Chapter 78: A Gambit on Everwinter Hill

“Gepard!”

Lord Bronya strode forward, his voice cutting through the tense air of the command post.

At the sound of her name, Gepard’s head snapped up. The rigid lines of stress on her face instantly dissolved into a wave of relieved excitement the moment she saw him.

“Lord Bronya! You’ve finally returned!”

She shot a quick hand signal to her squad leaders, a silent command for them to carry on with their duties, before turning her full attention back to her lord.

“Make it brief, Gepard,” Bronya said, his tone laced with urgency. “What in the world happened? What about those robots? And my father… where is he?”

Gepard took a deep, steadying breath, forcing the practiced calm of a captain over her roiling emotions. She delivered her report with brisk efficiency. “My lord, the situation is… more complicated than we anticipated. These unknown automatons activated simultaneously across multiple districts, exhibiting extreme aggression. Their primary targets were our Automated Sentries and industrial facilities.”

She paused, casting a troubled glance at the man standing beside her, Serval. “But… the Supreme Guardian… he seems to know something. He personally ordered the Silvermane Guards to fight a retreating action, deliberately leaving openings in our lines. He then used some unknown method… to guide the main thrust of the robots’ offensive.”

“Guide them?” Bronya’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Yes,” Gepard affirmed, her own expression a mixture of bewilderment and worry. “Those machines… they appear to be searching for something. The Supreme Guardian seems to have taken advantage of that fact. He went to Everwinter Hill alone and had us spread the word that their target was located there. After that, the vast majority of the robot forces actually began to change course, converging on Everwinter Hill. Only then did the pressure on the city finally ease.”

“Father went to Everwinter Hill? Alone? And he forbade you from following?” The words were a knot of ice in Bronya’s chest. Everwinter Hill was one of Belobog’s most treacherous and frigid territories, perilously close to the Fragmentum Rift. Why would his father go there? And use himself as bait?

“Yes,” Gepard’s voice dropped, heavy with frustration. “The Supreme Guardian gave a strict order: hold the city, protect the citizens, and do not follow. We could only establish a defensive perimeter here, dealing with the scattered remnants and securing damaged facilities… My lord, I…”

As Bronya and Gepard rapidly exchanged information, the atmosphere grew thick with tension. Chen, however, found his attention almost entirely captivated by the man standing next to the captain—the male version of Serval.

‘Wow… so this is the gender-swapped Serval? Gepard’s brother?’he thought, his eyes wide with clinical curiosity.’That outfit… definitely a rocker, no doubt about it! Even with the entire worldline flipped on its head, some hobbies are just too powerful to change!’

Chen’s inner monologue was a stream of silent commentary as his gaze swept over Serval. Blond hair spilling across his forehead, a leather jacket adorned with studs, and a posture that was somehow both casual and intensely focused… Not bad. He was actually quite handsome, with a distinct artistic flair.

As if sensing a stare, Serval looked up from the tactical map spread before him. His eyes swept over the unfamiliar gray-haired girl, then paused.

He blinked. A look of clear surprise bloomed on his face, and he even leaned forward slightly, his gaze tracing the features of the person who looked so uncannily like the young lord he knew.

“You…” Serval began, his voice clearer than Chen had expected, though tinged with uncertainty. “Miss… have we met somewhere before? You look… a little…”

He probably wanted to say she resembled Bronya, but a glance at the figure before him—the undeniably softer, feminine features, the different hairstyle—made him second-guess himself.

Chen, ever the actor, summoned a slightly shy and bewildered smile. He gave a gentle shake of his head and whispered, “I-I’m Bronya… I don’t think… I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you, sir.”

Serval stared at him for another two seconds, his brow furrowed. Then, as if deciding he was just overtired and seeing things, a self-deprecating smile touched his lips and he scratched the back of his head. “Ah, sorry. My mistake. I’m probably just exhausted and my eyes are playing tricks on me. It’s been one hell of a mess lately…”

He sighed, his attention drifting back to the map and the crisis it represented.

This was the opening. With his mind already calculating the next move, Chen couldn’t help but take a step forward. Feigning curiosity, he leaned in to get a better look at the map, letting his shoulder “inadvertently” brush against Serval’s arm.

[Serval Guide Activated]

‘Done!’

A spark of triumph lit up in Chen’s mind, but outwardly, he immediately straightened up and offered a quick, flustered apology. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

Serval just gave a casual wave of his hand, dismissing the apology without even looking up. His mind was clearly miles away, fixed on Everwinter Hill and the mysterious robot army.

Meanwhile, Bronya had come to a decision. He turned to face Dan Heng and the others, his voice ringing with newfound resolve.

“I must go to Everwinter Hill. Immediately! Father… he could be in grave danger. And the robots’ target? It must be related to the Stellaron, or something else hidden on that mountain! Lady Dan Heng, March 7th, Qiong, and Miss… Bronya…”

He trailed off, but his meaning was crystal clear. This was a mission into the heart of extreme danger; he couldn’t, in good conscience, force these outsiders to accompany him.

Lady Dan Heng exchanged a meaningful glance with March 7th and Qiong, then her gaze fell upon Chen.

Chen’s mind was racing. ‘Everwinter Hill… The Stellaron might be there, and Mr. Cocolia is there, too. I just have no idea what that man is plotting! It’s definitely not to protect Belobog, right? And now there’s a mysterious robot army in the mix? This is practically the flashing neon sign at the entrance to the final dungeon! How could we possibly not go check it out?’

He looked up, the feigned fear in his eyes replaced with a quiet determination. “Lord Bronya, let me… let me come with you. I still have some combat ability.”

March 7th nodded vigorously beside him. “That’s right! We can’t just leave you to go alone!”

Qiong, ever the man of few words, simply hugged his baseball bat a little tighter and took a silent step to stand beside Chen, his position speaking louder than any words could.

Finally, Lady Dan Heng gave a slow, deliberate nod. “The situation is critical. Every bit of strength will help. Besides, our knowledge of the Stellaron might prove useful.”

Bronya looked at each of them in turn, a complex flicker of gratitude and relief warring in his eyes. He finally gave a firm, decisive nod.

“…Alright! Then let’s set off for Everwinter Hill at once!”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]