Chapter 29: Return to the Sober World
The girl’s gem-like purple eyes dimmed, losing their luster, her body collapsing limply onto Althea.
This witch had bared her truest heart without reservation. If a corpse could speak, her final strained smile would surely say: Whether you believe it or not, my feelings for you never wavered.
The blood on Althea’s hands was still warm. Her stubbornness, her incomplete trust, had led to this.
The one she wanted to save had saved her countless times and didn’t need saving in the end.
“I’m sorry…”
They say when grief reaches its peak, tears turn bitter, even tinged with blood, falling to wilt flower petals.
But Althea could no longer cry.
Holding the cold body, her heart felt hollow, missing its most vital piece.
“If you hadn’t met me, helped me, followed me… things would’ve been better…”
Then there’d be no pain of parting.
But there were no ifs.
She was gone.
…
Year 972, Kellivir Kingdom.
The history books recorded many events that year.
A successful festival, a change of monarch, an invasion by a cult.
An unknown curse swept the nation, only to vanish instantly.
A mountain appeared out of nowhere near the palace, hiding a village preserved for a millennium.
The palace’s sole Hyperion tree grew overnight, becoming a kingdom marvel.
Rebellious nobles plotted in secret but were swiftly crushed by the queen’s spies and forces.
The new queen, as if awakened, consolidated her power with decisive efficiency, leading every sector to prosperity.
But her subjects never knew that the queen, who made it all happen, once considered ending her own life…
When Althea saw the puppet, she thought of someone.
When she returned exhausted to her room and saw dusty books, she thought of someone.
When she rested under the Hyperion tree, she thought of someone.
That someone was preserved in a cherished recording crystal, a photo of a girl with a flower crown, smiling in the sunset—so lovely, so romantic.
Knock, knock—
The crystal slipped from Althea’s hand as she zoned out, landing on a book.
She brushed off the dust and flipped through it absentmindedly.
Just a familiar story, now seeming childish.
“Wait, what’s this?”
A yellowed note, tucked between the pages, bore clumsy, earnest handwriting.
[I bet you’ll flip through this book someday. There’s something for you under the Hyperion tree’s soil.]
Dazed, Althea clutched the note, stumbling toward the tree.
The spot where she often sat—had something been hidden there all along?
Digging through shallow dirt, she found a notebook and a wilted flower crown, nearly merged with the soil.
The notebook’s cover had doodles of two figures—one black-haired, one silver-haired.
Inside were the girl’s bored diary entries.
[4.24: Wore the clothes Althea gave me today. They’re pretty, and she said I’m pretty too. Kinda embarrassing.]
[4.26: Althea’s snacks were delicious. Apparently, they’re custom-made just for me.]
[4.25: Snuck to the Sage’s Tower to mess with the Great Sage. Almost got caught, but Althea had my back.]
[…Every day with Althea is so happy.]
[Althea’s the best.]
Drip, drip—
Water stained the last page. Rain?
Feeling wet streaks on her cheeks, Althea wiped them away.
Oh, tears.
Why had they come unnoticed?
“Hey, can you hear me?”
That voice, etched in her heart, startled Althea.
After frantically searching, she realized it came from the puppet she carried.
“Bet you didn’t expect this! I added this function to the puppet.
I don’t know what you’re doing or thinking right now, but it’s your birthday today. No matter how busy you are, don’t forget it.
Spend this special day with those around you. Don’t overwork, don’t get sick, don’t overthink. And finally—
If I can never see you again, I wish you good morning, good afternoon, good night~”
The puppet played another audio—not words, but a pure birthday song.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”
Cheerful birdsong blended with the song’s blessings in the breeze.
The Hyperion tree, lush with green, shed a faint fragrance, mingling with the flower crown’s fading scent, drifting far away.
The queen, who thought her heart was unbreakable, could no longer suppress her loneliness. Clutching the puppet, she wailed like a child.
Only now did she understand.
The loss of a loved one wasn’t a passing storm but a lifetime of damp sorrow.
…
[Simulation Ended]
Soon after facing death, Tina slowly regained feeling in her limbs in the darkness.
The sensation of death, the pain of life—it was all so real, yet utterly false.
Returning to the sober reality from the simulated world, the heavy stone in her heart finally settled.
Did she succeed?
How much lifespan would she gain?
[Achievement: Fated Enemy of the Mistmoon Cult—In this simulation, you eliminated two archbishops and aided in capturing one. As a witch, you severely disrupted their plans, saving Kellivir from crisis.]
[Achievement: Whimsical Doctor—You used witch techniques to split the prince’s soul, turning him into her. Such methods defy ethics, but you saved someone doomed to die.]
[Achievement: The Princess’s Guardian, The Princess’s Tormentor—You helped the princess in countless ways, only to deceive her and shatter her defenses. As a villain, you’re stellar; as a partner, you’re kind of a jerk.]
Tina: “?”
What? Now it’s insulting me?
[Overall Rating: A-]
[By results, you met all objectives, but there’s room for improvement.]
[Lifespan Reward: Six months + one year, plus partial relief from disease pain.]
[Keep up the good work.]