In the inn room, the lamplight was dim and yellow.
The curtains tightly blocked out the scarlet moonlight, leaving only a thin line of dark red at the edges.
The room was quiet—so quiet that the tiny crackling of the magic candle wick could be heard.
Kaila sat in the chair, unmoving.
Sophie sat on the edge of the bed, also unmoving.
The two of them confronted each other in silence for a moment.
Then, Sophie moved first.
She silently scooted a little further into the bed.
Then a little more.
And a little more.
After she finished scooting, Sophie looked up and patted the small space she had just cleared beside her, pretending to be casual.
“Miss Hero.”
Sophie patted the bed frantically.
“Miss Hero~”
“Miss~ He~ro~”
Kaila looked at her. “Yes.”
“The bed in this place is actually quite big.”
“Yes.”
“Sleeping alone is a waste of resources, and it’s cold.”
“Yes.”
“Be good and let me see!” Sophie barked.
“Hmm?”
Sophie’s spirits lifted.
There was a chance.
She cleared her throat, trying to make her tone sound sincere and harmless.
“Besides, I just suffered severe psychological trauma. I’m currently in a very fragile state, very much in need of care, and very prone to insomnia. As friends—friends who are close enough to bathe together and go on dates—it’s completely reasonable to give each other some basic humanitarian care. Furthermore, the moon is very dangerous; one can feel lonely even indoors...”
Kaila listened quietly until she finished.
“And so?”
“And so I think,” Sophie said seriously, “it shouldn’t be a big problem for friends to cuddle while they sleep.”
Kaila was silent for a moment. “Why is... that sentence... not a lie?”
“Because that’s just how it is,” Sophie said righteously.
If she didn’t have a fragrant and soft Miss Hero body pillow, how was she supposed to get through the long night?
“No,” Kaila refused. “Sleep by yourself.”
It was just one mention of being a scrub; surely she wouldn't be angry for this long.
“I am deeply sorry for my arrogant words to Miss Hero. Please punish me severely—as long as you let me cuddle with you after the punishment is over.” Sophie prostrated herself on the bed, wriggling toward Kaila like an inchworm.
Kaila: (ŏ_ŏ)
She stood up and walked toward the bed.
Finally!
Sophie’s eyes lit up.
As expected, Miss Hero was still soft-hearted.
She knew it; the most important thing between people was communication and understanding. A mere accidental skill trigger couldn't possibly destroy their rock-solid friendship.
Miss Hero really does dote on me!
Sophie peeked her head up secretly.
The next moment.
Kaila stopped by the bed.
She looked down at the prostrate Sophie, seriously processing this overly complex request.
Punishment + Sleep.
A bad premonition suddenly rose in Sophie’s heart.
“Miss Hero?”
Kaila didn’t answer.
She simply took half a step back.
The hem of her grey-white nun’s robe swayed gently, and her arms spread out to her sides. In the next breath, she calmly pointed two fingers toward the ceiling.
The flame of the magic candle was pressed to one side by an invisible current of air.
The smile on Sophie’s face gradually vanished.
Wait.
Miss Hero.
Are you serious about that 'half a step back' move?
Before she could even say the words, Kaila had already leaned over.
One hand gripped her shoulder blade.
One hand locked her waist.
Her knees were lightly hooked.
Sophie was lifted from her prostrate position without any suspense.
【Log: Strength gap too large. Escape check failed.】
【Log: You have entered an uncancelable throw sequence.】
“Wait a minute, this isn’t the punishment I was talking abou—”
Her voice was spun into intermittent gasps by the rotation.
The lead-black curtains in the room suddenly bulged, the covers were flipped open ahead of time, and the bedframe let out a desperate creak.
Sophie finally realized.
Kaila hadn’t gone soft-hearted.
She had just very seriously adopted the two conditions: 'punish me severely' and 'sleep after the punishment.'
And she had chosen the shortest path.
“Wait, wait, wait, we’re going to crash! Mamba out!”
The next instant.
Boom!
The mattress sank abruptly, and the covers billowed up from both sides like waves.
Sophie was slammed precisely into the center of the bed, her landing point even being only three inches from the pillow. The force was well-controlled; Sophie didn't take any damage, but...
【Log: You have entered a Comatose (Reversed) state: Consciousness +100%】
“Miss—mgh—mgh—”
Before Sophie could even speak, Kaila had already expressionlessly yanked the quilt over her, cutting her off.
Covered.
Pressed down.
Tucked in.
“Sleep,” Kaila said, looking at Sophie, who was wrapped up like a cat-worm.
Sophie: “...Mgh-mgh.”
Kaila took half a step back and sat back down in the chair.
She sat upright with a calm expression, like a member of the clergy keeping watch, or a responsible guardian maintaining a necessary distance from a problem child.
Sophie poked half her face out from under the quilt.
“Miss Hero.”
“Yes.”
“You’re making me feel like a child being coaxed to sleep.”
“You do, indeed, need rest right now.”
“Then can you at least lie down a little closer? Even if it’s just on half the bed. I promise I won’t move around.”
“No.”
“Why?”
Kaila thought seriously for a moment.
“Because that is a lie. You will move around.”
Sophie opened her mouth.
She wanted to argue.
But her credit score with Miss Hero was currently so low she couldn't even unlock a shared bicycle.
Damn it.
Sophie retracted into the quilt, dejected.
A moment later.
Still not giving up, she reached a hand out from the bed, trying to grab the hem of Kaila’s robe hanging by the chair.
That hand had only just poked out from the covers.
Kaila spoke without even looking up:
“Sophie.”
Sophie yanked her hand back instantly, as if she had been scalded by blood.
“...Oh.”
The room became quiet again.
Sophie wanted to continue struggling.
But too many things had happened today—too dense, too chaotic.
Miaoyue’s strange romance secrets, the dating path they had walked, Shironaka Fueno’s flushed face before leaving, that one backward glance under the moonlight, Kaila’s hand stopping in mid-air when the accidental Scrub Taunt triggered... all of it was like a tangled mess of silk threads winding through her mind.
She stared at the dim ceiling for a while.
Then she peeked at Kaila sitting in the chair.
Miss Hero still hadn’t slept; she just sat there quietly, keeping watch.
Her long golden hair was draped over her shoulders, and the silhouette of her nun’s robe looked exceptionally soft under the lamp, like a light that wouldn't come close but wouldn't leave either.
She didn't know how long passed.
Sophie finally closed her eyes.
Her breathing gradually became even, though even after falling asleep, she wasn't peaceful.
She frowned slightly, her fingertips occasionally clutching the edge of the quilt unconsciously, as if she were still struggling with something in her dreams.
Then, she began to talk in her sleep.
“Friends... you can have many of them...”
Kaila looked up.
“You can only have one lover... but dating between friends... is actually quite reasonable...”
Kaila: “...”
Sophie rolled over, hugging the quilt tight, her voice sounding more and more aggrieved.
“Just because I have too many friends... don't call me a player... resource allocation... time management... is very complex...”
She paused, then began to mutter indistinctly again:
“War of the Eight Princes... social space... no way, no way...”
Kaila watched her quietly.
Sophie was clearly not sleeping soundly.
Even while asleep, that slight crease between her brows never fully relaxed. It was as if she were being repeatedly chased by some absurd dream.
And it was at this moment.
Kaila let out a sigh.
Though she couldn't understand what Sophie was saying, she assumed it wasn't anything proper.
She was always like this.
Suddenly, the solar pendant on Kaila’s chest emitted a faint glimmer of golden light.
The light wasn't dazzling; it was roughly equivalent to the first glimmer of brightness falling on the world when the dawn has just begun to rise.
Kaila looked down.
A brand new prompt silently appeared at the edge of her vision.
Feel your own power.
Follow your identity, and the identity will grant power; the stronger the identity, the more it provides.
As a Hero, Kaila had a massive amount of blessings, and they were constantly increasing.
This new blessing was...
Eye of Judgment: Can observe all good and evil acts of a target and provide a basic moral value.
Kaila blinked.
She didn't immediately evaluate it, but simply opened it quietly and skillfully, as she usually did when testing new abilities.
Then, her eyes, which could see through lies, also activated limited X-ray and true sight.
In an instant.
The world in her eyes changed slightly.
The walls became semi-transparent. The corridor behind the door, the lobby downstairs, the eaves and alleys across the street—all of it was like a layer of mist being peeled away, revealing more realistic outlines.
At the same time, strings of faint gold and grey-black small characters began to appear above the heads of pedestrians.
【Stole two apples from a stall, -5】
【Damaged public property without permission, -1】
【Gave directions to a lost child, +2】
【Helped a child avoid being consumed by the moonlight, +100】
【Pushed someone first during an argument with a neighbor, -3】
【Shared leftover black bread with refugees, +4】
Kaila quietly scanned the area.
There were many people in Silvervein City.
There was a lot of kindness and malice.
But most of it was very small.
Like loose copper shells in a ledger.
Visible.
And certainly real.
But other than that, it didn't hold much meaning.
Kaila pondered for a moment.
This ability was almost entirely useless—at least in combat.
She was just about to turn off the Eye of Judgment and continue her watch when a blurry sleep-talk came from the bed behind her again.
“Friends... you could always have many of them...”
“As long as it's handled properly... romantic relationships are also part of social relations...”
“This isn't being unfaithful... this is called strategic coalition value...”
Should she take a look at Sophie’s? But what if she really found something?
But she was so curious... look, don't look, look, don't look... forget it, she’d look. If she didn't, she’d feel curious the whole time, which would affect future battles.
She’d write a letter to Miss Hill after she finished looking.
After Kaila made her decision, she slowly turned her head.
She looked at Sophie.
The numbers in front of her began to jump.
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6...
The numbers appearing above the head of the sleep-talking Sophie didn't even display fully at first.
Because it was too long.
Grey-black light churned like ink, finally struggling to condense into a simple value.
【Comprehensive Moral Value: -0.2 sextillion】
Kaila: “...?”
What was this? She didn't understand.
She continued to look further down.
In the next moment, an even longer record flooded her vision like a burst dam.
【Eye of Judgment viewing...】
【Committed intergalactic genocide in the name of gene purification, -1,200,000,000,000,000,000】
【Permanently erased entire sapient races from the stellar charts, -980,000,000,000,000,000】
【Purged alien sectors by executive order and processed the inhabitants into food cans, -760,000,000,000,000,000】
【Registered newly contacted civilizations as disposable resources and eliminated them, -540,000,000,000,000,000】
【Enforced genocidal migrations on civilizations that refused to submit, -420,000,000,000,000,000】
【Deliberately maintained inefficient living conditions to force vassal species into extinction, -330,000,000,000,000,000】
【Accumulated over five billion non-combatants on a single planet under the guise of unlimited tourism jobs, -290,000,000,000,000,000】
【Decided there was too much unemployment and directly ethnically cleansed an entire planet, -860,000,000,000,000】
【Categorized and numbered defeated civilizations by appearance before enslaving them in bulk, -740,000,000,000,000】
【Kept alien elites in exhibition halls with signs reading 'Endangered Sapient Species,' -210,000,000,000,000】
【Forced billions into genetic screening to pursue rare traits, -680,000,000,000,000】
【Turned an entire planet's population into consciousness batteries for a server, labeled 'Green Energy,' -770,000,000,000,000】
【Classified an entire sapient race as lifelong slave property, -680,000,000,000,000,000】
【Established inter-sector slave transport chains and replenished populations based on wear-and-tear rates, -520,000,000,000,000,000】
【Categorized and penned ruled populations for breeding, labor, and entertainment, -410,000,000,000,000,000】
【Forcibly implanted obedience modifications to strip away free will, -360,000,000,000,000,000】
【Degraded defeated civilizations to tradable biological assets, -320,000,000,000,000,000】
【Universally established thought control and lifelong surveillance in the name of public security, -240,000,000,000,000,000】
【Sent unyielding prisoners to 'Blissful Reform' before shipping them to labor planets, -390,000,000,000,000】
【Transformed an entire planet into a forced labor pit to save on management fees, -410,000,000,000,000】
【Ordered planetary-scale extinction strikes despite knowing there were many civilians left, -1,100,000,000,000,000,000】
【Repeatedly destroyed inhabited worlds with planet-killer weapons, -930,000,000,000,000,000】
【Blockaded a planet's survival conditions until the civilization suffocated, -610,000,000,000,000,000】
【Destroyed entire ecosystems to save on occupation costs, -470,000,000,000,000,000】
【Publicly executed an entire planet for the purpose of demonstrating deterrence, -390,000,000,000,000,000】
【Casually destroyed worlds that had lost the ability to resist, -280,000,000,000,000,000】
【Deliberately used border primitive planets as target ranges to test naval gun range, -480,000,000,000,000】
【Added extra planetary bombardment after surrender just to create a more orderly ruin landscape, -550,000,000,000,000】
【Launched several global purification strikes just because those planets weren't symmetrical enough on the map, -890,000,000,000,000】
【Fired planet-killer weapons at civilizations that refused to submit, listing 'don't block the flight path' as the reason, -980,000,000,000,000】
【Wrote civilization survival into the charter, then personally pressed the civilization termination button, -1,000,000,000,000,000】
【Backstabbed an ally's homeworld after concluding a mutual protection pact, -350,000,000,000,000,000】
【Used common defense as an excuse to trick border passage before annexing the territory, -270,000,000,000,000,000】
【Secretly deployed troops for a surprise attack during armistice negotiations, -230,000,000,000,000,000】
【Massacred a city after faking a peace treaty to appease a hostile civilization, -210,000,000,000,000,000】
【Deliberately manufactured border conflicts to frame a third party and trigger a total war, -180,000,000,000,000,000】
【Consumptively used vassals, allies, and refugee fleets as pawns, -160,000,000,000,000,000】
【Sold an ally's coordinates to a galactic disaster right after signing a non-aggression treaty, -520,000,000,000,000】
【Pulled an ally into the federation, drained their technology, then kicked them out and declared war, -430,000,000,000,000】
【Deliberately allowed an insect plague to break through the blockade, then used the 'Savior' identity to annex countries at a low price, -610,000,000,000,000】
【Navigated an entire refugee fleet into the edge of a black hole just to free up port berths, -440,000,000,000,000】
【Pretended to study diplomatic trade while actually spreading rebellion and plague to all neighbors, -320,000,000,000,000】
【Promised independence, then split the vassal state into seven pieces to tax each other, -290,000,000,000,000】
【Thought the war ended too quickly and secretly gave the enemy technology to continue a second round, -350,000,000,000,000】
【Consigned a surrendering fleet to a suicide charge after disarming them because their ships were 'too ugly,' -260,000,000,000,000】
The first page passed.
Kaila heard her new blessing letting out strained cracking sounds. She looked at the second page.
【Murdered direct relatives and legal heirs to seize inheritance rights, -170,000,000,000,000,000】
【Used marriage as a lure to swallow territories before purging the maternal bloodline, -150,000,000,000,000,000】
【Systemically forged bloodlines, doctrines, and legalities to usurp a kingdom, -120,000,000,000,000,000】
【Long-term imprisonment of dissenting nobles and manufactured 'legal deaths,' -110,000,000,000,000,000】
【Forcibly broke marriages, stole wives and daughters, and manipulated inheritance chains, -130,000,000,000,000,000】
【Mass confiscated vassal lands and personality rights under treason charges to distribute to family members, -90,000,000,000,000,000】
【Murdered kin to obtain inheritance rights, -160,000,000,000,000】
【My daughter's daughter is still my daughter, -70,000,000,000,000】
【Incited a family civil war just to raise the strongest wife, -130,000,000,000,000】
The second page ended. Kaila looked at the third page.
【Used prisoners of war as experimental materials for high-risk research, -440,000,000,000,000,000】
【Long-term detention of prisoners and subjected them to non-lethal torture to extract output, -310,000,000,000,000,000】
【Dismantled prisoner organs, limbs, and nerves for transplantation and commercialization, -390,000,000,000,000,000】
【Repeatedly tested prisoner tolerance limits with drugs, hunger, and cold, -260,000,000,000,000,000】
【Drafted captured civilians into suicidal engineering and cannon fodder units, -220,000,000,000,000,000】
【Collected 'lung taxes' in the colonies for a long period, -200,000,000,000,000,000】
【Acquiesced to cannibalism, brawling, and organ trade within colonies to exchange for order, -180,000,000,000,000,000】
【Prioritized drafting minors and the weak into high-mortality jobs, -140,000,000,000,000,000】
【Selective abandonment of settlements seeking help to recover their legacies, -125,000,000,000,000,000】
【Expelled indigenous residents from their ancestral lands and declared it an unclaimed development zone, -190,000,000,000,000,000】
【Broke prisoners' legs to install prosthetics just to repeatedly disassemble them to practice surgical skills, -140,000,000,000,000】
There was a fourth page?
Kaila felt her new blessing was slightly abnormal, but the blessing still seriously fulfilled its mission.
【Used living people for alchemy, artifact refining, and life extension, -260,000,000,000,000,000】
【Created ominous feng shui gates and extracted souls from mortals for refining, -230,000,000,000,000,000】
【Mass-scale dual cultivation and soul-snatching to break through realms and create equipment, -240,000,000,000,000,000】
【Penned mortals as medicinal fields, blood food, and formation testing materials, -210,000,000,000,000,000】
【Deliberately allowed evil spirits to go out of control to collect post-disaster souls, -170,000,000,000,000,000】
【Invited righteous sect brothers into a fire-copper room, -200,000,000,000,000,000】
【Buried outer sect disciples three layers deep as spiritual fertilizer just to make medicinal herbs grow faster, -120,000,000,000,000】
【Captured innocent rogue cultivators to extract their souls for banners, and repeatedly tortured them because their resentment wasn't high enough, -190,000,000,000,000】
【Guided lightning clouds to other people's gates in the name of transcending tribulation, then collected their bodies and artifacts, -97,000,000,000,000】
【Used a fellow disciple's treasure as a one-time material to refine an artifact, -150,000,000,000,000】
【Told a disciple that the Dao is heartless, then turned around and sold the disciple to be used as a furnace, -110,000,000,000,000】
Fifth page.
The blessing began to shatter.
【Launched a bottomless total war in the name of national survival, -300,000,000,000,000,000】
【Forcibly conscripted civilians, schoolchildren, and the disabled for a general mobilization to fill the gaps in the front line, -190,000,000,000,000,000】
【Ordered troops to hold to the last man despite knowing supplies were cut off, -160,000,000,000,000,000】
【Indiscriminately bombarded evacuation convoys and refugee corridors, -210,000,000,000,000,000】
【Used famine, plague, and winter as internal governance tools, -180,000,000,000,000,000】
【Systematically plundered food, fuel, and population in occupied areas, -220,000,000,000,000,000】
【Used allies as a buffer to stall for time, then reclaimed lost territory to take credit after they were all dead, -81,000,000,000,000】
【Launched a general offensive on the eve of peace negotiations just to take two more map tiles, -65,000,000,000,000】
【Dropped the first round of new weapons on the most densely populated area for testing, -170,000,000,000,000】
【Gave prisoners shovels to dig trenches, then ordered artillery to cover the area for calibration, -96,000,000,000,000】
【Let soldiers plunder villages and defaulted to treating civilians as spoils of war, -130,000,000,000,000,000】
【Forcibly conscripted tenant farmers, merchants, and refugees to build fortifications until they died of exhaustion, -115,000,000,000,000,000】
【Exterminated the families of those who refused to pay ransom for public display, -108,000,000,000,000,000】
【Deliberately drove civilians to storm the city gates during a siege to consume the defenders, -97,000,000,000,000,000】
【Executed all enemy troops after inducing them to surrender under the guise of incorporation, -121,000,000,000,000,000】
【Withheld pay after recruiting mountain bandits, then forced them back to be suppressed again to boost reputation, -43,000,000,000,000】
【Drowned a noble prisoner in the river at night anyway after collecting the maximum ransom, -57,000,000,000,000】
【Looted a village again right after they finished paying taxes, citing a 'discipline check,' -48,000,000,000,000】
【Impacted the continental market with smithing, -51,000,000,000,000】
【Tricked lords into a bloody banquet under the guise of a wedding, -74,000,000,000,000】
【Executed innocents for personal desire under the guise of justice, order, and faith, -205,000,000,000,000,000】
【Packaged personal preferences as public law and forcibly implemented them, -132,000,000,000,000,000】
【Forged promises of pardon, relief, and shelter to lure targets together before eliminating them, -176,000,000,000,000,000】
【Continued to operate a slaughter system while professing civilization and mercy, -188,000,000,000,000,000】
【Recorded numerous felonies as necessary sacrifices and refused any repentance, -166,000,000,000,000,000】
【Talked about saving the world while picking every lock and pickpocketing everyone on the way, -23,000,000,000,000】
【Picked locks and stole property under the guise of 'clearing the locks,' -56,000,000,000,000】
【Personally facilitated a city's worst fate just to see the ending branches, -83,000,000,000,000】
Sixth page.
【Decided to become a vampire to complete all main quests in one go, destroyed the cultist ritual +1】
【For the sake of...】
Crack, crack, crack, crack.
The blessing finally couldn't take it anymore and shattered directly.
All the light screens and text dissipated into nothingness.
This was... the first time she had encountered this.
Kaila thought, as she slowly raised her head, looking at the text that had already vanished.
Then she slowly lowered her head.
Once again, she looked at Sophie on the bed.
Sophie was hugging the quilt, muttering softly:
“I... and them... are all true friends...”
“It's just that some friends... are more suitable for a kiss first...”
She was silent for a moment.
Long enough for the person stealing apples in the alley outside the window to secretly put one back because of a sudden realization of conscience.
Finally.
Kaila shook her head.
“The blessing is broken.”
She couldn't understand most of the text on that light screen, but that didn't stop her from seeing that those words were so-called accusations of crimes.
How could this soft and cute little vampire have that kind of strength?
A Hero has their own judgment of right and wrong, good and evil.
The room returned to peace.
Rate on N.U.
