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

“Mo Yueya’s prediction is only half right,” Xuanze sneered. “The kingdom’s use of the hero’s power is not simply a matter of using him as a banner of righteousness, but rather killing the hero and seizing the Holy Sword.”

"Wait, wait, wait!? So, according to you..." Sevi had already imagined that terrifying ending, "the kingdom now... has ten holy swords?"

"Haha, what do you think?" Xuanze revealed an irresponsible smile. "Although I can't prove it to you, all the signs point to this situation: what are the kingdom planning to do when they have ten holy swords?"

"...The invasion has begun, hasn't it?"

“That’s right,” Xuanze turned back and manipulated the virtual entities made of magic lines once again. “Let me tell you something else: the kingdom has already begun its operation, and they will be all over the world in less than a day.”

"Huh?! That can't be right?!" Savi exclaimed incredulously. "Even if we were to cross the maze in a straight line, it would take the entire army, lightly equipped, five days. Could it be that they have someone like Li...? Oh, right..."

Saiwei suddenly realized something and stared in disbelief.

“I think you’ve already figured it out,” Xuanze added, “Just as you thought, the kingdom has a way to travel quickly, and that way is by using this means of transportation.”

Xuanze casually pushed an airship in front of Savi and then used magic to make it move.

He continued, "This is the kingdom's method: flying warships, weapons that Li and Ning saw with their own eyes, killed a dragon right in front of the two of them, leaving nothing behind."

Xuanze quickly drew a flying dragon and placed it in front of the airship, simulating the scene at the time. The flying dragon was destroyed like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, leaving nothing behind.

“Now, these airships are being operated by the Kingdom’s people,” Xuanze said, dispersing the objects. “They have split into ten teams and traveled to various parts of the world. So now their goal is clear: to quickly suppress all nations with the power of the Holy Sword, and then invade the entire world. Judging from the speed described, I estimate it will begin soon.”

The despairing reality of ten holy swords, and the kingdom controlling them, haunted Sevi's mind. He desperately wished it were just a nightmare.

“Well then, let’s get down to business.” Li stood up and extended his hand to Savi. “Come help me, Savi, for the sake of this world.”

"..." Savi stared at Li in silence for a moment, then asked, "Is there any chance of winning? Against something like that?"

"Haha, of course!" Li laughed confidently. "Who do you take me for? The Demon King over there is on our side too."

"Ha...you're kidding, right?" "You idiot, Xuanze, shut up!"

The Demon King said something very inappropriate and dampened the spirits, then got hit by Serena. Let's just pretend it never happened.

"Ah...then I'll let our duchy get involved too."

Savi grasped Li's hand. He had thought it through. It wasn't just about protecting his own country, but also about lending a hand to the Demon King. Since there was a chance of victory, he should do his best. It was better than just watching the kingdom attack.

"Then, Demon King, can you cooperate with us?" Li asked Xuanze.

"Ugh... This is so troublesome. Just say what you're thinking." Xuanze said impatiently. "Just do whatever you want. If there are any problems, I and the slime over there will solve them together."

That's what he said... meaning, just do it, he and Ning will help her. The Demon King isn't exactly straightforward either, just like Ning used to be.

"Then let me share my thoughts." Walking to the center of the tent, he organized his words and their order. "We have a chance of winning, and the Demon King knows that too. Although the Holy Sword can be considered invincible in this world, we also have a 'Holy Sword' that transcends this world, a 'Holy Sword' that belongs only to us."

“Our own ‘Holy Sword’…” Xuanze smiled. “Ah, I think I understand what you mean. But aren’t you worried about disrupting the balance of this world? If you do something groundbreaking, it’s not so easy to make the people of this world give it up.”

"Therefore, I will try my best to keep this impact within the Akihabara area," Ri said firmly. "This is the only place that is most suitable for us to carry out our plan. We need to develop new weapons, although this is not what I originally wanted, but we can't worry about that now."

"Akihabara?" Genze asked in surprise. "There's such a place?"

"Yes, it exists, but it's not quite the same as Akihabara on Earth," Rin said with a wry smile.

"Akihabara? What are you going to do there?" Savi asked.

"Of course, it's about directly advancing the development of this world." Li laughed heartily. "Akihabara is certainly capable of handling such a cultural shock and is very adaptable. We can achieve the greatest results in a short time. Besides, there are people there who are at the forefront of this world."

Akihabara, a problem district teeming with geniuses and eccentrics, would seem like a troublesome place to most people. But for Rin, it's the world's greatest treasure.

“…I suppose I know what you’re planning to do.” Sevi nodded. “In any case, Akihabara is a special region within our principality’s jurisdiction. If we can help you, we certainly will.”

“Thanks, Savi.” Li thanked him frankly, then continued the conversation, “That’s true, but the kingdom’s aggression will not stop during our development. During this period, I need the duchy and the kingdom to join forces to stop the kingdom’s aggression. Even if we can’t stop it, we should at least slow down their aggression. Can you do that?”

"Heh, what do you take me for?" Demon King Xuanze smiled confidently, "I'll dismantle one of them to show you."

“Ah, stopping them seems impossible, disrupting them is fine, but…” Savi raised the core issue, “How can we catch up with those warships?”

Airships are several times faster than humans, and since they don't encounter any obstacles in the air, their speed must be extremely fast. So how could they possibly catch up?

“We can catch up,” Rin said confidently. “We can catch up, I’ll bet my title of ‘Time-Space Dragon King.’ I’ve already had another version of myself set up portals all over the world. Thanks to Tonegi, we have many portals at our disposal, and I’ve set them up in warehouses expanded with ‘time-space magic.’ Passing through them at once is no problem. We can use these ‘portals’ to reach the nearest point to intercept them, and that way we can catch up. Afterwards, I’ll mark all these portals so you can identify where they lead. W-what are you doing? Why are you staring at me like that…”

Almost everyone present stared at Li in disbelief; no one had expected her to have achieved such a feat. Ning walked over to her, patted her shoulder, and smiled gently.

"It's finally starting to look like something... Your Majesty the Dragon King."

"...Heh heh, I'll be serious too." Rin looked away, a little embarrassed. "So, can you do it now?"

"Heh, the Dragon King is full of energy." Xuanze also stood up and stretched his arms and legs. "Then I can't fall behind."

“I will inform the duchy of this matter as soon as possible and then we can begin cooperation,” Sevier also stood up. “Leave the task of stopping the kingdom to us. Our duchy will do everything in its power to protect this world.”

“Then… I’ll leave it to you.” Li nodded. “If possible, do your best to help those countries escape danger, and then persuade them to join us in fighting against the kingdom.”

"clear."

"Well then, let's all get ready. Who needs to go somewhere? I'll teleport you there."

There is one day left before all-out war begins.

Chapter 3 Going Home

"Oh, right, and this too."

Just as Li was about to return, Xuanze suddenly came out, carried the strange girl in a princess carry to her, and then reached out his hand but immediately withdrew it.

"Hey?! What are you doing?!" Li was startled, but luckily caught it in time.

"This woman is also a Dragon King," Xuanze said casually. "Take her back. I don't need any extra women here."

"Wow...you really dare to say that...wait? Dragon, Dragon King?"

Li was stunned for a moment, then glanced at the girl in her arms. The girl was still unconscious, but she could feel the Dragon King's power emanating from her.

“I’ll make some preparations here and head to the duchy right away,” Xuanze said, continuing the conversation. “It will only take a day at the earliest. Do whatever you can or want during that day. You’ll be working yourself to death during this period, so be prepared.”

"It's not that serious, is it..." Li smiled wryly as he watched the Demon King return to his tent.

“Another dragon king.” Ning glanced at the girl. “Judging from her appearance, she should be ‘Frost Dragon King’ Finoir, that very difficult and unpredictable cold dragon king.”

"Ha... To be honest, I don't want to get involved in the Dragon King's affairs for now." Li sighed. "After we get back, let Negi and the others handle her. I'll open the gate for you to return to the Duchy first, and I'll go pick up Olito and the others."

"Okay." Ning didn't say anything, simply trusting the logic at hand. "Then I'll take Xiao back first. How about the rest of you?"

"Let me help carry her back."

The Black Knight volunteered to step forward and then politely took Finoer from Li's arms in a princess carry.

“Wu Ke and I went over there with Li,” Seria said apologetically. “We thought it would take several days, but it only took one day. We even brought some luggage with us, and we have to go back to get it.”

"so be it."

Li immediately used teleportation on Ning and the others, sending them home first. Then she walked towards the teleportation portal she had opened earlier. The portal still had a little magic left, so it was still usable. She walked over without hesitation and returned to the kingdom's inn. Seria and Wu Ke naturally followed.

"You guys pack your things first, I'll go find Olitto, he should be at the counter."

Li greeted them briefly and then hurriedly left the room for the lobby. The shop was as lively as when they first arrived, with everyone discussing the kingdom's new fighting force. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

Ryo glanced at the counter and quickly spotted Olito drinking and chatting with the shop owner, while Natsuki ate snacks next to him.

Seeing such a pleasant scene, I felt a little reluctant, but I had to end it; there wasn't much left.

"Excuse me." Li sat down next to them.

"Oh, that makes sense." Olitto reeked of alcohol. "So, how's it going?"

"It went fairly smoothly..." Li paused, then said, "You saw it too, right? The one flying in the sky."

“Ah… that one.” Natsuki offered her opinion, “That’s amazing, Kingdom. They actually have ships that can fly. It’s a pity they’re for combat. They would be great for transporting goods.”

“I think Natsuki’s idea is quite good,” the shopkeeper said, wiping a wooden plate. “If that’s the case, we could travel all over the world, right? That’s wonderful… But that’s not how it’s used at all… When did the kingdom even get such a thing? Oh, by the way, little sister, would you like some wine?”

"Uh...no need." Li waved her hand and declined, "I can't drink..."

She vaguely remembered that at the celebration party for moving in, she got drunk after only taking a small sip of a very low-alcohol beverage and heard that she became unconscious afterwards, so it's better not to drink alcohol.

"It may be a bit abrupt... but we have to go," Li said calmly. "Olitzo, you guys... you should hurry back... have you finished things here?"

Natsuki and Olitko were both taken aback. They could hear the tension and apology in her tone; it seemed the situation had become quite critical.

Xia Shu finished the rest of the side dishes, then put down her fork: "I'll go prepare something, let's go back like this, and leave before midnight."

Natsuki waved and left the shop to prepare for their departure. Olito held his wine glass, head bowed, saying nothing. Although he felt apologetic, they truly had to leave; the kingdom had become extremely dangerous.

If I could… I'd like to take the shop owner with me… but…

"Hmm... Is that so? Are you going back?" The shopkeeper said casually as before, "Yeah, you're leaving after only one day. Well... it saves me the trouble of taking care of you kids~ Go on, go on, remember to leave the key."

The innkeeper seemed to have seen right through them, yet she didn't ask any questions and treated them as usual. Even if Li told her the truth, she wouldn't leave, would she? The innkeeper definitely wouldn't leave this inn.

"Ah... I understand." Olitto finished the rest of his drink in one gulp, then stood up, as if to announce, "Miss Kanina, please wait for my return."

"...Since you put it that way, I'm looking forward to it." The shop owner smiled and went into the inner kitchen.

“That is…” Li was a little surprised.

“Ah, that’s right,” Olitto nodded, looking embarrassed. “That’s the shop owner’s name, Kanina.”

"Hehe, isn't that pretty capable?" Li poked his side. "You could say you've made some progress, right? So, how's the business?"

"Heh, what do you think?" Olitto smiled confidently. "It's all taken care of, so let's go back. And while you're at it, find a chance to tell me what exactly happened."

"Well, if there's a chance."

The caravan from the merchant guild teleported directly to the backyard of the Borg Merchant Guild with Li. After saying goodbye to them, Li led Seria and the other two into the merchant guild, opened the teleportation portal that belonged to their home, returned to the warehouse, and then quickly went home.

"I'm back~"

"Ah, Sister Li...you've worked hard."

Upon opening the door and entering, one sees relatives and friends sitting in the hall. Xia Ling is fine, and Nieqi and Salid are still the same as before, currently staring at the only injured person lying on the sofa. Ning is sitting to one side drinking tea, while Xiao is playing with Shuangyue.

Such an emergency just happened, yet they relaxed as soon as they got home. Oh no… I think I'm getting sleepy too…

Returning home gives me a sense of security and belonging that I can't get anywhere else, which makes me a little sleepy after a busy day. I'm just trying to stay awake.

“Ah, ‘Time,’ just in time.” Negi poked Finoir’s cheek. “So, what should we do with this? Dispose of the body?”

"Can we please not talk about such dangerous topics?! Xiao's here too!!"

"Haha, just kidding, just kidding~" Negi laughed it off. "I know 'Ice' is still alive, but it doesn't look too good for her now. What exactly happened? Can you tell us in detail?"

Chapter 4 Dragon King Support (Get)

"Huh...?" Li asked, sounding puzzled. "Ning? Didn't you tell them?"

"No," Ning said matter-of-factly. "This should be your task, right?"

"Don't you know that too?" Li asked rhetorically.

"But the plan is yours, right?" Ning said with a wicked smile. "I don't know the details of the plan. Come on, tell me quickly, what are we going to do?"

"Ugh...really..."

Li surrendered with her hands raised, helplessly explaining the whole story to the other unsuspecting people. Ning wasn't unwilling to tell them; she simply intended to relinquish control of the plan to Li, giving her some experience.

It's taken so long to get Rin to a decent level; we can't let her rely on me forever. What would happen to her and Akira if something happened to me one day? It's better to train her now. However, Ning felt that such a situation was impossible; no matter what, she would not leave Rin's side.

“Yes, that’s what happened.” Neki nodded. “Does that mean the kingdom has already brought ten holy swords to attack? Wow, that’s really impressive.”

Although Salid was completely confused, he still said with a sense of awe, "Ten holy swords, very powerful. I can't handle so many at the same time."

“We don’t expect you to deal with so many things by yourself,” Li explained with a wry smile. “We are now cooperating with the Duchy and the Demon Clan to stop the Kingdom. There will be people helping us.”

Li had already explained everything to Neki and the others from beginning to end, and told them about the future plans. Now, judging from Salid's reaction, it seemed he intended to help, but the key was Neki...

“Hmm…that’s true,” Negi said, popping a potato chip into her mouth. “What good is this for us, for the Dragon Kings? Helping humans or something? I don’t think it’s any real benefit other than leaving behind legends or stories, ‘Time’.”

The meaning of "Nechi" can be roughly interpreted as: What benefits do we get from helping humanity?

There was no alliance or mission among the Dragon Kings; they were simply a group of overly powerful idlers.

They usually don't interfere with each other, and they decide what to do themselves. It's not surprising that Neki would think this way; she had considered that this situation might occur.

"Emmmmmm, I told you, we'll develop our own new 'Holy Sword'." Li carefully chose his words. "You'll see a lot of amazing technologies, skills, and inventions you're curious about, right? Don't you want to know what's in my head?"

Of course, she knew this and would prepare a countermeasure. For Neki, what was more important were the unknown skills and techniques and novel inventions. These things were in Li's mind and became one of Li's bargaining chips.

"If you think that's not enough," Li continued, "then, what about the future of this world, the future of humanity? Hmm... does that sound a bit too fantastical? Let's pick something easy to understand... what will humanity be like after obtaining these things? Don't you want to see?"

Humans are a species that is constantly progressing, and this world is no exception. Although it is somewhat inappropriate for Li to now throw out a catalyst to allow them to develop rapidly, it is a necessary measure.

“Then let me ask you the other way around,” Negi suddenly countered. “Why do you have to stop the kingdom’s invasion just because you’re doing all this? The development of the environment clearly doesn’t affect what we’re doing, does it? Isn’t our Dragon King always able to do what he wants?”

“Ah, right, do it if you want.” Rin suddenly smiled maliciously. “If the Kingdom takes over the whole world, Akihabara, the revolutionary base, will be gone. If that happens, I won’t stand for it.”

This is also a threat; if Negi doesn't cooperate, she'll never gain access to the knowledge of the other world that Ri and Ning possess. If it were her, she certainly wouldn't tolerate it.