"I completely understand how this girl feels. As the Heir to a nation's leader, the weight on her shoulders really is unimaginable..." Caitlyn sighed sympathetically.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown—that was the lesson her mother had taught her when she was young.

In her eyes, from the moment Bronya was adopted by Cocolia, her starting point was already higher than where most people in the Underworld could ever hope to reach. Yet a higher starting point also meant a much higher destination.

Becoming the Supreme Guardian... that unimaginably towering summit must be nearly crushing her under its weight, wasn't it?

"Cupcake, could you handle that kind of pressure?" Vi asked.

"I don't know... But if the day ever comes when I truly have to shoulder the Destiny of all Piltover, things here must have already devolved into an utter mess, right?"

Caitlyn speared a small bite of fruitcake with her fork and casually placed it into her mouth. "So, I hope that day never comes."

【"Whining and sniffling like that, you're so noisy."】

【Seeing Bronya's tearful expression, Seele didn't indulge her in the slightest, going all out: "What's that face for? You think mouthing a few self-pitying words will make me feel sorry for you? You think you have it rough overthinking things in your palace without having to gamble your life on the front lines? What about the people in the Underworld, then? They never know where their next meal is coming from—just staying alive is a miracle!"】

【"'Even if I am just a faint Shimmer of light, I will illuminate others'—weren't those your own words? Don't you want to protect everyone? Instead of weeping here, don't you have more important things to do?!"】

【Harsh as the words were, Seele's barrage of tough love surprisingly helped Bronya pull herself together.】

【"Indeed, wallowing in self-pity won't solve anything. Thank you, Seele. Whenever I spiraled into negative emotions in the past, people only ever consoled me. No one has ever knocked some sense into me like you just did."】

【Seeing the light return to Bronya's eyes, the corner of Seele's mouth curled slightly. "Comforting people isn't my thing, but I can smack sense into you as many times as you need. I could tell at a glance that you're carrying way too much baggage. Why push yourself so hard?"】

【Bronya put on a solemn expression. "As the future Guardian of Belobog, I must examine my actions and thoughts at all times."】

【"Yeah, yeah, Young Miss~ Hmph, to think the future Supreme Guardian grew up in the same orphanage as me. What twisted fate. Want me to show you around the orphanage? Unlike you, I remember everything from when we were kids crystal clear."】

【"Mm, then I suppose I can indulge in a brief distraction with you."】

【Bronya pursed her lips into a smile and readily agreed.】

【Watching their silhouettes by the railing, Stelle fell into thought.】

【It was obvious at a glance who took the lead between the two... They certainly made a delightful pair to ship, but Natasha couldn't have asked her to come along just to play third wheel, right? Or had she seen through everything from the start?】

【"Maybe I should've just stayed behind and dutifully stood guard tonight..." Looking down at her lonely shadow on the ground, Stelle suddenly felt a pang of regret.】

——

"You two, hurry up and start dating already!"

Zane slammed his mug of beer heavily onto the table. This cry from the Soul immediately struck a chord of Resonance with his fellow drinking buddies.

Things had already progressed this far—it was practically criminal not to date at this point, wasn't it?

While a young girl's tender, poetic romance was undeniably touching, Zane still wished the youth of today could be a bit more straightforward in love.

He glanced over at Fern and Stark sitting at the adjacent table.

...He was talking about these two right here!

Stop feeding him sweet moments nonstop along the journey—how about some actual, tangible progress once in a while!

【Not wanting to disturb the two on their date nearby, Stelle set off alone to gather supplies. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice coming from a corner by the stairs.】

【Curious, Stelle poked her head out to investigate, only to discover it was Clara!】

【Spotting Stelle, the machine beside Clara blared continuous warnings and shifted into a defensive stance.】

【Stelle immediately let out a tragic wail: "My life is over—!"】

【This absurd racket startled the robot into immediately activating its auto-defense mode. Fortunately, Clara intervened in time, averting a fight.】

【After a brief chat, Stelle learned that quite a few Wanderers had been injured during the clash at the mine. Clara had come here to gather supplies for them. Upon learning what Stelle needed, Clara generously shared some of her medicine and supplies.】

【The two talked a bit more, and Stelle learned from Clara that she had met Svarog at a very young age and was raised by him, sharing a bond just like family.】

【Svarog had no intention of causing harm to anyone else. In his calculations, the Overworld was no longer safe, and only by keeping everyone in the Underworld could he fulfill his duty of 【Preservation】 toward humanity.】

【"...Clara, what are you doing here?" Seele and Bronya rushed over after hearing the commotion.】

【Stelle briefly explained what had just happened and their conversation.】

【"Huh?" Seele looked thoroughly annoyed. "Aren't those Wanderers supposed to be tough? How do they have the nerve to let a young girl run around doing errands for them?"】

【"N-No, it's not like that," Clara quickly waved her hands in explanation. "No one asked Clara to do this. It's just that the Wanderers live in very harsh conditions, and there's no clinic in their settlement, so Clara wanted to help them."】

At that very moment in the Hero Association, with the exception of a few heroes like Genos and Watchdog Man who were absent, a gathering of S-Class Heroes—including Tatsumaki—were assembled in the office, watching the light screen.

All the heroes had to do was look up slightly to see Clara's porcelain-delicate face on the light screen, as well as... her perfect, jade-like bare feet, which could be considered a treasure of humanity.

Naturally, many heroes weren't interested. To them, Clara was just an ordinary, frail young girl with nothing special about her aside from being rather cute.

Yet among them all, King alone watched without blinking.

"Clara is so cute... A girl like that is practically an angel... When will the heavens send a girl like her down to my side?!"

"She's just too adorable... I'd love to play a galgame with her as the heroine."

King screamed in his heart. Perhaps spurred by his overwhelming excitement, his drum-like heartbeat grew steadily louder and clearer in the quiet conference room.

"Thump—thump—thump!"

"It's the King Engine." Bang looked at the man sitting directly across from him—the one wearing a cap with three scars across his face—and wondered, "Does King sense something wrong with the girl on the screen?"

Legend had it that King was absurdly powerful; whenever he encountered a formidable enemy, his heartbeat would rev as powerfully as a car engine—serving as both his declaration of battle and the death knell for countless Monsters before their demise.

As if suddenly piqued with interest, Tatsumaki slowly raised her slender, shapely legs, crossing one over the other on top of the desk. Resting her chin on one hand, her eyes locked onto the low-key, mysterious "The Strongest of Humanity" sitting opposite her with his cap pulled low—King.

"King, what in the world did you sense from that screen to activate your King Engine in a place like this?"

Tatsumaki tilted her head slightly, looking up at Clara's porcelain-white face on the screen.

"This girl... is there anything special about her?"