The image on the light screen paused, and a new option box appeared:
[Faced with Cocolia's request, you are momentarily thrown into a dilemma.]
[Which path should the future of the Overworld and Underworld take? You must now make a choice—]
[1. Agree to Cocolia's request. After being battered by the snowstorms for over seven hundred years, Belobog is already on the verge of collapse. "Though brothers may quarrel within their own walls, they will stand together against outsiders."—You understand this principle deeply. The friction and conflict between the Overworld and Underworld must be softened. The Fragmentum and the Anti-Matter Legion are the greatest threats; uniting the strength of both worlds is the correct path. You decide to agree to Cocolia's request and hear what grand insights she has for Belobog's future. You will proceed with Cocolia deep into Qlipoth Fort and hold a secret discussion in the Architects' vault, with only the two of you present. Upon selecting this option, you will begin the character event "The Solitary Doomsday Walker's Confession."]
[2. Refuse Cocolia's request. When she sealed the two worlds apart, did Cocolia ever consider the war she would face today? The masters of the Overworld only panic when death is at their doorstep, yet they still wish to negotiate from on high— The fury of the Underworld can no longer be extinguished. It is time to announce your return with blood and fire. You decide to refuse Cocolia's request. The future of Belobog shall be controlled by your hand alone. Upon selecting this option, you will begin the event "Battle of Two Cities," and the faction "Underworld" will gain the new trait: "Returned from the Mire (Gold)."]
[3. "I don't trust you, Cocolia." Indeed, there should be no bloodshed between the two worlds. You hope for a peaceful unification, and the chance to negotiate is for the best—but that would only be true if the Supreme Guardian were not Cocolia. Corrupted by the Stellaron, Cocolia absolutely cannot be trusted, especially since she has likely been cast into a pre-written play by the Masked Fools. Upon selecting this option, the triggered event will be determined by Cocolia's Trust Value and Favorability towards you, as well as her personal objectives.]
Staring at the option box, Ron almost choked on his own saliva, his head spinning.
What was this? Cocolia wanted to negotiate a truce?
...Was this something Cocolia was even capable of doing?
Ron stared intently at the paused image on the screen, his heart filled with vigilance as he looked at Cocolia's friendly and sincere expression.
Cocolia was not such an easy person to deal with.
What a joke. In every previous simulation, she had been a BOSS-level character. Although she had become little more than a mob he could easily brush past as his own level and skills improved with each run, Ron remained deeply wary of her.
One had to remember... Cocolia's reputation as a "God of Civil War" wasn't because she was too incompetent and caused Belobog's downfall. In fact, it was her deliberate arrangements that plunged Belobog into such a dire state.
As Belobog's strongest combatant, she was able to continuously command the Silvermane Guards to their deaths without ever being overthrown by a rebellion, merely causing some discontent within their ranks. She held all the power of the Architects firmly in her grasp, maintaining complete control over Belobog. In terms of personal ability, Cocolia was more than capable.
Although the Stellaron's influence had led her down the wrong path, there was no denying that if Cocolia could become an ally, she would be a significant asset.
...But there was simply no way to trust her.
Ron sighed softly. He hesitated for a long time but couldn't think of a single reason to believe Cocolia.
First, the only way Cocolia could have known the Underworld was preparing to invade was through Sampo's machinations. Otherwise, she shouldn't have been concerned with Underworld affairs at all; based on previous simulations, she should be busy ordering the Silvermane Guards into the Fragmentum to die.
Second, Cocolia had long been corrupted by the Stellaron, and her thinking was abnormal... Under Sampo's scheming, there was no telling what a Stellaron-corrupted Cocolia might do.
At the very least, it would be nothing good.
Ron's brow furrowed tightly. He truly didn't want any conflict between the Overworld and Underworld, but his reason told him there was no way he could choose the first option...
Might as well gamble on option three.
Perhaps he could communicate with her a bit more, probe her intentions, and get a safer set of options...
Ron sighed and tapped the third option on the screen.
The option box faded, and the scene resumed playing—
"I don't trust you, Cocolia."
Ron looked at Cocolia with a grave expression, not taking a single step forward to accept her offer of friendship.
"The Overworld and Underworld have been sealed for a long time. Have you ever once cared about the lives the people of the Underworld have led, mired in filth?"
"Is your friendship truly from the heart? The conflict between our worlds is already at a breaking point; it cannot withstand another lie."
As he spoke, Ron's gaze bored into Cocolia, sharp as a blade. He clenched his fists, as if declaring his unwavering will.
"We look forward to a peaceful future... but we will never accept cold-blooded deception."
"..."
Seeing Ron's complete vigilance towards her, Cocolia fell silent for a long moment. Her amethyst eyes dimmed slightly, and her brilliant golden hair fell forward, casting her expression in shadow and making it impossible to read.
She suddenly raised the Lance of Preservation in her hand. Everyone tensed at her movement, gripping their own weapons tighter. Ron's pupils constricted as the powers of The Preservation and The Abundance intertwined in his palms, ready to face her in battle.
...But the outcome was unexpected.
Cocolia simply raised the Lance of Preservation high—and then slammed it viciously into the ground, embedding it firmly in place.
Without hesitation, she strode forward on her slender, straight legs, walking briskly toward Ron, completely defenseless.
"...This is my sincerity."
She stood before Ron, her face calm. She even extended both hands towards him, revealing her pale wrists, where faint blue ice crystals had formed, emitting a chilling cold.
"I don't mind if you use any means to restrict my movement—a leash, or shackles?"
"If you don't like Qlipoth Fort, we can choose a place you prefer to negotiate."
"I only hope to have a proper talk with you... Of course, only between the two of us."
Her tone was earnest. She had even disarmed herself.
No matter how untrustworthy Cocolia seemed on an emotional level, at this very moment, she had proven that she was harmless.
She had indeed come with sincerity.
The image on the screen paused again, and a new option box appeared:
[Based on Cocolia's Trust Value, Favorability, and her personal objectives, she chose to disarm herself.]
[To earn your trust, she has completely disarmed herself and even unhesitatingly allows you to completely restrict her ability to move, all for the sake of a secret, private discussion with you.]
[Faced with this situation, you ponder for a long time and finally make a decision—]
[1. Strike ruthlessly. A harmless disguise is ultimately still just a deception. You can never trust Supreme Guardian Cocolia Rand, who has been corrupted by the Stellaron and guided by Sampo. As the greatest obstacle to your unification of the two worlds, you decide to eliminate her here and now. Selecting this option will trigger the event: Battle of Two Cities (Extreme), and your faction will gain the new trait "Returned from the Mire." Bronya Rand's Favorability towards you will decrease drastically. The faction "Overworld's" Favorability towards you and your faction will decrease immensely, and they will all gain the new trait: Hate (Black).]
[Hate (Black): Death becomes the paper, blood becomes the ink, and animosity becomes the driving force to write upon it a curse named hatred... The enmity between you can never be resolved. Only blood and death can quell this hatred. Fight, kill, for only slaughter is the way to solve all problems between you. You will mutually gain "Hate" Special Attack against each other, dealing a fixed +200% damage, ignoring 70% of the target's defense. Daily Stress value will increase significantly. Killing members of the opposing faction will reduce Stress.]
[2. A final trust. Cocolia has already made herself as harmless as possible; one cannot demand more from her... Perhaps it's better to listen carefully to what she has to say. Selecting this option, you will restrain Cocolia's movements and take her to the depths of Qlipoth Fort for a secret discussion. You will begin the character event: "The Solitary Doomsday Walker's Confession."]
Looking at the image of Cocolia on the screen, looking so open and ready to let him do as he pleased, and then at the new options that had popped up, Ron almost lost his composure.
Seriously? Cocolia, are you some kind of heroine who just escaped from a Japanese interrogation porno? How are you so proficient at this?
...Also, are you for real?
You'd go this far just to talk to me?
Ron couldn't help but fall into deep thought. No matter how untrustworthy Cocolia had been before, she had now established more than enough credibility.
After all... she was genuinely gambling with her own life.
Once completely restrained by Ron, Cocolia's life and death would undoubtedly be in his hands.
If she simply wanted to deceive him, there was absolutely no need to put herself in such a perilous situation... She had never had any real contact with him before. How could she be so confident that she could escape safely after doing this, especially when facing him—the ruthless leader of Wildfire who had transformed the Underworld in just one year?
Judging by how she didn't seem to care where they held their secret talk, it was likely there were no dangers waiting in Qlipoth Fort either... She truly wanted to talk.
Then there was nothing left to hesitate about.
Ron took a deep breath and selected the second option.
For the sake of a peaceful unification, Ron was willing to talk with Cocolia. Even if she did have some malicious intent, she posed no threat to him.
With the blessings of two Paths, The Preservation and The Abundance, Ron's strength was nearly on par with his level during the great battle against the Doomsday Beast in the previous simulation.
In fact, thanks to the power of The Abundance, his vitality was now so absurdly high that he would be even harder to deal with in a real fight than he was during that final battle...
There was no way Cocolia could pose any threat to him.
Even if Sampo decided he was tired of being a jester on the sidelines and suddenly entered the stage, Ron had a trump card that could solve everything...
The Apothecary was still watching him very, very closely.
The option box on the light screen faded, and new text appeared:
[You decide to grant Cocolia your final trust.]
[You procured a hemp rope and skillfully bound Cocolia tightly and thoroughly.]
[Theoretically, being bound so tightly should have accentuated her curves, the rope leaving deep indentations in her smooth black stockings, and her expression of shame and resentment should have created an unspeakably erotic atmosphere...]
[But under the astonished gazes of the crowd, you were like an old man carrying groceries from the market, casually hoisting Cocolia and treading on vines and crystal rocks that materialized out of thin air, stepping across the sky toward the silent and mysterious Qlipoth Fort in the dead of night.]
Looking at the text, Ron was momentarily speechless.
Goddammit, what's the meaning of this? You're not going to show me the scene at a time like this?
Can you show Cocolia some respect? She's doing her best to be seductive, and you won't even let me watch?
As if hearing Ron's silent complaints, the text on the screen faded and was replaced by a new image—
Ron brought Cocolia to the depths of Qlipoth Fort and gently set her aside, observing her with a serious expression.
Cocolia, somewhat unsteadily, tried to stand her ground while bound. Her legs were pulled taut, and the glossy black silk of her stockings rustled softly as they rubbed against each other due to the bindings. But she still couldn't control her body and collapsed limply toward Ron.
Ron calmly caught Cocolia's soft body, then impassively pushed her away. With a casual wave of his hand, a solid amber crystal rose from the ground, bracing her and holding her in place.
"Speak. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Cocolia looked slightly abashed, but the faint blush that had appeared on her cheeks quickly vanished.
She looked at Ron in silence for a moment, then said earnestly:
"I apologize for everything I have done, Ron."
"In truth... I too was doing it for Belobog, for the future of this world."
"No matter how laughable my actions may seem to you, or how tragic the results..."
"I wanted to save the world too, Ron."