Capítulo 40: Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking [40]
"A-ah…"
The girl's faint cries seeped through the silence, a heart-wrenching reminder of the helplessness Bronya felt as she stood there, listening to her despair.
How could she, of all people, offer comfort in a place like this? With her role and her mother's legacy looming over her, was she even worthy of trying?
As the others fell into silence, the girl's soft murmurs continued:
"Sister…sister…you've finally left me behind, haven't you?"
Her fragile sobs faded slowly, her voice growing faint beneath the dim, dying glow from the small house. Bronya's fingers gently tapped against the window frame, hoping for any sign, any answer from within. But only silence replied.
"…"
Seele and Venti could both see how Bronya's spirits sank, her face shadowed by the weight of unspoken sorrow. But nothing could change the inevitable tragedy this little scene represented.
Finally, it was Venti who broke the silence, suggesting in a low, calming voice, "Why don't we visit the place where her sister was last seen? There may still be some trace left…some echo."
Bronya lifted her head and turned to him, red-rimmed eyes betraying the grief that had pooled within. "You…you knew about this from the beginning, didn't you?"
Venti gave a gentle nod. "I'll explain it to you later," he said softly.
From the start, he hadn't planned on hiding it, even if Seele's earlier comment about his "curiously chosen route" had nearly given it away.
Bronya took a final look at the now darkened house, as though bidding it a silent farewell. But just before turning away, something caught her eye: a small music box lay nestled in the shadows beneath the window.
Carefully, she picked it up and opened it, revealing a faded, brittle photograph tucked inside—a portrait worn with age, so much that the face was nearly unrecognizable. All she could make out was the Silvermane Guard uniform, marking him as an officer.
From his rank, she realized he had probably been sent to the front lines over a decade ago, fighting a battle where many had lost their lives. And he had been among those who sacrificed everything, not even leaving behind compensation for his family.
In his absence, his family had been relegated to this dismal, sunless district. Forced to scavenge in the dangerous wastelands to survive, they too had eventually disappeared, claimed by the very ruins they relied on.
Silently, Bronya wound up the tight spring, but the mechanism inside was damaged and ground out a strained, discordant melody—a song that began and ended as bleakly as its owner's life.
This echo of a tragic past wound itself around her heart, leaving behind a haunting weight. She took a deep breath, closed the music box, and slipped it into her pocket.
With a steadying glance at Venti, she gathered her resolve. Following his suggestion, they flew on the wind toward the junkyard at the outskirts of town.
Arriving at a massive, rust-ridden heap of metal, they spotted a figure pacing back and forth—a woman with blue-tinted hair, her expression troubled.
"Excuse me…are you looking for someone?" Bronya asked, though she already knew the answer.
"Yes…" the young woman's voice trembled as she clutched her forehead, a deep worry etched into her face. "It's my little sister. She left home, and I can't find her anywhere…"
Her shoulders shook as she continued, voice thick with regret. "She's weak, and she can't see…if anything happened to her out there, it's my fault…"
Her fists clenched in self-blame, her voice falling to a whisper. "I'm such a terrible sister…how could I let this happen?"
Watching her despair, Bronya knew that this woman had to be the girl's sister, but their stories didn't seem to align. Reaching into her pocket, Bronya retrieved the broken music box, raising it for the sister to see.
The moment her eyes fell on it, her distressed expression softened, and she reached out as though in a trance, gently holding it to her ear.
"Listen…my sweet sister…isn't it lovely? Listen…"
"Welcome…home…"
The girl's voice came from nowhere, like an echo carried by the wind, and at that moment, the woman's face finally relaxed, a faint smile gracing her lips.
"Ah…I'm home…"
But just as she spoke those words, the smile faded. Her body dissolved, disappearing like mist into the barren landscape.
Bronya instinctively reached out to stop her, but her hands closed around nothing but air.
After a long moment, she lowered her trembling hand, her voice barely a whisper. "They were real…weren't they?"
"They were," Venti replied softly.
"But…why?" Bronya's head lowered, and a sorrowful shadow hid her eyes.
Venti's gaze drifted to the silent, desolate landscape surrounding them. "This is tied to the Fragmentum. Or rather, the Stellaron at its heart."
Bronya listened, trying to piece together what he was saying as he continued, his voice carrying a trace of sorrow. "The Stellaron's presence corrupts the very space around it, creating these Fragmentum zones. Anything that touches it—objects, buildings, even people—can be transformed into these eerie echoes of their former selves. The Stellaron captures their etheric data, preserving them like records in a vault."
Seele, struggling to keep up, tried her best to follow his words. But Venti went on, almost as if talking to himself. "The Fragmentum absorbs and replicates everything it touches, fusing them into warped monsters. But it also creates these echoes of the past—shadows of memories that resurface from time to time."
"So, when the soldiers said they saw figures on the battlefield, they weren't just imagining it…they were seeing echoes?" Bronya said, voice thick with sorrow.
Venti nodded. "Yes. These echoes will linger alongside the Fragmentum until something ends this process."
"Then…to truly free them, we'd have to stop the Stellaron itself?"
"Well…" Venti sighed. "It would take time to understand the full extent of a Stellaron's powers. Even if we did manage to contain it, the scars of the Fragmentum won't disappear instantly. Like any wound, it needs time to heal."
Even then, he knew, the Fragmentum's devastation would leave scars across Belobog. The Stellaron's effects weren't just physical; they had warped the memories of those once held dear, turning them into shadows that haunted the living.
He shared all of this with Bronya, who seemed to absorb it, her face clouded with sadness but clearer, as if she had made a decision.
The tragedy of that girl and her sister was just one of countless stories hidden here in the underworld, a mere fragment of the ruin and despair that had gripped the city's forgotten depths.
Only now did she truly begin to understand that to be a Guardian was more than just bearing the title. It required her to carry the burdens of the people, the tragedies that lay hidden, and to find a way forward even amidst a city steeped in darkness.
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Translator's Note
Hi, besties! I'm so excited to bring you I Don't Want to Be a Heroic Spirit!—a wild and fun adventure where our MC gets to travel through different anime worlds while becoming a Heroic Spirit! With the help of Chaldea's MVPs (yes, Mash and Da Vinci are here to cheer us on), this story is full of iconic moments, unexpected twists, and all the anime goodness we love.
Oh, and guess what? I've got one more story to share after this, so stay tuned because the fun doesn't stop here! As always, thank you so much for reading and supporting—you're all amazing! Hope you enjoy every moment of this journey!
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