Diary of the Improper Monster Girl Transformation.

Chapter 553 And so, Miss Squirrel's life began... (Bonus chapter for 6K chapters!)
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"Eh?"

After uttering those taboo words, Lucaria had prepared herself for the storm and the wrath of the demigod.

As we all know, on the grand stage of the Misty Discipline Institute, each member of the supergroup has their own special abilities.

As a mirror spirit who has lived for over a thousand years, Luccaria enjoys chasing and recording those extraordinary moments.

Whether it's the radiance of a god descending to earth or the dying wails of a demon, she wants to preserve any scene that is "real" and "exciting" enough, hiding it in her mirror world.

Just as human collectors are fascinated by rare gems, her collection is a "history" of the most extreme emotions and power eruptions in the world.

In the past few days, Luccalia has witnessed many amazing scenes.

She saw the demigod squirrel leap up, its fluffy tail sweeping lightly, like the softest feather brushing against the ground, yet causing the giant tree it brushed against to groan under its own weight and collapse with a crash.

With a casual kick, it created a huge crater in the ground and caused an earthquake.

A group of reckless monsters blocked the demigod squirrel's path, gathering together and trying to make it go around them.

And then...no more.

A flash of pure white light, formed from pure power, disappeared, and all the "obstacles" in the field of vision vanished.

She had indeed witnessed the destructive power of a demigod, but she had never experienced it "personally" firsthand.

For the Mirror Demon, who loves seeking thrills and recording the most authentic scenes, these images are undoubtedly extremely impactful, enough to make any creature with a shred of reason keep its distance from this raging demigod.

But Luccaria is different.

She is a pursuer of "authenticity" and a collector of "moments".

Observing through a mirror is like watching a thrilling adventure movie through a thick, absolutely safe layer of glass—it's exciting, but there's always a barrier.

It lacks that immersive, soul-stirring sense of reality.

Yes, it's still lacking something.

This won't do!
How can we just look at it!
So she started acting recklessly.

So she deliberately provoked it, hoping to see its true strength when it was angry.

Miss Mirror Demon deliberately imitated Herbert's somewhat lazy and irritating tone, uttering that carefully prepared "line" that was enough to pierce the heart of any "abandoned" person.

And then... they prepared to face the anticipated, devastating storm.

Even if this mirror image is completely destroyed, it's still worth the price of admission!
However, things did not develop as she had hoped.

Contrary to what the habitually reckless Mirror Demon had predicted, the demigod squirrel opposite her reacted calmly to her incredibly sarcastic remark.

The anticipated burst of fury did not materialize; not even a ripple of anger could be felt.

The squirrel simply groomed its soft fur on its chest with its paws, then tilted its head at her with a very strange look.

Yes, the other party showed no signs of breaking down.

You could see a hint of disdain in its clear eyes, as if it were looking at a fool.

?

Did a squirrel look down on me?

Even though it was Lucaria who was deliberately provoking them, I suddenly felt like I was the one who should be angry.

She was the one who provoked them, willing to "sacrifice" a clone to her death, but instead of following the script, the other party looked at her with a "is this kid out of her mind?" look.

It felt like throwing a punch that had been building up for a long time, only to land in empty air, and almost straining my back.

What's happening here?
What went wrong?

Lucaria hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to ask, shamelessly and without any regard for propriety, the victim asked:
"Hey, demigod, can I ask you a question? It's just... cough cough, why aren't you angry about what I just said?"

She asked with such sincerity and with such composure, as if she weren't the one who had just delivered the most hurtful and precise psychological blow.

Yes, it wasn't me.

It was all Herbert's doing!
"Huhao?"

Even if Herbert were here, after hearing these words, he would surely sigh deeply and feel sincere admiration.

Even he had to admit defeat to Luccaria and give her a thumbs up.

Accurately stepping on landmines, attempting to detonate them but failing, being scorned in return, and still having the audacity to ask the victims about their emotional journey...

You're awesome!
You're fucking inhuman!
Herbert always thought he was number one on the list of people who did stupid things at the Misty Monastery, even surpassing the Discipline Hall team, but he never expected that he had actually been living in the shadow of Lucaria all along.

When it comes to courting death, this is the true prodigy!
Faced with Lucaria's almost shameless question, the demigod squirrel's reaction was once again unexpected.

It felt neither offended nor amused. Looking at the mirror demon grinning at it in the shards of the mirror, it simply asked in a calm, factual tone:

"Hmph, why should I be angry? What reason do I have to be angry?"

My mom doesn't want me anymore?

What kind of mother?
When did I have a mother?
As a special monster born in the Misty Forest, it has no parents and cannot understand the emotional dependence and blood ties that the concept of "mother" carries.

"And I know that what you said wasn't said by Herbert."

A faint, shimmering light, like the movement of water, flashed in the squirrel's clear black eyes. It gazed at Lucaria's reflection in the mirror, as if it could penetrate the illusory mirror and see directly the consciousness that was manipulating everything behind it.

"……Well!"

Its eyes remained unmoved as it calmly observed its awkward reflection in the mirror, and snorted, "Hmph, no one can fool me, hmph!"

Lucaria was unaware that this seemingly simple, even somewhat naive, demigod possessed an extremely special talent.

Since its birth, this squirrel has lived on the sacred tree of mist, which has been chanting a song that is inaudible to ordinary people but has the effect of "truth spell".

The song enveloped the space around the sacred tree like background radiation. Any creature that heard the song would be unconsciously affected, its heart becoming clear, making it difficult to fabricate lies, and for a period of time it would only be able to express its truest thoughts.

As for Miss Squirrel, as the closest companion of the sacred tree, although she has never clearly "heard" or "felt" this power like outsiders, her soul has long been assimilated by this power through years of exposure and has acquired some of its essence.

It has an almost instinctive, keen intuition for lies, as natural as breathing.

They can easily discern any discordant "noise" in language and perceive whether the hidden intention behind the words is benevolent or malicious.

This is why the demigod squirrel was able to immediately tell that Lucaria's words were a clumsy imitation and a deliberate provocation, and did not take them seriously.

The reason it didn't immediately punish the impudent mirror demon was because behind those provocative words, it sensed not sinister malice, but rather a... playful, mischievous intent fueled by intense curiosity.

It proudly flicked its bushy, snow-white tail and snorted, "As for your conditions, they are utterly meaningless!"

The demigod squirrel puffed out its fluffy little chest, its tone becoming exceptionally serious, even carrying an unquestionable solemnity.

“I don’t know how you view my relationship with the Holy Tree, but you’ve clearly misunderstood one thing.”

"He was never my mother, nor my father."

"Although I really want to know where the Holy Tree went, it's not to seek protection, much less to beg Him not to abandon me."

Its voice suddenly rose, carrying a deep-seated pride and self-satisfaction.

It proudly raised its head, as if it were its own right, and snorted, "He did indeed give me this power, but I am not a child under His protection!"

"Between me and the Sacred Tree, I am the true guardian!"

boom!
After the squirrel finished speaking proudly, the demigod's aura surged forth from its small body.

There were no earth-shattering light and shadow effects, no terrifying scenes of tearing space apart, but a powerful pressure surged out from its seemingly small and harmless body!

The realm of [Power]!
Although it looked like a delicate doll about half the height of a person, the aura it exuded at that moment shocked Luccalia.

"...Gu."

She subconsciously swallowed a non-existent saliva, and the reflection in the mirror swayed slightly, revealing her extreme inner turmoil.

Miss Mirror realized what a foolish and arrogant mistake she had made.

She actually... she actually treated this being like a child who was immature due to the loss of support and could be provoked with words?!
I was wrong, terribly wrong.

This was the strongest person she had ever seen in all her years, aside from gods.

A pure heart does not mean ignorance or fragility.

On the contrary, it is precisely because of the purity of the mind, free from distractions, that one can more directly access the rules of the world and more firmly practice one's own will.

This childlike innocence represents kindness and sincerity, and is a genuine and unwavering perception, not foolishness.

The squirrel was clearly pleased with Luccalia's stunned expression, looking at her smugly and nodding with great satisfaction, raising its head even higher.

"Hoo-hoo!"

It even stomped its little paws proudly, trying to make itself look taller and more imposing. If it weren't for its big tail to keep it balanced, it probably would have fallen backward.

"cough cough"

After striking a pose for a while, Miss Squirrel felt that was enough, so she coughed and said...

Its tone softened, but it still carried the pride of a guardian.

“I am the guardian of the sacred tree, and I will protect it whenever it needs me.”

“But if He no longer needs my protection, then I won’t bother Him. I just want to say goodbye properly.”

"Hoot!"

It pouted, seemingly lost in thought, and finally just let out a soft hum.

Although I wasn't particularly sad, I still felt a pang of reluctance, after all, I had lived in the tree for so many years.

The other party left without saying goodbye, so there must be a reason, but it still made it a little unhappy.

However, this small emotion was quickly replaced by a more realistic and urgent question.

Miss Squirrel's mood became somewhat low. The tip of her tail unconsciously curled and loosened, revealing a hint of confusion in her heart. She murmured, "But what will I do if I can't go back to the tree?"

What should we do next?
This is a question it has never deeply considered. Over the years, "guarding the sacred tree" has been as natural as breathing; it is the entire meaning and core of its existence.

All its behaviors, whether playing, sleeping, or driving away intruders, revolve around this core.

It knew every texture of the sacred tree, remembered every dappled shadow cast by sunlight filtering through the leaves, and listened to the soft sound of every dewdrop sliding off a leaf. Its world consisted of that giant tree and the small patch of land beneath it.

Now, the core has disappeared, and the meaning seems to have been emptied out.

It possesses immense power, enough to roam freely in most parts of this continent, but this power is currently unable to tell it where to go next.

To be precise, the demigod squirrel's current situation doesn't resemble that of a pitiful child abandoned by its parents.

The core issue is not the rupture of emotional dependence, but the sudden end of the "mission".

Instead, he's more like a 35-year-old outstanding employee who was suddenly laid off by the company.

It felt like a gatekeeper who had always been diligent, conscientious, and even exceeded expectations in his guarding duties.

But suddenly, without warning, it was no longer needed.

There was no explanation, no handover, and not even the final wages—perhaps a particularly sweet pine cone—were settled.

The boss ran away... no, the company ran away!
The sudden "midlife crisis" forced it to begin a deep reflection on the meaning of life and the direction of the future.

Just as the demigod squirrel was lost in thought about the unfamiliar concept of "future," its fluffy tail drooping slightly due to its chaotic thoughts, the "provocateur" it had almost forgotten coughed twice.

"Cough cough."

Lucaria tried to break the somewhat dull atmosphere and said weakly, "Um... Herbert asked me to pass on a message to you, and this time it really was him."

"Huh? What did he say?"

"He said……"

Lucalia paused for a moment, then switched to Herbert's voice again, but this time it was unusually serious as she said earnestly, "If I'm not mistaken, the Misty Tree has already left, and you must be feeling rather confused right now."

Is it confusing?
That was indeed quite chaotic.

The voice from the mirror paused for a moment, giving the other person time to think, before continuing calmly, "As an outsider, I can't advise you not to mind."

"I know nothing about the relationship between you, nor do I understand the feelings between you."

"But I think, at least the Misty Sacred Tree wouldn't want to see you become so despondent."

The voice paused again, as if gathering its thoughts, before shifting to a more practical topic:
"In addition, before the sacred tree left, it asked you to bring me a tree heart, which contained a message."

“He said, ‘It’s all in my hands.’”

“I’m not sure if He was entrusting me with something by saying this, but perhaps He hopes that I can give you some help for the time being.”

"If you feel you have nowhere to go right now, why don't you stay in my territory of Elda for a while, and then make a decision after you've thought things through?"

"At that time, it will be up to you whether you stay or leave. I will have lived up to her trust."

Herbert's words ended there.

There were no excessive words of comfort, no insincere pleasantries; the facts were simply stated clearly, respect for the sacred tree's instructions was expressed, and a pragmatic and well-intentioned suggestion was offered.

He left the choice entirely to the demigod squirrel.

If you wish to come, you are welcome. The gates of Elda are always open to you.

If you don't want to come, I won't stop you. Anyway, there aren't many people in these Misty Mountains who can hurt you.

"...Yes, that's what Herbert said."

After relaying the message, Luccaria immediately deactivated the voice simulation.

She looked at the squirrel lost in thought, and after thinking for a moment, felt that the previous offense still needed a formal explanation.

The ethereal, petite figure, composed of light and shadow, slowly floated out of the mirror, hovering in mid-air. It bowed deeply to the demigod squirrel with an elegant yet extremely solemn posture, offering its apology.

"My esteemed demigod, please allow me to apologize. I did indeed deliberately provoke you before. Please forgive my disrespect."

"I am willing to fulfill your request in order to quell your anger."

She paused, then added, as if afraid that her actions might have affected Herbert's good intentions: "Furthermore, Herbert's invitation has nothing to do with me, so please don't let my disrespect influence your thoughts."

The squirrel stared at her for a while, then shook its head and waved its little paws dismissively: "Hoo-hoo, it's nothing, I don't care."

"As for Herbert's invitation..."

It really needs to seriously consider the invitation.

Elda?

It recalled its brief visit a few days earlier to a town nestled on the edge of a forest, bathed in the warm glow of holy torches.

Human houses are not as tall as trees in the forest, but they are arranged neatly, the streets are clean, and the air is filled with the aroma of toast and stew.

peace.

That place possesses a peace and tranquility that are extremely precious in the Misty Mountains.

It hesitated for a moment, then nodded helplessly: "Hmph, I really don't have anywhere to go. Since he invited me, I'll go there and stay for a while."

"I quite like the atmosphere there!"

When I visited Elda a few days ago, the residents were quite friendly to me, and I didn't sense any unpleasantness.

Let's go there and stay for a while!
I just took it as a way to relax.

Having resolved its destination issue, it was visibly relieved. Looking at Lucaria, who was still bowing, it casually said:
"As for what I want you to do, let me think about it first. There's nothing I want you to do right now."

It didn't say it would let the provocation go, but it didn't pursue it too much either; it didn't seem to care much anyway.

"That's great."

After "perfectly" completing Herbert's task, Miss Mirror Demon breathed a sigh of relief, smiled at the demigod squirrel, and casually asked, "By the way, I still don't know your name. How should I address you?"

Now that this demigod squirrel has decided to live in Eldar, our relationship can be taken to the next level, and we can treat each other as half of our own people.

To put it bluntly, they'll probably be one of us from now on.

Lucaria had complete confidence in Herbert, who was not a succubus but was even more powerful than one; she would never let this formidable fighter escape halfway.

Once you're in Elda, you can forget about leaving!

Now that we're all on the same side, and will likely be "colleagues" in the future, continuing to use a distant honorific like "Demigod" would seem too formal.

It's time to change to a more intimate and convenient name for everyday use.

She quickly filtered the options in her mind:

Squirrel Lord? That sounds rather ordinary.

Guardian? While accurate, calling him that every time feels like reminding him of his unemployment, which doesn't seem quite right...

The demigod squirrel clearly didn't care about such trivial matters as addressing someone. Without much thought, it casually replied, "Name? You can call me the Guardian of the Sacred Tree. Although the Sacred Tree is no longer here, I am still its guardian."

It seems to have a deep obsession with this title, but it also finds it a bit troublesome to pronounce the full name every time.

So the demigod squirrel naturally brought up the backup option, with a hint of smugness in its tone, clearly quite satisfied with the name it had chosen:

"If you think this name is too long, hmm, you can also call me by another name I gave myself..."

It stood with its hands on its hips, proudly announcing the name it had chosen.

"Tata! Hum!"

After listening, Luccalia blinked, hesitated for a moment, and asked uncertainly, "Tata Hum?"

?

"No, it's Tata!"

The demigod squirrel, who called himself "Tata," stood with his hands on his hips, head held high, tail held high, trying his best to strike a "great" pose, and loudly proclaimed:
"Great Guardian of the Sacred Tree, Lord Tata!"

"Hoot!"

……

……

"hiss."

At the same time, Herbert seemed to sense something and pondered, "The thing I asked Lucaria to do... shouldn't go wrong, right?"

"Well, never mind, I don't think there will be any major problems."

Even if she really did something terribly wrong, the demigod squirrel wouldn't do anything to her.

Although the squirrel was rough and reckless, it was essentially a very kind and strong person who was very tolerant of the weak.

"Besides, even if something really happens, you won't be the one getting beaten up—tell me! Isn't that what you think!?"

Compared to her previous playful tone, after experiencing it, Nenasha's voice now carries an undeniable air of languor and unique charm.

"That's true, you have a very good eye for people."

Herbert readily admitted, saying matter-of-factly, "It wasn't my fault, why should I worry about her?"

"You reap what you sow!"

As he spoke, Herbert's lips twitched slightly, and he finally began to face reality.

"This can't go on forever. There are some things we have to face eventually."

"So, how am I supposed to explain what happened before to my dear, invincible old man..."

"Can I say that I was just used by the Goddess of the Forest? Would she believe me?"

(End of this chapter)