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

"You three commoners, listen to us!!!!!"

The three sisters completely disregarded the two men, which infuriated the tall, thin nobleman even more. In a fit of rage, he immediately began chanting a spell and then targeted the three sisters.

"You disrespectful, ignorant masses!!!" the tall, thin nobleman roared, "Die! Taste my superior fireball technique—!!!"

Snapped!

Ning snapped her fingers again, signaling her to unleash a magical bombardment. Several magical circles instantly appeared in the room, so numerous that the two nobles were paralyzed with fear. Ning merely glanced at them coldly, and they were already unable to move.

bump!

"Whoa!?" "What's going on!?"

The tightly closed door behind them was suddenly flung open, sending the two nobles flying into the middle of the room. Several guard knights rushed in from outside the open door and subdued the two nobles. Ning silently dispelled the magic.

"You! What are you knights doing?!" the tall, thin nobleman roared. "Why are you arresting us! Shouldn't you be arresting those damned fools?! Let us go!!!"

"You two don't know yet, do you?"

An angry voice came from outside, and Alice walked into the room with a livid face, leaving the two nobles dumbfounded.

“These three are my guests,” Alice said coldly. “You’ve got some nerve, daring to lay a hand on my friends. We have witnesses and evidence; there’s nothing more to say.”

"No, no!" the tall, thin nobleman explained, "We were merely testing them on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Do my friends need you to test them?" Alice glared at him coldly. "I already know you've altered this room and bought illegal drugs. We'll talk about it on the execution ground."

"Wait!? What makes you think that?! What evidence do you have to say that I didn't buy any illegal drugs?!"

“Ah… Ning, I’m sorry,” Alice looked at Ning, “Thank you for your help.”

"Well, overall it was quite interesting." Ning smiled and tossed her a runestone.

“You should have heard of the Echo spell, right? It can record sound.” Alice showed it to him. “This runestone contains the Echo spell that recorded your conversation just now. Do you have anything to say?”

"————!! Wait! Wait a minute! Your Majesty!"

"Big brother! What do we do?!"

"Saika, take them down."

"I will obey Your Majesty's will."

Chapter 40 The Real Meeting

After Alice quickly resolved all the related matters, she was finally able to sit down and have a proper chat with the three sisters. Although she wanted to chat about everyday things, she knew that the people in the country were familiar with the three of them, so she had to be careful in her actions.

"Ugh, this is so annoying." Ning suddenly complained with great dissatisfaction. "What's going on? Ever since we entered the city, one thing after another has happened. First, the Golden Mouth Gang caused trouble, then nobles tried to abduct someone. Are you guys even competent?"

Ning's words were undoubtedly aimed at the ruling class, particularly Alice's faction. Her words also made some of the officials listening nearby turn pale; Ning's blatant disrespect was a direct challenge to their bottom line. However, they had no way to refute her, because what Ning said addressed their most critical problems: internal strife.

“That’s enough,” Ning complained, leaning back on the sofa. “I have serious doubts about everyone in the New Kingdom, including Queen Ellis.”

"Please have some self-respect," warned the Imperial Guard Knight Seka, who had finally lost his patience.

"Was there anything wrong with what I said?" Ning said coldly. "You invited us to the palace, but you treated us poorly and even tried to poison us. I now distrust you completely. As for why, what just happened is enough to explain a lot. I now suspect that you are in cahoots with those two nobles, trying to ambush us and plotting something sinister."

"Insolent scoundrel!" Drake drew his sword and roared, "Do you know who you're talking to?!"

"Ah, of course I know." Ning's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "Aren't they just a bunch of scheming bastards?"

"------!"

Click...

The moment Ning spoke, the guards in the room all placed their hands on their sword hilts, and the atmosphere instantly became tense. Li looked at Ning with a flustered expression, wondering if something had gone wrong. Entrusting everything to Ning was probably a mistake; the situation had only become more complicated.

The Royal Guard knights looked silently at Alice, awaiting the Queen's instructions. They would act at her command. They had already witnessed the girl's power, but they were also well-trained Royal Guard knights. Although their combat abilities were inferior to the Ghost Force, if they united, defeating such a girl would be a piece of cake; after all, even the strongest can't fight against many opponents.

“Enough, all of you, put your swords away.” Alice finally spoke. “These three are our honored guests, so please don’t be impolite. It is indeed our fault for not being hospitable enough. If you are worried, I will have them all leave, leaving only a few people behind. Is that alright?”

"Her Royal Highness the Queen!"

The Royal Guard knights all made strange noises.

“Alright.” Ning smiled. “Then I’ll trouble Your Majesty to ask them to leave.”

“Sekkar, Drake,” Alice called to the two of them, “You take the rest of the people out. Aslan and Senno can stay here.”

"But! Your Majesty!!" Seka and Drake said worriedly, "What if something happens to you!"

“It’s alright,” Alice said calmly. “You’ve all seen that girl’s strength. Even with your protection, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to kill me outright. Besides, is this how you treat people who helped us? You’re just getting in the way here now, so get out.”

“You heard it too,” Aslan said cooperatively. “I’m enough here. You have to trust me and trust Her Majesty the Queen.”

"...I will obey Your Majesty's will."

Finally, the group compromised and left, so this matter can be considered over for now, right...? Li's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down; it was terrifying.

After everyone else had left, Senno walked to the door, peeked out to make sure they were all gone, then quietly closed the door and went back to Alice's side.

"Are you satisfied now?" Alice said with a wry smile.

"Ah, yes, that feels much better." Ning suddenly became relaxed. "The troublesome guys are finally all gone."

"Huh? Wait a minute?" Li suddenly realized something. "You did this on purpose?"

"I suppose so," Ning said calmly.

After these people left, Ning returned to normal, which made Li notice some clues.

"Gentlemen, it's been a long time." Alice stood up and extended her hand to the three sisters to welcome them.

"Yes, it's been a long time, Alice." The three representatives stood up and shook hands with Alice. "Senno as well."

"Miss Li, Miss Ning, it's been a long time." Senno bowed to the two of them.

"I apologize for what happened before," Alice said with a wry smile. "I was the one who invited the three of you to the palace, and I never expected this to happen. It was indeed my oversight. I'm also grateful that Ning helped me gather evidence. Please rest assured, I will handle this matter properly."

"Well, it's nothing," Ning said casually. "It saves me the trouble of going to find those guys."

“That way, they won’t dare to attack the three of you.” Alice nodded. “If you need help, use this to enter the palace and find me.”

Alice took out a token with the mark of the Sanko Workshop and handed it to Ning.

"Wait, wait, wait?" Li was increasingly confused. "Aren't you going to explain this to me, you geniuses?!"

It's obvious that Alice and Ning have the same idea, but Li can't seem to think of the same thing as them. Why is it always like this?

"Isn't it obvious?" Ning asked, puzzled.

"Where's it obvious?!" Li retorted. "It's not obvious at all!!"

“Well, Miss Li, let me explain.” Alice couldn’t bear to watch any longer and explained with a wry smile, “The reason we deliberately fell into the traps of those old nobles was actually to make an example of them.”

"Killing the chicken to scare the monkey?"

“Yes,” Alice continued, “The three of you are very conspicuous here in every sense of the word. Many people are eyeing you covetously, and I’m not sure what their motives are, but there are many possibilities. In short, the situation for the three of you here is very dangerous. However, after Miss Ning did this, some nobles will soon know the whole story, and they will also learn about your situation. Any smart person will definitely not provoke you three again.”

"Huh? Is that so?" Rin realized what was going on. "Oh, I see... This way, there will be far less trouble when others find out..."

“That’s right.” Ning smiled. “With that group of Golden Mouth gang from this morning, I think these troublemakers will behave themselves a lot.”

Ning's actions were out of necessity. Firstly, after being ruined by those idiots in the Golden Mouth Group that morning, she started thinking about this, so she targeted the Golden Mouth Group first. The result was obvious: the Golden Mouth Group was destroyed that very day. Those lurking in the shadows will likely get this information quickly; anyone with a brain knows it's best not to mess with them, thus greatly reducing all sorts of trouble.

The same reason was behind staging this scene in the palace; clearly, it was meant to make an example of someone to deter others, effectively suppressing any further disruptions from the nobles. Once Li understood this, he understood Ning's motives.

"Compared to us, you should be worried about your own situation, right?" Ning suddenly changed the subject. "In my personal opinion, the kingdom's situation is very bad, and your problems are as fatal as I just pointed out. If you can't solve these unnecessary problems, I think you won't be able to save the country for long."

“Yes…I understand.” Alice nodded. “So, I’ll have to ask the three of you for help.”

“We will definitely help you with this.” Ning glanced at Li. “Because she said she wanted to help you no matter what, so I’m reluctantly doing this. Of course, it’s not for free…you know why, right?”

"So, now let's get down to business."

Alice and Ning exchanged knowing smiles. They understood each other's meaning. Alice, having once lived in Akihabara, knew what was happening there now, and she was prepared to seek the three sisters' help at this time. Only three nations remained on this continent, and to help these remaining humans overcome this crisis, they had to unite.

“Well then, tell me first,” Ning urged. “We only learned a little about the New Kingdom from the adventurers in the labyrinth, but it was too messy and disorganized for us to sort out any useful information. Since you’re here now, it’s more convenient to ask you directly.”

“Hmm… well, this might take a little while to talk.” Alice looked at Senno. “Senno, could you please go and get some snacks and black tea?”

"I see."

Senno nodded and quickly left to prepare snacks and tea for everyone. While Senno was preparing, Alice began her explanation and description of the situation. Aslan stood attentively to the side, listening intently, his eyes flashing with a light, as if he were being cleansed. Because the topic was quite technical, Li and Xiao couldn't get a word in edgewise, so they just listened and participated when called upon.

Time passed slowly, and the conversation was almost over. Li glanced at the sky outside the window; it was nearly evening. This world's unique twilight had no sun, only a starry sky gradually turning a golden yellow. Xiao, leaning against her sister, began to yawn. It was truly kind of her to have accompanied them both here; she wasn't really interested in these things, but she enjoyed being with her two older sisters.

"I have a general understanding of the situation," Ning concluded. "In the end, it was better to come and confirm it in person. The situation in the New Kingdom is much more serious than we imagined... manpower shortage, internal and external troubles, and food shortage. Basically, it boils down to these three points, and your request is that Akihabara provide assistance, right?"

“Before that, I’d like to know what the conditions are,” Alice said matter-of-factly.

"Conditions..." Ning smiled, "Do you really want to negotiate with us?"

“Well, of course.” Ning shrugged. “After all, my position is different now. I am now the Queen of the New Kingdom, not the owner of Sangu Workshop. I have to think about my country, so this is only natural. Depending on the circumstances, I might give up.”

"Don't you want to know what kind of help we can provide?" Ning said with a wicked smile.

"Come on, there's no need to confirm that kind of thing, is there?" Alice finally laughed. "Leaving aside you, she will definitely take this matter seriously if you pay attention to her. There's no point in trying to play tricks here."

"Tch~ This is boring." Ning decided not to continue playing. "The conditions are simple. I don't think you have the right to refuse, nor do you have a reason to refuse."

“Haha… well, there’s really nothing we can do about that…” Alice chuckled dryly.

Indeed, these three sisters before her were capable of overthrowing a nation, and Akihabara, the stronghold behind them, was no lamb to the slaughter. In terms of development potential, no one in the world could surpass Akihabara. Alice, of course, had neither the right nor the reason to refuse.

“There’s only one thing,” Ning said, holding up a finger, “and that is that you must recognize our country.”

"Is that all...?" Alice asked, somewhat surprised.

Not only was she surprised, but Senno and Aslan were also very surprised.

“Yes. All our future cooperation must be based on this,” Ning said calmly. “If this condition is not met, our positions are not equal. In that case, I will refuse to cooperate with you.”

“Indeed…” After careful consideration, Alice agreed with Ning’s idea. “You’re right. If we want to have an equal dialogue, we must ensure that both sides are on equal footing. I understand, and I will abide by this condition. Senno, please prepare the contract; we need a written document.”

"I have already written the contract. Please use it."

As expected of Alice's attendant, she had already prepared the relevant contract and placed it on the table. After Ning confirmed the contents of the contract were correct and had Li review it, she signed it using magic on behalf of Akihabara and then pushed it to Alice. Alice didn't even look at it before readily signing it. The text on the contract emitted a faint glow, indicating that the contract had begun to take effect.

“Ah…” Alice snapped out of her reverie, “It’s so late already…” the lights

After all that was done, it was already dark. Looking out, the houses in the city were lit up here and there, making for a nice view at the end of the day.

"Really!" Xiao looked out the window.

"I didn't expect it to take so long..." Li sighed.

“It’s still early,” Ning poured cold water on her. “We haven’t resolved the more detailed issues yet. Depending on the situation, we might have to stay here for a week.”

"So, have the three of you found a place to stay?" Alice asked kindly. "We can arrange rooms for you."

"No need, thank you." Li declined her offer. "We have someone else to meet, so we'll take our leave now."

Chapter 41 Meeting an Old Friend

Escorted by the royal knight Aslan, the three sisters left the palace. They bid farewell in front of the palace and then began their return journey. They walked all the way to the city gate where they had last come to the kingdom from the duchy. The city gate and walls were somewhat damaged due to changes in the terrain, and there were many guards and royal knights guarding the area.

These people watched the situation outside nervously, ready to rush out and subdue the intruders at the slightest disturbance. The guards who had stopped them last time were no longer there, and the three sisters had no reason to care about such a thing. They followed their memories back to the route they had taken last time, and then slowly approached the somewhat secluded neighborhood.

"It's much better than the last time I came here..." Li sighed, looking at the surrounding street scene.

“Alice at least knows where the problem lies,” Ning agreed. “She’s much better than someone who’s just messing around here and there. You can’t get anything done that way. Well, although it is indeed the best solution for Akihabara.”

"So why do you always nitpick at me...?"

Although it wasn't the first or second time Ning had picked on her, to be honest, nobody likes that feeling. If it weren't Ning picking on her, Li would have argued with her long ago.

Indeed, under Alice's rule for a period of time, the kingdom's situation had improved somewhat compared to before; at least the feeling of doing things in secret was gone. A few people strolled sporadically through the streets at night, some shops remained open, and the bars were as noisy as ever. Overall, it was much more vibrant than before, which was a good thing.

However, quite a few men who didn't look like good people were staring intently at the three sisters. It was obvious they weren't up to any good, and of course, anyone who dared to approach them would be in for a beating. The three sisters simply ignored them and continued on their way. Fortunately, the path wasn't too different from what they remembered, and they soon found their destination: a three-story inn.

"This must be it?" Ning murmured, looking at the inn.

"This should be the right place."

As if trying to convince himself, he muttered to himself before stepping into the rather sluggish hotel.

"Hey! Miss Kanina! Please come with us!"

"Ha...so that's really not necessary."

"Miss Kanina!! What are you hesitating about!? I really don't understand why you keep doing this thankless task!!"

As soon as I entered the hotel, I could hear a particularly loud noise, which sounded like an argument. There were no longer the usual one or two people drinking there in the evenings. That person was right; it was incomprehensible why anyone would do such a thankless task now. At this time of year, there were practically no tourists; getting a few drinkers was already considered good, but who would want to come to such a remote place to drink?

"Oh, look, someone's here!"

"Wait! Miss Kanina!!"