Chapter 36: I Really Want to Punch Venti

Rivet Town.
This place had become a frequent haunt for Venti recently, though it was hardly a suitable stage for performances. Instead, it was a desolate town overrun by monsters.

According to Bronya, she had heard a girl’s voice on her way back, and the source seemed to be coming from a small, long-abandoned house.
The three of them followed the route they had taken earlier and arrived at the location. As previously mentioned, the unremarkable little house was just a small, inconspicuous part of the hazy nightscape.

Even when Seele went closer to inspect it, she found no signs of recent human activity.
However, Bronya had an idea. She suggested they check out the street with the large mechanical scrapyard that they had heard about earlier.

This was a somewhat dangerous proposal. The reason that area had become a graveyard for decommissioned automatons was primarily because Fragmentum monsters roamed there.
On paper, the strength of their current group didn’t seem sufficient to handle such a threat.

Surprisingly, Seele didn’t object. She simply let out a light hum and took out two red scarves, handing them to the other two.
The one given to Venti had a cute pattern of purple butterflies, as if it had been made by some delicate young girl.

“Thank you. But… is this a gift?”
Though she obediently took the scarf, Bronya couldn’t help but ask.
“Of course not. Why would I give you a gift for no reason? If you don’t want it, give it back. I only brought it along as an afterthought anyway—”
Seele shot her a frustrated look, as if scolding her for not understanding, then glanced at Venti. His scarf was her proud creation, with a design different from the generic one she wore herself.

Venti, not wanting the budding “hero party” to fall into internal conflict, quickly explained, “This is something even more precious than a gift.”
Under Seele’s fierce glare, he responded with a reassuring smile and continued,
“Do you remember that man named Oleg? He’s the leader of Wildfire, the one who has been leading the people of the lower district in their struggle. He’s a remarkable person.
In the Wildfire organization under his leadership, there’s a saying: Tie this red scarf, and share each other’s pain.
So, for Wildfire members, this red scarf is both proof of family and Seele’s acknowledgment of us.”

This act of strengthening unity felt familiar to Bronya. The Silvermane Guards had similar practices.
At the same time, she vaguely recalled seeing a man named Oleg in the Silvermane Guards’ roster when she had reviewed it in the past.

Compared to the photo, he had aged significantly, and since he had been gravely injured and near death at the time, she hadn’t scrutinized him too closely.
Now, thinking back, if she remembered correctly, he had once been the Silvermane Guard captain responsible for the lower district’s security.
After the blockade order, he had retired and disappeared. Who would have thought he was still in the lower district, leading Wildfire to protect the people…
The weight of this red scarf seemed to grow heavier in that moment.

Bronya tied the red scarf around her arm, just like Seele.
As for Venti, he removed the black bowtie from his collar and instead tied the red scarf like a cravat.
Though it looked a bit peculiar, it somehow exuded a strange sense of harmony.

After this small interlude, Seele, as usual, took on the role of the vigilant guard, shielding the other two.
Venti also touched the Vision at his waist, which faintly glowed with a fluorescent green light. Bronya noticed this subtle movement and recalled the weapon he had used to help the Silvermane Guards earlier.

It was an ancient, elegant hunting bow.
It didn’t seem like a weapon capable of defeating Fragmentum monsters but rather like an artifact that belonged in a museum.
The people of Belobog had long stopped using such ancient weapons, and for good reason. Arrows fired by human strength might have some effect against elemental crystal constructs, but against more formidable monsters, they were practically useless.

Even handheld cannons struggled against them, let alone bows, which required even greater individual skill.
Even if you exhausted yourself, the arrows you fired might turn the monster into a pincushion, but whether you could actually defeat it was another matter.
Such inefficient weapons were naturally phased out, yet Venti used one…

Remembering the azure arrow that had streaked like a meteor and the massive whirlwind that had swept through the station square, Bronya couldn’t help but feel awe and envy for the power he wielded.

To be honest, her own strength lay more in coordinated combat. In other words, she was more useful in a structured team. In terms of individual combat, she probably couldn’t match Lieutenant Dunn.
Though as the Supreme Guardian, she didn’t necessarily need exceptional combat prowess—after all, since the first Supreme Guardian, few had stood out in terms of combat ability—it was only natural to envy such power, right?

If she had such power, could she have shared some of her mother’s burdens earlier and prevented her from becoming so extreme?
Though she knew such thoughts were pointless, Bronya couldn’t help but entertain them.

As she lost herself in thought, Venti’s clear voice reached her ears.
“Hmm? Are you curious about my Vision?”
He still wore that carefree, wind-like smile and openly showed her his Vision.
“Vision?”
Bronya was puzzled.

“Ah, I forgot you’re not familiar with it. Simply put, you can think of it as an external magical organ.”
Venti didn’t stop at explaining; he even placed the Vision in her hand.
“Here, take a closer look. If you like it, I can make one just like it for you. Hehehe.”

Though she didn’t fully understand Venti’s explanation, Bronya knew how important organs were. She carefully held the warm Vision in her palm, feeling a gentle breeze swirling around it.
At the same time, she was surprised that Venti would trust her with something so important, but… it seemed very much like him.

Wait, did she just hear something strange?
He said he could make one? These things could be made?
Perhaps sensing her surprise, Venti replied with practiced ease,
“Yes, they can be made. Like the ones I made for the Moles kids we met earlier. They’re just for fun.”

“Huh?! Is that really okay? What if they accidentally hurt someone—”
Just imagining those kids, even if they didn’t have Venti’s destructive power, even a tenth of it would be enough to wreak havoc on the streets.

Bronya’s exclamation naturally caught Seele’s attention. In fact, she had been listening to their conversation from the start.
Though she found their lack of urgency frustrating, she had chosen to come along, so what could she do?

When she heard Bronya’s words, she simply gave a bored, slightly mocking look.
“They’re just glass beads for kids to play with. The lower district has far more dangerous things than that.”
“Glass beads?”
Bronya was stunned, then thought she had been tricked by Venti and glared at him indignantly.

Venti, however, just blinked innocently and shrugged.
“I never said it was the real thing. It’s just a shiny glass bead replica. Of course, if a kid accidentally swallowed it, that would be dangerous.”

This sudden disappointment made Bronya realize once again that “power” wasn’t something easily obtained.
And Venti’s mischievous, affable smile somehow made her want to punch him.