Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Even in Darkness, There is Light

Wu Shun was nave to think that he had gone through the most depressing revelation yet. Try digging into her past and piece the information together. I’d like to see you remain in one piece after that!

Upon the completion of the sidequest, Jane Doe Su’s past was relived in the form of a lengthy CG cutscene, portrayed as a stream of consciousness. A beautiful, sorrowful BGM lay out the coup de grace, branding her searing image in the minds of countless viewers.

Jane Doe Su had been born into the Zhao royal family. She was only royal in name. It was true, she was King Zhao’s flesh and blood. In reality, she had never even once owned a princess’ tiara. Her mother was trash made of royal genetics in the palace.

She was an excellent sword dancer, but was not even close to being related to King Zhao and his bedchambers, but it was his barbarity that culminated in Jane Doe’s unplanned birth.

Jane Doe Su had never received any fatherly love from Su Hu. Her mother attempted to provide what she could, to the best of her limited ability. Jane Doe experienced a torturous, hostile childhood. Perhaps she understood the pain of being weak far too much as a child, which was why she could not resist defending the weak

The fact that she gained so much strength later in life was nothing short of a miracle. In reality, those who had unfortunate childhoods were often bitter and resentful. Those who had suffered much would only dish it back to the cruel world when they finally gained the strength.

Many weaklings would even take the extra step and bully others when they get in the position. It was as if they wanted to claim their vengeance, but with no target in sight, they had resorted to attacking indiscriminately.

Even so, this beautiful, unnamed teenager who had lived through a brief life of hell had a heart that was as gentle as it was tough. It was this extreme case of juxtaposition that shattered their hearts to pieces

The world was in a disastrously short supply of noble souls. It was this scarcity that made their actions all the more valuable. Perhaps onlookers would ridicule such souls as foolish and agonizingly naive. However, if they ever find themselves in a predicament, they would never be able to resist the infectious charm of their noble saviors.

The CG animation gave an account behind Jane Doe Su’s apparently unnecessary blindfold. Her equally nameless mother had been the first person to do it around her face. It might have been her way of saying Escapism was shameful, but it was necessary at times.

This world was dark and ugly. It might be better to shut her eyes from it. As long as the world in her heart was bright and beautiful, she would be safe in her happiness

This was also a way of protecting Jane Doe Su. She was simply too beautiful for her own good. Beautiful things would never last long in a cruel, brutal world.

Jane Doe Su often listened to her mother. She was an intelligent and obedient girl. Her words came as rarely as passing stars, but her actions struck the earth like meteorites. She would always carry out her mother’s requests to their fullest.

Jane Doe Su was born with an elegant combination of superhuman perseverance and a gift in martial arts. Her mother’s dance that had been derived from Madam Gongsun [1] of old became something else entirely, when it was handed down to her. Somehow, through her indecipherable comprehension, she turned art and dance into a dance of death!

Perhaps God had taken pity on her. Perhaps by shutting her beautiful eyes from the world, the eye in her heart had opened up, achieving twice the result with half the effort as she weaved through the air, sword in hand

A life of hardship finally took its toll on her mother. As she succumbed, she had used the last of her strength to place a blindfold on her daughter. She wanted to spare her daughter from the results of long-term abuse. She did not want Jane Doe Su to witness how women were given out as pieces of flesh to reward depraved monarchs. She did not wish to Jane Doe Su to see how they would then be handed out as second-handed goods to twisted courtiers and guards who would them mess around with her. If Jane Doe Su ever caught a glimpse of such acts with her own two eyes, who knows what would be of her sanity after that.

The nameless woman of lower-class birth had been actually a great mother. It was her fault for being too weak to be the master of her own destiny. Nobody of strength was willing to help her in times of need

She could not escape her tragic fate. In this hopelessly dark world, monsters and demons were not the only beings that would eat humans. Neither did monsters and demons remain in their own skins.

Upon her mother’s passing, Jane Doe Su fell silent. Fortunately, she was not yet of age back then. She might have just ended up like her mother. Despite all of her weaknesses and her lack of resources, she had shielded her daughter from the elements

The people practically dismissed Jane Doe Su. The day finally came when she left the Kingdom of Zhao’s palace that was akin to a pitch dark den of monters. At the same time, she vowed to avenge her mother.

“In darkness, there is always light” – Such was Jane Doe Su’s reflection on life.

Jane Doe Su might not have her name, but the people she saved remembered her, regardless.

Even though Anonymous City was destroyed, its spirit would exist forever.

Perhaps one day, some other expert would come up with a more practical, realistic ideology and start another uprising.

Jane Doe Su may have been a genius swordswoman, she still lacked the education. She could only indulge in the simplicity of protecting the weak. She was no tactician

Jane Doe Su was once associated with Li Xiye the God of Swords. However, this was not shown explicitly in the game – only subtle hints were left behind. The fanbase definitely caught on to it, for they were continually discussing and shipping these two.

Others insisted that this was canonical, so they were tirelessly scouring the game for evidence to support that. When their efforts bore no fruit, they would spend their time daydreaming, fantasizing on scenes of their own.

It could not be helped. Wu Shun’s gameplay had ended so horrifically, and Jane Doe’s demise had been most tragic.

Wu Shun was party to this – and that hurt him more than anyone else. He had given up watching at one point that he had hidden his head behind his arms. He had been embroiled in such a violent mix of fury and sorrow that words fled from his mouth!

If he had known of who to trust from the start, how could he have played out such an end?

Finally losing his mind, he took arms and rushed into the Kingdom of Zhao’s palace. He attempted to take on Forbidden City by himself, hoping to kill the sick king. Of course, he was quickly taken out

That was his final opportunity of being granted an audience with the king. He had lost his value in the court the moment Anonymous City fell.

Translation note:

[1] “Madam Gongsun” () was a famous dancer during the Tang Dynasty, who was known for her dance “Jian Qi” ()