In the end, Ron still became Bronya's personal guard.
To be honest, when Bronya had first rushed up to him and suddenly said she wanted him to be her personal guard, Ron's initial reaction was to refuse.
How could an ordinary Silvermane Officer like him, a mere doorman captain at Qlipoth Fort, suddenly be designated as Bronya's personal guard?
And while Ron was a relentless carry in the simulation, eager to get his hands on any and every problem, in reality, he was a truly lazy dog.
Playing a game was one thing, but expecting him to work as hard in real life as he did in the simulation?
You might as well just kill him.
Although the AI in the simulation and the real person were likely not identical, Bronya's performance in the game was a clear indicator—Ron had no desire to be dragged down by her in reality as well.
Do you think just because you're cute and you're my boss, I'll unconditionally obey your military orders? Hah, I would never—
"I've looked over your service record. A position like doorman captain is a complete waste of your abilities. I hope to see you in a more meaningful post."
"If you want, I can offer you a monthly salary of thirty thousand Winterfell Shields..."
As she spoke, Bronya seemed a bit embarrassed. "This is the highest I'm authorized to go. Any higher would require a formal request to Lady Cocolia for the budget, so I can't promise it directly right now."
...He absolutely could not refuse!
Without another word, Ron became the most loyal personal guard under Bronya's command.
Why, you ask?
Apologies, but thirty thousand Winterfell Shields can indeed do as they please.
With such a huge sum, even if Bronya asked Ron to do her laundry, cook her meals, wash her feet, scrub her back, and warm her bed while he was on guard duty, he wouldn't have a single complaint.
The exchange rate between Winterfell Shields and credits was one to fifty... When a monthly salary of one and a half million credits is slapped in your face, what else is there to care about?
He had stood guard at Qlipoth Fort for two years, and his savings hadn't even reached one million credits!
Damn it, the simulation never mentioned trivial details like salary. If he had known being Bronya's personal guard was so lucrative, he would have been parading in front of her a lot more often after learning he was destined for the role...
For a moment, Ron felt a sharp pain in his heart, his vision going dark as if he were hallucinating countless credits sprouting wings and flying away from him.
Credits were something you could never have too much of... Ron had already made his plan to coast. Originally, he was going to stand guard at Qlipoth Fort for another year, save up over two million credits, and then just quit.
He'd spend his days eating and drinking, slacking off until the Stellaron exploded and the world ended. Then, after the Express Crew dealt with the Stellaron, he'd go back to work, avoiding all danger and trouble.
And now Bronya was offering him a job with a monthly salary of 1.5 million credits. He only needed to work for one month to save up enough, allowing him to slack off for an extra year...
God, could there be such a good deal?
Work is work, no matter what it is. And while Bronya had been a liability in the simulation, that was during wartime... Before Belobog's situation worsened, Bronya was one of the best superiors to have.
Because even if she wanted to screw him over, she wouldn't be able to find a way to do it...
It was only for one month anyway. If things went south, he could just quit.
With this thought in mind, Ron began his first assignment as Bronya's personal guard—
"Recently, a merchant from the Underworld named Sampo contacted me. I'm a bit curious about what he said regarding the situation down there. I'd like you to accompany me on a trip to the Underworld."
Bronya said, "It's been a long time since the Underworld has had any communication with the Overworld, and the Geo-Marrow supply has been dwindling month by month... For the sake of Belobog, I need to find out what's happening down there."
For the sake of Belobog... Okay, that's very Bronya. Always running around for Belobog. He never thought she'd actually be heading in the right direction this time.
The Underworld was indeed a good destination. At the very least, it would reveal Cocolia's mistakes to Bronya and let her glimpse a corner of the truth... But why would Sampo contact Bronya now and pull her down to the Underworld?
Ron frowned slightly, lost in thought.
In fact, he had sensed something was off the moment Bronya had approached him about becoming her personal guard. After all, he had been through two simulations, and each time, it was only after Cocolia issued a military directive that Bronya would recruit him.
The fact that both simulations started this way meant it was a high-probability future event, one that shouldn't have deviated so much.
But now, Bronya's actions were completely different from the simulation's opening...
After a moment's thought, Ron deduced the reason for her actions.
It was likely because Sampo had contacted her, and she wanted to go to the Underworld but found she had no one reliable under her command.
The Underworld was unknown and dangerous to her. She needed a helper, which was why she had sought out Ron to be her guard on the spot.
However, for Sampo, a Masked Fool who walked the Path of [Elation], to suddenly pull a stunt like this was a bit too strange...
What kind of drama was he plotting? The Express Crew hadn't even arrived yet, and he was already trying to pull Bronya down to the Underworld. What was the reason?
...It couldn't be that [Elation] itself had come looking for fun, right?
A terrifying thought popped into Ron's head. Bronya seemed to notice his confusion and asked:
"What is it? Is there a problem?"
Yes, there is. I suspect this job is going to be a real pain in the ass. Can I quit right now?
Ron was silent for a long time, but ultimately, he swallowed his words.
That was one and a half million credits! One and a half million!
If it were just ten thousand less... Fine, he'd take it one step at a time.
With that thought, Ron said, "No problem, Lady Bronya."
Bronya smiled.
"There's no need for such formalities. You can just call me Bronya."
As she spoke, she took out a clearly new map. "Sampo gave me this. He said there's a small path to the Underworld that bypasses the Core Hub. We'll leave now."
What's the rush? Slow down, Bronya. Don't go charging headfirst into whatever drama this Masked Fool has arranged for you...
Ron complained inwardly but complied smoothly. "As you wish, Bronya."
Although he appeared obedient on the surface, he was already prepared to bolt at a moment's notice.
Beside him, Bronya felt a sense of relief when Ron didn't raise any objections.
In truth, everything she had just told Ron was a lie... She had indeed met Sampo, but that was in the last simulation.
The secret path Sampo mentioned was also from the memories of that simulation, which was why she could use it now to head to the Underworld without alerting anyone.
The reason Bronya had deceived Ron was mainly because of the lockdown—
Cocolia had sealed off the two districts. Any attempt to break the lockdown and go to the Underworld was a serious crime.
Based on Ron's performance in the simulations, he would never break the laws of Belobog except in special circumstances... because he was the most faithful follower of the [Preservation], the one in all of Belobog who could walk that Path the furthest.
She needed a suitable reason to convince Ron to go with her.
Actually, given her usual honesty, she had considered telling Ron everything about the Life Simulation Game.
It was a perfect reason, and she believed that with Ron's personality, he would definitely offer his help without hesitation.
But even after several years had passed, the image of Ron exploding in the sky still flickered before her eyes. The heavy memories weighed on her heart, and she couldn't bring herself to speak of the simulation.
She couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart.
Both simulations had ended with Ron meeting a terrible fate because of her naivete and recklessness. Her sense of shame wouldn't allow her to tell him these things.
She wanted to successfully save Belobog, just once, without holding Ron back.
She needed to prove herself.
Only after she had accomplished this did she feel the pressure in her heart would dissipate, allowing her to tell Ron everything about the game without feeling utterly ashamed.
...And also, after explaining everything, she could sincerely and without pressure tell Ron that, because he had saved her, she had developed feelings for him.
Bronya quietly cheered herself on in her heart.
The reason she was going to the Underworld was actually to recruit talent in preparation for her future palace coup.
This time, she had to gather some useful character cards... like Seele from Wildfire. In the last simulation, she had found that character card very useful. Although she didn't know why she couldn't see her stats and traits, Seele was always reliable.
Gathering more character cards would not only increase her chances of success but also help share some of Ron's burden. It was killing two birds with one stone.
As for how much time this would take, how many times she would have to use the simulation for trial and error, and whether she would miss her chance to confess...
Bronya didn't care.
After all, there was still so much time. There was no need to rush...
Ron, just like in the simulations, would always be there by her side, loyal to the end...
She had nothing left to fear.
---o---
PS: This chapter went through several hours of revisions, with more and more plot being added, stubbornly pushing it to over 3,000 characters. Combined with the last chapter's 2,600+ characters, I've written almost 6,000 characters today... I feel like I've inexplicably written an extra 2,000 characters. Why is that? Am I an unconscious writing machine, subconsciously writing more every day? Heavens, why am I having such a terrifying nightmare...