Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 166 Mission: 01-3 The World of Box Garden
When Nero opened her eyes again, a huge city appeared before her.

The city was encased in fiery red rock walls, nestled within a greenhouse-like dome. Nero was located on a high mountain outside the city, covered in snow, appearing desolate and quiet.

In her hand was the opened invitation letter. On it was a watermark of a certain emblem, a clown playing a flute, exactly the same as the wax seal on the envelope.

"Isn't it spectacular?"

A young girl's voice came from behind Nero, sounding vaguely familiar. A moment later, a girl in a black and white dress, her short, rose-red hair tied into twin ponytails with a black ribbon, took two steps forward on the snow and appeared beside Nero.

She was about twelve years old, with wine-red eyes. The upper half of her skirt and sleeves were as black as death, while the lower half of her skirt and the lining of her sleeves were pure white, dotted with black spots.

Nero lowered his head, saw the girl's face, and recognized her.

"Beatrice?"

Nero wasn't too surprised. After calling out the name, he immediately asked, "Or should I call you by your new name now?"

This was mainly because Nero had already read the letter she had sent.

Not long ago, after having dinner with Credo, Kyrie and the others, Nero returned to her room in the dead of night and finally opened the letter she had been putting off reading.

On the plain letter paper, there is a cursive English letter written in pen:

"From Miss Nero:
It has been a long time since we last met in 1348 AD. I hope you haven't forgotten the girl you saved.

I'm honored to extend this invitation to you. As enclosed in the invitation letter, our community, the [Flute Player of Hamel], affiliated with the [Grimm Fantasy Grimoire Group], sincerely invites you to come to the Little Garden City and become a member of our community.

Of course, I understand that we've only just met by chance. As a token of my sincerity, please allow me to include a photo of your grandfather, the leader of the large community alliance, the Six Hundred and Sixty-Six Beasts. If you'd like to learn more, please open the invitation and let's meet in person."

The letter was signed with a name Nero did not recognize, "Peste," which means pests and the plague brought by pests.

Honestly, this isn't a suitable name for a young girl. And considering that the girl named Beatrice mentioned in the letter died of the plague, this name seems like a hellish joke.

However, if this name actually represents some meaning——

"As you said, my name is now 'Pest'."

The girl replied, "He is also the leader of the community [Grimm Fantasy Grimoire Hamel], [Black Death Spotted Grim Reaper]."

Just as Nero expected.

"Miss Nero, you're new here, so I'm sure you have many questions." Pest stood before the silent Nero and extended her hand. "Come, I'll take you into the Little Garden City. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them."

Looking at Pest, who seemed to have not changed at all but was surrounded by death and almost endless magic power, Nero closed his eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then reached out and shook hands with the girl.

Then Nero smiled slightly and asked in a low voice: "You said you are the leader of the community?"

"That's right. In the Little Garden, any organization composed of multiple members can be called a community, whether it's a family, a tribe, a country, or any other form."

Pest carefully explained this concept to Nero: "Flags and names that only a community can have are necessary for activities in the box garden. Even those super strong people who dare to act alone will often form a community without other members in order to have a banner to raise." This is easy to understand. Asking about a person's background is the simplest, most direct and crude way to understand him.

"That sounds impressive," Nero said after the handshake. "So, am I considered a member of your community?"

"If you're willing, that would be great."

Pest said, tilting her head in confusion: "But aren't you going to learn more before making a decision?"

Nero smiled brightly and jokingly said, "I'm just wondering why such an important person keeps using honorifics to address me."

Hearing this, Pest was slightly stunned, then sighed: "I didn't even notice. Maybe Miss Nero's appearance brought back some memories of the past."

"So. What...what happened to you? And why did you invite me here?"

"Nothing worth mentioning."

Facing Nero's question, Pest simply shook her head gently: "I simply died in that plague, and inexplicably turned into a ghost. I wandered for hundreds of years with the other undead who died in the plague, and finally merged with the other undead and became their representative.

"Then, I was summoned to this small garden city."

"Is this the city?"

"Yes."

Following Nero's finger, Beatrice reached out and drew a huge circle in the air. "Established by gods, celestial spirits, and other beings beyond human intelligence, this is an amusement park connected to all worlds and all times."

With that, Pest withdrew his hand, looked at Nero again, and repeated: "Let's go in."

"it is good."

Beyond the towering mountains, Nero could see the literal "end of the world," a boundless void worthy of being called the Abyss of Nirvana. On the way down, Pest continued to answer Nero's questions, "As for why I summoned you, the reason is actually very simple... My community was recently established and has no other members yet.

"Furthermore, you possess the demonic spirit and the power to charm others with your voice, which coincides with the legend of this grimoire, thus fulfilling the conditions for summoning."

The magic book is called "The Pied Piper of Hamel," one of the famous fairy tales in the Grimm's Fairy Tales. This magic book has been made into a large number of stained glass windows and is now located on the back of the mountain.

In other words, Nero was summoned as the "Pied Piper" in this fairy tale, as the "devil" who used the sound of his flute to lead 130 children and disappeared behind the hillside.

"What about the real 'Pied Piper'?"

Pest laughed mysteriously.

"It's you, the 'devil who seduces others'; and it's me, the 'incarnation of the Black Death'. Of course, it could just as easily be someone else, or someone who never existed at all—because the little garden connects to countless parallel worlds, so both you and I are 'the Pied Piper who might exist in some world'."

“And this is what makes the little garden so special.”

(End of this chapter)