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

"Master..." Xia Que clenched her hands tightly, "Can you tell me where we are going now?"

"Didn't I tell you? We're going to do something important." Hale told a lie that even he didn't believe.

"You're lying...you're lying to me, aren't you?"

Xia Que slowly took a few steps back, looking at Hao Er with an extremely distrustful gaze. It was too late to hide it anymore; this was the end of it. Hao Er knew perfectly well that Xia Que had sensed something.

But... even so... Hao'er wanted to struggle, to struggle to make Xia Que believe him.

"Trust me." Hao'er reached out his hand, then withdrew it. "I'm not lying to you."

"Then why...? Why did we ignore those people crying for help right in front of us...!" Xia Que screamed hysterically. "Saving lives, saving the world is the mission of heroes...you told me all that...but why...why did we do this? They're all begging me for help...but I..."

She watched helplessly as the kingdom's knights who needed her help died under the Dragon King's attack. She has been tormented by this guilt ever since, and she can never forget the desperate expressions she saw.

"I could have saved them..."

Xia Que's voice gradually became tearful, and her eyes began to redden. She couldn't forgive herself for this.

“No…we have no choice but to abandon them here,” Hale continued to struggle. “For the sake of this world.”

My world... is you, Xia Que.

He couldn't reveal his true thoughts because he knew that if he told her, everything would truly end. He had been exploiting Xia Que's sense of justice and her trust in him, all for her sake—something Hao Er couldn't bring himself to say.

"Haor...tell me..." Xia Que asked earnestly, "Where...are you taking me?"

"..."

Silence was Hao'er's last stand. Xia Que had also seen through everything. Without hesitation, she approached him, slapped him hard across the face, and then turned and left.

"Xia Que! Where are you going?!" Hao Er was anxious. He never expected Xia Que to resist like this, and he held her hand tightly and wouldn't let go.

"Go back." Xia Que pulled her hand away from his and wiped away her tears. "I want to go back."

"Stop right there!" Hale yelled at her. "Come with me right now!"

"I don't want to!" Xia Que shouted at him, "This is not what I want! I don't know a selfish person like you! I want to go back and save them!"

"It's too late, Xia Que! It's already too late!" Hao'er grabbed her again. "It's no use rushing back now! So much time has passed! They've already died under the Dragon King's wrath!"

Based on the perceived time and their speed, Haul determined that they had been far away from the Kingdom's army for quite some time. Even if Xia Que rushed back at full speed, it would be useless; those people were already dead.

"Then why?! Why did you bring me here?!" Xia Que screamed hysterically. "You didn't even tell me a reason! You kept the truth from me! What right do you have to say that?!"

"That's only because you're stupid!!!" Hao'er had never thought he'd be so harsh before. "Don't you even understand something this simple?! You're not a hero at all!!"

Haul finally revealed the truth. Perhaps it would cause Xia Que to break down, but none of that mattered. He wanted Xia Que to listen to him and leave the kingdom with him. But Xia Que just stared at him, showing no surprise whatsoever.

"You think... I don't know about this?" Xia Que's clenched fist tightened. "But—! This has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not someone is a hero!?"

"Why can't you understand...!"

Hao'er roughly grabbed Xia Que's hand, but she forcefully pushed it away. A cold aura and light emanated from her hand, and with a clang, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow was pressed against Hao'er's neck. Hao'er was startled; he hadn't expected Xia Que to become so powerful. He hadn't even seen her draw her sword before the blade was pressed against his neck.

"I told you... this has nothing to do with whether you're a hero or not!" Xia Que said indignantly. "I'm a human being!! How could I ignore the person in need of help right in front of me?! Even if I'm not a hero, I'm still a human being...! I've always wanted to help more people!! But what are you doing now?!!"

"Xia Que..."

Hao'er's voice also lowered. The outcome was already clear: Xia Que wouldn't go with him. But there was still a chance... to tell her the kingdom's true purpose... But would that really be of any use? He knew Xia Que well. If it were her... she would definitely go alone... to save more people... What difference would it make?

If they are caught by the ten holy sword wielders of the kingdom, even if Hao'er is there, he and Xia Que will have no way to deal with them. Then what? Xia Que will be captured, killed, and the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow will be taken away.

But it's no use saying anything now... Hao'er had already seen Xia Que's last look in her eyes: pity, disappointment, and indignation. She no longer trusted him.

"...If you want to leave, then leave by yourself." Xia Que retracted the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, heartbroken. "I'll pretend I knew nothing, and I no longer know Hao Er... That's all, and that's all I can do..."

Xia Que was utterly disappointed in Hao Er. Hao Er was the one who taught her so much, instilled her beliefs, and cared for her after she came into this world. This was her last act of affection. She knew what she would face in the future, and she knew what Hao Er wanted to do, but perhaps this was enough…

You must survive... Master...

She disappeared into the dense forest without looking back, quickening her pace to return to the kingdom as soon as possible. Hale didn't even chase after her, kneeling down as if he had lost everything, gazing dejectedly at the night sky peeking through the leaves of the forest.

"How pitiful, Haul!"

A voice so familiar it seemed to drift from behind. Holl glanced at it briefly before looking away. The person behind him was Lycia; she had probably witnessed the whole thing.

"It's truly a miserable situation, like a defeated dog."

Lycia knelt down in front of him, bringing her face to face with Hoel's, and revealed a dazed, dark smile, like a haunting swamp. Hoel felt deeply that he could never escape the despair emanating from this person.

“But that won’t do, Hale.”

Lycia stood up and kicked him away. Hale flew out and fell to the ground. Lycia walked over leisurely and stepped on Hale's head, grinding it hard.

“That won’t do, Hale.” Lycia laughed gleefully. “Fight back! Fight back with all your might! This isn’t like you, so heartbroken over another woman!”

He stomped down hard, but Haul still didn't react. Lycia got bored and kicked him several more times. With each kick, Lycia could clearly hear the sound of bones breaking. Ah, what a pleasant sound! But this wasn't fun anymore.

“Heh, this isn’t fun, Hale.” Lycia stopped the torture, bored, then remembered something amusing. “Ah, right, that’s it. We’ll chop off that woman’s hands and feet later, like this, just like that, and then immediately use healing magic to seal the wounds. Then we’ll throw her to the other ghosts to play with, then to the knights, then to the livestock, and then, guess what? Hmm, let her mate with a monster in front of all the people.”

"——————!"

when----!

"Yes! Yes! That's it! Hale—! That's more like you—! That cold look in your eyes is just amazing—!"

Lycia screamed excitedly like a madwoman; she was undoubtedly insane. All the ghosts were perverts, madmen, even monsters, and everything she said was possible.

So, Hale couldn't hold back any longer. He took out a small knife from his pocket and angrily swung it with a deadly blow. But Lycia caught it easily. Catching this blow, which was filled with 'killing intent/love', Lycia was so happy that she almost died.

"That's it! This is really great—!"

While excitedly muttering to herself, she swung her sword more than ten times at high speed, each strike a fatal blow. Blood splattered, and Haoer groaned as he fell to the ground again. Blood continued to flow from the wounds, quickly forming a small pool of blood on the ground.

"Come on, Hale, let's fight to our hearts' content~ Before that woman becomes the kingdom's outlet for pent-up frustration, let's fight to our hearts' content~ You can do it, you won't die in a place like this, right~?"

She is crazy.

This was the last thought that surfaced in Hale's mind. In his increasingly blurred vision, only that joyful smile remained so vivid: he had to kill her—

"Well then, I'll go find the Heroine. Hale, give it your best!"

Death began its journey to the side of the most important person to him.

Chapter 1 Crisis

"Ah, thank goodness, you're all alright." Seria breathed a sigh of relief.

She saw a silver magic circle unfold in the room, and a mimic and two girls walked out of the magic circle. The two girls were Li and Ning.

"What's wrong? What's there to worry about?" Ning asked matter-of-factly.

"How could I not be worried! You all saw that too! That flying thing in the sky!" Seria stammered, "That flying ship! It'll attack you, won't it? It's covered in... Waaaaaah."

The Black Knight helplessly covered her mouth with his hand, explaining with a wry smile, "Sorry, she was too excited. Let me explain. It's that thing flying in the sky. We went to the military camp with the Guild Master, but we didn't expect them to have gathered a large number of knights. Then, those spaceships flew down and took them away. You probably know what happened next, right?"

"Hmm... all sorts of shocking things." Li (the treasure chest) noticed something amiss again. "Wait? Where are the guild leader and that Mo Yueya?"

"..."

The only people in the room were Seria, the Black Knight, and Wu Ke. So where were the other two? Wu Ke and Seria remained silent, their gazes drifting in other directions.

"As for the guild leader, he's gone back to the guild to make preparations." The Black Knight paused, then continued, "Mo Yueya... has joined the Kingdom Army."

"Huh...? Wait, wait, wait? What's going on?" Li was a little confused. "Why did he suddenly...do that?"

Li hadn't known these four people for very long, and she couldn't quite understand some of their actions yet. Personally, she thought Mo Yueya was a composed, highly intelligent, and strategic individual. But now...?

“Ah…actually, we don’t quite understand either.” The Black Knight touched his smooth black helmet. “He just said something like, ‘I only act for my own purposes.’ And then, he just went straight into the Kingdom’s army.”

"Let's put that kid's matter aside for now; we don't have time to talk about it right now." Ning paused the topic. "The situation has completely exceeded my expectations. It's gotten so critical in just a few days; there's really no laughing matter here."

Ning says this, but in reality, both reason and others think she's just sneering and completely contradicting herself...

“Let’s open a ‘portal’,” Ning said. “We need to go to the Demon King’s place right away and let him know about this.”

"Ah."

Li used the wooden window as a medium to release magic, turning it into a "portal." She then fixed it in place with the spell, injected enough magic to keep it going for a relatively long time, connecting it to the Demon King. Without hesitation, she opened the window and jumped in, but no one outside could see her at all.

"You guys come here too."

After Ning called the three of them, he also went through the window and arrived directly at the Demon King's camp. The demons' surprised gazes were all focused on these strangers who had appeared out of nowhere, right in front of the Demon King's tent.

"Sister Li~~~ Sister Ning~~~"

Hearing that cheerful voice, you know who ran out. Xiao, covered in a piece of animal fur, ran out of the tent with amazing momentum and threw herself into Li and Ning's arms, then happily rubbed against them.

"Wow, thank goodness I caught her." Li breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, she was afraid that Xiao would pounce on her like that.

"Looks like they really went all out." Ning ruffled Xiao's hair. "Did it help the Demon King?"

"Yeah! Xiao, you've killed quite a few people!" Xiao laughed happily.

"Looks like I'll have to have a good talk with the Demon King."

"Stop. Don't do something so mindless."

Li revealed an incredibly "kind" smile, but of course, the problem still lay with Xiao; her expression misled Li. Ning, as always, acted as the brake for Li, then led the two of them inside, lifting the tent flap.

"Ah, you come in too." Ning glanced at the three who seemed a little uncomfortable. "He's just the Demon King, nothing to threaten you. Didn't you see him in person not long ago?"

"That's a completely different matter!" Celia retorted. "It's truly strange that people like you can act so nonchalantly and do whatever you want among the demon army!"

"There's no point in worrying about that kind of thing," Ning said calmly. "If you don't come, I'll just leave you all outside."

After saying that, Ning lowered the curtain and went inside. Then she heard the curtain being lifted again and a triumphant smile appeared on her face. If that was the case, then the three of them would have no choice but to follow.

"Too slow, you lot."

Upon entering, they immediately heard the Demon King's complaints. Inside the tent were Xuanze, Xiao, Heiyu, Aiye, Sleina, and a strange girl covered in wounds. But...

"Where did Savi go?" Li asked.

"He went to follow his own people," Xuanze said calmly. "Because the people of the Duchy are not very at ease among the demons, Savi went to reassure them and should be back soon. So, Aye, could we use that one more time?"

"I think it's better not to do this..." Aye replied with a wry smile as she helped the stranger wipe her body.

"Looks like things are going well here." Ning casually found a place to sit down.

"Yeah, more or less," Xuanze said casually. "I did run into a little trouble, but thanks to your little sister, it was resolved smoothly."

Xiao, covered in animal fur, ran to Xuanze's side, stood in a starfish position with her head tilted back, emphasizing that it was all her doing. Judging from her reaction, she probably wanted everyone's praise. Xuanze glanced at her indifferently, casually ruffled her hair, and then skillfully led her aside.

"What about your side?" Xuanze asked, resting his chin on his hand. "What did you go there for?"

“The kingdom has already begun its operation,” Li said solemnly. “Just as Mo Yueya predicted, the kingdom has launched its full-scale offensive. And it’s far more serious than we imagined.”

"Hey~ So you're finally starting to move? That old geezer." Xuanze looked displeased. "Yeah, with ten holy swords, conquering the world shouldn't be too difficult."

"So you know about it too? About the ten holy swords?"

“Hmm,” Xuanze nodded, “Let’s exchange some information. Let’s organize the situation before Saiwei arrives, and then we can tell him in detail. There’s nothing we can do if we don’t know anything.”

“Then I’ll explain,” Li volunteered, raising his hand. “It’s roughly like this…”

Chapter 2 Union

Sevi spent some time explaining the situation and the whole story to his subordinates, and apologizing for his dereliction of duty before leaving the Duchy's army. Now they could rest peacefully among the demons, with Markiri there watching and helping.

Although he didn't expect that such a powerful demon would take such good care of the wounded, and that some other demons would also join in to help, this greatly challenged his common sense.

He lifted the curtain of the Demon King's tent and went inside, greeting the people inside: "Ha, I've finished here... Oh, Ri, are you done over there too?"

"Yes, please sit down." Li nodded and urged him to sit down. "I have something important to say."

Saiwei sat down next to Li without any hesitation. Ning, who was on Li's other side, raised an eyebrow, but she didn't react immediately. This wasn't the time to make a scene.

“Savi, you’ve come at the right time.” Xuanze stood up and circulated his magic. “We just finished organizing the intelligence, so let me tell you the more specific details now.”

Xuanze imitated Mo Yueya's magic, constructing magic power into magic lines and releasing them to form patterns or three-dimensional shapes, just like the scenes in science fiction movies. He was surrounded by light projection terminals.

"A lot happened in the kingdom while we were on our way to rescue your army, and I now know quite a few amazing things."

As Xuanze spoke, he used magic threads to create a rough aerial warship, keeping it in its original form. Then, with a flick of his hand, he created several more aerial warships, with the one in the center being larger than the others.

“While we were away from the kingdom, Li and Ning went to the church to destroy the magic circle of the ‘Hero Summoning Ritual’.” Xuanze tapped the ground with his toe, unfolding a magic circle. “To be honest, I also think it’s better to destroy that thing as soon as possible. You guys did a great job.”

He casually wiped the ground with his foot, letting the magic circle dissipate on its own, probably comparing it to a magic circle used in a "hero summoning ritual".

"But we encountered ghosts during the retreat, right?" Xuanze suddenly turned the topic to Li.

“Ah, yes, that’s right.” Li nodded. “There are three ghosts sniping at us.”

“Sevier, you probably don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, right? It’s a matter of course.” Xuanze changed the subject, “But the problem is, they are the wielders of the Holy Sword.”

“…Huh?!” Saiwei exclaimed in surprise.