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

She had no way to defeat Lycia now. The day after she parted ways with Hale, she was attacked by Lycia and completely crushed. Xia Que was beaten without any power to fight back.

Left with no other option, she could only run away, because Lycia wouldn't listen to a word she said, only muttering thick, indistinct words while keeping her eyes fixed on Xia Que.

So, the only option here is to go in the opposite direction from Lycia.

Just now, Xia Que brushed past Licia. Now that she has missed Licia, the only way to distance herself from Licia is to walk in the opposite direction.

With little time to spare, Xia Que surveyed her surroundings again, and only after confirming that no one was around did she begin to drag her battered body in the opposite direction.

From now on, she will have to fight alone. At least until she finds companions, and who knows, she might already be able to stand on her own without Hale.

There are many things to be mindful of, such as the things you might encounter on the road, like bandits, mountain bandits, and slave traders—people who don't belong to any power. For them, belonging is just a matter of words; profit is everything.

Therefore, they are a threat to Xia Que now. After being injured, she is unable to properly wield the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow and is struggling in battle.

Besides that, there are even more dangerous monsters to watch out for. Some monsters might even escape from the dungeon. But the most terrifying one is Lycia.

Thinking of this, Xia Que unconsciously quickened her pace, wishing she could escape as soon as possible.

"Found you~"

————!

As if the whisper of death were ringing in her ears, Xia Que started running without hesitation, ignoring her injuries and running with all her might.

Even if your whole body is screaming in agony, you must run, no matter what, you must escape from death.

As she walked through the dense forest, sharp branches tore at her clothes, leaving behind traces of her escape. Lycia followed the trail with a cold smile.

Haul, come quick! Your apprentice is about to be killed by me!

"Hahahahahahaha...!"

The twisted, maniacal laughter echoed through the night sky, startling countless birds into flight. They flew away as if they had spotted a natural enemy, and even the wingless summer sparrows could not escape, no matter how many wings they had.

Let's gather in Akihabara!

Prologue

"Waaah... How do I get to the Duchy..."

The blue-haired girl is lost in the forest and is wondering how to get to the duchy.

She was dressed in a light blue oriental outfit, so she probably came from the Eastern Sea Kingdom, which is far away on the mainland.

But what's puzzling is why she, a girl, would be alone in this forest? And she doesn't seem like someone who travels often; besides the clothes she wore and some hairpins that looked expensive, she had nothing else on her. Hmm, right, she also seemed to have something called an oil-paper umbrella in the Donghai Kingdom? Is that thing valuable?

I mean... at least bring something else... how am I supposed to do this, you robber?

Oh, right, I forgot to mention that.

I am Leon, the man who aspires to be the King of Bandits. I believe you all have known my name for a long time, haven't you? Yes, that's me.

Huh? What? An adventurer? Ha, you've got it wrong. How could I possibly be that kind of spineless coward? Huh? A hero's companion? A partner of justice? What kind of trash is that? Are you kidding me?! Are you looking for death?! Huh!?

"Wang!"

"Holy crap! Don't scream...!"

What are you looking at? Never seen a dog before? Pshaw! Never seen someone keep a dog before? This is my vicious dog. I haven't named it yet, so for convenience, I'll just call it Gou Sheng (Dog Leftovers).

"Huh? I think I heard something making a sound just now..." The girl looked around. "Was it just my imagination..."

Good, this girl didn't spot us. Damn bastard, you almost got us exposed, you know that? If something went wrong at this crucial moment, I'd be starving to death... Pah! Didn't you hear anything?! Did you hear me?! Believe me or not, I'll chop you up!?

"Um...? Hello...?"

Waa ...

When did this girl arrive?!

Damn it, they ambushed me while I was analyzing tactics! Who the hell do I think I am?! I'm a robber! Give me some face, okay? Give me a chance, okay?

Here, for the sake of the bigger picture... I need to...

"I'm so sorry! Miss, I'll never do such underhanded things again! So please let me go here! I have elderly parents and young children to support; my whole family depends on me to earn a living! The whole village has pinned their hopes on me, on letting me find a way to get rich!! So I must survive!!!"

Yes, here we should strategically surrender, lower her guard and gain her trust, then find an opportunity to knock her unconscious and strip her of all her valuables.

Huh? Oh, right—it's true, we could make a lot of money by capturing her and selling her as a slave, but I, Leon, have principles! I would never do such a shameful thing!

"Um... calm down? The dog is suffocating..." the girl whispered a reminder.

Huh? A dog! Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!

I think I accidentally grabbed it for too long just now, and I can't breathe. My dog, Sheng, has his eyes rolled back!

"Aaaaaaah! Gousheng! Gousheng! Don't die!!!"

Ahhh, why! Why! God, tell me!

The kingdom has now destroyed all the other nations in its quest for dominance. I am now homeless and don't even know if my family is safe! In this chaos of war, I can only survive as a bandit! Do you think my life is easy?!

I have almost nothing left! And now you want to take away my best friend, Gousheng! Is there no justice? Is there no law?!

Come on, Gousheng, let's go. I'll find a place to bury you. If there's reincarnation, in the next life, don't follow this shameful guy like me again. Also, my name is actually Leon Chen, remember that, my forever partner—

"Wait a minute? You're not dead yet?"

The girl grabbed my hand, not letting me leave. I turned my head and saw her porcelain doll-like face, her large, clear sapphire eyes looking at me as if washing away all the filth from me. Suddenly, I felt an extraordinary sense of relaxation throughout my body.

"Um... if you don't mind, could you leave the dog with me?" the girl asked politely.

Her words held a magical power, and I couldn't resist it. I handed her the nearly lifeless dog poop. The girl took the poop, gently cradled it in her arms, and looked at it with tender eyes. So enviable! Please, let's switch places, Dog Poop, I'm done being human!

She closed her eyes, embraced it, and knelt on the ground.

Suddenly, I had the illusion that a green light was emanating from the girl, and the trees and flowers around me, which had been somewhat withered, seemed to come alive. Grass and flowers grew on the ground next to the girl, and the whole world turned green.

so beautiful……

Even someone as unrefined as me, with a poor sense of aesthetics, could feel the pure beauty. This young woman seemed to be the center of the world, embracing everything and the world with her gentle heart.

Suddenly, Gou Sheng's ears twitched. It moved in the girl's arms and then playfully licked her face. Ah, I really want to lick her! I guess I'd better not be human after all!

The girl gently put Gou Sheng down, then stood up and smiled at me: "The dog is alright now."

"Aaaaaah... Gou Sheng!"

"Wang!"

Hearing my call, Gousheng came running towards me in a flash. I half-squatted down, opened my arms, and hugged my best friend tightly, as if I wanted to hug this dog to death. It's so enviable. Am I not even as good as a dog?

"That's wonderful," the girl said from the bottom of her heart. "I can be with my master again."

She gazed at us with gentle eyes, quietly picked up the oil-paper umbrella from the ground, and then prepared to leave alone without disturbing us. I, of course, saw all of this, and felt guilty about my earlier ulterior motives, so at least…

"Um! Miss! Please wait a moment!" I mustered my courage and called out to her.

"...? What's wrong? Is there anything else?" The girl stopped when she heard my voice.

"I heard what you just said," I said, a little embarrassed. "You're going to the duchy, right?"

"Yes, I see." The girl nodded, looking somewhat troubled. "But it seems I'm lost..."

“I can take you there! I know the way!” I offered myself to her.

"Huh? Is that okay?" The girl looked at me with some surprise.

"If you don't mind..." I couldn't finish my sentence and turned my head away.

"Thank you!" The girl happily grasped my hand. "That's wonderful! I've been struggling with how to get to the duchy! You're such a kind person!"

You're a good person (thorn).

"puff!"

Heartbreak turned into black blood that gushed out.

"Hey!? Why did you suddenly vomit blood?! Are you alright!?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing... I just feel so tired..."

Chapter 1 should be abandoned.

"Huh?! They're going to hand over the neighborhood committee to the Borg Chamber of Commerce to operate?!"

Upon arriving at the neighborhood committee early in the morning, everyone heard such explosive news, and couldn't help but wonder if Li had lost his mind.

"Are you out of your mind?" Seria looked at her with suspicion.

“I’m not out of my mind,” Li explained curtly. “We just leave the operations to professionals like Borg, but I handle the day-to-day tasks.”

"Can you explain your reasoning?" the Black Knight asked, raising his hand.

“It’s like this…” Li said, recounting his prepared explanation, “On the one hand, it’s because we feel our inadequacy in this area, and on the other hand, it’s because of the upcoming war. You’ve all seen it these past few days, haven’t you? We’re almost helpless in the face of a series of unexpected situations, and we’re so busy that we can’t spare any time. If we continue at this pace, we’ll be the first to collapse.”

“That would be counterproductive, wouldn’t it?” Fino nodded in understanding. “We’re not good at this kind of thing, and we’ve always tried our best to do our jobs well. But this is too inefficient, isn’t it?”

"Yes, rather than letting us laymen do it, it's better to let the professionals do it." Li began explaining the next reason. "Also, there's the issue of what comes next. As combat force, we still need to fight on the front lines, including some of you. We can't handle both, because we're not monsters like the Demon King. After these past few days, I've come to understand some things. All I can do is guide. Ultimately, I only know what this is and what that is; I can only give you a general direction to strive for. The real work of putting it into practice should be done by you. What makes any of you better than me? I've only become this way by chance, with a bit of a cheat code. Compared to you, it's truly shameful… So, that's all I have to say. Do you have any objections?"

The crowd remained silent. What Li said made perfect sense, but it was something difficult to accept, yet they couldn't articulate it. Li waited a while, and seeing that they still didn't answer, he took it as their agreement.

“Then it’s decided. Depending on the situation, it might also merge with the Borg Chamber of Commerce, which would be more convenient.” Li stood up.

...He stood up?

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?!?"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Li looked at them with a puzzled expression. "Why are you all so surprised?"

"No, wait? You're all better?" Celia looked at Li's legs.

"Okay, it's all healed." Li took a couple of steps back and forth to show them. "Ning healed me."

I met Ning yesterday, and she treated me on the way back, and I was fine. It's really strange that Mingli couldn't be cured no matter how she used healing magic, but Ning cured me so easily.

"Although I still seem a little unsteady on my feet," Li smiled. "Now, I won't hold you back anymore. Oh, and by the way, Seria, starting today, you'll be handing over your work to someone else."

Seria was only temporarily assigned to this job, but now the neighborhood committee has Borg helping her.

“…That’s true, I’m not really the type to do this kind of thing.” Celia understood what she was going to say, but her gaze shifted to Xia Ling. “But I’m more worried about Xia Ling…”

“Miss Celia, don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” Xia Ling gave a reassuring smile. “I’m okay, and my brother is here too. Miss Celia is taking such good care of me.”

During this period, the two of them shared most of the work. When Xia Ling encountered people she couldn't handle, Seria would step in to help her deal with them. So now they have a very good relationship... or rather... Seria seems to get along quite well with all the girls except for Li and Ning.

Ah... so relationships between girls are really complicated...

I realized the gap in communication skills; it was a complete defeat... Isn't this bullying someone who dropped out of junior high halfway through?

"I see... then I'm relieved." Seria accepted it for the time being.

"I think I can understand how Sister Li feels now..."

Xia Ling clenched her hands, her feelings a mix of emotions, as she looked at everyone present.

"Although I can't help you all over there, I will be here to make all the preparations to welcome you back."

Xia Ling is an ordinary person. She has finally cured her magic allergy, and this is all she can do now. All she can do is watch over these important people.

After the handover was completed, it was determined that only Xia Ling would remain to work at the Akihabara Neighborhood Committee, while the rest would become nominal members, as they had more important things to do.

The first thing they need to do is strengthen their combat capabilities. Therefore, they are currently heading to the Sangu Workshop.

"Hey, you've arrived!"

Negi was already waiting in front of the Sanko Workshop. When she saw Riku, she reached out and greeted him.

“Yes, we’re here.” Rie walked over to Negi. “The workshop is in much better shape.”

"Yes, thanks to you guys." Negi nodded.

After a night of carefree fun, the members of Sangu Workshop are now working with renewed vigor. They are intensely discussing solutions and plans for overcoming certain problems while simultaneously carrying out development work. Everyone's face is tense, and the workshop is filled with a tense atmosphere that is completely different from yesterday.

"Have you heard?" Negi walked into the workshop first. "The kingdom has begun its operation."

"It's already started?!" Wu Ke exclaimed in surprise.

"It's much earlier than expected," a somewhat frustrated voice came from inside the Black Knight's helmet. "Can we hold off their offensive now?"

“It’s hard to say,” Finoir said noncommittally. “Humans do have some merits, but even so, judging from what you’ve said recently, it’s impossible for them to withstand the kingdom’s human offensive.”

"Ah...the road ahead is full of obstacles." Seria looked up at the sky.

"Yes, that's why we gave up," Li said casually.