Huh? Seele wants to recruit me?
Ron was a bit stunned.
He'd originally thought that Bronya was the only one in this game who would try to recruit him. He hadn't expected to run into a hidden dragon like Seele, plotting big things in the Underworld...
But on second thought, it was perfectly normal for Seele to recruit him. After all, she wanted to save the Underworld, a task she absolutely could not accomplish alone.
The last simulation had shown that she was capable of uniting the Underworld, turning everyone she could recruit into a force under her command.
And he was likely a valuable helper in Seele's eyes. Why else would she use such a persuasive, almost deceptive tone to pull him in...
Just as Ron was thinking this, the image on the screen faded and a choice box popped up:
[You have been moved by Seele's dream. Your loyalty to Bronya has slightly decreased. Please choose—]
[1. Then, there is only one answer! I shall pledge my loyalty... to YOU! (Breaks cane)
Select this option, and you will lose your status as Bronya Rand's personal guard, join the organization "Wildfire," and become a member of Seele's team.]
[2. A loyal servant does not serve two masters. Once Bronya's guard, always Bronya's guard!
Select this option, and you will decisively refuse Seele, retaining your status as Bronya's personal guard and solidifying your faction. You will be unable to betray Bronya or join any other faction.]
[3. A fine bird chooses the tree it rests on; a wise servant chooses the master they serve. Whether I join Wildfire will depend on your performance.
Select this option, and your attitude will become "inscrutable." After one week, you will trigger a mandatory choice to decide whether to join Wildfire.
During this week, if Seele attempts to prove herself to you, her Stress value will increase daily.]
Looking at the three options on the screen, Ron hesitated.
To be honest, he had long grown tired of being dragged down by that liability of a duck, Bronya... If he could switch factions, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
However, Ron wasn't too keen on directly joining Seele's faction either. After all, Bronya was still the next Supreme Guardian. Being in her faction granted him access to the highest echelons of power in Belobog, which naturally eliminated a lot of trouble.
If he joined Seele's faction, he would become the lowest of the low among Belobog's underclass... An Overworlder noble was still a noble. How could a mere Underworld miner compare to someone like Bronya, a noble among nobles?
So which was the bigger liability: Bronya, or the status of an Underworlder...
Ron pondered for a long time, until he suddenly heard a cheerful knock on the door.
Opening the door, he saw Sister Goethe standing outside, holding a tray. She said to Ron:
"Hey there, young man. Here's the daily special you ordered—Rat Meat Jelly and Mixed Vegetable Soup. Please, enjoy~"
Ron instinctively glanced down at the tray and saw a dark, murky meat jelly and a bowl of vividly colored... soup.
A neon, light-blue glow shimmered on the surface of the soup, as if it were whispering to Ron:
"Drink it, Ron. This is the fate of all Belobogians..."
Are these things really meant for human consumption?
Ron was silent for a moment, then squeezed out an elegant but awkward smile at Goethe.
"...Sister Goethe, I'm not quite used to this kind of food. Does the hotel have anything else?"
"Not used to it?" Goethe was taken aback. "Well... how about Braised Newt in an Iron Can and Belobogian Red Sausage? Maybe some Fried Salt-Baked Crab on the side?"
"Yes, yes, that's great, thank you, thank you..."
Ron pinched his nose, saw Goethe off, and sat back down on the bed to contemplate his life while staring at the screen.
It was just like the food he had just seen. When you couldn't tell which of two options was worse, what should you choose?
Of course, you choose the third option. As long as it wasn't worse than the other two, it was the best choice.
The same applied to the options in the simulation game.
He selected option three. The text on the screen faded, and the previous scene continued to play—
"I need some time, Seele... After one week, I will give you my answer."
Ron looked at Seele, his expression inscrutable.
"Like you, I once had a dream. It was to save Belobog... to Preserve this city amidst the endless snow and wind, to prevent this planet from falling into silent death."
"But I did my best and found that all my efforts were meaningless... Is it still possible to save Belobog?"
"I couldn't find an answer, so my dream died."
As he spoke, he let out a seemingly self-deprecating laugh, his tone carefree.
"However, although I don't have a dream of my own, I can protect the dreams of others—"
"If you want me to choose you, then prove yourself to me."
"Show me that your dream shines brighter than Bronya's."
"Prove to me that when it comes to saving the Underworld, and saving Belobog, you are more determined, more mature than she is."
"Only then will I have a reason to choose you, wouldn't you agree?"
He... didn't refuse me outright?
Seele's eyes widened slightly. She had only meant to test the waters by trying to recruit Ron; it was merely a probe.
But Ron hadn't shut the door completely. Instead, with this inscrutable attitude, he expressed a desire to observe her.
His loyalty to Bronya was far from enough to keep him shackled to her side.
There's a chance! This can work!
Seele tightly gripped the red armband in her hand, her voice filled with conviction.
"Only those who have experienced suffering can understand the weight of the word 'salvation'..."
"A young lady like Bronya, who has lived a sheltered life in her chambers, will never understand what the people of the Underworld are truly going through."
As she spoke, a fire seemed to ignite in her eyes. She looked at Ron with deadly seriousness.
"I will prove it to you. I promise."
Ron turned to leave. "I look forward to you proving your resolve to me."
The screen faded.
---o---
Meanwhile, on the other side—
"Besides Wildfire, the biggest power in the Underworld is the robot settlement led by Svarog?"
Looking at the scrapyard filled with discarded machinery not far away and the furnace core hub that led directly to the Overworld, Bronya murmured to herself, "I never thought the Automaton Defense Line would end up like this after just a few decades..."
Beside her, a man with a rather flippant demeanor that was inexplicably irritating chimed in.
"Oh, isn't that the truth? Besides Wildfire, the biggest power in our Underworld is the robot settlement. My good lady, if you want to recruit some subordinates, Boss Svarog is definitely a must-have!"
Sampo rubbed his hands together and chuckled. "But my good lady, since you're in such need of help... what do you think of old Sampo here? I'm actually very reliable!"
"Old Sampo here is dependable and loyal! Just give the word, and I'd even pluck the stars from the sky for you!"
As he spoke, he rubbed his fingers together. "It's just that, well, old Sampo is a man of principles... To get me to do things, you gotta add more money."
"Forget it. I don't trust you."
Bronya shuffled away from him with a look of distaste. After Seele had led her to Sampo today, she had vanished, leaving Bronya alone to deal with this annoying man.
Although he was indeed reliable as long as you paid him enough, Bronya just felt that he couldn't be trusted.
Vaguely, she could always feel a sense of condescending malice in his eyes when he looked at people...
After this partnership is over, I must never have contact with him again. There's definitely something wrong with this guy.
As Bronya was thinking this, a screen of light suddenly popped up in front of her:
[Life Simulation Game has started. Please take control.]
...Why did the game start all of a sudden?
Bronya looked at the screen in confusion, then at the robot settlement in the distance. Without hesitation, she clicked the [X] in the top-right corner of the screen.
Now was not the time for a simulation... The time to start simulating would be after she had united the entire Underworld. It was still too early.
[The game has begun. Choosing to close the game will activate auto-simulation with an AI personality. It will pursue the primary objective you had upon entering the simulation, and all choices will be prioritized based on this objective.]
[Currently, your objective is "Unite the Underworld forces and cooperate in a military coup to overthrow Cocolia." After closing the simulation, you will not be able to replace the AI personality until your next login. Are you sure?]
Auto-simulate then. If I lose, can't I just play another round?
Bronya impatiently clicked 'Confirm,' closing the screen, and walked into the robot settlement.
The simulation wasn't the priority right now. In any case, it would have to wait until after she had spoken with Svarog...
But what she didn't know was that she would soon come to regret this decision. Very soon.