Early morning.
The Underworld was perpetually dim, oblivious to the passage of time, but Bronya's internal clock woke her with precision at 4:50 AM—the time of sunrise. In the last simulation, she had long grown accustomed to watching the dawn break over Belobog.
She dressed crisply and was about to head out the door, but after a moment's thought, she sat back down at the vanity to properly groom herself.
She wanted to present the best possible version of herself to Ron.
But scouring the entire Underworld for useful subordinates was no easy task, so Bronya only tidied herself up simply, wasting no time.
She had estimated before coming here that if she couldn't return to the Overworld within a week, her mother would surely notice something was amiss.
Three years ago, that timeframe would have been a single day... When she was even younger, it would have been an hour.
Back when Cocolia had not yet been bewitched by the Stellaron, she would become so flustered if she didn't see Bronya for an hour that she would order a Silvermane Guard squad to find her.
But now, it had reached a point where she would only notice after a week's absence...
A trace of sorrow involuntarily clouded Bronya's brow at the thought.
...This will all come to an end.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and walked to Ron's door.
Knock, knock, knock.
She rapped on the door but received no response for a long time.
She raised her hand to knock again but suddenly stopped her own movement.
Listening closely, she could faintly hear the sound of snoring—Ron was still deep in the land of dreams.
Bronya hesitated.
Although she very much hoped for Ron's help, the memory of his exhausted face constantly surfaced in her mind.
In the previous simulation, Ron had been perpetually exhausted from helping her solve the various troubles she had caused through her own recklessness...
That was just a simulation. In reality, did she have to make Ron suffer through such fatigue alongside her again?
...It's better to let him rest properly.
After a moment of deliberation, Bronya retrieved a piece of stationery from her room and wrote a letter to Ron. She slid it through the crack under his door and then quickly departed from the Goethe Grand Hotel.
As for whether any problems would arise from leaving Ron here alone...
He was a grown man. It wasn't like he could get lost, right?
Bronya felt it would be fine.
---o---
Time flew by, and soon it was noon.
Ron stretched languidly. This particular session of sleeping in had only lasted twelve hours; for him, this was already a very diligent day.
But as he groggily got out of bed, his sharp eyes spotted a folded piece of paper by the door.
Did someone slip a letter under the door?
Ron lazily picked up the letter and opened it. He briefly skimmed over the dense text, noting a small, hastily drawn flower in the bottom-right corner as decoration, with the signature: Bronya Rand.
If he were to omit the vast majority of the concerned words in the letter and extract only the keywords—
"Because it was too early, she saw I wasn't awake yet and went on her own, so she's giving me a day off for now?"
Ron stared at the letter in amazement, feeling a profound sense of shock.
So Bronya wasn't a boss who dragged her subordinates into the grind with her, but a perfect superior who handles things herself and never troubles her subordinates!
My god, how could something so wonderful happen... A job with a monthly salary of one and a half million credits, and I get a day off on the second day? What kind of dream am I having?
Ron cheerfully folded the letter. If Bronya wasn't making him work, he was more than happy to enjoy the leisure—and he could avoid Sampo, too. What was not to love?
Sampo was a follower of Aha of [The Elation], a Masked Fool in pursuit of the perfect drama... If possible, Ron felt it was best to have as little contact with such people as possible.
After all, one never knew when they might suddenly be sold out by that guy and still be helping him count the money. Ron's attitude toward [The Elation] and the Masked Fools was one of extreme caution.
Still, if he had the day off today, what should he do...
Should he explore the Underworld, eat his way through its delicacies, or traverse its every corner to see its few unique, breathtaking views?
The multitude of choices was dazzling. Without a moment of hesitation, Ron chose... to play the game.
The environment of the Underworld was comparable to hell. Although Ron felt that such an evaluation was quite hurtful, he also felt...
It was no match for the Life Simulation Game.
He casually ordered room service to deliver the daily special for lunch, then lazily lay back on his bed and opened the game's light screen—
[The Life Simulation Game has been loaded.]
[Welcome, Player Ron.]
He tapped 'Start Simulation,' and new text appeared on the screen:
[In the 700th year of the Architects' Era, you became Bronya Rand's personal guard and followed her to the Belobog Underworld.]
[You spent a gloriously slothful night.]
[The next day, you received a day's holiday personally approved by Bronya. In order not to waste this wonderful vacation, you decide to take a casual look around Boulder Town after your meal.]
[While walking down the street, you have a feeling that someone is following you.]
[You happen to encounter Seele, a member of Wildfire.]
[She begins to chat with you and hopes that you will accompany her for a walk through the Underworld.]
[Please choose—]
[1. Agree to her request.]
[2. Refuse her request.]
Didn't Seele say she was busy? Why does she seem so free in the simulation?
Might as well see what she's really up to...
Ron scratched his head and chose option one.
The text on the screen faded, and new lines began to pop up:
[You agreed to Seele's request and, under her guidance, walked through the entirety of Boulder Town.]
[Under Seele's deliberate influence, you narrowly miss Bronya, who is currently rushing from place to place in Boulder Town, several times. The closest you come is a single street apart.]
[Under Seele's deliberate guidance, you witness the tragic state of the Belobog Underworld—]
[You see wanderers fighting fiercely over a little drinking water. The final victor shakily lifts the water bottle, only to accidentally knock it over, spilling the life-saving water onto the ground.]
[You see a gaunt miner pushing a cart full of Geo-Marrow, coughing uncontrollably as he works, his body trembling with weakness, seemingly afflicted by a strange illness.]
[You see in Boulder Town's fighting pits that impoverished miners bet their lives, stepping onto the ring with their frail bodies to face a humanoid automaton with gleaming steel saws, all for a few grimy Winterfell Shields.]
[Seele leads you down a sealed path. You keenly sense that you have followed her into the Fragmentum.]
[Under her leadership, you stand upon a high platform and see another large city, roughly the size of Boulder Town.]
The text on the screen faded, and a brand-new scene materialized upon it:
"Did you know? This is Rivet Town. It used to be the largest commercial city in the underground, where the vast majority of goods were traded."
Seele gazed at the city from the high platform, her tone filled with emotion.
"See that building on the high mountain? That used to be an orphanage. I grew up there."
"But now, everything from my memories has fallen into the Fragmentum, never to be recovered..."
Ron listened quietly to Seele's words and then suddenly asked:
"So, what are you really trying to say?"
"Your purpose in bringing me here isn't just for a casual chat, is it?"
Seele nodded, the wistful expression on her face fading into something more serious.
"You're the personal guard that the young miss from the Overworld brought down... I heard she is the heir to the Supreme Guardian and will become the new one in the future. But even so, I feel that with your potential, you'll be buried under her command."
"Although this request might sound a bit shameless, the Underworld is already in this state. We can't afford to care about face—"
As she spoke, Seele took out a red armband and held it out to Ron.
"Are you willing to leave Bronya, join [Wildfire], and save the Underworld?"
"The Underworld needs you... I believe that only by being with me can you unleash your full potential. I will never hold you back!"