Bronya's Compromise

"Some people in the world will always be pessimistic, while others will always be optimistic and cheerful."

Jing Yan said.

Bronya suddenly interrupted him.

"Could your power be... 'Elation'?" she asked.

"No, no." Jing Yan smiled and shook his head.

"'Elation'?!"

"The Aeon of 'Elation' is a terrifying presence. But his followers, and the power of his Path, are clearly different from mine."

"'Elation' is about seeking amusement, but it comes with one very important prerequisite: being perfectly clear-headed. The followers of 'Elation,' whether they're Masked Fools or Mourning Actors, are all perfectly clear-headed. They deliberately seek out amusement."

"But my Path of 'Eros' is different. It draws people into it. For example, I intend to spread emotions like 'joy' or 'happiness' in certain areas. You could understand it as helping the people genuinely feel optimistic, broad-minded, and cheerful, rather than relying on power to find joy in hardship or stirring up trouble for amusement. Do you think that would be a bad thing? There's also something I don't know whether I should say."

"Quite a few Pathstriders of 'Elation' base their happiness on other people's frustration or suffering. Or, to put it another way, as long as they're happy, they don't care what happens to anyone else. They can even feel a thrill of standing apart and being unconventional—and will go so far as to abandon basic moral principles."

"That might seem like nothing to someone with power, but it could pose a serious danger to everyone else."

"Of course, I, Jing Yan, am no paragon of virtue. But as a leader, from your position, Bronya, you can think it over and decide for yourself: which serves your interests as Supreme Guardian and benefits Belobog's development more? A being who disregards the law for the sake of pleasure, or someone 'too clever for their own good,' convinced they're the only one who sees things clearly, and who does things differently just to draw attention and have fun—or the people who follow the Path and faith I've proposed?"

Jing Yan's words left Bronya deep in thought.

Her brow furrowed as she looked up and voiced her concern. "But, Mr. Jing Yan, how can you guarantee that the power of your Path and faith will definitely make the people happy? Couldn't someone with ulterior motives manipulate it, or some accident cause the exact opposite—an atmosphere of 'pessimism' spreading instead? For example, someone could make a mountain out of a molehill, turning trivial problems into a world-ending crisis and disrupting the people's lives."

"It's possible." Jing Yan smiled as he answered.

"But unfortunately..."

"Unless there's a reason not to, of the four emotions—happiness, anger, sadness, and joy—I'll only spread and amplify 'happiness.' And I can fully control this power. Under those circumstances, are you still worried about the malicious incidents you mentioned?"

"Hmm..."

Bronya pondered for a moment.

"You're right."

"Mr. Jing Yan, based on what you've said, your Path's power could have a very positive effect on Belobog at this stage. It's like greasing the gears between the Upper District and the Underworld, letting them turn without any friction or resistance. However, as Supreme Guardian, I have to be careful, given the example set by my mother, Cocolia."

"Especially when it comes to things I don't yet understand."

Bronya held out one hand as she spoke.

"I understand, Bronya." Jing Yan smiled.

"But I'm just reminding you that this is only the power of a Path."

"It's the power of a new Aeon in this universe. You can think of it as a force of nature. So even though you now know about the potential harm caused by followers of the Aeon of 'Elation,' would you enact policies to strictly restrict their faith and supervise their actions?"

"Just because their actions might pose a potential danger, even if that danger is probably no greater than the harm caused by some of the Underworld's vagrants?"

Bronya hesitated at his question, but still answered, "No."

"Then there you have it."

"So, Bronya, because I'm Belobog's liberator and gave up certain material rewards and status here, do you think that means you can treat me like a subordinate and manipulate me more easily?"

A hint of shame showed on Bronya's face.

"No!"

"Then there you have it." Jing Yan smiled.

"By the way, would you mind if I ran an experiment?"

"An experiment? What kind?" Bronya asked, perplexed.

"Could you open your mouth for a moment?"

Bronya's expression turned a little odd.

Jing Yan reached out and tapped her lips.

Then he withdrew his hand.

Bronya felt a little strange.

"Done," Jing Yan said casually.

Bronya looked puzzled. "What did you just do?"

"Did you use the power of a Path on me?"

Jing Yan smiled.

"You can think of it that way."

In truth, he'd only come to complete his daily login task and, while he was at it, reach an agreement with Bronya, the current Supreme Guardian: she would allow him to spread his faith here.

Of course, since Jing Yan was currently the Aeon of 'Eros' and at odds with Aha, the Aeon of 'Elation,' he had to take a roundabout approach to expanding his power. That meant spreading only part of his power, not all of it.

That wasn't particularly strange, of course.

For example, Aha of 'Elation' had granted power to two different groups: the Masked Fools and the Mourning Actors.

The Mourning Actors wanted to stop others from seeking amusement, yet Aha still considered them a lot of fun and granted them power.

Likewise, the faith Jing Yan spread on the planet Yarilo-VI involved only one of the emotions—'happiness'—to avoid causing any disorder.

Bronya stood by her desk, looking at Jing Yan, her feelings complicated.

She couldn't see through what the man before her was thinking.

Still, if everything was truly as he'd said, then the new Path power he'd described and begun to spread could indeed give Belobog—at least at this stage—a considerable boost toward recovery and prosperity, while removing many obstacles.

As someone who had aspired to become Supreme Guardian since childhood, Bronya understood what it meant to have ideals. She just couldn't quite understand what Jing Yan, as an individual, was thinking.