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

"But didn't you take the payment and run away?"

"No, I didn't! I only took the prepayment!"

Seria was trying to correct the adventurers' misunderstandings about them, Wu Ke was chatting with the counter lady, the Black Knight was sitting to the side drinking mead with Mo Yueya, and the only one who was conflicted was Seria...

"Why am I the only one struggling with this?!" Celia exclaimed in frustration. "Why aren't you guys coming to help me?!"

"Ah, there's no need to worry about such things, girl." Mo Yueya silently took a sip of wine from the wooden cup.

"It would be a miracle if you didn't care about that! Don't you care about your adventurer reputation dropping?!"

Oh, by the way, the adventurer's rank is also affected by reputation, so Seria is currently working hard to correct these people's misunderstandings.

"But we didn't come here for this kind of thing, did we?" The Black Knight scratched his head.

“That’s true…” Celia gave up somewhat reluctantly. “Hey! Wu Ke! Now’s not the time to flirt with girls, is it?!”

"?! Oh, oh oh..." Wu Ke laughed awkwardly, "I was doing something important, and the receptionist doesn't seem to know."

"You're clearly flirting with girls, aren't you?!"

To be honest, things weren't going as smoothly on this side as they had on the other. As soon as they arrived at the Adventurers' Guild, they were given a warm welcome by the adventurers, who teased them from time to time, making it impossible to continue the conversation.

Now Celia is also starting to give up on herself. Once she gives up, she goes into a complaining mode, and then no matter what she does, the topic can't be brought back to the main point.

In a fit of despair, Celia snatched the Black Knight's wine glass, downed it in one gulp, and then sat down like a drunkard, slumping on the table and complaining.

"Ughhhh!! You guys are so annoying!!" Celia screamed in frustration. "I didn't want this to happen either! But the kingdom has become so strange! And all sorts of things have happened! What can I do?!"

For a moment, the guild fell silent; not a sound could be heard. Now, it was Seria who felt somewhat awkward, and the atmosphere in the guild suddenly became very strange.

"Let's temporarily close down."

A somewhat aged voice drifted over, and the adventurer near the door immediately closed it. An elderly man, leaning on a cane, slowly approached them.

“President Koster…” Seria stared at the old man in disbelief.

“No need for formalities, we are all adventurers. Adventurers are all equal.” Coster stopped her from standing up to bow. “Esteemed mages, please use a soundproof barrier if it’s convenient.”

"Yes, Guild Master." "Oh, leave it to us!" "Ah, everyone, please make sure to expand the barrier to a size that can accommodate the entire guild."

The adventurers, skilled in magic, rose to their feet in response to Guild Master Coster's request and, under the guidance of the receptionist, set up a soundproof barrier.

As for who Koster is, he is a legendary adventurer who founded the Adventurers' Guild and once adventured with the king of the kingdom. He is famous throughout the world.

Legend has it that he single-handedly subdued a dragon, which was so impressed by his courage and strength that it willingly became his mount.

After entering middle age, he parted ways with the king, founded the Adventurers' Guild, and devoted himself to his life's work. Gradually, he stepped back from the forefront and no longer did public work.

Why would he be here?

Everyone looked grave, and even the air seemed to grow heavy. Seria sensed that something was amiss.

"Where shall we begin..." President Koster pondered for a moment, then said, "We probably think the same as you do: the kingdom has changed."

"...That seems to be the case." Mo Yueya put down her wine glass. "The guild leader has also noticed that something is wrong with the kingdom, hasn't he?"

“Ah, you must be the original victims…” Koster lowered his head. “I apologize to you here… This is also a result of our guild’s negligence.”

"Wait, please don't do this." Seria hurriedly helped him up. "Guild Master, what happened?"

“Right now, the king is trying to use the hero’s power to do something,” Koster said gravely. “I should have found out about this a long time ago, but I took it for granted. I only discovered it during the last dungeon raid. That guy, Seric’s ambition is to conquer the world…!”

“Eh…?” Celia let out a strange sound.

“You should know that I have a long-standing relationship with the King,” Koster said solemnly. “He has always dreamed of dominating the world… but I never expected that he would still be pursuing this goal. The reason for attacking the Labyrinth is simply to clear obstacles on the way to other countries.”

"This is the first time I've ever heard of something like this..." Seria looked a little dumbfounded.

This was completely different from the information they had obtained from Li, and could be considered an unexpected gain. But what exactly was going on?

"Hmm... I didn't know there was such a thing..." The Black Knight nodded.

“All the adventurers here have discovered something noteworthy about this expedition; the others are not here now,” Koster said earnestly. “The kingdom is preparing to declare war on the entire world.”

"This is truly despair-inducing intelligence..." Mo Yueya scratched his head, staring intently at the words he had written in the void with magic.

"Young man, what's going on?" Koster asked.

"President, we also have something to tell you." Mo Yueya stood up and said expressionlessly, "This matter may very well shake your resolve. It is the most despairing conclusion for us right now."

This was a conclusion drawn by Mo Yueya after combining a series of intelligence from the Dragon King and the guild, as well as the intelligence he had collected himself. His conclusion made everyone present turn pale.

The situation no longer allows them to proceed slowly; now, the entire world, including the heroes, is in danger. The situation has deteriorated rapidly, and the world has become a scene of turmoil.

Chapter 46 Assembling and Organizing Intelligence

When Seria and the others returned to the inn, Li and the others had already returned. Ning seemed to want to say something, so they knowingly pointed to the room of the three male members.

After confirming that everyone involved had entered the room, the Black Knight carefully and cautiously closed and locked the door. Ning, without saying much, snapped his fingers and used his incantation to create a soundproof barrier.

“While I’d love to get straight to the point,” Ning glanced at the person who had joined in halfway through, “before that, could any of you four introduce this old man to me?”

In fact, Seria and the others brought someone back from the guild, namely the guild leader, Coster. The reason they brought him along was because Mo Yueya judged that with his help, things would proceed more smoothly.

"Hello, little sister." Coster smiled. "I am Coster, the guild master of the Adventurers' Guild. It's a pleasure to meet you."

“Koster?” Ning searched his memory. “I see… I think I understand why you brought him here, but…”

Let me explain the situation.

Seria stepped forward and briefly explained the day's events to the three sisters who had separated from them. After listening, Ning and Li both fell into deep thought.

"So, the guild is now also suspicious of the kingdom, right?" Li asked Koster.

“Yes, that’s why I’m here now.” Koster nodded. “The kingdom’s recent actions have puzzled me, but I’ve recently figured it out.”

“But before that,” Ning said with a hint of skepticism, “how are you going to prove to us that everything you’ve said is true?”

"Hmm...that is indeed a problem."

"Hey! Ning!" Li scolded her, "That's so rude!"

"To be honest, even after hearing all this, I still can't trust you," Ning said coldly. "If I remember correctly, you were the King's former partner, right? So why are you going against him?"

"It's simply because of differing beliefs," Koster said calmly. "He and I are destined never to walk the same path again, but as his former partner and as the guild leader, I must stop his wrongdoings. Is that reason enough?"

“…Ah, no problem.” Ning nodded. “I can tell you’re genuinely on this side, so I have nothing more to say. Let’s exchange information. Li, activate the teleportation.”

"Huh? Why would I need to teleport?" A question mark appeared above Li's head.

“Go and bring that demon king over,” Ning said calmly. “It’s necessary for him to know about this as well.”

"Huh? The Demon King?" Koster seemed quite interested. "And 'teleportation'? Hmm... you guys..."

"Ah, um, that's not how it is... Ah, never mind." Rie temporarily gave up explaining to Koster. "I'll bring him over and let him explain." [Teleport]

Li released her magic with her hands, forming a silver magic circle. After the magic circle emitted a strong white light, Li disappeared from the room, and the magic circle dissipated on its own.

Soon, Li arrived with the Demon King.

"Wow?! Wait a minute!? Miss Dragon King?!"

"Sorry, Aye, could you lend us the Demon King for a moment?"

"That's settled then. The work is now yours."

"Hey!? This is your job, isn't it?! Wait a minute..."

Something seemed to have happened over there, making it noisy. However, Li brought Demon King Xuanze back safely. As for what happened, Ning guessed it was something like him skipping work.

"There are a lot of people here, surprisingly." Xuanze looked around the room.

Xuanze seemed to be conscious at this moment, which was a great help. If he had been in that drowsy and lethargic state, Li wouldn't have known what to do.

"The Demon King...!" Seria and the others instinctively took a step back.

"Ah, I am the Demon King who attempted to destroy the kingdom." Xuanze even played along for a bit. "Submit to me, you bunch of scum."

"Hehe, this isn't a Demon King... isn't this the previous Hero?" Koster laughed heartily.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you, old man." Xuanze spotted Koster.

"Yes, it's me." Koster nodded. "So you're still alive."

"A lot happened in between, and I almost died too, this damned other world." Xuanze sneered. "What's wrong? Grandpa, you're getting involved too?"

“Yes, I learned some things about you from them.” Koster walked up to him, extended his thin, withered hand, and patted his shoulder. “You’ve worked hard, hero.”

"...Now you have to call me the Demon King."

The Demon King and the Guild Master seemed to have met before and knew each other. The Guild Master also felt sorry for what the Kingdom had done, and all the words in his heart could only be summed up in this short sentence.

"Well then, let's get down to business." Xuanze looked at Li Hening. "If I don't have anything important to do, I'll be staying here."

"What the hell! Didn't you insist on coming along?!" Knowing the truth, Li complained to him, "I clearly told you to do your work first! I could wait for you!"

"Yes, things over there are less important than things here."

"I'm telling you... at least come up with a better excuse for skipping work, right? You're bound to get a lecture when you get back, aren't you?" Ning said helplessly, rubbing his temples.

The other adventurers watching from the sidelines were dumbfounded, as if petrified, and the sound of something shattering echoed in their hearts.

"Let me explain my situation first," Xuanze suddenly became serious. "The kingdom's army has withdrawn, and we are now stationed at the border. The whereabouts of that fake hero are unknown. Do you have any leads? Or have you already taken her out?"

“Ah, we have a clue now, but we plan to go and rescue it.” Ning nodded. “This is some information I got from the church. The kingdom and the church are now in a cooperative relationship. The church has received a large amount of funding from the kingdom. In return, they want to monopolize ‘Hero Summoning’.”

This was the information Ning obtained from Edward through all means, but the bishop was obviously just a pretty face, only knowing this much. Ning was so angry at that time that she wanted to kill him directly, but then he mentioned something about the "Hero Summoning" method, which made Ning's mood change from gloomy to sunny.

"Hmph... So all the predecessors before you came from the kingdom." Xuanze snorted coldly.

"Is this even possible?" Koster wondered. "What exactly is that guy trying to do?"

“Actually, things will become clearer if we organize our thoughts,” Mo Yueya stepped forward. “This is my personal deduction after listening to your intelligence. Would you like to hear it?”

Chapter 47 Mo Yueya's Speculation

“Tell me your thoughts,” Ning agreed, “let me hear your speculation.”

"How rude." Mo Yueya released his unique magic and wrote information stroke by stroke in mid-air. "The kingdom summoned twelve heroes, eleven of whom died in battle, and the eleventh is still alive. The murderer is the kingdom. Why? Why would the kingdom risk becoming an enemy of a powerful hero to kill him?"

Mo Yueya drew twelve stick figures to represent the heroes, and then marked ten stick figures with crosses to represent the heroes who had died.

“That’s one of the problems.” Mo Yueya pointed at Li and the others. “Then there’s the issue of the maze. Why are innocent mazes being attacked? Thanks to the guild leader, I’ve roughly figured that out.”

Mo Yueya drew a simple world map and continued, "Once you see the map, you'll understand. The maze is located right on the main road connecting the kingdom to other countries, and it's also inhabited by the Dragon King, so the level of danger goes without saying. The kingdom's goal is to dominate the world, and aside from the neighboring countries, they still have to deal with the most dangerous duchy so far."

"So, the labyrinth became the sacrifice," Xuanze sneered. "By using the name of the hero to conquer the labyrinth and clear out this dangerous place, we can travel safely to other countries, right?"

“The Demon King is right,” Mo Yueya nodded. “After that, the Demon King began his attack. Although the kingdom’s main objective is not this now, it still needs to deal with it to avoid being affected by public opinion. There was once a treaty between the countries that stipulated that when a member country was attacked by the demons, the other countries were obligated to send support. If you think about it carefully, you will find the problem.”

"—! Is that so! That bastard!" Koster couldn't help but curse, "He's letting other countries send troops to support the front lines, and then using that opportunity to attack those countries?!"

“Although this is just my deduction, I think it’s possible,” Mo Yueya said, explaining her reasoning. “Because the kingdom’s battles during this period have been a one-sided affair, which is highly suspicious. How can we achieve this level of success when we have heroes on the front lines?”

"Ha, creating the illusion of weakness to lure other countries into providing support?" Ning sneered.

“Ah, so the Duchy is definitely the most dangerous one right now,” Mo Yueya said. “Just the day before yesterday, the Duchy sent out its troops.”

"Oh...you mean that army that suddenly stormed the battlefield?" Xuanze remembered something. "They've already arrived."

“And then there’s Xia Que,” Mo Yueya pointed to the twelfth stick figure. “Xia Que is in a dangerous situation right now because we have absolutely no information about her. Hao Er is definitely by her side. Things have taken a sharp turn for the worse while we were taking our time.”

"If your assumption is correct, my country is in danger right now, isn't that right?"

A red figure jumped down from the ceiling.

"Savi!?"

Almost everyone who knew him gasped in surprise. It was Savi who had caught up at the last minute. He had been secretly following them since that night and had seen many things that amazed him. Now, he was hearing something that made him uneasy.

“Hey there, friend, please tell me.” Savi’s voice turned very low, startling everyone.

“Calm down, Your Highness.” Koster patted his shoulder to calm him down. “Young man, tell him.”

"Wait? Your Majesty?" Li looked at Savi incredulously.

“If my prediction is correct,” Mo Yueya said, stating his remaining prediction, “the kingdom will soon take action.”

Xuanze whistled at an inopportune moment, and everyone present fell silent. Even Xiao, who was usually lively and energetic, stayed quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Savi bowed his head and apologized to them, “Although it’s not enough to say this now, I’m truly grateful to you. But, I must go now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Saiwei immediately walked towards the door. Just as his hand touched the doorknob, Li called him back.

“Wait, Savi, where are you going?” Li stopped him. “Come here. Xuanze, take him there.”

"well."