Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

"Huh? Nearly a hundred kinds?"

"Well, since it's a country unified by many tribes and small kingdoms under the king's call, there are bound to be some conflicts in the festivals, making it difficult to hold any," Nao explained. "The king is probably having a headache right now, so he's not planning to hold any festivals for the time being."

"It seems like a really impressive country," Li remarked. "Do they have festivals in winter like this?"

"No, there won't be." Nao shook her head. "Days like this only happen in late winter, which is considered the darkest time of the year, so no festivals are held during this time."

"Oh, I see... The snow is so beautiful..." Li paused, "In my world, there are many holidays at times like this... The most famous is probably Christmas... A warm and joyful day."

Thinking about this, Li felt a little sad, because such a festival probably wouldn't be held here...

Rielfa noticed the tiny change in Rielfa, then crouched down, sat in the snow, and patted the lid of its box.

“Tell me more about that thing called Christmas,” Rielfa grinned. “I’m really curious about your local holidays on this day. You make it sound so amazing, but I don’t believe you.”

"Hehe, tell me, Li." Nao sat down as well. "If we have the chance, let's celebrate Christmas by ourselves..."

"Well... I don't think the stupid box can explain Christmas clearly on its own, so I'll come and help."

The slime climbed onto Li's head as a matter of course, its arrogant posture unchanged.

"Ah! I want Akatsuki too! I want Akatsuki too!"

Seeing that they had gathered together without her noticing, Xiao quickly ran back from a distance and sat in Nao's lap. Zhou Dong, as always, remained silent, quietly coming up behind them and waiting for Li to speak.

With family and friends like these... even if it's not Christmas, I'd be perfectly content.

"Listen carefully! Christmas is actually a day of mourning for someone..."

"Stupid box...that's the day Jesus was born...how could you, an idiot, associate the word 'birth' in Christmas with such an unlucky day?"

"Waaah... So it's because you helped me correct it, isn't it?"

"I might as well just say it myself."

"No! I refuse! I want to do it myself!"

Years later, Ri, now human, arrived at the Perseus Tree, surrounded by many companions... but three people were missing...

“Merry Christmas… Laelfa, Nao, and Zhou Dong…”

Chapter 22 Out of Control

"Ha... I don't know why today is really..."

"It has been fraught with hardship and misfortune. In a special sense."

"Why did it turn out like this..."

"Hmm~ Who knows~? Oh right, we have coffee at home, right? Xia Ling, please."

"Yes, yes, I understand..."

In every sense, today has truly been a turbulent time... The weather seems to be getting cooler too; has the world entered autumn...?

Ah, but we have to face the facts... those few... accomplices... right?

“That blue-haired girl, I think I’ve seen you before.” Celia sat down on the other end of the table and carefully observed Ning. “I think I saw you in the maze?”

“That’s not me.” Ning seemed like a completely different person, adopting the demeanor of a well-bred young lady. “You must have mistaken me for someone else. I wouldn’t go to a place like that.”

“No! I’ve definitely seen you before!” Celia said with certainty. “I must have seen you in the labyrinth! Wu Ke, Black Knight, you saw me too!”

"Instead of that, can we get to the point? Why are you here? This is private land."

"Didn't you bring us here?!"

“That’s another matter. I’m more concerned about why you’re trying to infiltrate in the first place.”

This Seria fell for Ning's hook so easily. She probably doesn't even realize that Ning has cleverly diverted her attention and the topic of conversation... It's terrifying.

"Woo~~~"

Xiao, sitting in Li's lap, stretched and yawned, already half asleep but still trying to stay conscious and not fall asleep.

"I'm sorry, Xiao, please bear with it a little longer." Li gently stroked her ear.

Xiao is still a child and can't handle staying up late. She's never stayed up late before, and it's already past midnight. It's amazing that she managed to get up and do these things.

Although Li also wanted her to go to sleep, this matter seemed to be related to her, so she could only leave her here for the time being.

"Because you abducted this child from the maze, right?!"

Seria slammed her hand on the table, startling Xia Ling who had just brought the tea. Luckily, Xia Ling didn't knock it over. Seria then apologized to her politely, seemingly a kind person.

Li had been touching Xiao's ears for quite a while without realizing it, because they felt so good, it was almost addictive. Oh no, oh no, I have to stop quickly, Xiao might accidentally fall asleep from the comfort!

"Bring her out?" Li tilted his head. "But she's our sister... Is there anything wrong with taking her out of the maze?"

“This is a huge problem! You don’t look like her sisters at all!” Celia retorted. “You don’t have any demi-human features at all!”

"You'd better be more presentable!"

"——!?"

For some reason, Li suddenly got angry, and extremely angry, to the point that her aura overwhelmed Seria. Ning glanced at her discreetly; this was probably only the second time she had seen Li this angry, the first time being when she fought that prince for Ning's sake.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but I know what you've done." Li glared at Seria. "I appreciate your help to Xiao, but that doesn't erase the labyrinth incident! We have nothing left! Haven't you taken enough from us?!"

"W-what...?" Celia unconsciously took a half step back. "A maze...?"

Celia tried hard to recall everything about the labyrinth. She was able to pinpoint when it happened, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what connection the girl in front of her had with the labyrinth.

"Sister Li?"

A small hand gently stroked Li's face. She saw Xiao, who was worried about her, and her initial agitation began to subside.

"I'm sorry... Xiao, did I scare you?" Li touched Xiao's little hand.

"No," Xiao shook her head, "Sister Li, don't cry!"

Eh……?

She reached out and touched her cheek, feeling its warm, moist texture. Had she unknowingly lost control of her emotions?

“…I’m sorry.” Li lowered her head, took Xiao’s hand and stood up. “It’s very late…I’ll take Xiao back to her room first and come back later…I’ll leave it to you in the meantime, Ning.”

"Okay, go ahead." Ning nodded. "You should go and rest too..."

Li didn't respond, but silently led Xiao away from the hall, leaving behind a silhouette that disappeared at the top of the stairs. The sound of them walking up the stairs, the sound of the door opening and closing softly, all sounded so powerless.

"Now, do you understand?" Xia Ling said, mustering her courage. "Their feelings are real."

Her tone and volume didn't decrease; she genuinely wanted to tell the other person the truth about this family.

Watching Li's departing figure, Seria fell silent, lost in thought, reflecting on her mistakes.

"Xia Ling, you can go to sleep now too." Ning waved her hand. "You're also a child in this family who needs to be taken care of. I can manage on my own."

"Ah, no, no." Xia Ling waved her hand. "I'm... a little... a bit worried about them..."

Xia Ling had naturally overheard the conversation, and she was quite angry. How could anyone doubt the family's relationship? So she wasn't going to back down like that; she wanted to accompany Ning to convince them.

"Hmm... that's alright, you can sit where Ri was sitting." Ri gestured for them to sit down like the lady of the house. "Please sit down too, it's not convenient to talk standing up."

“Well then, I’ll gladly accept your offer.” The black-haired boy sat down without any regard for the atmosphere. “Also, could you give me a cup of that thing called ‘coffee’? I smell a very interesting aroma.”

"Haha, it's amazing you could even make such a request." Ning chuckled. "Xia Ling, help them prepare. Do you want some too?"

"Um...is that okay?"

Even Wu Ke, who is usually carefree, hesitated a bit. He is not the kind of person who is oblivious to the atmosphere, after all, the problem on this side led to the current situation.

"Go ahead," Ning waved her hand, indicating that it was up to her.

“Hmm, then I’d like to try ‘coffee’ too.” The Black Knight sat down on the spot.

"Please give me some tea." Wu Ke asked for tea.

Seria stood there, her pride preventing her from sitting down, and she couldn't bring herself to speak.

"The truth is out now, isn't it, Seria?" the Black Knight reassured her. "There's no need to keep dwelling on this. They're good people. Apologize..."

Seria blushed and hesitated for a long time, wanting to say something but holding back, before finally admitting her mistake.

"I'm sorry..." Seria bowed her head and apologized to Ning honestly.

“…It’s alright.” Ning shrugged. “Xia Ling, just give her a cup of tea too.”

Chapter 23 We Have Never Forgotten That Day

“Actually… she doesn’t usually get angry like this.” Ning took a sip of tea and continued, “It’s just that you two unfortunately crossed her line, and besides, we can say we’re enemies.”

The sudden topic left the four of them somewhat puzzled, but seeing Ning's serious expression, they were speechless.

"You're wondering why she's angry, right?" Ning smiled. "Well, let me tell you... Remember those two special monsters we encountered in the 'Corridor of Time'?"

"...Could it be..."

They couldn't possibly forget those two extraordinary monsters; they were two ridiculously powerful monsters.

“That’s right, that slime is me, and the mimic is her.” Ning smiled. “Isn’t it incredible? There’s something even more surprising.”

"It's a bit unexpected." The boy nodded. "I didn't expect to meet again in this way."

In fact, they were all getting nervous. Monsters that could transform into humans were no longer just monsters; they were monstrous creatures that could bring disaster. Even if they were originally just a mimic or a slime, their threat was unimaginable.

Unbeknownst to them, they had already incurred the wrath of such a powerful being, and it must be said that their current situation was extremely dangerous, especially since they had just angered one of them.

Ning, however, remained nonchalant and said, "We've met before, and we even fought. Back then, we lived with the Dragon King. We went there to purify that cursed area."

"And yet, we attacked them... is that right?" The Black Knight said, his voice trembling slightly.

“Ah, that’s how it is.” Ning smiled, her tone barbed. “Not only that, thanks to you, Raelfa is dead. Someone who had no grudge against you died just like that, even though she did nothing but kill a scumbag…”

Ning described their story in a calm tone, though her words carried a hint of complex emotion.

Every word she spoke struck their consciences repeatedly, and the facts she presented challenged their understanding.

"...That's it." Ning's words ended there.

It seemed like they had been talking for a long time, yet it also felt like it had only been a moment. The tea in her hand was still a little warm when Ning noticed Xia Ling standing beside her. She must have been the one refilling Ning's cup.

Noticing Ning's gaze, Xia Ling smiled at her. Maids like this are hard to find in this world... She really struck gold.

The air and time seemed to freeze, as if time had stopped. No one spoke, and the air gradually grew cold. Ning looked up at the four people.

"Now you understand, right?" Ning said coldly, "How exactly did we get here?"

Li is that kind of person after all. Although she said she wouldn't seek revenge, that doesn't mean she doesn't care. She must still regret that incident.

To Ning's surprise, these people actually came over and reopened her wounds, even rubbing salt into them.

If I had to say I was annoyed, that would be for sure.

Ning had been carefully trying to help Li get out of that shadow, avoiding or changing the subject of the matter. She thought it was almost over, but now it has erupted again.

Back then, these people, claiming their own sense of justice, wielded their weapons to separate them, forever separating them from Rielfa and the others. Now, these same people, again claiming their own sense of justice, want to take something away from reason.

Li was helpless and angry. Under the repeated pursuit of the other party, she lost control of her emotions. At that time, Ning could feel the murderous intent from her.

If Li kills the other person in a fit of impulse, everything she has gained over the years could collapse in that instant, or even cause her to go berserk. At that point, it won't just be them who suffer; the entire country could be dragged into it.

That wasn't what Ning wanted to see; she hoped Li would be the same as before. She originally wanted to comfort Li, but at that moment Li noticed Xiao, whom she was worried about, in her arms, and her emotions gradually calmed down.

Now, Ning's aura was tinged with killing intent, just as she had never forgotten that day. She had also wondered what their lives would be like now if those three people were still alive.

But all of that was before that day. Ning didn't want to change anything; she just wanted that time to stay where it was. But she would never allow anyone to desecrate that time.

"What's wrong? Can't you speak?" Ning asked sarcastically. "Are you speechless because you're shocked by the truth, or are you being controlled by guilt?"

“…This isn’t something that can be resolved with just an apology.” Seria lowered her head, her voice heavy with dejection. “How…could it have come to this…?”

They had already learned everything about Li from Ning, and their unintentional actions were one of the reasons that indirectly caused this result. Even if they didn't do it, they felt as if they had killed an innocent person.

All the truths shattered their original understanding at once. They no longer believed that things were as they thought, and the vortex they were caught in was more chaotic than they had imagined.

"In terms of the process, we were just doing our job," the young man said, then added, "In terms of the result, we were definitely partly to blame."

"...Is there anything we can do?" the Black Knight pleaded earnestly. "I want to atone for my sins."

After learning about that incident, the Black Knight and his companions wanted to do something.

"Heh... atonement, huh?" Ning glanced at them coldly. "That sounds nice, but you're just seeking solace. Well... it's not like I don't need you..."

Even if the other party can be considered an enemy, Ning still needs to remain calm and analyze the gains and losses. This is what she can do for Li, to pave a path for Li's goals.

Now, the task at hand is clear, and Ning is constantly building plans. Now is the time to use them to their fullest potential.