For Cocolia, hiding her tracks was second nature.
She moved quickly through the burning orphanage, her heart growing heavier with every moment.
Regardless of what had caused this fire or what its purpose was, the orphanage had reached its end in these flames.
But as for casualties, how the children in the fire were faring... Cocolia didn't dare to look.
Shu had repeatedly emphasized that they should minimize any possibility of exposure, to reduce their presence as much as possible. Even though she was now inside the canopy, in a place Shu couldn't control, Cocolia still didn't dare.
It wasn't because of Shu's intimidation, but because he had laid out all the pros and cons so clearly.
The consequence of exposing herself was giving the Herrscher many more "scripts" to use against her. Even Shu himself had to worry about the "what ifs" in everyone's minds, let alone her.
Everyone's thought would be that she would be killed instantly by the Herrscher, right?
With the clear pros and cons before her, no matter how arrogant Cocolia was, she wouldn't be foolish enough to make an out-of-line choice.
Noah and Kai remained on the coast of the island. They didn't have Cocolia's infiltration skills and could only wait outside for support.
Cocolia's goal was to find the people and weapons Shu had marked for them. The Herrscher should be busy trying to break the anchor Shu had left, but that wouldn't take long. Cocolia had to find her targets as quickly as possible.
This was the first time Cocolia had ever snuck around her own orphanage. Speaking of which, the reason she was so skilled was because before the Great Honkai, Rozaliya and Liliya often snuck out of the orphanage.
These routes were their old stomping grounds. Cocolia had learned them to know herself and her enemy in order to control them. She never thought there would be a day she'd use them herself.
Quickly bypassing the buildings, Cocolia soon found her first target according to the general location Shu had marked.
On the orphanage's soccer field, a group of children huddled tightly in a corner of the stadium. Cocolia saw the weak, purple-haired figure leaning against the corner.
Cocolia hid in a corner, quickly checked on the children, and while she was relieved, she also felt a bit troubled.
There were too many people here. She couldn't show herself.
Next target...
Cocolia glanced at Kiana's condition. She remembered clearly the way the white-haired girl had argued with her.
But now, this vibrant girl was kneeling there, dejected, her eyes dull and lifeless.
Is Bronya... like this now too?
Cocolia clenched her fists. She glanced at the faded armor on Kiana's body, her heart heavy.
Of the other two Divine Keys Shu had mentioned, one was a weapon that could be used directly, and the other was a book that, according to Shu, would cooperate automatically.
But how was this piece of equipment triggered? Did she have to strip the armor off first?
Or did it require some kind of stimulus to activate?
Cocolia quietly retreated, preparing to find her last target—Bronya.
It was only at this moment that Cocolia suddenly realized she had left Bronya for last. She suddenly let out a silent laugh, her eyes dimming.
Is this... a futile attempt to curry favor? Even though Shu can't see, I still subconsciously made this move.
Cocolia stepped into the sea of fire. She took off her flammable greatcoat, quickly opened the door Shu had pointed out, and entered the room where Bronya was.
The moment she entered, a low cry, like a dream-like murmur, reached Cocolia's ears through the crackling of the flames.
"Mama Cocolia..."
Cocolia's body trembled. She looked down and saw Bronya curled up in a corner.
Her condition was even worse than Kiana's. Kiana's face still showed occasional expressions of struggle, but Bronya was just holding herself, looking as if she were about to let herself sink completely.
Cocolia didn't know if the other could see her, but looking at Bronya like this, she finally couldn't hold back the pressure in her heart and took a step forward.
"Don't be afraid... I'm here." Her voice was so gentle it was almost questionable, but she was indeed showing this side of herself to Bronya.
As if reacting to Cocolia's words, Bronya looked up blankly, but her empty gaze went past the Cocolia in front of her, looking at a spot behind her.
The next moment, as if startled by something, Bronya's body trembled violently. She lowered her head and spoke, her voice trembling.
"I'm sorry, Mama Cocolia. I'll never do it again... never again... I won't dare..."
Cocolia whipped around and looked behind her. At that moment, she seemed to see another version of herself.
Looking down from above, filled with a terrifying pressure, suffocating. The eyes, full of reprimand, were like sharp, cold blades, about to pierce a person through, slice by slice.
Cocolia froze. Her body was stiff for a long time. Then, she slowly stood up, took two steps back, and merged her figure with that other self.
Just like that... her self-righteous, imposing figure.
Was it really that terrifying?
She tried to force a smile, wanting to be gentler, but for the first time, she found her face was very stiff. No matter how she smiled, it was the same dry look.
She was naturally not good at that kind of gentle expression.
So what was she good at?
Cocolia tried to relax her expression, then turned to the dressing mirror beside her.
It was a triumphant, venomous smile, full of mockery, manipulation, and cold indifference.
She saw that her eyes were filled with desire: the desire for power, the desire for profit, the desire for affection...
She knew she was like this. In the past, seeing people fear her even brought her a bit of joy and satisfaction.
But now, looking at Bronya's state, Cocolia suddenly lowered her head and stared silently at her own hands.
She backed out, preparing to return to the starting point to find Noah and get ready to act.
But just as she stepped out the door, Cocolia saw a figure standing there, looking utterly wretched.
"What... are you doing back here?" Sin Mal said, holding Schrodinger by the collar, looking shakily at Cocolia.