"So, I have now told you everything."
"Do you want your body back?" Holding her own hands, the silver-haired girl smiled and asked this question.
The question threw Firefly into turmoil, leaving her somewhat at a loss.
"This..." She wanted to say it wasn't appropriate. After all, [Firefly]—her own body—was now the Empress of the Glamoth Empire. For Firefly, it felt like going out for a bit and returning to find the person she admired had become someone utterly unattainable.
"A change in status doesn't alter 'my' essence. You are the owner of this body," he stated. His words made it even harder for Firefly to let go.
After all, even with its flaws, that body was something precious that had accompanied her for a long time, one of the few things that truly belonged to Firefly.
But...
"If I take my body back... won't I become the Empress of Glamoth...?" Firefly looked timidly at the smiling silver-haired girl before her.
Her own face, so familiar, felt strangely distant after this short time, as if she no longer recognized it. Yet, nothing much had changed; [Firefly] just had a new title and lacked a defect.
As Glamoth Iron Cavalry, she also revered [Firefly], the Glamoth Empress who turned lies into reality and made dreams come true. But as the saying goes, admiration is the furthest distance from understanding.
The highly responsible Firefly worried if, after getting her body back, she could bear the responsibilities that came with the title.
Possessing self-awareness, Firefly knew she wasn't particularly smart. She didn't have many solutions when faced with problems, only knowing how to respond with the brute force inherited by the Glamoth Iron Cavalry.
How could someone like her become the Empress of Glamoth?
She looked with immense conflict at the girl before her—at her own body.
"So that's what you were worried about."
"It's alright. This position isn't as difficult as imagined. On the contrary, from a certain perspective, it's surprisingly easy." Gentle and soft words laced with amusement. Jiang Qiao held Firefly's hand, his tone relaxed. "Glamoth is a nation born from ideals. As long as you don't abandon those ideals, then nothing is difficult."
"And during this time, even if you encounter difficulties, it doesn't matter."
"If you hesitate, feel lost, just come find me. I will definitely help you." Feeling the warmth enveloping her hand, listening to the sincere and encouraging words, gazing at that pretty girlish face, Firefly felt as if her buffs were maxed out.
Her previous self-doubt vanished completely, though some apprehension and worry inevitably remained. But since Her Majesty had said so, should she let her down?
Firefly certainly didn't want that. Thus, facing this encouragement, she nodded softly, "Then... alright... I'll try my best..."
"Um, Big Sis Elysia, could you... step outside for a moment?" Knowing the 'quick swap' method, and finally remembering the presence of a certain miniature pink fatty, Firefly requested quietly.
"Hah?!" ER Elysia, already stuffed with dog food and feeling rather conflicted, heard this request, her small eyes widening as if hearing something unbelievable. You two are going to do that kind of thing*, and you want* me to leave to give you space?!
"With you here... it's not convenient..."
So you DO know! ER Elysia glared resentfully at Firefly. Sister brought you around the Elysian Realm, and this is how you repay her?!
Humiliated, but unwilling to be publicly humiliated further, the miniature fatty could only huff, shoot a fierce glare at Jiang Qiao—clearly, she had already tallied this debt onto a certain Jiang-surnamed man—and stomp off.
Wanna swap back, huh? Just wait! This body was specially designed! Just watch me get this debt back later!
The fuming Mini Elysia left the Hall of Progeny. The remaining Ms. [Jiang Qiao]-Firefly felt a tiny pang of 'guilt.' After all, doing this did seem a bit mean...
Big Sis Elysia had been quite good to her; how could she do such a thing? Body swapping wasn't something she couldn't wait for...
However, the word 'swap' flashed through Ms. Firefly's mind, and she instantly started rationalizing. For me, Firefly, I just want my body back! After all, 'occupying' Jiang Qiao's body for so long, that's definitely not right, is it? Just like I miss my body, Jiang Qiao must miss his own body too, right?
Therefore, it's not entirely my fault. And the reason I want to swap back so quickly is just to get used to the Empress's duties, adapt to my changes... maybe even so Jiang Qiao can meet Big Sis Elysia looking his best...
Thinking this, Ms. Firefly felt her guilt melt away like snow. Looking at her own pretty face, she even felt a strangely contradictory sense of 'excitement.'
Gomen ne, Big Sis Elysia...
The feeling of apology mingled with the rising heat of close physical contact.
Perhaps due to ER Elysia's careful 'tuning,' the seemingly budding Ms. Firefly was particularly proactive—for example, though only a light touch was needed, the action lingered far longer than necessary due to certain thoughts.
"...Sorry, I... was worried the exchange wasn't thorough enough..." After the bold act, she seemed like an innocent victim, subtly licking her lips afterward. Meeting Jiang Qiao's gaze, she blushed and explained her little action. Mm, it's the first time... It's perfectly normal not to want it to end so hastily, right? Big Sis Elysia would definitely understand me...
Thinking this, the girl gently touched her own chest, the familiar, full feeling making Firefly feel somewhat dazed. Honestly, even she rarely touched her own body.
As Glamoth Iron Cavalry, confined within the tin can called Firefly armor, any touch was through thick alloy. Now, back in her own body, experiencing the distinct differences from Jiang Qiao's body, this was yet another new experience for Firefly. E
specially without the torment of Entropy Loss Syndrome.
"This... is my body now...?" she whispered, finding it hard to believe, as if it were all just a dream.
Jiang Qiao, having retrieved his own body, didn't dwell on it much, merely reminding her, "The Path of Propagation floods your body. It will grant you immense power, but don't be deceived by this power, or you will easily be overwhelmed by the Path's vast strength."
Although the power of a Path depended more on the spirit, the will only determined how much power could be mobilized. The true bridge between the Imaginary and the Real was one's physical body.
The moment an Aeon ascended, their past was drowned by the power of their entire Path. Their existence thus converged towards unity.
This was the source of the Aeons' strength—as long as they didn't violate that will, they were the Path itself.
Similarly, because they were inundated by the Path's power, they could never betray the Path, as that would be tantamount to self-negation.
When one negates their own existence, how could they ensure their will guided the Path, rather than the Path completely controlling them?
Jiang Qiao had no interest in such matters, and Firefly's body wasn't suited for it anyway. After all, if he, as '[Firefly],' were to enforce his will, Firefly herself would end up in an extremely awkward position.
"I understand..." Firefly nodded. Though the power surging within her felt exhilarating, even sparking an impulse to pin down the person before her on the spot, having undergone the baptism of being the last Glamoth Iron Cavalry, she already possessed considerable control over this Path.
However, this control manifested externally as 'self-destruction'—using Sam as a release valve, constantly burning herself to gain terrifying power.
This self-immolation inherently meant inhuman pain, which had also forged Firefly's will to be extremely resilient. But she ultimately couldn't wield the Path as effortlessly as '[Firefly]' could, treating the Path of Propagation like using the restroom.
What Firefly could endure, what her current will could command, was probably only about sixty percent of the complete power of the Propagation Path.
However, in Jiang Qiao's view, this wasn't a big deal. After all, even Brunhilde, previously the strongest Propagation Emanator, could likely only command about fifty percent—the limit for a normal living being wielding Path power not inherently their own.
Any higher, and it became like that Elation Bug Aha created—purely for show, with no regard for survival. Setting aside that meaningless example, if one lacked the innate qualification to wield the power, anything above fifty percent Path power was enough to kill the blessed Emanator.
That Firefly could manage sixty percent already exceeded Jiang Qiao's expectations.
Unaware of this, Firefly didn't dwell on it either—after all, she didn't really know what Jiang Qiao had done to her body.
"Um... Can you do me a favor..."
"Hm? No problem. You can ask me for anything you want."
"Really?" Hearing this, Firefly instantly became excited, licking her lips. Before he could say anything else, she whispered, "Then... sorry..."
"Mmph—"
A moment later, Firefly exhaled contentedly. Seeing Jiang Qiao covered in saliva, she blushed and whispered, "Sorry... this power is a bit hard to control... so it needed a little... assistance..."
"I understand." Wiping off the saliva, Jiang Qiao sighed. While human physiological impulses were merely the crudest expression of Propagation, when Firefly wielded this power in human form, she inevitably had to face the changes it brought.
For example, such impulses would be exceptionally strong—especially towards him. After all, during the swap, he had left a part of himself in Firefly, using it to mend the 'existence' lost due to Entropy Loss Syndrome when she was Glamoth Iron Cavalry.
This acted like a marker, easily making the swap partner feel close to the source of the marker. And this was particularly obvious in Firefly.
The power of Propagation stimulated these senses, heightening the primal urge to 'seize the means of production.' This urge intensified with proximity.
"You'll get used to this eventually." That she could stop at just the oral stage already spoke volumes about her effort.
Otherwise, Brunhilde, who would ovulate on the spot due to excitement, was probably the more typical example.
"I'll head out first. You... should get accustomed to Glamoth's governmental affairs." Worried that staying longer might lead to getting jumped, Jiang Qiao dropped this line and quickly excused himself.
If stimulated further, a long, world-shattering 'great battle' might occur. With many matters still needing attention, Mr. Jiang felt it necessary to avoid this situation as much as possible.
"Okay..." Firefly nodded obediently, though she licked her lips with lingering attachment, a hint of shyness and regret in her eyes.
However, only after Jiang Qiao left did she suddenly remember something. ...Governmental affairs?
Turning her head, she saw the documents on the desk and instantly froze. Ms. Firefly, completely swayed by someone's smooth talk, had totally forgotten that as the Empress of Glamoth, she actually needed to handle official duties.
Wait... weird stuff seems to be flooding my brain... Oh... so that's how you handle these... Seems pretty simple, actually...
With Ms. Firefly's own education level, handling the documents of a massive entity like the Glamoth Empire would naturally be a pipe dream. But thankfully, someone had thoughtfully embedded the ability to process these files directly into her body.
"If it's just this level... Mm, no problem!" Unlike a certain slacker sparrow, Firefly, who even held some anticipation for this work, instantly cheered up upon discovering she could handle these Empress duties like a fish in water.
After all, in her view, since she was now the Empress of Glamoth, she had to be responsible for Glamoth's citizens. Losing the meaning in life would be far more terrifying than busy work. That's what she believed.
Until... After excitedly processing a large pile of files, Ms. Firefly glanced at the thousands upon thousands of pending work items, which seemed minuscule compared to the completed stack.
She stared blankly at this 'horror story' scene, murmuring, "I... I should be able to finish all this... right...?"