The Night the "Truth" Was Exposed

Raiden Mei: "I just passed by and saw the door wasn't locked. Plus, Bronya really made me worried tonight, so..."

Himeko: "Don't panic. I checked that Anqi was fast asleep before I came out, so that girl won't come over."

Raiden Mei felt a bit embarrassed, while Himeko wore an indifferent, smiling expression. The two of them explained to Bronya respectively.

"ξ+(? _ ?)+ξ!"

No matter what, Himeko's words at least allowed Bronya's tightly clenched heart to finally settle back down.

Neither of them had any way to explain the events of Changkong City to Anqi; neither of them was prepared.

"Bronya, is that your roommates?"

"These things aren't important, Mother Cocolia. What's important is that the Sovereign has already told me the complete truth about Changkong City."

Bronya decisively changed the subject, not wanting Cocolia to continue digging into the roommate issue—especially since one of those roommates happened to be Raiden Mei, whom, according to Welt, Cocolia was currently trying to kill.

However, the phrase "the truth of Changkong City" caused both Raiden Mei and Kiana to freeze simultaneously, instinctively wanting to ask out loud.

Fortunately, Himeko extended both hands, grabbed the two of them by the head, and simultaneously clamped her hands over their mouths.

"Keep talking."

Himeko mouthed the words to Bronya while glancing left and right at Raiden Mei and Kiana, signaling them to calm down for the time being.

Bronya returned a look to Himeko, took a deep breath, and continued:

"The Sovereign said..."

"Wait, the Sovereign, Welt Yang? Your history teacher?"

"How does Mom know even about this!?"

Bronya was genuinely startled by Cocolia casually exposing the Sovereign's identity—according to Welt, the fact that he was here at St. Freya should only be known by Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein of the Conservative Faction!

Was Cocolia's intelligence-gathering capability really this terrifying?

It seems I really don't understand Mom at all.

Bronya wore a deadpan expression, letting out a bitter laugh in her heart.

At the same time, this made Welt's previous rhetoric appear even more reasonable and logical.

That's right, she clearly understood Mother Cocolia so little, so how could she arbitrarily jump to conclusions about Mother's motives and thoughts?

As for Cocolia, she merely felt this might be an opportunity to show off her intellect, so she had no reaction whatsoever to Bronya's astonishment, only muttering thoughtfully:

"Hmph, they really act fast. I never see them display this kind of efficiency when dealing with Herrscher. So, after all is said and done, the reason you contacted me for the first time in over half a year is because you were persuaded by the Sovereign to come and convince me to give up on killing the Herrscher of Thunder?"

At this point, Cocolia let out a long sigh, looking at Bronya with a hint of sorrow, but ultimately raising a soft smile.

This was the reaction of a mother whose heart had been broken by her child, yet who ultimately showed tolerance and understanding when facing her beloved child.

"It's not like that! I... I also... I also missed Mother Cocolia..."

Confusion stirred in Bronya's heart. Her expressionless face couldn't display the anxiety and emotion roiling within, forcing her to explain with a rushed tone of voice.

Cocolia's arched brows uncurled. She didn't mention whether she believed it or not, only continuing to smile with tolerant gentleness as she said:

"Siberia is very cold this season, but the Far East isn't much better, so remember to dress warmly. Speaking of which, your exoskeleton leg guards haven't been maintained in over half a year. I've already crafted a new pair, and I'll have Tachibana Yuki send them over to you very soon. If you encounter any issues, remember to provide feedback in time, and I'll have the technical department make further adjustments."

The familiar care was just like the tenderness Cocolia would occasionally reveal in past memories, only much more direct.

Bronya's eyes flickered with tears. Experimentation had destroyed only her emotional expression, not her capacity for emotion. These words, delivered today after more than half a year, made Bronya's heart tremble.

"Hiss!"

Bronya took a deep breath, stabilizing her surging emotions, and then said calmly:

"Mom, thank you, but Bronya's attitude will not change. Stop this, Mom."

"I know. You're as stubborn as ever. Who else could understand your personality better than me, your mother? But Bronya, no."

Cocolia slowly shook her head, her tone peaceful yet resolute.

A tight sensation gripped Bronya's heart as she said:

"Mom, you don't understand Sister Mei at all! She isn't a monster. Give her a chance!"

"How am I supposed to give her a chance?"

"Sister Mei is a good person!"

"Fine, go tell that to the three million wronged souls in Changkong City! See if they'll let her be a good person!"

"Does that mean Sister Mei absolutely has to die?"

"Yes! The Herrscher of Thunder is a monster I accidentally unleashed. I'm determined to have Raiden Mei, and even Otto won't be able to keep her—my word!"

The mother-and-daughter dialogue rapidly escalated from tender warmth to tit-for-tat confrontation.

It was back—that agonizing feeling of mutual incomprehension that made one so furious it hurt!

Bronya's breathing began to grow hurried as she gritted her teeth and said:

"Mom, why won't you just understand?!"

"Bronya, you're the one who has been bewitched by her! Have you forgotten why everyone in the orphanage ended up like that? Have you forgotten why you were taken to be a child soldier? Because of the Herrscher! The Herrscher is humanity's enemy! No matter what she was like originally, the moment she becomes a Herrscher, eliminating her is the only choice!"

Cocol-Thousand-Person Ruler-ia rebuked righteously and sternly.

"Mom, you really haven't changed at all! You're just like before—stubborn and ruthless!"

"Say whatever you want! I must eliminate her, before she creates another Changkong City!"

"If you want to hurt Sister Mei, Mom will have to step over Bronya's corpse first!"

"Bronya!!!"

Amidst Cocolia's suddenly sharp roar, the visual feed abruptly cut off.

Before the communicator darkened, Bronya only heard a sound from the other side resembling a communicator being crushed to pieces, and at the same time, she saw Cocolia's crazed, tear-streaked expression.

Ah, I hurt her again...

Bronya stared blankly at the communicator in her hand, reacting belatedly that after more than half a year of misunderstanding and a unilateral cold war, today, she had once again broken Cocolia's heart.

Stepping over a child's corpse and such—words like these probably carried no less lethality to a mother than a genuine dagger.

Then, matching tears welled up and spilled from her eyes.

"Why does it have to be like this, Mom? Bronya didn't want this."

Under the worried and flustered gazes of Himeko, Kiana, and Raiden Mei, Bronya could no longer suppress her crumbling emotions. Clutching the communicator, she lowered her head deeply and let out trembling, sobbing sounds.

Chapter 54: The Night the "Truth" Was Exposed

Late at night, Snow Mountain Base.

Rosaliya and Liliya hugged Cocolia's waist tightly from left and right.

An sat before Cocolia in a duck-sitting posture, bandaging her bleeding hands.

Meanwhile, Cocolia sat stiffly in place, her purple eyes—usually sharp and imposing—appearing exceptionally hollow at this moment, leaking a trace of vulnerability that was unbearable to look upon.

"Geez, if you want to break something, find me! Why are you pushing yourself? You're just a frail, ordinary person, you idiot Mom!"

While meticulously wrapping the wounds, An muttered complaints under her breath.

An didn't know much about the argument between Cocolia and Bronya; she only knew she didn't like seeing Cocolia looking this heartbroken.

"That so-called Herrscher of Thunder or whatever, fine, I'll go take care of her in a couple of days, and then you guys won't have to fight anymore, right?"

"Stop messing around. That's a Herrscher. Mom needs to bring out her full strength to have any certainty, and we need to get the East Sea Base established first at the very least..."

Cocolia forced the corners of her mouth apart, speaking distractedly.

Ah, this wave definitely caused Bronya's emotional defense to break, right?

Although it was just for the purpose of establishing a persona and gaining the recognition of the Conservative Faction, unexpectedly... it seems I feel zero guilt.

Affection is affection, but the me in this world surely couldn't possibly harbor zero resentment, right?

That's true. As far as the Changkong City incident is concerned, Bronya wasn't entirely innocent.

The Anqis conversed internally, and with swift tacit understanding, quickly brushed past Bronya's situation to begin calculating their gains and losses.

In any case, Cocolia's persona has now been successfully re-established—a good person harboring the dream of "saving the children," and a resolute, decisive hawk. Heh heh, with a persona like this, I refuse to believe the Conservative Faction will still nitpick about the past.

When all is said and done, Anti-Entropy's hardest fists still reside with the Conservative Faction, with Welt Yang. If we aren't accepted by this core circle, no matter how much we cultivate in the Radical Faction, it will never match the energy they can muster when they make a firm decision.

Now Cocolia is also bound together with Ninti, and the favorability gained by both sides can mutually reinforce each other. Keep working hard, with the ultimate goal of having Cocolia truly seize supreme authority and Ninti being recognized as the next Welt!

The Anqis calculated shrewdly, their future roadmap growing increasingly clear.

Forge different personas, vie for all kinds of power, first take down Otto—the hidden threat—and then calmly face Kevin. As for the future, perhaps they would have the capability to lead humanity against the End?

Well, let's not daydream about things too far off; just follow this path forward. They had already found the correct way to unlock the Thousand-Person Ruler!

"B-Bronya?"

St. Freya, Bronya's room. Amidst the girl's suppressed sobs, Kiana finally mustered her courage and tentatively extended a hand toward Bronya.

Kiana gently lifted Bronya's head.

Only to see Bronya biting her lip, the tip of her small nose flushed red. Along the edges of her reddened eye sockets, crystalline tears flowed slowly, and even her moist, slender eyelashes trembled slightly from crying.

She truly looked pitiful and touching.

Especially since her past image was always that of a triple-zero loli, this suddenly exposed vulnerability made her all the more endearing.

"Doki!"

"So cute~~"

Although the timing was wrong, Kiana lacked the intelligence to read the room to begin with, so she subconsciously voiced her evaluation.

"Slap!"

In her shame and annoyance, Bronya swiped a hand and knocked the white-haired bug in front of her right off the bed.

No one sympathized with Kiana's fate.

Instead, Raiden Mei tentatively handed over a box of tissues.

Bronya snatched the tissues away, sobbing intermittently as she wiped the tears from her face.

After a long while, Himeko, Raiden Mei, and Kiana—who bore a palm print on her face—sat in a row on the bed, facing Bronya and quietly listening as she recounted the "truth" regarding Changkong City.

In fact, compared to Welt's objective stance, Bronya—due to her guilt toward Cocolia—unconsciously emphasized many of Cocolia's positions and motives as a mother.

In short, listening to the whole account, the three listeners only felt that the ins and outs of the Changkong City incident had suddenly become crystal clear. As for Cocolia, aside from a few sighs, they surprisingly found themselves completely unable to hate her.

Therefore, the Anqis had secretly marveled more than once that it was truly something to be thankful for when the characters acting out the rival roles were all good people!

"So, this Gem of Conquest was actually placed inside my body by Dad? He... actually bears unshirkable responsibility as well?"

Raiden Mei smiled bitterly. Originally, she still harbored lingering resentment over her father being framed by Cocolia, but now it seemed Raiden Ryoma was neither framed nor innocent.

The group fell into a brief silence, not knowing how to offer comfort.

After all, once the entire storyline was unraveled, the root of all this really did stem from Raiden Ryoma's own selfishness back then.

Himeko rubbed her temples, and after properly digesting this information, her brows suddenly furrowed.

"Wait, I almost forgot a crucial question—Teacher Yang is actually the Anti-Entropy Sovereign, the First Herrscher? He's been lurking in St. Freya Academy for many years, hasn't he? What is he trying to do?"

"At first, he saw that Archbishop Otto had assigned Principal Theresa to the Far East to establish a base and an academy here, and worried there might be some conspiracy, so he came to investigate. He was originally going to leave recently, but Sister Mei enrolled, so he had to continue observing for a while... That's pretty much the situation."

"Damn it, he was treating us like monkeys!"

"The Sovereign's information is extremely confidential to begin with, and very few people actually know what he looks like. Therefore, failing to discover him can't really be blamed on the academy's investigative capabilities."

Bronya hugged her beloved Homonculus Doll and explained with a deadpan expression.

Though in her heart of hearts, Bronya actually felt that compared to Mother Cocolia, who had instantly called out Welt's true identity, St. Freya's intelligence-gathering capability was truly trashy to the extreme.

Mom is really amazing...

As a daughter who had already re-accepted her mother, Bronya couldn't help but feel a shred of pride.

Himeko scratched her head, exhaling a depressed breath, yet she didn't know what else she could say.