you shouldn't die an ignoble death at the hands of the tribunal. Belobog is on the verge of collapse, and this city needs you to preserve it. You decide to escape the front-line prison and find a way to preserve Belobog from the shadows of the blizzard. (If you choose this option, you will become a wanderer, unable to enter Belobog's Overworld openly.)]
[3. Everything should have its most fitting conclusion. You decide to quietly await the judgment of the Belobog military tribunal. (If you choose this option, you will remain a prisoner and await trial in the front-line prison.)]
Option one was, without a doubt, a coup. Based on the situation Ron had created on the training grounds, if Bronya agreed, the chances of success wouldn't be too low.
Most of the Silvermane Guards had already come to their senses after Ron's speech and had a very poor opinion of Cocolia.
Option two was clearly a waiting game, because Cocolia would be assimilated by the Stellaron no matter what.
After Cocolia was assimilated, Bronya would naturally become the Supreme Guardian, and Ron's name could be cleared immediately after that.
Ron had come a long way in terms of combat power in this simulation; even a Stellaron-assimilated Cocolia was not an impossible opponent.
As for option three, compared to the other two, it looked like a death sentence...
Ron had indeed violated Belobog's military law. If he truly allowed himself to be captured, his only fate would be to spend the rest of his life in a Belobog prison.
But he still chose option three without hesitation.
He had already anticipated this choice... There was no need for him to break out.
Ron had certainly violated military law, but every guard on that training ground knew exactly why he had done it.
For the guards whose lives he had spoken up for, refuting a death sentence of a military order, Ron's reputation was already extremely high.
If Cocolia didn't want to be overthrown by a military mutiny right now... Ron could only be found innocent by the military tribunal.
The choices on the screen faded, and new text began to appear:
[You have chosen to await trial.]
[The situation in Belobog is turbulent. Some guards begin to speak out for you, but they are quietly made to disappear.]
[Under the deliberate push of an unknown party, baseless rumors spread like wildfire through the city. Your originally decent public image is now mixed.]
[The Silvermane Guards have begun to secretly prepare a joint petition to the court, requesting your acquittal.]
[Time flies, and soon, it is the day before your trial.]
[Late at night, in order to be in peak condition for tomorrow's trial, you are doing your pre-sleep workout.]
[But in the silence of the night, you hear a faint, scraping sound outside your cell—]
A new image appeared on the screen:
A heavy chain was wrapped around and around the iron-barred door. Ron, dressed in a prison uniform, was locked in his cell.
He was leaning against the cold prison wall, doing wall push-ups. The tattered uniform couldn't hide his powerful muscles, which traced strong arcs in the moonlight.
A thousand? Two thousand? Ron had lost count of how many push-ups he'd done, yet he hadn't broken a single drop of sweat. His breathing was even, and his stamina was plentiful.
Scrape... scrape...
It sounded like the clinking of a chain. Ron's keen hearing picked up the faint sound, and he immediately turned to look outside his cell—
Bronya made no attempt to hide her presence. She was using a prison key, obtained from who-knows-where, to unlock his cell door.
"How did you—?"
Ron was startled, but Bronya cut him off.
She looked exhausted, no longer able to maintain the mature and reliable facade she had forced upon herself. She was just like a sullen teenage girl, her head hanging in dejection.
"Alright, it's true. I can't become a worthy Supreme Guardian..."
"I can't even be a normal Belobog citizen. At least they don't break the law."
As she spoke, she forced a small smile.
"But what else can I do? Mother won't release you, and the military tribunal will sentence you to death... for defying a military order."
"I really couldn't find any other way, so I had to come save you like this."
The image on the screen faded, and new text appeared:
[Through Bronya's act of favoritism, you have successfully left the Belobog front-line prison.]
[You have serious doubts about how easily you were able to leave. You believe that Bronya's ability to get you out was not just due to her status.]
[Perhaps someone behind the scenes tacitly approved of this entire event.]
[The next day, news of your prison break is rampant. The front pages of Belobog's newspapers are emblazoned with photos of you and Bronya.]
[Pushed by an unknown hand, the citizens of Belobog become fixated on the topic of you and Bronya.]
[Countless tabloid rumors appear in the streets and alleys, accusing Bronya of attempting a coup to usurp her own mother.]
[As the one who refuted Cocolia's orders on the training grounds, you are painted as the embodiment of Bronya's ambition, her chief strategist most eager to see her succeed.]
[Because of these rumors, Bronya is dejected, pointed at and whispered about wherever she goes.]
[To prove to Cocolia that she has no intention of rebellion, she resigns from her position as Belobog's Logistics Officer.]
[Now, she no longer has the authority to be involved in front-line matters.]