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

She only recently learned about the church's actions... After learning about those actions, Nao's faith began to waver.

The Church is the organization responsible for the hero summoning ceremony. Other countries that want to summon heroes must also obtain the Church's consent and have the Church send priests to supervise the process.

But she hadn't expected that the church had already colluded with the kingdom. The kingdom and the church had summoned an eleventh hero in the past six months.

The first ten heroes all died in accidents. But were they really accidents? Isn't it too much of a coincidence that ten heroes died in accidents in a row?

Nao has no idea what will happen to the eleventh person.

But she had seen the hero, a young man who seemed listless and unmotivated, yet whose eyes were unusually sharp. She hoped he would be alright... No, perhaps it's best not to say such things.

Nao left the chapel, guards following behind to protect her. She returned to her room, where her maids had already prepared her belongings. Then, someone urged Nao to get into the carriage as soon as possible and head to the labyrinth.

Isn't this a bit too hasty...?

Nao couldn't help but wonder, she had never encountered such a rushed departure in previous years. It was clear they were urging her on; could it be that something had gone wrong over there?

Every year, Nao goes to the labyrinth to reinforce the seal that holds the monsters there. Only she can do this, so every year at this time, she is escorted away from the church to the labyrinth to reinforce the seal.

But only this time, she felt a slight sense of unease, but the problem was that she didn't know exactly what it was.

Has the church... changed?

Nao had this idea.

After a two-week journey, the church's group finally arrived at the maze. They set up camp at the entrance to rest, planning to enter first thing tomorrow morning after a good night's rest.

As a saint, Nao used a tent all by herself. At this moment, she sat alone in the tent, feeling lonely, helpless, and unimaginably empty.

She now harbors doubts about the church because everything the people around her did on the street seemed too strange.

Normally, they would rest in the villages they passed through before continuing their journey, but this time they chose to keep going instead of stopping in those villages.

It's as if they're in a hurry to do something.

She recently tried to talk to someone, but the other person's response was perfunctory and unnatural. The church must have done something behind the scenes.

It sounds ridiculous, but Nao wanted to escape, to escape far away, into the labyrinth. Anywhere would do; she wanted to get away from the church, away from the kingdom.

However, as a saint, she couldn't do that; she also had to consider the kingdom's believers.

Even though the church has changed, the believers are innocent. She doesn't want the seal to break and monsters to be released because of her, causing these devout believers to suffer disaster.

Is there anyone...is there anyone who can save me...?

Nao's cries could not reach anyone; they echoed emptyly within her, but to Nao, they were of no use whatsoever...

...Maybe there is, who knows?

Nao suddenly remembered someone, someone who was always there at this time of year. Or rather, he lived in the labyrinth; perhaps... she could ask him for help.

Thinking about this, Nao suddenly felt less heavy-hearted.

Every year when Nao comes to the maze, she can always hear a voice that only she can hear. The owner of that voice will always complain to her or chat about something. He seems to be a very interesting person.

Nao thought to herself, "If it were him, maybe he could help me."

Nao changed her sitting posture to a kneeling position, and then began to pray to the god she believed in, praying that she would be able to speak with that person the next day.

The next morning, they entered the maze early and began their journey to the location of the seal.

Nao glanced around at the people around her. They all had unnatural expressions on their faces and looked very nervous, avoiding eye contact with Nao.

As expected, this proved Nao's premonition true.

The atmosphere among the crowd was eerie, so quiet it was suffocating. No one intended to speak, for the outcome was already decided.

Whoosh whoosh!

Arrows rained down from all directions. The guards who heard the sound immediately didn't react by protecting Nao; they fled for their lives. Then, someone was hit by an arrow and fell, and chaos ensued.

"It's an attack!"

"Aaaaaah! Run for your lives!"

"Run! You'll die!"

No one had time to care about Nao; in fact, they deliberately ignored her, focusing only on their own escape. They abandoned all their belongings, and some who tried to flee, even after being shot down by stray arrows, still crawled away, attempting to leave.

"Are you okay?!"

Nao immediately went to the injured man to check his injuries, wanting to heal him with magic on the spot, but was pushed away by him. Nao saw the look in his eyes.

That look in his eyes was filled with terror.

It's like saying...

Don't come near me!

Nao, stunned, watched as the person in front of her was shot to death by a hail of arrows. She was too shocked to speak or move; her mind had stopped working.

"Holy Maiden!" A maid rushed over and pulled Nao up. "Holy Maiden! Let's go! It's too dangerous here!"

Nao nodded blankly, and the maid pulled her away from there to a safe place.

"What... happened?" Nao was still in a daze.

“Cheer up, Your Grace.” The maid grabbed Nao’s shoulder. “You are in great danger. Those people have betrayed you, and the Church wants to kill you!”

“…! So that’s how it is…” Although Nao had already noticed the slimmer figure, she still couldn’t accept it.

"Your Holiness! We must run!" the maidservant cried, pulling at Nao. "They've even sent ghosts; those people will never let you go!"

"...Why did you help me?" Nao suddenly asked. "Why were you the only one who didn't run away?"

The maid's suspicious behavior was too obvious, so Nao didn't wait for her answer and used her magic first.

"flash"!

Nao immediately closed her eyes and made the magic circle in her hand emit a bright light.

"Ugh?! Damn it! This woman!"

The maid... no, the ghost's eyes were blinded by the bright light, and she lost her sight for a moment. Before she could recover, Nao pushed her away and ran away.

No one who accompanied her to the labyrinth could be trusted. Why would the Church and the Kingdom join forces to kill Nao? The reason is simple…

"Have I... discovered some secret?"

Nao suspected that she had done something to provoke them, which must be related to the collusion and shady dealings between the church and the kingdom, but Nao didn't have the energy to think about these things right now; she needed to escape from here as soon as possible.

In addition, she now did not want this matter to involve the person living in the maze, and she prayed that the other party would not notice this matter and would not get involved.

Because the combined power of the kingdom and the church is so great that it can even distort the truth.

The hero, along with everyone in the kingdom and the church's followers, are in unimaginable danger. Or perhaps, they are all accomplices.

Thinking of this, Nao shuddered and dared not think any further. She now understood just how dark the kingdom and the church truly were.

"...Huh?! Cough cough..."

Nao collapsed to the ground. In an instant, she understood what had happened to her body: poison gas.

Poisonous gas permeated the maze, where airflow was only as slow as usual, causing the gas to linger in one area for a long time. Nao had just wandered into this area and inhaled a large amount of the gas, leading to her current situation.

Paralytic poison, ...

These poisonous gases aren't lethal; if they were pre-existing in the maze, they would be deadly. Therefore, there's only one possibility for releasing such poisonous gas.

"Haha, I didn't expect to catch you. You truly deserve to be called a saintess, a beauty indeed."

A masked man in a green hat and white robes walked through the poisonous gas to Nao, admiring her body, licking his lips, and then reaching for Nao's robes.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Another ghost walked over from the other side. "Hurry up and get to work, we don't have time to waste here."

"Tsk... I know, I know. How boring."

The man clicked his tongue in boredom, then took out a wooden pot from his coat and looked at Nao, who was lying motionless on the ground, with a silly grin.

Nao felt as if an electric current was running through her entire body, and she trembled slightly. She had a bad feeling after seeing the wooden pot.

“Eek…you actually want to use this?” another ghost backed away. “What a twisted sense of humor.”

"Oh dear, that's because you don't understand romance." The ghost smiled and opened the wooden pot. "This will not only allow me to kill the saintess properly, but also give me my fill of pleasure."

What crawled out of the wooden pot was a centipede. After leaving the pot, the centipede rapidly grew larger and became frenzied. The two ghosts kept their distance and watched this scene from the sidelines.

No, don't come any closer.

The centipede crawled onto Nao and bound her entire body. Its dense, sharp limbs tore through her clothes and skin, and also seeped in deadly poison.

The centipede's head was facing Nao's face, and its trembling mouthparts dripped blackish-purple venom into Nao's eyes.

"Ahhhhhh?!"

The unimaginable pain and burning sensation seemed to tear her entire body apart. The centipede relentlessly tightened its grip, trying to kill her. Her bones were practically shattered. Gradually, she began to feel no pain, and her consciousness faded. As Nao's consciousness disappeared, the centipede pried open her mouth and burrowed into her corpse.

"Wow, what a beautiful sight." The masked ghost smiled, a smile so deep and dark that it sent chills down the spines of anyone who saw it.

"Ugh, that's disgusting." Another ghost made a gagging face.

After a while, they confirmed that Nao was undoubtedly dead, and their mission was complete.

One ghost had already left, but the masked ghost wanted to linger there to admire the saint's corpse; it was his interest.

"How beautiful! Isn't she, Your Majesty!"

He was screaming wildly, grabbing his face, and tearing at his clothes; he was undoubtedly a complete madman and a pervert.

"Is it fun?"

"What do you know! This isn't fun! This is art! Do you even understand art?!"

After hearing someone's words, the masked ghost fiercely retorted, then turned around to slap that person, but then froze and laughed.

A white-haired girl stood behind him, her full figure and white Eastern-style clothing making her look like a beautiful painting.

"Oh my god?! Oh! What an exquisite work of art! How could someone be able to be like the saintess—?!"

"Oh." Thump!

With a muffled thud, the masked ghost was sent flying by the girl's punch. He was not only smashed into the stone wall of the maze, but his head was also shattered by the blow. He was dead, beyond saving. She stood there staring at Nao's corpse, unable to move for a long time. She felt guilty, angry, and sad about the scene before her.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry."

The girl knelt before Nao's body, weeping bitterly. She was too late; she regretted not returning to the labyrinth sooner. She had lost a friend she hadn't even been close to.

"...There is still hope, there is still a way to save them."

She remembered a contract magic used between humans, and if she combined it with her power, she might be able to save Nao.

"...Give it a try!"

She finally made up her mind. She first used magic to force the centipede out, then grabbed the centipede that was trying to pounce on her and crushed it.

"In the name of the 'Dragon King of Time,' I acknowledge this girl! By the twin moons! By the bond of life! I will accompany her for the rest of my life!"

White light appeared on the ground and then formed the emblem of a clock. This emblem belonged to the Dragon Queen Raelfa and was a symbol of her power as the Dragon Queen.

Time rewinds rapidly, and the girl's body gradually returns to its original state, but her eyes cannot be restored. Relfa has no choice but to give up and directly transfer her own life force to her.

"Hey! Saintess! Please... answer me quickly..."

Nao remained unresponsive, and just as Lelfa was about to burst into tears, she heard it.

You... still came after all...

"So you still came."

Nao, dressed in a white dress, stood in the empty, pure white void, looking at Raelfa.

"Would you be willing to leave if I didn't come?" Rielfa smiled.

She couldn't wait to run over and hug her, picking her up and treating her like a princess.

“I remembered some things from the past—” Nao rubbed against him uneasily, “but it’s all right now.”

"Hmm~ I made it this time, didn't I?" Rielfa asked.

"I'm glad you're here..."

The two smiled at each other, took the final step, and disappeared into the infinite whiteness.

☆, Let's go live in the human world!

Prologue