Chapter 41: Sisters' Quarrel

“Venti, do you think I’m foolish?”
Bronya hung her head low, her heart weighed down by a sense of helplessness and defeat.
“As the heir to the Supreme Guardian, I’ve undergone so much training and nurturing, yet all I can do is watch Silvermane Guards sacrifice themselves on the frontlines, then lie to their families, telling them it all meant something.
I knew the lower district was suffering, yet I couldn’t do anything to help. I couldn’t even bring myself to make the decision to change my mother’s ways. If it weren’t for this journey, I wouldn’t even know what has become of people’s homes…”

Through the strands of her hair, Venti could see the intense frustration and self-blame in her eyes.
“I… and so many Silvermane Guards fighting on the frontlines—is this the future we’ve been striving for? It feels like we’ve protected nothing at all…”

This was a side of Bronya she had never shown to anyone before.
Since childhood, she had kept all that pressure bottled up inside, pushing herself to prove her worth. But now, it felt like all her efforts had been denied.
If not for the tempering of her will she had undergone earlier, her beliefs might have already collapsed. What was inevitable was that she was now wavering in her commitment to the ideals of Preservation.

In the past, Bronya could convince herself that she was excellent, that she was the heir to the Supreme Guardian who could protect the people’s future. The small setbacks along the way didn’t mean much.
But since arriving in the lower district, everything she had learned was built on the losses of others.
This contrast completely contradicted the education she had received, even feeling somewhat absurd.

“—Do you want me to comfort you with nice-sounding platitudes, or do you want me to use harsher words to reignite your fighting spirit?”
Venti used his eyes to stop Seele, who was about to scold Bronya. After hearing Bronya reveal her identity, Seele had glared at her in anger.
If Seele were to vent her frustrations now, it would likely take a long time for the two to repair their relationship and return to how they used to interact.

However, this thoughtful approach only made Bronya’s self-loathing harder to suppress.
“…Stop treating me so gently.”
She shook her head, her voice struggling.
“I don’t deserve such precious treatment. Maybe I shouldn’t have been chosen in the first place, nor should I have been fit for this position…”

“Hey—have you said enough?”
Finally unable to hold back, Seele snapped.
“…Huh?”
Bronya seemed startled by Seele’s outburst, her pained expression freezing for a moment.
“From the moment you started, I’ve been wanting to yell at you. All this whining is so annoying!”
“I…”
If anything, being scolded like this only made Bronya feel even more like crying.

Venti hesitated as he looked at the two. This conflict was ultimately unavoidable.
It was inevitable. After learning Bronya’s identity, Seele was bound to argue, and arguments like this would likely continue in the future.
But after all, they were sisters from the same orphanage. Perhaps letting them set aside all concerns about their status and have it out might not be a bad idea?

“You what? What? Do you think a few self-pitying words will make me sympathize with you? Compared to what everyone in the lower district has been through, what right do you, someone who’s had it so easy, have to wallow in self-pity here!”
Seele glared at her, even clenching her fists, as if she’d punch Bronya if she kept acting like a crybaby.

“While you people were living in palaces, folks in the lower district were shivering in leaky tents in the mining areas;
While you could go to the frontlines without risking your life, people in the lower district were fighting over a sip of water;
Even when people in the upper district could casually throw away a meal, there were still countless people in the lower district who didn’t know where their next meal would come from!”

“……”
Bronya could see from Seele’s gaze that this wasn’t just anger toward her, but hatred for the injustice of it all.
Seele genuinely resented the Supreme Guardian for abandoning the lower district, and she found Bronya’s display of weakness ridiculous.

But was Seele wrong?
Bronya blamed herself with a guilty expression.
“You’re not wrong…”

This only made Seele feel even more irritated. She roughly scratched her head, her tone growing colder.
“That’s why, from the moment we first met, I’ve hated high-and-mighty young ladies like you. Always carrying more emotional baggage than anyone else. Without the bard around, can’t you do anything on your own?
If you want to protect everyone, then stop crying over every little setback. Don’t you have more important things to do than shedding tears?”

These words seemed to wake up Bronya. No—rather than waking her up, it was more like she had been seeking such harsh words all along, which was why she had shown such despair.
Without someone to criticize her, she was afraid she would fall back into the mindset where, even when she sank into negativity, everyone around her would comfort her, and no one would ever wake her up—not even her mother.

Her mother had always gently and firmly told Bronya, “You can do it.” Even if she failed temporarily, it didn’t matter; she was just distracted by too many tasks.
This kind of upbringing had left Bronya lacking a sense of reality, as if all her mistakes were permissible and forgivable.

But now, for the first time, she felt a strange emotion stirring within her.
“…Thank you, Seele.”
She placed a hand over her heart, her eyes filled with gratitude.

However, this reaction only made Seele even more annoyed. She glared at Bronya and let out a cold snort.
“Don’t thank me. If it weren’t for the bard, your face would already have my fist imprint on it. Since I’m in a good mood now, hurry up and scram back to your upper district. Don’t show your face around here again.”

She picked up her scythe and walked away without looking back, leaving a deep impression on Bronya.
Bronya gazed deeply at Seele’s retreating figure, then turned to Venti, who had remained neutral. His expression was troubled, but still filled with concern.
It was like watching an older brother dealing with two quarreling younger sisters…

Bronya shook her head lightly, pushing aside the complicated thoughts, and said apologetically,
“I’m sorry. It was my ill-timed words that drove Seele away…”
“It’s fine. Problems brought into the open are better than those hidden in the shadows, waiting to erupt at any moment.”
Venti didn’t think this was a bad thing. Although he had originally intended to be the bad guy to clean up the mess, it seemed he now had no choice but to take on that role.

“Anyway, since Seele has given us the order to leave, we should head to our final stop. If we stay here any longer, both the lower and upper districts might start causing trouble—”