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

“I’m sorry, I don’t entertain such suspicious guests,” Kanina said, indicating her refusal.

"Wait a minute!" Sonic said, dumbfounded. "Who treats guests like this?"

Judging from his expression, he seemed determined to pretend to be a customer, and he'd picked the perfect time... right when those two were leaving. Kanina didn't know what he was up to, but she needed to keep her business running, and getting entangled with him or letting his antics disrupt her business would be a huge loss. So, she took out some dwarven firewine from under the counter and rudely placed it on the table to intimidate Sonic.

This level of fright was nothing out of the ordinary for Sonic. Without a change in expression, he picked up the bottle of firewood from the table, popped the cork, and an extremely strong aroma of alcohol instantly filled the first-floor hall. Kanina frowned upon smelling the aroma; just the smell of alcohol made her feel a little tipsy.

Sonic, without batting an eye, finished the bottle of fire liquor made by the dwarves, not even blushing.

"Alright," Kanina waved her hand to shoo them away, "Have you finished drinking? Can you leave now?"

"Not enough," Sonic said shamelessly.

“Ha…” Kanina asked impatiently, “What exactly do you want?”

“I just want a drink,” Sonic said. “Don’t worry, I won’t cause Miss Kanina any trouble.”

"Ha...you're just a nuisance here, you know that?"

Kanina had no choice but to sigh helplessly. She then took out another bottle of firewine and two glasses, and simply sat down. Of course, she didn't drink the dwarven firewine. One glass of that stuff would probably knock her unconscious, and she still had business to do afterwards. Besides, she wasn't a monster like Sonic who could drink dwarven firewine in one gulp without batting an eye. She couldn't learn that skill.

“Anyway, I don’t have anything else to do right now,” Kanina explained, “so I’ll just have a drink with you.”

"……OK."

"By the way, if you're drinking with me, the price of the drinks will double, including mine."

"Uh... isn't that too much?"

"Then let's drink four bottles of strong liquor."

"……All right."

In exchange for concessions, Kanina wanted to make a profit from Sonic. She wouldn't let go of this opportunity, even with an old acquaintance, just like she did with Rin and Ning. Sonic considered that he was unlikely to have another chance to talk to Kanina like this in the future, so he was willing to suffer any loss this time. To be honest, drinking one bottle of dwarven firewine wasn't a big deal, but four bottles would make him a little weak. Besides, firewine wasn't cheap, and this time he was probably going to really bleed a lot.

However, Kanina continued pouring firewood into his glass with great enthusiasm, while she herself took out mead. This guy probably planned to get Sonic drunk and then have him carried away.

“Well then,” Kanina took a sip of her drink, “Mr. Sonic, who only wants to drink, do you have anything to say? The time limit is until I close up shop, so you can listen, okay?”

Sonic, who had finally managed to secure a conversation opportunity, became nervous again after hearing Kanina's words. According to Kanina's usual closing time, he only had about half an hour left. Time was running out, and he had to quickly organize what he wanted to tell Kanina. His original plan had been disrupted.

Seeing the straightforward young man fall into deep thought because of her teasing, Kanina sighed helplessly and said, "Just say what you want to say. You've told me those things so many times, I can recite them backwards."

“I’m sorry…” Sonic apologized first, “Miss Kanina, we need you.”

"Hmm, and then?" Kanina didn't answer.

"Now is our chance to regain control of the kingdom's underworld." Sonic clenched his fist. "Because of the elves' attack, many underworld forces have been greatly weakened, and most have lost their fighting ability. As long as we reunite our brothers, we will definitely be able to take it over smoothly..."

“Have you forgotten what my father told you?” Kanina asked.

“…I haven’t forgotten.” Sonic hesitated for a moment.

“My father already said that, didn’t he?” Kanina reminded him. “Ever since Seric appeared, the underground forces have had no future, and what the New Kingdom is doing now only reinforces that belief. We really need to find another way out, Sonic. Things are different now. Let’s leave this topic here. If you want to continue, I might really do anything to get rid of you.”

When Kanina said those words, it proved she was serious. Sonic knew this was the end of it, so he stopped talking about it, and after a long, subtle silence between them... Sonic brought up another topic.

“Miss Kanina… someone has been spying on your store recently.”

"……Aha?"

Chapter 23... You're the fucking protagonist, aren't you?

"It's no use in your rush now. The Demon Realm isn't a place you can just enter whenever you want."

After being forcibly dragged out of the hotel, Li and Ning pulled Xuanze along the way to the Demon Realm. They only needed to follow the directions recorded on the map, but Xuanze told them that they couldn't do that.

"...What's going on?" Li looked blankly at the desolate plain in front of him.

The two followed the old map all the way to the border of the Demon Realm, but what they saw was not the Demon Realm they had imagined, or even that. It was just a barren plain with nothing but rocks, and not a single person in sight. It was very strange.

Even Ning was a little dumbfounded. Only then did she realize that she didn't seem to know much about the Demon Realm.

"So I told you all..."

Xuanze dusted himself off, stood up, and said, "Really... sigh, I can't even catch up on some sleep..."

Li and Ning's gazes were both focused on him, because the only person here who could explain this phenomenon was the Demon King Xuanze. To be precise, he was not a Demon King, but a guy who became a Demon King by means of strength and luck. His true identity was just an Earthling who had received the blessing of a goddess.

Since there's a problem with the Demon Realm trip, the only one we can hold accountable is the tour guide.

“Xuanze,” Li asked, “you’re almost awake, right? Tell us what’s going on here. Can the Demon Realm really move this far?”

Logically, the Demon Realm should also have been affected by the core damage and shifted its location. However, neither Li nor Ning could find any trace of the Demon Realm. The Demon King had led a large number of demons away from the Demon Realm to other places, but left no trace. Unless the Demon King himself deliberately covered up the traces.

However, everyone knows that this person wouldn't do such an unnecessary thing, because there's no need for it, and besides, he's not the kind of person who's overly cautious or neurotic.

"Haa..." Xuanze yawned, "Who knows... It's not even dawn yet..."

"How much longer are you planning to sleep..." Li said helplessly, "Hurry up and help us, isn't this your responsibility?"

“Not entirely,” Xuanze said casually. “I’m just playing the role of the Demon King. The Demon King’s duties and rights are unnecessary. I’m just doing this for convenience. Instead of that, why don’t we take a rest first?”

Xuanze ignored the two women. The list of divine weapons at his waist lit up, and a luxurious tent appeared before the three of them. Xuanze then walked inside on his own. The two women knew that urging the Demon King at this point was useless. He truly was a man who did things his own way to the extreme. Now that they thought about it, the infamy he bore was not at all excessive.

Ning looked at the sky and saw no sign of dawn. Staying outside would only mean freezing, so she took Li's hand and they went into the tent together. This tent was probably one of the divine weapons, but neither Li nor Ning had ever heard of such a thing, nor did they know any of the related legends.

"Hmm? Ah..." Xuanze noticed their confusion and explained, "This is something from a nomadic god who isn't very famous. Well, even if I told you, you probably wouldn't know who it is. Anyway, come in and have a seat. I have some things I'd like to talk to you about."

"...Is there something you want to say...?"

Ning's expression tightened slightly.

“Yes, I just wanted to chat with you guys. Haha…” Xuanze yawned again. “It’s fine for you guys to wait there. Anyway, you can’t go to the Demon Realm anytime soon, so it doesn’t matter if you continue to waste your time there.”

Xuanze's words were full of sarcasm, but those who knew him knew it was just his sharp tongue. Li was slightly curious about how he had lived on Earth. Thinking about it, he wasn't wrong, so the two naturally found a comfortable spot to sit in the tent. This tent was much warmer than the small mud huts they often built with magic, a real comfort on this cold night.

"Let me address your questions first," Xuanze said. "You want to know where the Demon Realm is, right? What would you think if I told you it's on the moon?"

"On the moon?"

“Yes, on the moon.” Xuanze’s tone was not at all joking. “You all know that there are two moons in this world, right? One is a blue moon, and the other is a red moon. The red moon is significantly larger than the blue moon. The reason is actually quite simple: this moon is not far from this planet. The demons live on the red moon.”

"what!?"

This is probably the most astonishing thing I've ever heard since I came to this world. The demon realm actually lives in a place outside this continent. Could it be that the demon civilization is actually far more advanced than that of humans, and that they have even migrated to the moon?

"This is all because of humans," Xuanze said indifferently, since it didn't concern him. "Because humans have the trump card of heroes, they can do whatever they want and keep pushing into the territory of the demons to expand their living space. With no leader, the demons fight each other, and the end result is that their living space is constantly being compressed, to the point that they were even forced to go to the moon."

"I always feel like this world is deliberately going against humanity..." Li said, covering her face with complicated emotions. "It's like, the humans in this world are almost at their worst..."

"Isn't this the essence of humanity?" Ning said indifferently. "Human desires are truly ugly to the extreme."

"Uh..." Li could only give an awkward laugh, then changed the subject, "By the way, how exactly did you demons get to that moon..."

“Ha! Who knows,” Xuanze said. “That happened before, and I don’t know the details. If you want to know, go find those who do. All I know is that if we want to go to the Demon Realm now, we have to wait until the moon gets close enough to this place and causes the gravity here to become unbalanced, then we can get there.”

"Isn't that moon a planet?" Ning asked.

“I can tell you with certainty that it is not,” Xuanze said with certainty. “It is definitely not some kind of planet or anything like that. Whatever it is, it is unrealistic to explain this phenomenon in this world using the axioms of Earth. You just see it as a planet, but in reality, it is hollow, and the demons live in those hollow places.”

Even Xuanze's journey to the Demon Realm was purely by chance; without that good fortune, he probably wouldn't be here now.

"Wow..." A possibility came to mind, "Maybe that's what they call a floating continent?"

Floating continents are the most common setting in isekai (otherworld) fantasy works. This provides a convenient fictional world for creators to unleash their imaginations and let their imaginations run wild. Since it is already a floating continent, it is not surprising that the moon would be set in this way.

"Maybe," Xuanze said noncommittally. "We've arrived too early. The planet won't land until at least morning."

"Um……"

Li checked the time; it was 3 a.m., still a long way from morning. No wonder the Demon King was so calm. Of course, it wasn't his fault, since the people here had taken him away without a word, not even giving him a chance to explain. But Li didn't want to just wait around, so he started thinking about what he could do in the meantime.

“That was just foreplay,” Xuanze said. “What I’m about to say is the real business. Li, is there something you haven’t told anyone else?”

"Huh?" Li feigned ignorance for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Stop playing dumb," Xuanze said calmly. "I'm not referring to what you and that elf talked about, but rather things outside this world, do you understand?"

With keen intuition, Xuanze sensed something. As someone at the center of various events, he should possess some special intelligence. These matters were not suitable to be shared with others. Xuanze, being from the same background as her, should have some right to know the details. Besides, he disliked being kept in the dark.

Since Li wasn't going to say it, Xuanze decided to ask her directly. He didn't care whether Li would answer or not; it wouldn't matter if she didn't.

Li glanced at Ning, seeking her opinion. The two didn't even need to speak; a single glance was enough for them to understand each other. Ning shrugged, indicating she didn't care, and left the decision to Li. Li pondered for a moment and concluded that Xuanze needed to know about this.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you after all..." Li said with a wry smile. "You truly live up to your title of Demon King... I also think it's necessary to tell you about this... After all, you're one of the few people who have knowledge of Earth."

"Enough, hurry up and tell me." Xuanze said impatiently, "I didn't ask this because I wanted to hear your flattery. Tell me, what exactly do you know?"

"Uh..." Li didn't expect to make him angry, so she honestly got to the point, "In this world, there is a goddess, right?"

"Well, I guess you could call her the root of all evil," Xuanze added, making a sarcastic remark about the goddess.

"I think I told you before that my background is rather special, right?"

"That's true. What's wrong? Stop leaving things unsaid, it's so annoying. Don't ask me for confirmation on every little thing, just get to the point."

"Wow, you really have no patience at all. Anyway, I was brought to this world by the goddess and became her kin. After killing the old bald man, I became the goddess's agent."

After he finished explaining, Xuanze stopped talking and looked at him with a very strange gaze that, for some reason, gave him the creeps.

"Haa..."

Xuanze sighed deeply, his expression subtle.

"What do you mean?!" Li's expression was twitching.

After a long while, Xuanze finally managed to squeeze out those words.

"...You're the fucking main character, aren't you?"

"Who knows?!"

"Feel the same."

"Don't agree, Ning!?"

Xuanze and Ning both agreed that this somewhat foolish girl was the true protagonist. All the key elements of a protagonist—the bugs, cheat codes, settings, story, and so on—were concentrated in this person. Even Xuanze, as the Demon King/Hero, admitted that he was inferior to her. Ning had watched Li gradually get to where she was today, so she saw everything more clearly. The reason she hadn't felt it so clearly before was because Ning was the one who solved most of the problems, and most people's attention was focused on her.

"How should I put it..." After hearing these truths, Xuanze even lost his former arrogance. "I don't even know what I came to this world for anymore..."

Logically, Xuanze, as the Demon King/Hero, must have a reason for coming to this world. Under normal circumstances, his duty is to do what he did in the past. However, he is not the protagonist, so what is the purpose of this world summoning him here? There is already enough of a character with overpowered abilities, so why drag him into this mess?

Xuanze felt incredibly conflicted, but he still wanted to continue the previous topic: "I'm fully aware that you're the protagonist... So, is there anything else you haven't told us?"

"Uh... it's about my conversation with the goddess..." I thought for a moment, "If you don't want to hear it, then I won't say it..."

“Go on…” Xuanze showed a slight interest, “The content of your conversation with the goddess… what did you talk about?”

“It’s called a dialogue… but it’s really just this guy dumping all the trouble on me.” Li sighed. “I already told you some things back in the Duchy, and the rest is just her trying to be mysterious.”

"Playing hard to get?" Xuanze glanced at Ning. "Aren't you going to confirm it?"

“I think you won’t think that way after you hear what’s going on.” Ning shrugged. “Li, continue.”

“Um… I currently have a skill called Goddess Proxy…” Li continued, “This skill didn’t explain its detailed effects to me…”

“Wait a minute…?” Xuanze interrupted her, “How did you know you have this skill?”

"It's the work of the Demon Eye..."

“Alright, you don’t need to say anymore,” Xuanze had already foreseen the upcoming developments. “Tell me more about that goddess proxy skill… it can’t be useless…”

"You're right, it really doesn't work."

"Pah, you useless goddess."

Chapter 24 A Day Trip to the Demon Realm

“Let me confirm one more time,” Xuanze asked, “Is that skill really useless?”

“Absolutely true,” Li said confidently. “It’s completely useless. There’s only a description like ‘Goddess Agent,’ but the skill details are blank, not a single word.”

“…Ha…” Xuanze sighed, “Hey, Ning, don’t make a stupid mistake like her, okay?”

"Huh?" Ning was quite displeased that Xuanze had suddenly pointed out his stupidity.

"So," Xuanze sneered, "you think that just because a skill doesn't have a description, it won't work? You haven't tried using it yet, have you?"

“You talk a good game,” Ning retorted, “but do you know how to use it?”

"This is none of my business." Xuanze immediately shifted the blame. "This skill isn't mine, how would I know how to use it? But according to my logic, shouldn't we test this skill as soon as possible? Are skills just for display? What's going on with you guys?"

"Uh……"

Xuanze's explanation made Li and Ning realize their mistake. They possessed far too many skills, more than ten times the number of ordinary people. Even Ning herself found it troublesome to organize them all. They usually only used a few skills that were effective and convenient, while the rest were basically sealed and would not be used unless there was a special need.

Both Li and Ning subconsciously avoided using these niche skills because they felt they were useless, so they never used them or even thought of using them. Therefore, it's clear that they were both harmed by their own habitual thinking. Ning remained silent, lost in thought.