Chapter 138 | From Galgame Nobody to Eternal Sovereign

The carriage fell silent once more after Miaoyue's departure.

Beneath the bed, the magic constant-temperature array continued to hum softly. Warmth seeped up through the blackwood bedframe and the thick white wool blanket, shutting out the wild night wind, the gentle vibrations of wheels rolling over gravel, and the hushed breathing of Buck and Gru outside—all kept at bay by the lead-gray walls of the carriage.

The bed was massive.

It was large enough that even when Miaoyue had wrapped herself into a blanket cocoon earlier, a vast empty space remained in the corner. It was so large that as Sophie sat by the edge of the bed, watching that crimson moonlight pierce through the carriage roof and vanish, she actually felt a rather untimely trace of regret.

Damn it, spending the night alone is so lonely.

Even though the bed is so big.

After a moment of regret, Sophie reached out and slid open the small observation window beside the bed.

The Moon-Shading board slid open an inch.

Crimson moonlight immediately spilled through the gap, casting a glow between the edge of the bed and the floor.

The light wasn't particularly bright.

Sophie stared at the beam of moonlight for a couple of seconds, then slowly extended her right hand.

The moment her fingertips touched the moonlight, her skin began to dissolve.

It burned and tore.

It was as if she were being gently rubbed out of existence by ultra-fine sandpaper.

The first to vanish was the color at the edge of her fingertips, followed by her nails, skin, and knuckles. Even the sensation of pain was a beat slow to catch up, bringing with it a nauseating feeling of emptiness.

Sophie didn't pull her hand back immediately.

She simply watched her fingers fade bit by bit in the moonlight, counting silently in her head.

One.

Two.

Three.

Only when the fourth breath was about to end did she finally pull her hand back.

The dissolution stopped instantly. Her vampire regenerative abilities surged alongside the warmth of the constant-temperature array, and her missing fingertips regrew at a visible rate.

Sophie flexed her fingers.

The speed at which the Red Moon consumed her had slowed by about three percent.

This was a very rough estimate she had made based on her physical sensations, the scope of the damage, and the length of the missing parts before recovery from her past few attempts.

But it was enough.

The Trauma was weakening.

Miaoyue's solitude was being filled by the things she was doing.

What Sophie was doing right now was correct.

Sophie closed the observation window and the curtains again, and the crimson moonlight in the carriage vanished.

...

Within her inner world.

An emergency round table meeting was convened once more.

At the massive black round table, Original Sophie sat at the head, with Angel Sophie on her left and Demon Sophie on her right.

Three chibi Sophies, scaled down proportionally, stood up simultaneously. With solemn expressions, they began to clap.

Clap, clap, clap.

The applause was grand, solemn, and entirely unnecessary.

Original Sophie clapped while looking across the round table.

The seat where Primal Sophie once sat was no longer empty.

A new Sophie sat there.

She wore a tiny blue top hat, a delicate short cape over her shoulders, and had puffed-up cheeks, her expression so serious it seemed as if she were attending some supreme council concerning the fate of the world.

That is, if one ignored the fact that she had been looking down and mining since the moment she appeared.

Original Sophie looked at her.

Angel Sophie looked at her.

Demon Sophie also looked at her.

Sister Sophie had no reaction to all the stares. She simply focused on mining while repeating with absolute sincerity, “When are we fast-forwarding to the social space?”

The three Sophies fell silent.

“She's even more direct than Primal Sophie,” Demon Sophie commented.

“At least it proves our inner world is very honest,” Angel Sophie said gently.

Original Sophie: “...”

She could absolutely do without this kind of honesty.

Get serious, we're in a meeting!

She tapped her fingers on the round table, forcefully steering the meeting back on track.

“Anyway, the results of the test just now are out,” Original Sophie said. “The speed of the moonlight's dissolution is about three percent slower than before. Although the sample size is small and the margin of error is large, the trend is definitely there.”

Angel Sophie let out a soft sigh of relief, the wings on her back unfurling slightly.

“In other words, our efforts during this time haven't been in vain,” she murmured. “Miaoyue's solitude is indeed melting away. She's willing to stay in the carriage, willing to accept pastries, willing to act as a teacher, willing to let us hold her hand, and willing to embrace us after a battle. Even if she keeps denying it verbally, her Trauma won't play stubborn along with her.”

“Too slow.”

Demon Sophie draped her tail over the tabletop, its tip tapping impatiently twice.

“Only three percent. At this rate, how long are we going to play this master-disciple game with her? Sure, she interacts with us now, but most of the time, she's just playing the role of a so-called love training teacher using the excuses she made up for herself. We haven't truly entered the deepest part of her heart.”

Angel Sophie didn't immediately argue back.

Demon Sophie sneered and continued, “The easiest method has been right in front of us all along. Just reveal Hiso's identity. The Teacher is back, Hiso is back—the person she has waited five hundred years for is standing right in front of her. We've already laid down so much groundwork, and her boundaries with Sophie have loosened too. Once the identity is inherited and the Favorability is merged, the rate at which her Trauma weakens will definitely skyrocket.”

Original Sophie lowered her eyes.

Angel Sophie's halo flickered.

This time, she didn't immediately dismiss this proposal as a wicked path like she had in the previous meeting.

Her previous rejection wasn't because the plan was ineffective; on the contrary, it was because it was too easily effective. As long as the Teacher truly returned, Miaoyue could naturally connect her five hundred years of waiting, her regret over letting go, and her obsession on the moon back onto the same path, and then arrive at a conclusion that was dangerously close to correct.

As long as I keep waiting, keep believing, and never let go, Teacher will truly return.

That wasn't untying the knot; it was plating the knot with a layer of sacred moonlight.

But now, the conditions were different.

The one Miaoyue had met first was Sophie—a Sophie who would lie, smirk, make pastries, be disdained yet remembered by her, reach out to touch her ankle in the carriage, and have her heart flutter over a single hug.

Now that Sophie's image was already established, even if she brought Hiso into the picture, there was no fear of him overshadowing her.

She thought seriously for a long time before slowly speaking.

“From a results perspective, it is indeed feasible,” Angel Sophie said. “What we are doing now is essentially finding a way to make Miaoyue accept Sophie, fill her solitude, and accept who we are now. Since Sophie and Hiso are originally the same person, coming clean with the current groundwork isn't a completely irresponsible choice, and it can speed up our progress.”

Demon Sophie spread her hands.

“See? Even the birdbrain agrees. Now we just need the original to nod.”

“I only said it's feasible, not that we should do it right now,” Angel Sophie frowned. “And this is different from flying straight to the moon in the past and shouting 'Little Yue, Teacher is back.' Now, Miaoyue has already seen Sophie's clumsiness, playfulness, body heat, and desires. She isn't accepting the return of her old Teacher in a complete vacuum.”

“Which is exactly why we should strike while the iron is hot,” Demon Sophie said. “She was so flustered just now that she dissolved into moonlight and fled, yet she still didn't forget to snatch the molten-center pastry before she left. Her mouth says 'noble Moon Goddess,' but her body very honestly accepts being fed, taught, hand-holding, hugging, and a bit of boundary-crossing contact. If we go up to her now and tell her that her Teacher has not only returned but also has feelings for her, won't we easily grasp her heart and refine it in an instant?”

Sister Sophie looked up. “So when are we fast-forwarding to the social space?”

“Shut up,” Angel and Demon Sophie said in unison.

Sister Sophie fell silent, returning single-mindedly to her mining.

Original Sophie looked at the light screen floating above the round table, which displayed images of the hug, the blanket cocoon, the molten-center pastry, and the excessively cute New Moon Witch.

Angel Sophie asked softly, “Original, what do you think?”

Demon Sophie also looked at her. “Don't tell me you're jealous of yourself. Although that sounds exactly like something Sophie would do, it's honestly too embarrassing.”

Original Sophie didn't answer.

She simply asked, “Have you ever seen Little Yue make these kinds of expressions in the past?”

Angel Sophie froze.

Demon Sophie frowned.

“What was the past Miaoyue like?” Original Sophie looked at them. “She always did whatever Hiso told her to do. If Hiso didn't mention something, she wouldn't ask. If Hiso told her to use a Forbidden Spell, she used a Forbidden Spell. If Hiso said ordinary magic was useless, she really forgot all ordinary magic. She would be afraid of pain, believe in goodwill, tilt her head clumsily, and say, 'It's good that you're not hurt, thank you for your hard work' when her Teacher returned.”

She paused.

“But did we ever see her be so flustered and stubborn in front of her Teacher in the past? Did we ever see her try to put on a brave face with such a look of disgust? Did we ever hear her talk about her own preferences and interests?”

No one answered.

“Did we ever see her wrap herself into a blanket cocoon just because her ankle was touched, only to peek out with greedy eyes because she was craving sweets?”

Angel Sophie toyed with her halo.

“Did we ever see her insist she was the noble Moon Goddess while picking out the untouched pastries from the plate one by one?”

Demon Sophie pinched her heart-shaped tail.

“Did we ever see her separate sect propaganda, love training, and taking advantage of the goddess into three distinct things? Did we ever see her straighten her back and declare she wanted to be a teacher too, just because of a cookie shaped like her? Did we ever see her preach about pure love, only to panic and dissolve into moonlight to flee when Sophie gave her a hug?”

Original Sophie looked up.

“Did we, as Hiso in the past, ever truly look at her?”

This time, the silence stretched on for a long while.

Demon Sophie clicked her tongue.

“Weren't we just rushing the main story back then? We had a mature build, tons of resources, maxed-out flower gifts, and skipped every relationship CG we could.”

She flicked her little tail. “Who would make a lifelong vow to a mass-produced 2D character in a Galgame anyway?”

Angel Sophie didn't reply immediately.

Her halo dimmed for a brief moment.

“We owed too much to Little Dino...” she murmured. “Afterward, when facing others, we could never muster that same drive to give it our all.”

She didn't say any more.

But the fact that "Miaoyue was ranked last" was something everyone at the round table knew all too well.

Original Sophie remained silent, merely looking up at the light screen.

On the screen, Hiso stood under the moonlight, looking down at the shivering little girl wearing a flower wreath by the altar.

That was their first meeting, a hidden quest, Favorability, stats, a route, and the final piece of the Destined Crown's main storyline.

What followed was the flash of dumped resources, skippable dialogue, choices so practiced they required no thought, and the natural steamrolling of a max-level account clearing side quests.

Even her Favorability had been maxed out by skipping calendar days to buy flowers in the main city and gifting them directly.

Too lazy to talk, too lazy to date, too lazy to read the story—even the final confession plotline had been fast-forwarded all the way.

And a little girl had turned those two days into a five-hundred-year myth.

“To be honest, is there really a difference between maxing out Favorability by gifting a thousand flowers and reaching 100 Favorability by exhaustively playing through every dialogue branch, date, and chat?” Demon Sophie stroked her chin. “Wasn't our relationship with Shironaka Fueno the latter? But in the end, didn't both display 【100 Favorability - Unwavering Devotion】 on the status panel?”

Original Sophie asked in return, “Do you think they're the same?”

Demon Sophie shrugged. “At least in terms of the stats during the final clearing screen, there isn't.”

Angel Sophie fell silent for a moment, then said, “I understand what the original means. It's like how we never doubted whether exposing our identity to Shironaka Fueno was bad, because we are us, and she is she.”

“But when it comes to Little Yue... we don't have that confidence at all.”

“So the original is afraid of Miaoyue blackening?” Demon Sophie tilted her head. “No big deal, just bring Miss Hero and Little Dino over.”

Original Sophie didn't answer, her gaze still fixed on the screen.

The screen switched back to the present.

In the corner of the carriage, Miaoyue was curled up in her blanket, exposing only a pair of bright eyes as she stared at the molten-center pastry in Sophie's hand.

Looking at the scene, Sophie suddenly let out a soft laugh.

“It's not fear. I just want to... see more of her.”

“She has shown us many sides we never saw in the past. Gestures she would never make toward Hiso, clumsy reactions that don't fit the dignity of the Moon Goddess.”

“She isn't just the final chapter before the ending route. She's a real person.”

“If we just inherit Hiso's Favorability, we could win her over with a single click.”

“But that's a loser's mindset.”

“Aren't we a Galgame master?” Original Sophie raised her eyes, her voice finally carrying a trace of her familiar pride. “Now that we've physically crossed over, there's no way we should lose to our past self who just skipped through life with a single click, right? Aside from being a 'white moonlight savior,' what was so great about the past Hiso anyway?”

Angel Sophie looked at her.

Demon Sophie looked at her.

Sister Sophie also looked at her.

After a brief pause, Demon Sophie tilted her head. “That's not all, is it? Why doesn't the original say what she's truly thinking? Are you embarrassed, or are you afraid?”

Angel Sophie chimed in, “Both are possible. That is the answer.”

Original Sophie's expression stiffened.

She turned her head, avoiding their gazes.

Inside the carriage, the real-world Sophie also subconsciously curled the fingers that had just been erased by the moonlight.

“Because I don't want to.”

Within her inner world, Original Sophie finally spoke.

“I don't want to inherit that old save file.”

“If we reveal our identity now and inherit everything from the past Hiso, then we'll never be able to tell.”

“When she's willing to draw close—”

Original Sophie's voice paused.

“Is the one she likes this soft, sweet Sophie who is genuinely spending time with her right now, or is it the Lord of the Dark Night she has missed for five hundred and fifteen years?”

Sophie's fingertips traced silent circles on the edge of the round table.

“I don't want to cash in.”

Angel Sophie and Demon Sophie stared at her.

“Cashing in on the maxed-out Favorability of the old Hiso is equivalent to admitting that our two-day speedrun in the past was valid,” Original Sophie said calmly. “The meaning of a journey lies not in the destination, but in the process. We are a Galgame master. What fun is there in using a max-level old save file to return to the starting village?”

“I don't accept that kind of relationship,” Sophie said. “It's not true love.”

“But our plan is highly efficient,” Demon Sophie argued.

“Efficiency aside, the key is that it feels cheap.”

Original Sophie's voice sped up a beat.

“I just don't want her to love a Hiso whom she has deified for five hundred years. I want her to see Sophie clearly. I want her to see that I can lie, that I have a mischievous side, that I lure her with pastries, and that I covet her warmth.”

She took a breath.

“Is there something wrong with that?”

Those last words were spoken far too quickly.

Demon Sophie's tail tip tapped the tabletop impatiently twice.

“You've been talking about strategy this entire time.”

Original Sophie: “Huh?”

“Since a moment ago, all you've been saying is 'cheating is bad,' 'a Galgame master disdains it,' and 'I want her to see Sophie clearly,'” Demon Sophie tilted her head and stared at her. “Every single sentence makes sense. But don't you think you've missed something?”

Original Sophie didn't answer.

“You're discussing how to win her over,” Demon Sophie said. “But since when did you become someone who only talks about processes and strategies? Where are the rewards and stats you care about most? And when did you ever care about so-called true love? Don't you only have friends and no lov—”

“I was discussing the matter of friends in the first place, don't change the subje—”

“Then why is your hand shaking?”

Original Sophie looked down.

Her fingertips were still resting on the edge of the round table, but the circles she was tracing were no longer round.

She pulled her hand back and clenched it into a fist.

“That's just...”

Angel Sophie suddenly spoke, cutting off the words Sophie hadn't finished.

“Soft, sweet Sophie.”

She repeated the phrase Sophie had just used.

Original Sophie's shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly.

“That's what you just said,” Angel Sophie looked at her, her tone so gentle it was almost harmless. “You said, 'this soft, sweet Sophie who is genuinely spending time with her.'”

“That was just... a description. I just said it randomly.”

“Since when have you ever described yourself as 'soft and sweet'?”

Original Sophie didn't answer.

Angel Sophie stopped toying with the halo above her head and tilted her head slightly.

“You specifically researched her favorite pastry flavors. When you caught her gaze through the gap in the blanket cocoon, you smirked with genuine mischief. When you tested the speed of the moonlight's dissolution, you lamented that the Trauma was weakening.”

“My dear original, I never knew you were such a responsible person.”

“Furthermore, what makes you happy isn't just that the Trauma is weakening, but rather that what you are doing is correct—which makes you feel incredibly relieved.”

She paused.

“At the end of the day, you're just happy that you can use the excuse of weakening her Trauma to get physically close to her.”

“Is there something wrong with that?” Original Sophie said impatiently.

“Yes, yes, perfectly correct,” Demon Sophie said, propping her chin on her hand as she took over the conversation. “But as we said, if you admit to being Hiso, Miaoyue will only cling to you even tighter, and she'll grant your every request.”

“Leaving aside the possibility that you actually enjoyed being kicked by her.”

“There is only one conclusion.”

“The original is afraid,” Angel Sophie said.

Demon Sophie nodded. “The original is terrified.”

“Terrified of Hiso.”

“Terrified of the self who didn't even put any heart into completing Miaoyue's route.”

“Terrified that once Miaoyue discovers your identity, the one she actually likes won't be this soft, sweet Sophie showing her true self in front of her.”

“Terrified that Miaoyue's affection is just the Favorability that Hiso maxed out back then using a thousand flowers from the main city shop.”

“Terrified that she will drag you into endless conversations about the past while remaining completely blind to your current efforts.”

“Terrified of planting beans beneath the southern hill only to find the weeds outgrowing the crop, terrified of trying hard to plant flowers only for them not to bloom, while a stray willow branch thrives on its own.”

Angel and Demon Sophie fired sentence after sentence, giving the original absolutely no chance to speak.

Original Sophie: “...”

She had nothing to say.

She was indeed afraid.

The meaning of the journey not being about the destination was merely a shield she used to make excuses for herself.

She wanted both the process and the result.

If Miaoyue knew Sophie was Hiso and threw herself happily into her arms.

Sophie would never know how much of that embrace belonged to Sophie.

The greedy Sophie wanted all of it.

Inside the carriage, the real-world Sophie subconsciously curled her fingers.

In her inner world, no one spoke.

Sister Sophie looked at the original, then at the angel, then at the demon. For once, she didn't ask about the social space.

She simply set down her pickaxe in silence.

A long silence ensued.

“It's not like the original hasn't made her decision, so there's no need to continue this meeting,” Demon Sophie shrugged.

“But no matter what, Hiso is Miaoyue's white moonlight. That fact will never change unless you plan to alter her memories. In the end, we'll have to tell her eventually.”

Angel Sophie nodded gently, then let out a sigh.

“At first, I thought the theme of this meeting was how to resolve her Trauma, but I didn't expect the original to have already fallen for her.”

“They say the one who falls in love first has already lost. In that case, we've suffered a crushing defeat.”

Demon Sophie propped up her face and deliberately lowered her voice, mimicking in a highly exaggerated, raspy tone, “I'm sorry, Teacher, but you... your stats are simply not high enough.”

“The one I like is Hiso, not you.”

Original Sophie: “...”

She buried her face in her hands.

Sister Sophie let out a dull sigh. “I really want to live a life where looking up shows helplessness, but looking down shows we have each other.”

No one paid her any attention.

“So, according to the original's wishes, when are we going to reveal our identity?”

Sophie buried her face in her arms, remaining silent for a long time.

“...At least, I want to hear her say she likes me once before she knows I'm Hiso.”

“Saying she likes Sophie.”

“Not because I look like someone, not because I remind her of someone, and not because I've returned in someone else's place.”

“Just... liking the person right in front of her.”

Her voice grew softer and softer.

“Even if it's just for a single moment.”

“Even if she regrets it right after saying it, runs straight back to the moon, hugs her statue, and says she was bewitched, desecrated, and corrupted by that foolish disciple—it doesn't matter.”

“As long as there was a single moment where the one she saw in her eyes was me.”

“Then... I won't have lost to my past self.”

The carriage fell silent.

Demon Sophie didn't tease her anymore.

Angel Sophie didn't deliver any more verbal blows either.

After a long while, Original Sophie added in a muffled voice:

“...We'll talk about it when that day comes.”

Sister Sophie slowly raised her hand. “Then when are we fast-forwarding to the social space?”

The meeting ended.

Outside the carriage, Buck and Gru pulled the alchemy carriage across a stretch of uneven stony road, causing the carriage to sway slightly.

The blanket on the massive bed slid down half an inch.

The space that had belonged to Miaoyue just moments ago remained empty.

Sophie curled up inside the wool blanket.

The bed was still just as massive, but half of it was empty.

“...You're such a handful, Little Yue.”

I'm such a handful too.

She closed her eyes.

Sophie fell asleep.

Her sleep was light and fitful. Occasionally she would frown or grip the wool blanket tighter, mumbling incoherent words that no one could understand.

—

In the shadows of the carriage, an extremely fine thread silently descended.

It was as if it had been pulled from somewhere far away, yet also as if it had been here all along.

The empty half of the bed sank slightly.

The other half of the blanket was lifted ever so gently at one corner, then closed once more.

A trace of warmth entered the blanket.

Sophie rolled onto her side toward the depression in the mattress, her arms wrapping around naturally as she buried her face in fabric that carried a faint scent of black tea.