Chapter 68: We Should Fire at Qlipoth Fort

The right to choose.

She never had it as a child, but as she grew up, it was constantly forced into her hands, accompanied by the words, "This is a decision you must make."

Whether it was sending Silvermane Guards to their deaths or ignoring the suffering of the people, she had made so-called "her own choices" under her mother's will.

She could convince herself that it was for the greater good of Belobog, but now—

"Stop..."

Under Sebastian's slightly surprised gaze, Bronya seemed to let the word slip through her teeth, followed by a volcanic eruption of anger.

"Stop using those words to deceive me! I respected you and Mother so much, so why do you always treat me like a heartless puppet to control?"

"Miss Bronya..."

The old butler was momentarily unable to comprehend the meaning behind her words—"deceive, control"—and was stunned by her anger.

At this moment, she was trembling with rage, on the verge of tears, her fists clenched tightly.

"In the past, I always admired Mother and aspired to take on the responsibilities of an heir. I also followed Sebastian's teachings, striving to become a commendable lady. But why, why are you all now pushing me in the opposite direction?"

"So... that's how you feel..."

Sebastian had seen Bronya cry before.

It was when she was a child, trying to meet the expectations of the adults around her and hoping to present her best self in front of her mother.

She stepped onto the stage the adults had built for her, performing her best, but the person she most wanted to see was not there.

At that time, the Supreme Guardian had become distant, her memory seemingly faltering. She would often go alone to the city walls to gaze at the snowstorm outside, her thoughts unknown to anyone.

She had forgotten her promise to her daughter and did not attend as promised. Bronya, due to a small mistake, did not achieve a perfect result, which led to some people gossiping.

Some even linked it to the Supreme Guardian's absence, suggesting it was a sign of disappointment in the heir...

The girl did not break down and cry on stage but held back her tears until the performance ended, hiding behind the curtains to weep alone.

By the time he went to inform the Supreme Guardian, Bronya had already fallen asleep from exhaustion, her tender cheeks still marked with dried tears.

It was then that Sebastian realized the girl's heart was not always as strong as she appeared.

Growing up in such a competitive environment, she always strived to be the best.

When they follow the adults' expectations and work hard, only to be told later that it was wrong—

It’s no surprise that emotions would reach a breaking point.

"...Failing to understand your feelings is my mistake."

Watching the sadness in her tearful eyes, Sebastian deeply felt his failure as an educator.

Not only had he naively forgotten the lessons from his own family, but he had also forgotten how unfair and wrong it was to impose his own thoughts on a child as an elder.

All the care, protection, and teachings he had given her were built on the adults' arbitrary expectations.

When the Architects selected her as the heir to the Supreme Guardian and brought her from the lower district to the unfamiliar upper district, the seeds of this situation had already been planted.

Fearing that her experiences in the lower district would affect her personality, they continuously influenced her education, causing her to gradually forget her past.

She lived only as "Bronya Rand," the adopted daughter of the current Supreme Guardian, Cocolia.

"...I'm sorry. I think I need some time to sort out my emotions. Could you please leave for now, Sebastian?"

When Bronya said this, Sebastian didn’t find it inappropriate. He nodded dejectedly, his once-straight posture seeming to bend slightly.

However, before leaving, he spoke solemnly.

"Given the circumstances, I won’t try to persuade you anymore. But the Supreme Guardian will not give up so easily... Her will is not something I can stop. If possible, please prepare yourself as soon as possible. I will try to buy you some time."

"Thank you, Sebastian... That’s enough. I’ll also talk to Mother later."

Bronya watched as the old man seemed to want to say more but ultimately shook his head and sighed, her heart also filled with reluctance.

But even if she was reluctant, she had to do this—

Returning now would mean being trapped once again in the cage called "protection."

She had finally glimpsed a different world and was unwilling to return to the cold, oppressive, and impersonal Qlipoth Fort.

The will of Preservation there had already faded, and the walls protecting the people had cracked, with no one able to repair them. It was inevitable that they would eventually collapse and be rebuilt.

In that case, perhaps the demonic dragon’s attack, which shattered the old ways of thinking, wasn’t such a bad thing?

For some reason, she felt an inexplicable... familiarity with that demonic dragon.

As if she had seen it somewhere before?

Of course, she had never actually seen it, nor was it a memory buried deep in her mind. Her childhood was that of an ordinary child playing in the mud with Seele at the orphanage gate.

But if she had never seen it, where did this sense of "familiarity at first sight" come from?

Could it be Venti’s doing?

The moment this thought arose, Bronya’s expression froze, and she immediately began flipping through the compiled intelligence reports collected by the intelligence officers.

The rustling of pages filled the room.

Bronya’s eyes gradually brightened as she read, until she reached the end, and a memory of a casual conversation in the lower district surfaced.

Venti had once mentioned going to perform at the Goethe Hotel and wondered what gift he should bring.

As for the best vantage point during the demonic dragon’s attack, it would naturally be the two "observation decks" in the administrative district: Qlipoth Fort and the Goethe Hotel.

The former, being what Venti considered the "enemy’s stronghold," was naturally not an option. That left only the latter.

After all, it offered a clear view of both sides and was the perfect "stage" for Venti’s performance.

Whether the demonic dragon was actually Venti or not, it was undoubtedly connected to him—

Otherwise, with that kind of power, the demonic dragon wouldn’t have needed to go through the trouble of breaking the Preservation barrier, slowly forcing humanity to respond like a frog in boiling water.

A single dragon’s breath at the restricted zone’s frontlines would have wiped out the Silvermane Guards. She didn’t believe anyone could survive such an attack.

If the goal was to destroy Belobog, taking out its military forces in one go would have left the remaining people at the mercy of the Fragmentum.

All these suspicious points led to the person most capable of orchestrating this and most likely to do so—Venti.

This guy... really has some nerve. He’s probably still plotting something, and even if confronted, he’d just try to brush it off with an "Ehe."

Was it also a lie when he said he wasn’t good at planning?

"...When I see him next, I’ll definitely give him a lecture. No matter what, blowing up the wall was too much. He should have just hovered over Qlipoth Fort and occasionally breathed some fire to really drive the point home."