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

Nao immediately took back the wine, refusing to let Rielfa touch it; she knew Rielfa's habits and preferences very well. This wine might disappear in the blink of an eye once it was in her hands.

Although she didn't know what kind of wine it was, it was definitely qualified as a ritual medium. She took the bottle and went to the slime first, and Akatsuki followed because she was very curious.

The slime noticed Nao approaching it, glanced at her, and understood her purpose. Nao poured some wine onto her hand and sprinkled it evenly over the slime.

These glistening water droplets emitted a faint glow as they were sprinkled onto the slime. The slime could see the complex magical circles within the droplets, but it couldn't immediately decipher them; the magic was too advanced.

In the blink of an eye, the water droplet disappeared without even landing on the slime. Where the droplet had last rested, magic lines extended and formed magic again, dazzling the slime.

"Gods above, see the signs with my own eyes, return the power of evil to me, and bestow your grace."

After Nao finished chanting, the magic circle released a soft golden light, which fell on the slime and made it feel an indescribable comfort. Then, a large amount of black mist rose from its body and dissipated into the air.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Xiao's eyes lit up, like a child who had seen a new toy.

"Has the curse dissipated properly?" Nao asked telepathically.

"...Yes. I'm very grateful." The slime's response was very indifferent.

Nao understood that the slime was cold to people outside of reason, but she still had to say what needed to be said.

"Thank you," Nao said to it.

"...?" The slime looked at her, puzzled.

"You protected Li, and that's enough for me to thank you for."

"...Just something I did incidentally."

"You're not being honest. How about you tell Xiaoli a little something from your heart?"

"……eventful."

With that, the slime walked away, but Nao knew it was actually shy. If she continued chasing it, it would probably go berserk, so Nao stopped there.

How did she know all this? It's not that complicated; in fact, it would be strange if she didn't. The slime's gaze was constantly following Ri, always quietly staying near her. If Rielfa hadn't pointed it out, Nao wouldn't have noticed.

Furthermore, the slime has several times more curses than Rin. It's unreasonable that the slime, who can fight with magic, has more curses than Rin, who can only fight in close combat.

The only reason that could be thought of was that the slime had shielded Rie from most of the danger, so it must have been cursed even more. That's what Nao thought. Knowing that the real Rie was waiting for some wine, Nao quickly walked over to Rie's side.

Li, a mimic, a very special mimic. You could call it an anomaly; its thoughts are peculiar, and its actions are purposeful. Nao didn't know how to categorize it—perhaps a monster, perhaps a demon, or maybe just "human"?

She helped Nao, who was confused, several times. Nao envied her seemingly inexhaustible energy and wanted to cheer her on. Perhaps this was her last act of redemption for her past self; was entrusting her with her own ideals a bit too much?

Nao repeated what she had done to the slime, using alcohol to dispel the curse on Li. The square-shaped creature in front of her looked so familiar.

"What's wrong with Sister Li?" Xiao asked, tilting her head.

"She must be tired. She had so much fun playing with Xiao." Nao patted Xiao's head. "Was Xiao happy?"

"Yes! I'm so happy!" Xiao nodded vigorously. "I want to go play some more!"

If Li heard this, she would probably be furious, and to make matters worse, it was Lielfa who overheard it.

Nao stroked Xiao's head, and Xiao fell asleep without realizing it. Nao settled her next to Li and took the wine to Rielfa, who had been waiting there.

Chapter 17 On the way home

Today, I still have a day off!

Ah... for various reasons, we can't go to the Blood Sea. Laelfa said it's raining, so they won't let us go.

I don't quite understand why we can't go there after it rains?

She told me to ask the slime, but the slime ignored me. Hmmm... I just feel like the slime doesn't like me.

I'm currently on my way to my old house with the slime... oh, I forgot about Akatsuki.

Xiao insisted on following us today for some reason, and we just couldn't do anything about it. ╮(??ω?? )╭

She obediently followed behind me, while the slime naturally stayed on my head; this was probably its designated spot.

Today we plan to go back and get some important things, mainly books, because I intend to study them properly after these things are over.

The people around me who possess knowledge of this world are Nao, Laelfa, and the slime. The slime counts too, but I don't think it would teach me.

But for some inexplicable reason, I always feel that I'm getting further and further away from my goal on the path of being a decent human being... If I don't turn back down this path, I might really turn into a monster in the future. Wow, that won't do.

Our original home wasn't really damaged, because during our first battle with humans, we fought while running, and before we knew it, we had run quite a distance, so we weren't affected by the fighting. I might be good at running away, but why am I so talented at it?!

Because the shortcut home led through the sea of ​​blood, we chose to take a detour; I didn't want to be cursed again so soon after the curse was lifted. Besides, Nao didn't seem well after she helped us lift the curse that day; I think it might be that this kind of magic was conflicting with her constitution.

It's best to avoid things like this as much as possible.

Lelfa recently drew us a map of the maze. It was very basic, like a child's doodle. Oh well, better than nothing. The map was very detailed, but her drawing skills were really questionable. If I had hands, I could have drawn it better.

Following the map, I took a slightly roundabout route back to my old home. Before the slime and I could even move, Akatsuki had already dispatched the monsters along the way. All I saw was a sudden gust of white wind, and then the monster collapsed. Akatsuki, the culprit, stood beside the fallen monster, wielding her small katana.

Xiao is very strong... but a bit silly... Nao did teach her some knowledge and etiquette, but once she gets playful, she can't stop, and she forgets everything else, which gives Nao a lot of headaches.

It's said that Zhou Dong would stop her every time this happened. Zhou Dong is indeed very capable; he could even stop someone as powerful as Xiao.

Zhou Dong's identity remains a mystery. My magic eye still can't get any concrete information about him. Every time I look at him, strange gibberish appears, as if he's malfunctioning. I have a feeling he's a very powerful guy, and perhaps even an ancestor.

She doesn't talk much, but she seems to be able to do everything, sob... She's so virtuous.

"Sister Li, how much further is it..." Xiao asked weakly.

"We're almost there, not far," I replied patiently.

"How far is 'not far'..." Xiao tilted her head. "That's what Sister Li just said too."

Uh... have we been found out?

To be honest, I got lost too.

"………………" The slime looked at me with pity.

Don't look at me like that! I've never been here before either! If you remember the way, why didn't you tell me? Besides, this map is drawn like a primary school student's drawing; how could I possibly understand it? It's so rudimentary!

I couldn't bring myself to say I was lost, but the slime seemed to have already noticed something was wrong. I said, "Since you knew I was lost, why didn't you help me...?"

"You need my help with something like this? Aren't you ashamed?" The slime's tone was full of sarcasm. "Go straight ahead, turn left at the intersection. I'll tell you the rest when we get there."

Hey, why did you say that?

He rarely spoke, but his words were always sarcastic, which made me somewhat angry, and I expressed my dissatisfaction.

"The frequency of this voice is so high that only a fool could hear it. You don't need to worry about the little fox hearing it." A leisurely voice entered my mind, still as aloof as ever.

Not to brag, but compared to a slime, I might actually be a complete idiot. But I still want to raise a question to refute it and vent my anger.

That being said, Ke Xiao is actually quite silly...

"..."

Ah, silence.

"The little fox just doesn't know yet; you'll always be a fool." The slime's words were even more venomous.

I felt like it was about to explode with anger. Well, the operation was a success. Although I was unhappy about being rejected, I couldn't beat it, so there was nothing I could do.

I followed its directions and indeed saw an intersection. It seems the slime does remember the way. I hope it remembers the way back too, because I've forgotten mine.

While comforting Xiao who was feeling bored, I followed the slime's instructions and moved forward. Gradually, the scenery around me became familiar, and I thought that I could probably walk back without the slime's instructions.

"Hey... stupid box."

what happened?

It was unusual for the slime to speak to me. And it didn't seem aggressive at all. After a moment, I responded. For some reason, I felt inexplicably uneasy.

"Why do you want to become human? We're all monsters." The slime asked an unexpected question.

Yes, that's true. It's obvious to me, but it's hard to understand for a slime as a monster.

"That's true... but I still want to be a human." For the first time, I said this to the slime. "I probably haven't told you, but I wasn't originally from this world. I came from Earth, and I used to be human."

The slime didn't say anything.

"I only told Nao about this—It's so hot?! What are you doing?!"

The slime suddenly got hot and burned me. I can't believe it, considering I have fire resistance. I questioned it, but it didn't answer and seemed a little unhappy.

"What's so great about being human? Aren't all humans the same? Especially that blindfolded guy," it grumbled as it asked, seemingly prejudiced against humans.

"Being human is great! There are so many things you can do in this body," I explained to it. "Not all humans are like that. Nao is a good person, so don't talk nonsense. I want to be human because I want a flexible body and the ability to communicate with humans."

"Can't you just read it aloud?"

"It's not that I can't speak aloud. But I'd much rather communicate with them verbally. Maybe, subconsciously, I'm still a person."

Because subconsciously I believe I am a human being, I feel that I can't not be one. Essentially, I'm still a treasure chest monster...

"...I see."

After that, the slime didn't say another word. I didn't know if I had done something to upset it, but it was unusually quiet. I didn't talk to it either, because I already knew how to get to the rest of the way. We arrived at our old home without incident.

Chapter 18 Don't do this kind of thing in someone else's house!

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Xiao's eyes lit up at the piles of stuff, while Slime and I, having seen so many, didn't react much. However, the positions of these things seemed to have changed subtly; for example, those Earth junk items that were usually placed near the door seemed... gone.

Hey, have you tidied it up again?

As I asked the slime, I pushed the stone blocking the door back in.

"I did tidy it up," the slime's telepathic voice replied, "but then some humans came, and things were probably messed up."

After it mentioned that, I remembered that we had encountered humans here not long ago; they probably discovered my home. I don't know the value of these things, but judging by the quantity, I estimate they could probably keep several people going for a month (in fact, longer).

That makes sense, doesn't it? Even for me, if a magazine that I haven't seen since my death and reincarnation appeared in front of me right now, I would probably take it without hesitation (the nature of these magazines is completely different, you know!).

"Nothing should be missing," the slime said. "After all, no one escaped."

Well, let's see.

I blatantly changed the subject, but I still couldn't accept it. I felt betrayed, even though it wasn't my fault. So, I chose to avoid the topic.

"Hey! Risa! What's this? It's so long!"

Let me see... this is just an ordinary iron rod.

Xiao ran over with a dark gray stick in her hand, asking me what it was. She seemed very interested in it. I remember it being the iron stick I broke before; it's subtly different...

I examined the iron rod closely and found that it had been repaired and restored to its former appearance. Moreover, the iron rod now had very mysterious patterns on it, and black jade was inlaid at both ends.

What is this thing...? I don't recognize it...

I don't recall ever having seen anything like this before, and I've never taken one home. Who on Earth would bother making such elaborate cosplay props? This is a real object, okay? Could it have some kind of weird function?

I turned my gaze to the slime that had left my head and was now moving freely. It was my most trusted partner, especially when it came to causing trouble... so I figured this stick was somehow related to it.

"...? What are you doing?" The slime noticed my gaze. "You think I made that?"

"Yes." I affirmed without hesitation.

"...A little bit smarter, actually." The slime said calmly. "That stick was indeed something I made. But it was a failure, a shoddy piece of work."

After hearing what it said, I looked at the stick again. It didn't look like something crudely made at all. The slime actually called it a failure. How strict... Is this really the kind of slime that can be killed with a single cut?

"You seem to be thinking about something rude." The slime glared at me.

At times like this, any rebuttal would be obvious, so I won't offer the weak, utterly powerless rebuttals you see in comics; silence is the best option.

"Hey! This stick! It's so light!"

Hearing Xiao's voice, I turned around and saw that she was actually spinning an iron rod taller than herself with one hand. The rapidly spinning rod formed an iron-gray shield and made a whooshing sound. Because it was dangerous, I stopped her.

I'm starting to suspect that Xiao isn't a fox but a monkey... That way of waving... it feels so familiar...

Rolling around...

"...?" The slime suddenly looked towards the entrance.

"Sister Li... the door is open." Xiao's ears twitched, and she drew her katana and stood in front of me.

Um?Um?Um?

I understand that something opened the door, but why did you stand in front of me so aggressively, and even pulled out a weapon? I may be weak, but this is really hurting my pride...

Just as they said, the stone blocking the entrance was pushed aside by something, and they've probably gotten inside. If it's an enemy, we'll probably have to fight here, which feels a bit like getting in the way... I also feel sorry for all those items and materials. Speaking of which, when did that pile of things that look like equipment get there? Did the slime make all that?

"Someone's come in." The slime's telepathic voice sounded angry.