Chapter 62: Venti is a Law-Abiding Citizen

—Inside the shelter.

The place was bustling with noise as many families, who had rushed here for refuge, were filled with worry.

They comforted each other, confirmed their family members were safe, and whispered among themselves.

"...Do you think the walls have already been breached by the Fragmentum monsters?" asked a middle-aged man dressed like a clerk, his face filled with anxiety, to another similarly dressed man.

"I’m not sure. But with such a huge hole in the sky, even if the monsters haven’t gotten in, the snowstorm from outside must have poured in," the other man replied, shaking his head and hugging his arms as if feeling cold.

"When I was running over here, I felt like my face was about to freeze off."

"Eh? That’s an exaggeration, isn’t it? I didn’t feel much. It’s not like we’ve never had snow before. It’s just a bit colder, no big deal, right?" chimed in a lightly dressed fitness enthusiast.

"Ah, no need to worry! If the sky falls, the Supreme Guardian will hold it up. Didn’t you see the Silvermane Guards have already been deployed?" said an optimistic ordinary citizen.

"That’s true. As soon as things happened, we received evacuation notices from the Silvermane Guards. It’s really impressive. That girl, she doesn’t look much older than my daughter, yet she can command so many people," the middle-aged man said, seemingly convincing himself while also mentioning a Silvermane Guard who had guided them to the shelter.

"Oh? Was it the same for you? Our neighborhood was also guided here by that Silvermane Guard lady. I think her name was Sergeyevna," said another person as small groups discussed the recent events.

The overall atmosphere wasn’t one of tragedy or overwhelming pressure.

A large part of this was due to the Silvermane Guards who were constantly moving around, helping people, and the petite guard quietly discussing with administrative officials further out.

"Intelligence Officer Pelageya, allow me to remind you that this shelter is nearing its capacity limit, but there are still people continuously arriving," the official said, lowering his voice.

"More importantly, there’s a group of relatives from the Architects’ families outside. According to regulations, Architects and their relatives have priority access to shelters."

"..."

Pela silently looked toward the end of the line, where most of the people were dressed in fine attire, representing various prestigious industries. At the same time—they had even sent this administrative official to act as a lobbyist.

Although the Architects’ families had been somewhat restrained since the Supreme Guardian took office, gradually becoming almost like mascots in the political arena.

But ultimately, that was just a game for those in power. In this small city that had existed for seven hundred years, the Architects, who had the authority to select the Supreme Guardian, were still far from being on the same level as ordinary citizens, no matter how much they had declined.

Many of Belobog’s industry leaders were composed of them. Even Pela, strictly speaking, being friends with a prominent member of the Landau family, could be considered a form of climbing the social ladder.

Even though her own background wasn’t bad and she held an honorary bachelor’s degree, she didn’t need the privileges that came with such connections.

But to outsiders, she was the intelligence officer with the Landau family label, a top-tier insider with powerful backing.

Otherwise, it was likely that the official wouldn’t be politely discussing this with her but would have directly ordered her to let the Architects’ families in.

"You seem hesitant, and I completely understand. I, too, am genuinely opposed to such privileged behavior. But—" the official continued, seeing her silent and disapproving expression.

"You don’t need to worry about this. There are many other shelters outside where most of them can stay, just like this one. It’s just a matter of time.

They’ll be like the parade floats outside. Even if they stop or change tracks due to a small issue, they’ll eventually reach their destination.

And all you need to do is provide a little help to gain the friendship of an entire Architects’ family. Isn’t that what you’re after?"

For some reason, Pela felt the urge to punch the official in the face and snap his gold-rimmed glasses in half.

However, she couldn’t afford to cause any unnecessary conflicts now. Suppressing her dissatisfaction, she replied, "I’m sorry. I can’t accept your proposal. According to Section 1, Article 7, Chapter 23, Part 2 of the Belobog Shelter and Occupancy Regulations...

If the number of people in a shelter exceeds the maximum capacity and there are one to three safety hazards, the shelter must stop accepting more people."

Pela spoke quickly, leaving the official dumbfounded as she explained.

"My initial task was to inspect this area for any small groups of Fragmentum monsters wandering in.

That’s one of the hazards that still exists.

Moreover, this shelter isn’t just nearing its capacity limit—it’s already at 1.25 times its maximum capacity.

Even if I let them in, there wouldn’t be enough rooms for them to stay properly. So—"

She turned her head, signaling a nearby Silvermane Guard to step forward.

"I’ll have my team escort them to the shelter in Mansk District."

"But... it’s already nighttime, and the journey will be exhausting. Plus, the Silvermane Guards have been working all day..."

"Thank you for your concern for the Silvermane Guards. But please trust my team. Every one of them is professionally trained.

And, as you said, the others will just arrive at other shelters a bit later.

As descendants of the Architects, isn’t it part of their family creed to prioritize protecting the people?"

She deliberately used the Landau family’s motto to provoke him.

The official’s face turned red and then pale, but he eventually backed down.

Several Silvermane Guards followed him outside to announce that the shelter was full, causing a small commotion. However, after Pela stepped in to handle the situation, things gradually calmed down.

Only after the argument ended did Pela let out a tired sigh and continue dealing with the remaining tasks.

It left her feeling mentally and physically drained, as if everything required her attention. It was truly exhausting.

However, seeing the people who had been properly settled regain their composure was a fresh experience for her, as someone who usually provided data and followed orders.

But she couldn’t ignore the current situation—

The shelters were built based on Belobog’s past circumstances.

Back then, Belobog had just been established, with a population of around 300,000. After the long war of preservation, it had dwindled to 200,000.

Each shelter had a maximum capacity of about 10,000 people, with ten concentrated around the administrative district.

Including the inner city, there were a total of 23 such shelters in Belobog.

If living conditions weren’t a concern, the capacity could be increased further, but... the situation wasn’t that dire yet.

Earlier, when the demonic dragon attacked the city, it caused a great deal of panic. But unexpectedly—

It didn’t continue its assault. Instead, it just made a small hole in the "eggshell" and then left.

While this didn’t mean everything was fine—after all, bacteria entering through the hole could quickly infect the "egg," leading to disaster—

The residual energy left by the demonic dragon at the breach had shredded any invading "bacteria."

This was somewhat good news.

Although the new Fragmentum zone spreading to the top of the sky worried her, based on past patterns, the birth of a Fragmentum zone wasn’t an instantaneous process. It had a "growth" phase.

During this precious time, it was enough for people to evacuate to the various shelters. In fact—

Even if they were a bit slower, it wouldn’t matter?

For some reason, Pela had this thought, especially since the data from the reconnaissance automatons showed that after the demonic dragon’s attack, other Fragmentum zones in the city had shown signs of weakening. The monsters were no longer emerging from the rifts but were instead concentrated high in the sky, falling like dumplings?

Even if some monsters survived the fall from such a height, they would land near the outer walls, so there was no need to worry about a large-scale invasion.

The problem was that the Fragmentum’s power was gradually shifting to the new Fragmentum zone above—

If that area were fully eroded, it would be like opening an irreparable hole in the strong wall.

But the monsters couldn’t pass through the residual energy left by the demonic dragon’s attack. They could only keep throwing monsters at it to speed up the erosion.

Even if the erosion succeeded, what would it accomplish?

The Fragmentum had already spread into the city. Deliberately eroding from the outside would only increase people’s psychological stress and let more of the outside snowstorm into the city, right?

On the other hand, Belobog wasn’t unfamiliar with snow. In fact, clear skies were rare, which was why they had special festivals like the Sunrise Festival to celebrate them.

As for psychological stress, within the narrow walls, people were constantly shrinking their living spaces. Besides the pressure of survival, there were plenty of other things to worry about. Who would care about a Fragmentum zone that didn’t directly affect their lives?

Moreover, after the demonic dragon’s attack, up until now, that Fragmentum seed still showed no signs of sprouting.

This feeling that the situation, which was expected to rapidly deteriorate, hadn’t done so and instead remained at a manageable level...

It was as if someone was carefully ensuring that things didn’t escalate too quickly and wipe out humanity in one go.

But why?

The Fragmentum, once it existed, would continuously distort the surrounding space until the entire area was eroded and turned into a playground for monsters—

But now, it seemed as if an invisible hand was limiting its power.

Could it be that the will of Preservation left by the first Supreme Guardian was still holding on?

She could only guess.

At that moment, a clear, neutral voice sounded behind her.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Without turning around, Pela knew it was Venti.

That refreshing feeling, like a gentle breeze brushing her face, eased some of the pressure in her heart.

She adjusted her glasses slightly and said softly, "...I was wondering why that demonic dragon didn’t continue its attack."

"Eh? Are you the type who wishes the world would just end already!" Venti exclaimed dramatically, his mouth wide open, making it hard not to want to pinch his annoying face.

Before Pela could act on the thought, her body had already moved.

The stunned expression on the boy’s face and her sudden action immediately made the atmosphere awkward.

Fortunately, Pela quickly regained her composure and withdrew her hand. Seeing the small red mark on his face, her cheeks flushed.

"...Ahem, sorry. I couldn’t help it!"

Venti just chuckled carelessly. "Hehe, it’s fine. If it helps you relax, that’s good."

His thoughtfulness warmed Pela’s heart, but she still apologized seriously again. Seeing that Venti didn’t mind, there wasn’t much she could do.

It wasn’t like she could chase after him, demanding that he not forgive her or... punish her, right?

Thinking of some inappropriate things, Pela’s face turned even redder, but she quickly changed the subject.

"Going back to what we were discussing earlier, I just find it a bit strange. Logically, the demonic dragon—"

"Dvalin."

"What?"

"Its name is Dvalin. I think it’s more fitting to call it that, don’t you think?" Venti added, earning a strange look from Pela.

"You’re really weird, giving a name to a monster like that. Do you consider it a friend or something?"

"Of course not. I tremble in fear every time I see it. I can’t even drink anymore," Venti said innocently, blinking his eyes.

Pela was momentarily speechless, but considering his personality, it seemed normal.

Still, whether it was called a monster, a demonic dragon, or Dvalin, it didn’t matter to Pela. If she were to name it, she’d choose something more descriptive, like "Stormterror."

She shook her head and continued, "Anyway, don’t interrupt. Let me finish explaining what’s unusual—"

The bard listened attentively.

This made her nod in satisfaction, and she raised a finger to explain.

"First, the appearance of Stormterror. Logically, a monster of this level shouldn’t be able to appear so quietly.

In the Silvermane Guards’ records, powerful enemies in the past required the Fragmentum as a cradle to be born, and they wouldn’t stray too far from the Fragmentum."

This was because the monsters’ very composition was intricately tied to the Fragmentum.

Even other monsters thrown into the Fragmentum would use it as a base and slowly advance.

Monsters like the Outworld Flames or the Frigid Prowlers rarely ventured outside the Fragmentum, mostly staying at its center.

"But Stormterror is different. According to my team’s reports, it appeared directly from the sky, and there are no eyewitness accounts of it taking off from within the city. It must have come from outside.

Yet, there have been no reports of significant energy fluctuations from the frontlines recently. It’s unlikely that such a powerful enemy could appear without the Silvermane Guards knowing.

More importantly, its goal was clear, unlike the low-intelligence monsters. From its appearance, arrival at the outer walls, destruction, and departure—

This series of actions was entirely different from past records of Fragmentum monsters. Even those with some tactical intelligence mostly operated within limited strategic loops, fundamentally different from Stormterror."

At this point, Pela frowned deeply, her thin lips pursed.

"Rather than being a mindless destructive monster, it’s more like..."

"More like what?"

Venti followed up.

"...Hmm. I can’t be sure yet. I need more information to make a proper judgment."

After a moment of thought, Pela still didn’t voice her speculation. Instead, she said, "But if my guess is correct, we at least have some buffer time. Some of the problems we were worried about might not even be issues anymore."

"Eh?! You’re really going to leave me hanging like this? Now I understand how people feel when I don’t finish my stories and just run off."

Venti sighed dramatically.

"You’re really something, huh?"

Pela shot him a disdainful look.

"Hehe. Life’s full of troubles. If I could, I’d just sing all day, eat well, and live a carefree life."

Although Pela felt there was some deeper meaning in Venti’s words, she didn’t pursue the sad topic. Instead, she handed him a sizable sum of Winter Sovereign Coins.

"Eh? What’s this? I’m not for sale, you know?"

"What’s wrong with your head?! This is the bonus I applied for you, for the effective technology you provided earlier."

Of course, that was the official explanation. In reality, it was just that Serval felt Venti deserved a reward.

After all, she wasn’t short on money, and she had finally found something interesting to work on. The research was progressing smoothly.

The disposable shields she developed had already been delivered to Lieutenant Dunn on the frontlines through personal channels. His response indicated that the new equipment was reliable and that he hoped it could be quickly deployed.

The collaboration between the two sides was starting to bear fruit.

Given the circumstances, it was only right to reward Venti, the great contributor.

Therefore, Pela didn’t mind helping Venti improve his living conditions. Looking at his thin legs, they were probably even thinner than hers. She wondered if he ever ate properly.

Moreover, with the threat of Stormterror, this technology could bypass many procedures and be directly implemented among the Silvermane Guards. The only issue was the lack of materials.

But that wasn’t a problem with the technology itself—it was a human resource issue. They could always improve it gradually. (If possible.)

After listening to Pela’s explanation, Venti took the money with a wry smile.

"...This is such a strange feeling. I never thought I’d become a law-abiding citizen of Belobog."

"Just accept it and start saving up to buy a house. Stop running around all over the place—"

Meanwhile, in the lower district...