Chapter 56: Actors in Position...

On the day of the performance,
Venti had already tuned his lyre early in the morning and left the room prepared for the performers at the hotel.

Seele had also left earlier for the designated location, waiting for the signal to act immediately.
When he arrived in the lobby, it was already packed—not just with the band members, but also with many spectators who had come specifically for the event.
Since it was a rest day, the crowd was dense, and the news of the public performance had been circulating for some time, making the atmosphere particularly lively.
However, Venti didn’t spot any familiar faces in the crowd. Gepard was stationed at the Edge Corridor, while Serval had been working overtime these past few days to produce the tech armor and one-time protective shields.
As for a certain intelligence officer, she was likely on patrol at the moment, and Bronya...
According to Pela, she seemed to have had a dispute with Cocolia and was eventually sent back to the frontlines, almost as if she were being made to reflect on her actions there.

When Venti heard this news, he wasn’t surprised. In fact, given Bronya’s personality, after personally witnessing the suffering of the people in the lower district,
it was inevitable that she would shed her past timidity and fear, and begin to question Cocolia’s decisions.
A clash between the two was bound to happen.
Before Bronya had visited the lower district, she had seen the upper and lower districts of Belobog as one entity.

Whether as an heir or as a daughter, it was only natural for her to obey Cocolia without question.
Even if there were some hidden concerns in her heart, they hadn’t yet reached the point of creating a rift. As long as Cocolia was willing to provide an explanation, Bronya would have chosen to believe her.
But now, with her mindset transformed, Bronya’s view of Cocolia would become more objective, incorporating her own independent thinking—
Once the halo and filter of "mother" were stripped away, the things Cocolia had done couldn’t be justified simply by her title as Supreme Guardian.
The exposed doubts and issues would further influence Bronya’s perception and deepen the conflict between mother and daughter.

When the rift grew larger and even became public, the Architects would realize that a crisis of trust had likely arisen between the current Supreme Guardian and her heir.
However, removing Bronya as the heir would itself undermine Cocolia’s political credibility.
As long as Bronya didn’t defect to the rift, under normal circumstances, even Cocolia couldn’t simply replace her as the heir.
After all, the issue of succession was always sensitive and sharp. If even the heir you personally trained could be replaced at will, who could guarantee that the next heir wouldn’t be a puppet under your control?
Especially since there were historical precedents for such things.

You could establish centralized rule under the existing laws—that wasn’t a problem, since the Supreme Guardian was, after all, elected by the people.
Swallowing a bitter pill now was better than having the Architect families lose their authority together.
At worst, they could just say that Beloborg had its own national conditions, and they’d endure until the end of the term.
But if you stopped even pretending and turned into a dictatorial tyrant, even if you’d already been acting like one for years, that didn’t mean people didn’t have resentment.
If you really overturned the table and stopped playing by the rules,
the Architects would have to consider whether it was time to switch sides.

Bronya’s qualifications as a commander weren’t just outstanding—they were practically unparalleled. Her record was nothing short of glorious, with over a hundred military operations on the frontlines during her service, rich command experience, and a personality that wasn’t extreme.
Although she still showed excessive empathy when it came to casualties, her recent performance was flawless.
Leading a team of elite soldiers to suppress a newly formed rift with the flames of the outer universe was at least on par with the capabilities of past captains.
Such an exceptional and outstanding heir, strictly trained according to the standards of a Supreme Guardian—
even if Cocolia really wanted to replace her, she’d have to ask for their opinion. Although the Architects’ status had gradually shifted toward being mascots since Cocolia took office, their ancestors had once been glorious.
It was impossible for them not to have some thoughts on the matter.

Issues involving such power exchanges couldn’t be summed up in a few words!
For this reason, if Bronya truly decided to raise the banner of rebellion, she would definitely have supporters, even many potential backers. But Cocolia, after all, was a seasoned vixen with deep-rooted influence built up over her long tenure.
Bronya still lacked th foundation to match her. What should have been her political assets might instead become her obstacles.
This was why a strong and reliable external ally was needed—
Wildfire was the natural partner Venti had envisioned for Bronya.
Not only did their interests align, but they could also bring Bronya significant public support.
Only with this could she truly gain a certain level of voice, rather than being easily crushed by public opinion warfare without lifting a finger.

But even after achieving this, it would only allow Bronya to stand on equal footing with Cocolia, not replace her as Supreme Guardian.
After all, the rules that constrained Cocolia also applied to Bronya.
Toppling Cocolia wasn’t just about competing for influence; actual ruling power still lay in her hands. As long as she held onto that, the worst-case scenario would be a temporary stalemate.
Such political struggles were destined to be protracted and silent, with the beneficiaries having little to do with the majority of the people.

To quickly and accurately replace Cocolia, a formidable threat was needed.
The rift was the perfect target, as its existence allowed people to unite against a common enemy.
Even if there were factions among them, at least on the fundamental issue of human survival, the people of Belobog could temporarily set aside their differences.
Whoever could handle this issue would gain the greatest voice and automatically be granted the practical authority to lead others.
What Venti needed to do was use a little trick to position everyone in their respective roles during this crisis and witness the birth of a "legend."

As for whether such methods of deceiving others were unethical?
Venti didn’t think so at all.
In fact, he felt that rather than worrying about that, it was more important to consider whether Bronya’s governance system, propped up by external forces, would remain stable in the future.
But upon reflection, he wasn’t Belobog’s nanny. The affairs of Belobog should be handled by its own people.
All he was doing now was using slightly underhanded means to eliminate the cancer of the universe that sought to completely destroy humanity.
Not to mention, ending the Cocolia regime, which had already shown destructive tendencies, and replacing it with a more reliable Supreme Guardian could be considered ridding the people of a scourge, right?

However, during this process, Bronya must firmly maintain her resolve to separate from Cocolia.
If she remained entangled with Cocolia, coupled with the inherent stigma of being part of the Supreme Guardian’s faction,
then when Cocolia fell, even if Bronya wasn’t dragged down with her, she would lose her status as heir. The negative impact of Cocolia’s rule would make her next steps extremely difficult.

Hopefully, she could sort out her thoughts and show her most authentic self.
With these thoughts in mind, Venti’s heart, which had been stirred by what was to come, gradually calmed.
The young man’s smile lifted slightly as he quietly waited for the actors to take their positions.