Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking [35]
"A bet…" Bronya frowned slightly, but Venti continued without pause.
"The man told the woman, 'If you can guess the top card on this deck, you win. But if you're wrong, I win, and I get to take all your possessions.'"
"The woman replied, 'Fine. But if I win, you'll return every penny you swindled from my lover.'"
"The man accepted, shuffled the deck, and asked her to guess the top card. She said, 'The Ace of Hearts.'"
Venti watched Bronya's puzzled expression but didn't explain right away, choosing to continue the story.
"Perhaps by luck, or perhaps by fate, the top card was indeed the Ace of Hearts. And according to their agreement, the woman reclaimed her lover's stolen fortune."
"Her lover asked her, 'Winning was fine, but what if you'd lost? Why agree to a bet with such high stakes?'"
"From his perspective, the odds of guessing the right card were so low that the risk wasn't worth it. It was foolish, he thought, to bet her entire fortune on such a slim chance."
"But the woman answered, 'A risky bet? What's risky about it? Winning and losing—that's all there is.'"
Seeing Bronya lost in thought, Venti finally offered his own explanation.
"The story's split lies here: the man was talking about probability, but the woman was talking about destiny."
"But I think the story's strength is in this—"
"When faced with a critical choice, one that can change the course of your life, neutrality isn't an option."
"It's either one way or the other; you have to make a choice. Pleasing everyone is impossible, and perhaps that's the choice your mother once made for her own vision of the future."
This triggered memories in Bronya. She took out the honor medal the architects had bestowed upon her, the one her mother had pinned on her—a stone with a soft blue glow, crafted from the purest Geothermal Essence crystal.
It was as precious as gold and a symbol of her past achievements.
Technically, she shouldn't have brought such an identifying item to the underground, but it held immense significance for her.
It reminded her of her mother's teachings—
Of the mother who had always taught her compassion, to protect the kindness in people's hearts… that even a flicker of light should strive to illuminate others.
There was a time when her mother, burning brightly like a beacon in the dark, bringing warmth and light to others, had been her greatest inspiration.
But Bronya realized something now: beneath that heavy admiration, she had never truly understood her mother.
Just as Ciel had clung to a naive faith in Stepan Markuse to the very end…
Bronya had also trusted her mother unconditionally, dismissing others' concerns as mere tests of her loyalty to the Supreme Guardian, believing that following the path she and her mother envisioned would lead to the people's happiness.
But now that she had stopped to reflect, she could no longer see her mother's silhouette.
She couldn't remember when her mother had begun staring off into the snowy distance, as though the city beneath her meant nothing.
Her people could no longer make her happy, angry, sad, or afraid. There was only an endless void in her gaze.
…Reflecting on all this, Bronya finally understood.
Perhaps her mother's faith had long been extinguished in the endless, bitter cold.
Because if anyone knew Belobog's plight best, it was Cocolia, yet she had no power to change it.
She had grown irritable, angry, deaf to counsel, constantly defying fate's cruelty through force—
Even if her actions now were more desperate than wise, more like a beast thrashing against the bars of a cage.
This clarity brought Bronya regret and anger at her own blindness.
The only relief was that it wasn't too late—
She closed her eyes, exhaling softly. She felt sorrow and release, a swirl of emotions without any trace of hesitation.
Yes, she wouldn't deny her mother's wrongdoings, and she would take responsibility to mend them.
When her people were free from the snows, she would gladly, like the first Supreme Guardian, journey into the wilderness to declare that Belobog would not be throttled by any one person's will.
But until that time—she could not stop. She had to secure a brighter future for her people.
The time for Belobog's transformation was now, the seven-hundred-year shadow of snow and storm ready to be lifted from the city.
This historical moment would unfold before her eyes, and she would be the one to make the choice.
Just as Bronya prepared to share her decision with Venti, he raised a finger to his lips, blinking playfully.
"Let's save that answer for when we get there—along with the answer to my earlier question."
Yes, Venti had once asked her what kind of happiness Belobog's people truly sought…
Is this what he meant? To find the answer where the question first arose?
How childlike, this insistence on "ceremony."
Bronya simply nodded, not minding giving her answer at the same place.
…However, halfway through their journey—
A flash of purple dashed towards them, wielding a scythe—a figure instantly recognizable.
"Seele? What are you doing here?"
Bronya asked reflexively.
The way she called Seele's name so fondly made Seele shudder, rubbing her arms uncomfortably.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? Just been gone a little while and now you're all…"
She trailed off, unable to find the right word with her limited vocabulary.
The helpful poet whispered, "Sentimental."
"Huh? Sen-sen-ti… that's a big word. Never learned it."
After inadvertently exposing her lack of education, Seele glanced at Bronya, who made no attempt to mock her. She quickly changed the topic.
"Anyway, I'm here because I heard from Gerti that you two were off smashing the sandbag around the Settlement, looking for those sisters who live in the Fragmentum. Thought you two were either bored or downright nuts to go digging around there for no reason."
"It's 'smash the pot to find the answer,' not 'smash the sandbag.'" Bronya corrected softly, but Seele pouted.
"Sh-shut up. Down here, we say 'sandbag!' And that's not the point! You two, a scrawny little busker and a lady who doesn't know how to throw a punch—"
"If you do run into something in the Fragmentum, who'll have to come rescue you? Me. So I figured I'd find you first—and here you two are, sure enough."
Perhaps understanding Seele's tsundere nature, Bronya's previously puzzled expression softened.
"I see. Thank you for caring, Seele."
Seele found this even more unsettling. What had happened to Bronya? She'd only been gone a short time but was already acting like an older sister.
Could Bronya… have some strange personality trait?
Seele instinctively moved closer to Venti, feeling safe only by his unchanging presence.
"Maybe this is fate? At least the three of us can travel together. It'll be less lonely that way."
Venti was happy to see the friendship between the two progressing.
"Now, let me think… what tune should I play to accompany us on this journey?"
Unfortunately, his listeners weren't so cooperative.
Seele maintained a look of disdain, while Bronya attempted to approach her, only for Seele to dodge every time.
In the end, Venti reluctantly stowed his lyre, instead filling Seele in on the information about the sisters.
"So, you mean there really were people living out there?"
Seele furrowed her brow, lost in thought.
"They must have struggled out there…"
Bronya's spirits dipped slightly.
"Probably because—"
Seele began, ready to make a snide remark about the Supreme Guardian of the upper district. But Venti gently tugged her hand, signaling her to go easy.
It was the first time he had interacted with her this intimately, and the innocent girl instantly blushed, ears burning red.
Her heart raced, drowning out every other sound, "Ah—" She struggled to calm down for a long while.
Bronya, noticing Seele's flustered state, felt a stir of emotion, though the implied criticism left her slightly ashamed.
Yet that guilt soon transformed into a quiet resolve.
She had already decided to do what she could to help the people of the underground, no longer watching idly from above.
As for her own goals… they were trivial now.
As they talked, the three finally reached the silence of Rivet Town once again.