Xingtie, started with a guitar, and made a living by singing

I don’t know how many people have lost their lives here, separated from their families.

Even though she could understand her mother's decision to a certain extent, it was not an excuse to take other people's sacrifice for granted.

Not to mention, this sacrifice not only did not bring any glory or rewards to the lower classes, but only cruelty and betrayal.

Thinking of this, Bronya felt more and more that her mother, whom she had trusted without reservation in the past, was so unfamiliar.

More importantly--

When facing this stagnant dead city, she kept thinking of the scene she had seen in the sky before.

Beloberg, will humanity's last bastion become like this?

The future glimpsed from this microcosm made Bronya feel a little confused.

"...Yeah, this is it. If I remember correctly, this used to be a pretty famous private clinic. I guess they still have a lot of supplies stored there."

Ten years is enough to change many things beyond recognition, and the same is true for the former clinic in front of the three people.

Because it was close to the explosion point, one could even see that the balcony on the second floor was completely destroyed, the tiles on the roof had collapsed, and even the signboard had fallen to the ground and was covered in dust, making it look like an abandoned hut.

Xier, who was originally a little skeptical about Wendy, became more or less convinced after the smooth journey.

But she was not interested in what this place was like in the past. Even if she thought about it more, she could not let the boss and the partners in the organization recover. She just silently lowered the sickle and prepared to dig an entrance and exit.

Chapter 27: The Unfree Child

The excavation progress is not slow, but it cannot be completed in a short time.

Therefore, after telling them not to run too far and to stay in the vicinity, Xier ignored the two of them and concentrated on the work at hand.

As for Wendy and Bronya, they finally found an opportunity to get together again and talk about some private topics.

"here……"

As soon as she opened her mouth, Wendy knew what she was going to say.

However, although it is cruel to say this, whether Bronya sympathizes or not cannot change the objective fact that this place has fallen for many years.

Doing so would only make her feel better, but it would be of no help to the many families who are still suffering from the ravages of the monsters from the Rift and living in the nightmares of the past.

Perhaps realizing her own immaturity along the way, Bronya gave up the apology she wanted to say and instead said.

"I can now understand why you insist on doing those things."

"uh-huh?"

"The people who live here have experienced too much despair that the upper classes haven't. It's precisely because of this that they particularly yearn for the beauty sung in those poems."

Bronya lowered her eyes, feeling depressed.

"If even this little bit of spiritual comfort isn't allowed, I'm afraid everyone will collapse sooner or later."

"I'm glad you acknowledge my poetry skills. However, the people in the lower district aren't as fragile as you think—"

Wendy did not take credit for herself, but just narrated softly.

"They had been living like this for ten years before I came. Perhaps it's just two words, but time seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye.

But for those who live here and constantly experience "a bad day," resilience is something that almost every person in the lower class possesses."

Wendy's words always made Bronya ponder at the right time, but she would also inevitably come up with a question.

"How can I help everyone?"

She didn't make any meaningless promises, but asked in a very realistic way.

And Wendy also taught me earnestly, just like the best teacher.

"—Well, that's a good question. I think as long as you exercise well, study hard, eat well, have fun, and rest well, you will become a qualified Great Guardian and will definitely be able to help everyone."

"Isn't that just prioritizing your own enjoyment?"

Bronya said anxiously.

"Wendy, I sincerely want to get some advice from you!"

"Don't worry, my friend. The answers have already appeared in your heart, but you are still timid, so you hope to get them from me. Only by doing what others think is right can you escape the guilt in your heart."

Wendy's tone softened.

"But have you ever thought about what your life's purpose should be?"

"My goal... I was trained as the successor to the Great Guardian. Naturally, I must dedicate my life to the survival of Beloberg and ultimately lead the people to happiness."

"So, did the training they gave you convince you that you could do all this?"

"I, I don't know. In the past, I only saw the glorious surface. No one ever told me that beneath this glory, there were so many people who were struggling to survive. They could have lived a better life."

Bronya looked at the building towering over the town in the distance in confusion.

The place made her feel a little familiar, but she couldn't remember when she had been there, just like her current confused state of mind.

She murmured quietly.

“Sometimes I actually wonder if it’s wrong for my mother to be like this…”

"Because the great hopes the Great Guardian placed on you never had anything to do with them?"

"No, that's not the case, Mother..." Bronya's expression flashed with pain when she mentioned Cocolia, but she quickly changed her words and said, "The Great Guardian also has her own difficult mission, so she had to--"

"You have to make the choice to sacrifice others, right?"

Faced with the words of someone she trusted that pierced her heart like a knife, Bronya felt a sharp pain in her heart.

In the end, she lowered her head like a loser, her face pale, and her bloodless lips trembling as she tried to admit it.

However, Wendy did not say those sharp words with "discrimination" as she expected. He just sighed quietly, as if he was worried about her lack of understanding.

"Bronya, you said you wanted to protect everyone, keep Beloberg alive, and lead your people to happiness—"

His voice seemed to come from far away, but it was also like a breeze passing by.

“This dream comes from the education you receive and the fighting spirit that emerges from seeing the current situation.

However, in my opinion, you are a very unfree child who is always trapped by the goals given by others."

“Not free…?”

The people trapped behind the giant wall have lost their freedom for hundreds of years under the threat of wind, snow and rifts.

Whether she is acting as the commander of the Silvermane Iron Guard or the heir to the Grand Guardian, she cannot abandon her duties, forget the sacrifices made, and the mission that someone must shoulder.

This is an honor and a responsibility and obligation that we as a privileged class should fulfill.

How can she pursue personal freedom when she is like this?

Perhaps seeing her resistance to abandoning her responsibilities, Wendy gave her a helpless smile.

"Freedom never means running away from your problems or abandoning everything and running away. That's too narrow-minded—"

"So, what is freedom?"

"People have many different definitions of freedom, so it depends on the specific situation. Most of them are inseparable from the struggle and reflection on 'unfair circumstances'. This is what I think you lack."

The poet tells the story.

"If you want everyone to live a happy life, you must first understand what happiness is and what misfortune is. Perhaps this seems like nonsense to you, but the definition of happiness varies from person to person.

Some people are happy as long as their family is around them;

Some people think that power and wealth are not necessarily happiness;

Some people believe that making others happy is their own happiness;”

Wendy's pure and clean eyes revealed something that Bronya could not understand.

"What do you think is the happiness that the people of Beloberg pursue?"

"People's happiness..."

This topic completely contradicted the previous one, and it gave Bronya a headache.

Wendy was not in a hurry to urge him, but just smiled, which made people feel a little embarrassed.

Just as Bronya was about to answer, Seele's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey. I told you guys to be on the lookout, not to chat. And you were so engrossed in your conversation, that's why amateurs are amateurs. They're not reliable at all."

She rolled her eyes at each of them and handed the medical kit she had looted to them in a bad mood.

"One for each of you, take it."

"Okay," Wendy agreed readily. Seeing Bronya's hesitant expression, he smiled and said mysteriously, "Don't worry. Think about it a little longer. Once you understand what human happiness is, I think you'll also understand what freedom is."

As a last resort, Bronya had to carry the medical kit with him and start the return journey.

During this time, she kept thinking about the deeper meaning of Wendy's words, but no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't get out of this dead end logical circle.

Until a ethereal and pleasant sound of a music box rang out, which brought Bronya back to her senses and even made her break out in a cold sweat.

She was distracted and thinking in such a dangerous place. This was a stupid mistake that she would never make in the past, but this mistake made Bronya vaguely realize something.

This feeling of being just one step away from success is very uncomfortable, but no matter how uncomfortable it is, there is nothing you can do.

She looked at the other two people traveling with her. They seemed not to hear the sound of the music box and continued walking straight ahead.

Just as Bronya was about to leave, thinking it was some abandoned item from the past—

A young and weak girl's voice rang out.

"Ah...sister..."

These words made her subconsciously stop and look back.

At the end of the sight, a small house with a warm light on stands alone.

At the same time, the girl's murmuring voice could be heard again, accompanied by a faint weak cough.

"You...are you abandoning me?"

——Are there still living people here?

Chapter 28: Stranger

Bronya found it hard to believe that there was such a young child alive on the outskirts of a town that had been occupied by monsters and abandoned for ten years.

That kind of sad mood made her unable to calm down, and more importantly -

When she stopped, the owner of the voice seemed to sense something and asked.

"Ah... Is there anyone there? Outside the window..."

Accompanied by the subtle sound of some kind of fabric rubbing against each other, Bronya could feel that the other person seemed to be getting closer, with only a thin layer of glass separating them from her.

"My eyes...can't see anything. Please forgive my rudeness..."

Her voice sounded a little panicked, even pleading.

Bronya pursed her lips and answered with difficulty.

"It's okay, you don't have to be afraid. I'm right here, just outside the window."

"Ah...thank you, stranger..."

The girl's voice became softer.

"Although this may seem a bit abrupt, may I ask you something?"

"Please tell me. If I knew, I would tell you."

"You're very gentle... just like my sister." The girl paused, then continued, "I want to ask you if you've ever seen a woman with a beautiful voice who wears a headband with bells..."

As if recalling some sweet memories, the girl laughed softly twice.

"The bell will make a clear sound, which is very pleasant to hear..."

However, she soon realized that she was taking up other people's time and continued to add with a little nervousness.