"You even took a hostage?"
March 7th was utterly shocked.
She had thought Felicity would only be delayed for a moment and would soon catch up to reunite with them.
Well, they did reunite, but Felicity brought back a silver-haired beauty in tow.
Staring at the young woman tightly bound by vines, March 7th asked curiously,
"Why did you capture her? To threaten the Silvermane Guards? As a bargaining chip? Surely you didn't kidnap her to be your concubine, right..."
"That could work too."
Felicity stroked her chin, genuinely considering the idea.
"Ms. Felicity, I truly misjudged you! Don't think you can use me!"
Bronya angrily rebuked, laced with embarrassment and humiliation.
"Anyway, let's head to the Underworld first."
Felicity said cheerfully.
"You're kidnapping me to the Underworld!? What are your true intentions? What are you trying to deny? What are you trying to overthrow?"
Bronya recalled what Cocolia had told her and felt a wave of regret.
These people really were attempting to incite a rebellion, aiming to strip the Architects of their control over Belobog!
"She's so noisy. Can I hit her with my bat?"
Stelle was growing irritated by Bronya's clamor. She brandished her baseball bat, glared at Bronya, and eagerly awaited the chance.
"...Better not. I'll handle it."
Felicity shook her head. She flicked her fingers, summoning pollen with a hypnotic effect, and scattered it all over Bronya's face.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Unable to resist, Bronya passively inhaled the pollen. She coughed heavily a few times, then her head lolled to the side as she fell into a deep sleep.
"Let's go~"
Felicity's tone brightened.
"Why are you so skilled at this?" March 7th felt too exhausted to even complain.
...
Led by Felicity, the group quickly made their way toward the passage to the lower district while carrying Bronya.
Although they were still wanted, Felicity's presence made it feel more like they were on a picnic.
Bickering and joking along the way, the four of them swiftly traversed the passage connecting the upper and lower districts while carrying the "big duck" (Bronya). Upon arriving at the town in the Underworld, Felicity relied on her memory to return to Natasha's clinic and knocked on the door.
"Coming."
A gentle voice responded, and Natasha soon opened the door. She looked somewhat surprised to see Felicity standing at the center of the group, never expecting the extraordinary girl to bring back so many people in such a short time.
However, her gaze soon fell upon Bronya. The girl, dressed in a uniform clearly reminiscent of the Silvermane Guards, was bound by vines and lay quietly in Felicity's arms.
"Who is she...?"
She instinctively furrowed her brows and asked.
"A hostage? A bargaining chip?"
Felicity replied uncertainly, as she hadn't yet prepared a proper explanation.
"A hostage, huh..."
Natasha repeated the word and kindly advised,
"It's best not to let her wander around outside. The underground has been sealed off for over a decade, and the children here have almost forgotten what people from the surface look like. If a girl dressed in Silvermane Guard attire suddenly appears..."
She didn't continue, but her meaning was clear.
"I'll keep a close watch on her."
Felicity assured her.
Natasha nodded, not intending to dwell on the topic further. As long as she knew Felicity meant no harm, that was enough.
"Are you looking for Oleg? He's probably in the Great Mine right now. If you need him, just head to the mine entrance."
Natasha retrieved a map from the clinic and handed it to Felicity. After a moment of thought, Felicity pushed Dan Heng to the front.
"You're the smart one, you take it."
Dan Heng: ...
Dan Heng reached out and took the map, which thoughtfully marked their current location.
"If you need further assistance, you can look for Seele."
"Alright."
Dan Heng nodded, then turned and handed the map to Felicity.
"You're the one who found the Underworld. Since we're new here, it's better for you to decide our next steps."
"Huh? I'm deciding?"
Felicity tilted her head slightly, glancing at Dan Heng and then at the bound Bronya.
Well, she really didn't want to jump straight into the main storyline.
She had originally intended to take Bronya to see the harsh conditions of the Underworld, to see whether Bronya would still stubbornly and blindly trust the current Supreme Guardian after witnessing such a scene.
"How about we just disband for now?"
"Disband? Yay!"
March 7th had been wanting to explore the lower district for a while. They had rushed down earlier and hadn't had the chance to properly look around.
A picnic should be fully enjoyed—exploring both the upper and lower districts. Only then can it be considered complete!
"Yay, trash cans!"
Stelle also cheered. She hadn't finished rummaging through all the trash cans in Belobog's upper district and was eager to seize this opportunity to check out a few in the Underworld as well.
"..."
Dan Heng remained silent but offered no rebuttal. He genuinely wanted to thoroughly investigate the Underworld and determine what kind of organization this so-called "Wildire" really was.
"It seems everyone has no objections. In that case, let's disband for now and regroup here in one day."
Felicity announced.
"Alright." x3
The group dispersed, each going off to pursue their own interests.
Felicity untied Bronya and used a small amount of imaginary energy to wake her.
"...Where am I?"
Bronya looked around in confusion, her eyes soon meeting a pair of beautiful emerald ones.
"You're awake? The surgery was a success~"
"...It's you."
Instead of the expected fierce resistance or angry questioning, Bronya merely sighed upon realizing her situation, then lowered her head and fell silent.
She had witnessed Felicity's power, knowing that even Belobog's most outstanding guardian couldn't last more than a few seconds against her.
What could her resistance accomplish?
As previously stated, she could do nothing.
Why is she shutting down like this?
Felicity wasn't pleased. She had gone through great trouble to capture Bronya from the Overworld, but not to watch her wallow in self-pity.
"Are you just giving up like this?"
Felicity's tone was one of frustration at seeing someone fail to live up to their potential.
"Don't you want to uncover the truth? Don't you want to try resisting? Is the ideal in your heart only this weak?!"
Verbal persuasion - she'd naturally learned it from watching plenty of anime.
"I..."
Bronya finally lifted her head again, staring blankly at Felicity. She hadn't expected to be lectured after being kidnapped, leaving her momentarily at a loss.
"If your heart still beats, then don't abandon hope, Bronya. More important than protecting hope itself is protecting the willingness to hope."
"..."