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

“It’s now certain that it’s the ghosts who are behind this,” Shiokawa said. “Only they would do something so heinous.”

“Excuse me for being frank,” Olito said, “I think we should get out of here quickly. I’m starting to have trouble breathing, and…”

Olitto glanced at Leon beside him, who seemed quite unable to accept the scene and outcome. Olitto meant that he intended to take him away to a safe place first, as Leon was only a hindrance to the two of them now.

“Contractor,” King Arthur said, “I think it’s about time we left. Besides, I sense that the alien is still in this city.”

"Ah... I felt it too." Shiokawa nodded. "Let's leave here first, Leon, are you alright?"

“Okay…” Leon forced himself to stand up straight. “Let’s go… We don’t know how Sen and the others are doing. We need to get to her as soon as possible.”

"I almost forgot...!!"

It was only then that Shiokawa realized that Mori and Sonic, who had split up with them, seemed to have encountered the same situation as them. In other words, had they also experienced a suicide attack like this...?

Mori... you have to be alright...

Shiokawa immediately used his magic to draw the symbol of scales, then released the arbiter, the contractual object symbolized by the symbol, and ordered him to leave to find Mori's whereabouts. As his partner in the operation, Shiokawa was now very worried about Mori's situation. She did not have the special skills or powers of the other guards, and if she was also caught in the explosion, her chances of survival would be slim.

I've already used up three spells today, and I still have plenty left. But if I go to rescue someone now, I probably won't have many spells left, and I might have to face that ghost. I'm not very confident that I can defeat that ghost.

"I'm sorry, Saber," Shiokawa said apologetically. "You should go back now. I'll handle the rest."

"Hmm." King Arthur nodded. "There is one more contract between us. You must use it with caution. That alien is no benevolent being. Be very careful."

"I see."

King Arthur vanished like a gentle breeze, and the three quickly left, heading elsewhere. Shiokawa had used summoning magic to have King Arthur protect them, and having impulsively used it to vent his anger, he only had one powerful attack left. Shiokawa had to carefully preserve this final strike. After reaching a safe place, the three first assessed the situation and then had Leon contact Mori and Akihabara.

It's almost certain now that this was the work of the ghost, but what's unclear is her purpose. If it was just setting fire to the city, it would be easy to resolve, but the conversation just now is intriguing. It seems she went to do something. Causing a commotion throughout the city would certainly allow her to get into the chaos and do something. Since it was used once two hours ago, she can't perform large-scale teleportation again in a short time. However, if she acts quickly enough, she should be able to bring reinforcements over soon.

“I’ve explained the situation to the guards,” Leon said. “The person on duty said they would contact the squad leader immediately, and then Li directly cut into the channel and told us to go to Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth right away. She has already explained the situation to Her Majesty the Queen.”

"……All right……"

Shiokawa seemed very reluctant, but he didn't know what to say.

“How about,” Leon said, “you go find Mori-senpai first, Shiokawa-senpai, and I’ll go to Her Majesty the Queen.”

Even someone as emotionally unintelligent as Leon could see that Shiokawa was extremely worried about Mori's safety. However, Leon could manage to rush to Her Majesty the Queen's side himself, so he wanted Shiokawa to check on Mori's condition first.

"...Are you alright on your own?" Shiokawa asked.

“No problem,” Leon nodded. “I’m counting on you, Sen-senpai.”

"...Then, Your Majesty, I entrust this to you."

Shiokawa nodded and ran away.

Chapter 39 Escape of Life and Death

"I'm sorry, I have to part ways with you here too," Olito said apologetically. "I still have some things to take care of."

"etc……?"

Leon was about to call Olito to leave together when the other man said something that left him stunned.

"Um!" Leon hurriedly said, "Mr. Olito! It's very dangerous in the city right now, where are you planning to go?"

"It's nothing, just going to retrieve some very important things," Olitto said, turning to leave.

"Then I'll come with you!" Leon also planned to go with him. "We're probably going to get your luggage, right?"

“Neither,” Olitó stopped him. “Go to Her Majesty the Queen. I can handle this little thing. Besides, your mission isn’t to look after me, is it? Be mature, kid. I know you don’t want anyone to die, but that’s ultimately impossible, understand?”

Olitto offered no explanation, gave Leon a lecture, and then quickly left. Yes, it was just his private matter, and he didn't need to trouble anyone else for help.

"Miss Kanina...please don't let anything happen to her..."

He could see the thick smoke rising from Kanina's neighborhood from afar. It wasn't just them and Sonic's place that suffered from this suicide attack; other places were also attacked in the same way. Even the royal palace couldn't escape the calamity. The entire city was engulfed in flames. The magicians did everything they could to desperately put out the fire with water magic, and some of the residents of the Little Garden who had recently settled in the New Kingdom were also taking action.

Olitzo didn't know how long it would take to extinguish the fire, but he could sense a considerable degree of...?!

"What is this...?"

A swarm of insects poured out from the cracks in the ground, forming a river of insects. The squeaking and chirping were deafening; someone with trypophobia would probably have fainted by now. These insects kept emerging from all sorts of corners, and once they noticed Olito, they flew or crawled toward him.

There's a problem!

Olitto immediately stepped back to avoid the insects, instinctively sensing danger from them. However, the insect river blocked his path to Kanina.

What should I do...? Should I take a detour...?

Olito pondered. With Sonic's fate uncertain, only he could reach Kanina and protect her. If these bugs weren't just appearing here, there should be quite a few on Kanina's side as well... There was no time to think further!

The more time he spent here, the less time the insects gave him, because in no time at all, they had begun to devour most of the path. Olitto picked up a piece of wood from the ground, then tore a piece of cloth from his clothes, wrapped it around one end, and dipped it into the burning oil to make a makeshift torch. The fact that insects are afraid of fire should be useful everywhere. Olitto used the torch in his hand to sweep away the flying insects, and then without hesitation, he stepped across the insect river and headed towards his destination.

Meanwhile, Leon was also on his way to the palace, and he encountered the same situation as Olitto. He desperately ran towards the palace, stepping on the corpses of these insects.

"What's going on here..." Leon felt nauseous at the sight of these insects. "Where did these insects come from...?"

Even Leon sensed something was wrong with the insects. He dodged them as he made his way to the palace. Fortunately, the flames provided cover, preventing the insects from crossing them and getting close to him. He was able to reach the palace safely. By then, the palace was in chaos, with no one guarding the gates. Leon rushed in and saw the bodies of two soldiers.

"—!" Leon instinctively stopped in his tracks.

The insects crawled on the soldier's body, gnawing at his corpse with relish. They noticed Leon, who was still alive, and pounced on him like madmen.

"Wow—!? Fireball—!!!"

In desperation, Leon chanted the only spell he knew. A fireball shot from his palm and exploded on the insect. The insect screamed, fell to the ground, struggled for a while, and then lost its life, emitting only a pungent burnt smell.

"Haaah...haaah...that scared me to death..." Leon was still in shock. "Are these bugs...so ferocious...?"

He had only reacted that way in a moment of panic. If he hadn't had time to use magic, he would definitely have turned into those two soldiers. He looked at the charred corpses of the insects with lingering fear, then swallowed hard. The palace must be in that state by now.

"Gulp..." Leon calmed himself down, then drew the dagger from his waist. "Now... I can only rely on myself..."

Shiokawa and Mori are both elsewhere, the Little Garden's reinforcements haven't arrived yet, and his beloved dog isn't by his side. To survive in this danger, he can only rely on himself. Has he really become stronger? Leon isn't sure. Even if he has, he doesn't really feel it. At most, he can only pray that he won't become food for these insects on his way to Her Majesty the Queen.

He had to get to Her Majesty the Queen, Leon thought, then gave a low shout to encourage himself and rushed into the palace.

"Senno! Are you alright?!"

"Ahem, Miss Alice! Where are you!?"

"I'm here. Calm down."

The two met in the smoke, and Alice took Senno's hand and pulled her up.

"That's really fast..." This time, Alice was unusually calm.

“Why is Miss Alice so calm…” Senno coughed twice and asked, “Aren’t we under attack now?”

"Well... there shouldn't be any problems this time," Alice said with a smile. "Li told me about this yesterday, and I've already made some preparations. The situation should be relatively better this time, so let's be optimistic."

She had received Li's warning yesterday, so she had already made preparations. First of all, there weren't many people living in the city, so even if the commotion caused the city to be bombed, it wouldn't be a big problem. The people temporarily staying in the back garden had already been quietly taken to other countries by Li. At this time, most of those still in the city were actually people from the Queen's faction, as well as some people from other forces.

Alice had made all sorts of preparations long ago. Because she had anticipated this, she was much calmer this time, and she wouldn't panic even if something else happened.

“Anyway, let’s go out first,” Alice said. “It’s too smokey here; it’s not good to stay here for too long.”

“Okay,” Senno said, walking ahead of her. “I’ll go out and check on things for you first.”

Senno stepped out of the office before Elise. Outside, thick smoke billowed, far worse than inside. She noticed two soldiers lying unconscious in the corridor, picked them up, and brought them inside. Elise, who was waiting inside, approached Senno with the two unconscious soldiers.

"What's wrong with those two?" Alice asked with concern.

“It’s nothing serious,” Senno said. “They’ve just fainted. Excuse me, please allow me to wake them both up.”

Alice nodded and stepped back a few paces, giving Senno room to cast his spell. Senno placed his hands on the chests of both of them and began chanting a spell.

puff-

Two sharp blades immediately pierced the soldiers' chests, penetrating their hearts, sealing their fate. Senno slowly stood up, turned around, and gave Alice an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry,” Senno’s smile gradually turned sinister, “these two seem to be dead.”

"Ah...you'll see when you watch it..."

Alice smiled and slowly retreated to the window.

"Oh dear," Senno exclaimed in a panic, "Your Majesty, what are you doing! It's very dangerous there!"

“Hahaha,” Alice nodded, “Yes… it’s dangerous there. But I’m used to it!”

Alice turned and jumped out of the window. She had already figured out the roof of the palace, which seemed to be a common feature of all monarchs in the world.

"Your Highness, Elise!"

Senno chased after Alice and vaulted out the window. Her agility was almost unbelievable—no, it was as if she wasn't herself at all. Alice ignored her, instead nimbly running across the rooftops and dropping something. That "Senno" was an imposter. Although Alice didn't know how the imposter had used makeup to look exactly like Senno, she knew the imposter was after her.

That person was undoubtedly a ghost.

No matter how much Alice struggled, she couldn't escape from the ghost's grasp without any help. The ghost didn't seem to be in a hurry either, maintaining a slow and steady pace as it followed Alice closely, gradually driving her to the brink of despair.

Unbeknownst to her, Elise had reached the far end of the palace rooftop. Beyond the rooftop lay a forty-meter drop to the ground. Turning around, she saw "Senno" behind her, blocking her last escape route.

“Your Majesty,” Senno said. “It’s dangerous here. Please come back with me.”

“Sigh, it’s already like that, do you think I’d still believe you?” Alice gave a sarcastic smile. “Who are you? I want to know who’s been targeting me and causing all this commotion.”

"Oh dear, isn't it no fun if you say it like that?" Ghost smiled sweetly, removing her face as if taking off a veil.

She was a mature woman with brown skin. After removing her veil, Alice immediately recognized her; she had seen this person on the church's list before.

“The ghost belongs to Lisa.” Lisa bowed politely to Alice.

"Heh... It's obvious you're a ghost, isn't it?" Alice mocked. "Your target is me, isn't it?"

“That’s right.” Lisa nodded.

"Then why did you go to such lengths?" Ellis pointed to the scene below the palace. "Why did you do this when all you could have done was sneak in and kill me?"

"Oh dear, this is just one of the bargaining chips I need to make a deal with you." Lisa smiled slightly, took off her clothes as well, revealing a white semi-transparent gauze dress that was too much to look at, and at the same time she put on a green veil.

Although the styles were slightly different, they were still wearing the familiar uniforms—the ghostly green hats and white shirts. Well, it was unclear whether Serik had lost his mind or what, possessing such taste. If Li hadn't told her, she wouldn't have understood the significance of the green hat. Perhaps the ghost before her understood the meaning of the green hat, so she had replaced it with a veil.

Well... in short, it was impossible to look directly at her in any sense. Alice suppressed a laugh and stared straight at the other person, asking, "Where is Senno himself?"

“If you mean her in person,” Lisa shrugged, “I’m not sure, I haven’t seen her.”

Hearing this, Alice felt much relieved. Senno hadn't been attacked by Lisa, which was enough. Although his whereabouts were unknown, at least he hadn't been harmed. Alice gathered her thoughts and began to confront Lisa.

“Lisa…you mentioned chips?” Alice asked. “What kind of deal are you planning to make with me?”

“I’ve come to confirm one thing,” Lisa said. “I’ve come to confirm whether you share the same will as the late King, whether you have the courage to command us ghosts to rebel against the world once again.”

“What is that?” Elise asked with a sneer.

"Please don't laugh." Lisa's words were laced with anger and murderous intent. "Please answer me seriously, do you intend to inherit the will of the late king?"

“What if I say…no?” Alice asked tentatively.

“Then I will take the place of the late king to execute you, my unfilial daughter,” Lisa said. “You have no choice. I was quite surprised that you were on guard, but the portal can no longer be activated, and other countries cannot send enough manpower so quickly. The city is now under my control. Please look at this hellish scene.”

boom----!

A giant centipede suddenly sprang from the ground—no, not just one, but a swarm of giant centipedes continuously emerged from the earth, taking over the entire city. One even suddenly darted out right next to the two of them, carrying a swarm of smaller insects into the air. Alice was speechless when she saw these giant centipedes. Only after the insects landed on her did she snap out of her daze, quickly taking off her coat and throwing it aside.

“Perhaps you don’t know,” Lisa laughed, “these insects are the work of a ghost. Although that ghost was killed by the Dragon King a long, long time ago while on a mission, the insects he poured his love into are still active beneath this city, especially these giant centipedes—the kind that killed the saintess in the labyrinth.”

—! The saintess was killed.

These words caught Alice's attention, and she immediately suppressed her anger. So that's it, these centipedes were the very insects that had killed Nao in the labyrinth… There were such dangerous creatures hidden beneath the New Kingdom…

"Although there seemed to be a small mishap along the way, causing these centipedes to grow into this shape, but..." Lisa licked her lips, "it's quite interesting~"

Although Alice was smiling, she thought to herself: These ghosts really are all crazy...

“Oh dear, I seem to have gone off-topic.” Lisa smiled awkwardly and got back to the point. “As you can see, if you don’t cooperate with me, not only will you be executed here on the spot, but you will also implicate all the living people in this city. Of course, if you don’t cooperate with me, I can still kill you and then take your place as Alice.”

“If I remember correctly,” Elise said, “Serrick’s goal is to destroy the world, right? So what’s the difference between dying now and helping you destroy the world? Besides, since you have that kind of power, you might as well just kill me.”

“Is there a difference?” Lisa smiled kindly. “Of course, it’s about being able to die with the feeling of ascending to heaven, right? Besides, keeping you around saves me a lot of trouble.”

“You’re insane,” Elise said with a sneer. “Sorry, I refuse. That’s my answer.”

“…I see…” Lisa frowned. “Then there’s no need to spare your life.”

The two took a step almost simultaneously. Lisa charged straight at Alice, while Alice kicked away a tile in front of her, sending it flying towards Lisa.

Chapter 40 Resistance by Ordinary People

"Do you think this will stop me?"

Lisa slashed away the flying tile, but what she didn't notice was that while the tile was obscuring her vision, Alice picked up something.

That's a pistol.