Chapter 35: Sampo: "Kids, I'm back!"

Gepard's stern and indignant tone left Bronya at a loss for words. She was torn between her loyalty to her mother and her camaraderie with her fellow soldiers, especially since Serval had once been her mother's closest friend.

"I don't understand why Mother issued such an order either, Captain Gepard," Bronya said, her voice tinged with confusion. "Let's discuss this inside Qlipoth Fort."

Gepard sighed and nodded, his mind in turmoil. He was deeply worried about his sister and Serval, who, since retiring from The Architects, had opened the Neverwinter Workshop, where she occasionally hosted open-air concerts and helped the Silvermane Guards repair their mechanical devices.

Creak.

Gepard pushed open the massive, heavy gate. Bronya and Gepard entered the grand hall of Qlipoth Fort.

They saw Cocolia standing with her back to them, gazing out the window.

"Gepard, Bronya, you've arrived."

"Is there anything about my orders you still don't understand?" Cocolia turned to face them, her expression cold and indifferent.

"Mother," Bronya murmured.

"Supreme Guardian," Gepard said.

Bronya and Gepard instinctively performed the Silvermane Guard salute for Cocolia. Noticing Gepard's visible agitation, Bronya signaled that she would speak first, and he nodded.

"Mother," Bronya began, "our surveillance of the Silvermane Guards yesterday revealed no suspicious activity. They simply visited the Everwinter Monument, then went to Serval's Workshop for a friendly chat, leaving as dusk approached. After that, they had dinner and rested at the Goethe Hotel. Nothing out of the ordinary was observed."

"I truly don't understand how any of this connects to a plot against Belobog," Bronya said, her brow furrowed as she gazed at Cocolia's impassive face.

Gepard, his voice sharp with anger, interrupted, "If we follow your logic, Supreme Guardian, their most suspicious act was leaving my sister Serval's Workshop. Are you implying that my own sister incited them to rebel against Belobog?"

Bronya knew that Gepard's tone meant he was genuinely furious. After all, he had always been an incorrigible blockhead, utterly stubborn when his temper flared.

"Commander Bronya, Captain Gepard, you only need to obey my orders. As for the reasons, I will explain everything once you've apprehended the rebels," Cocolia stated calmly, her gaze unwavering as she observed Bronya's anxious confusion and Gepard's barely suppressed fury.

"My sister Serval... Supreme Guardian, what do you intend to do with her?" Gepard stepped forward, his anger palpable as he glared at Cocolia. He had been straining to maintain his composure, but the safety of his sisters was at stake, and his fear and rage threatened to overwhelm him.

"She will be placed under the supervision of the Silvermane Guards to prove her innocence. Captain Gepard, there's no need for such agitation," Cocolia replied, watching Gepard's unprecedented display of defiance.

"Agitation? My family is in danger, and you expect me to remain calm? I've already done everything possible to restrain myself, Supreme Guardian!" Gepard growled, his fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

"Calm down, Captain Gepard. Mother must have her reasons. Mother, please provide us with a reasonable explanation. Isn't this charge of rebellion against Belobog a bit far-fetched?" Bronya interjected, her eyes searching Cocolia's for answers.

"Have you forgotten? When facing the Architects or the Supreme Guardian, the Silvermane Guards have only one duty: obedience."

"Save your questions and doubts for later. Once you've apprehended those rebellious Nameless, you won't dare disobey orders, will you?"

Cocolia fixed them with a cold stare, her voice like ice. As she spoke, a group of Silvermane Guards reluctantly gathered around Bronya and Gepard.

"Captain Gepard, Commander Bronya, don't make this harder on us," some guards muttered, reluctantly drawing their weapons and encircling the pair.

"..."

Bronya stared in disbelief at this unrecognizable Cocolia. The thought of her and Gepard being surrounded by their own guards, with weapons leveled against them, felt profoundly wrong.

"You... Mother..." Bronya stammered, her gaze alternating between the encircling guards and Cocolia's icy stare above.

"Heh, how ironic. I never imagined the day would come when our own people would point weapons at us," Gepard said, his voice laced with bitterness. His anger burned like fire as he glared at Cocolia.

Though he was often called a blockhead, Gepard had already noticed something was off about Cocolia. After all, being stubborn and headstrong didn't mean he was stupid.

"Captain Gepard," Bronya whispered, her voice barely audible above the Silvermane Guards' pleas, "my mother... she seems different. Perhaps we should feign compliance and use this as an opportunity to strike back."

Gepard nodded almost imperceptibly. He knew this was definitely not the Supreme Guardian's decision. He didn't understand why Cocolia had become so unrecognizable, but he needed to find Serval as soon as possible. As for his sister Lynx, he wasn't worried; she often disappeared without a trace.

"Now," Cocolia demanded, her gaze sweeping coldly over Bronya and Gepard, "do you obey my order to apprehend those Nameless conspirators who plotted to overthrow Belobog?"

"Yes, we obey the Supreme Guardian's command!" Bronya and Gepard shouted reluctantly in unison.

"Excellent. Take the Silvermane Guards to the Goethe Hotel. They should still be resting there."

"Remember this: capture them by any means necessary. Lives don't matter!" Cocolia declared coldly.

Bronya and Gepard exchanged a knowing glance. This was definitely not the Cocolia they knew.

"As you command." *2

The two performed the Silvermane Guard salute once more and departed with the relieved Silvermane Guards. Cocolia, now possessed by the Stellaron, chuckled.

[I won't give you a chance to waver, Cocolia. Rest peacefully now. When you awaken, you'll find Belobog transformed beyond recognition. Heh heh heh~]

The Stellaron-possessed Cocolia smirked coldly, gazing into the empty grand hall as she spoke nonchalantly.

Indeed, it was planning a grand spectacle—like summoning the Antimatter Legion to descend upon the city once more!

Meanwhile, in Sampo's detention cell, most of the Silvermane Guards had been redeployed. He picked the lock, knocked out a patrolling guard, and donned his uniform. Disguised as a guard, thanks to the guards' masks and hats that made impersonation remarkably easy, he slipped away.

He proceeds to turn towards the reader.

"Hey Kids, Sampo's back!"

"That Stellaron's getting restless, but the actors are in place. I need to move quickly too—it's time for the curtain to rise on our little drama."

Muttering to himself, Sampo hurried along until he spotted the Silvermane Guards marching toward Belobog. He stealthily followed behind.