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

"Whoaaaaaah!?!?!"

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed me, startling me. It turned out to be that guy who had been following me.

"You bastard! You scared me!" I snapped, slapping him with my pliers. "Why are you following me?!"

No, what I really want to complain about right now is why is this guy crawling behind me?! Can't you just walk properly?! Are you even human?!

“Ah, I just wanted to remind you that there is intrusion prevention magic here.” He spoke to me while still lying down.

"Alright, done talking? Now get the hell out of here!"

Wow, I was just looking cool for once, and this guy made me look bad again. How embarrassing!

"No! Let me follow you! Master Mimic!" The creature suddenly performed a dogeza (a deep bowing gesture). "You rescued me from my confusion! I can never repay such a great kindness! Please allow me to follow you!"

"Get lost! Don't follow me! Have some self-respect! Do you even understand what I mean?!"

Is this guy an idiot? I just said something casually, and it actually rescued him from his confusion? And he even offered himself to me?!

Ah... this guy is the kind of hot-blooded idiot type, right...? No, we can't have another one. There are already several in the duchy, aren't there? I can't take it anymore.

"Please allow me to follow you!"

"No way! Get out of here! Be quiet!"

I have a feeling that if I keep arguing with him like this, we'll get caught. I'll just let him do something for now.

"Fine!" I said dismissively, "Now you get out of here and go back to the kingdom to gather intelligence! I'll come find you afterward!"

"Yes, sir!"

He actually obediently stood up, then crawled away from there. Now everything should be alright, right? After all, I don't even know his name, so why would I go looking for him?

I stayed in place, mimicking a treasure chest, and waited until I confirmed that his life signal had moved far away on the map before proceeding to the next step.

"Ning? Are you still there?" Although I knew it was a rhetorical question, I figured I might as well ask anyway.

"What do you think? I've been right beside you." Ning replied quickly. "How are you? What are you doing now?"

"I'm currently at a fortress on the front lines of the battle against the demons," I replied. "For some reason, none of the people here seem inclined to fight. The reason is unclear, and I'm planning to find the person in charge here."

"And then? What do you want from me?"

"I've encountered an intrusion prevention spell, and it seems to be offensive." I told Ning the information I'd just gathered from that person. "Tell me how to deal with it."

"Hmm... this kind of barrier magic is quite easy to deal with..."

Chapter 49

"Drink! Keep drinking! There's plenty more wine! Hahaha!"

The commander, seated at the head of the banquet, raised his wine glass, setting the mood and prompting his subordinates to join in.

"Come on! Boil this one! Anyone who doesn't finish it, I'll kick their ass!"

"Hahahahaha!"

His words made everyone burst into laughter. Although they didn't understand the meaning, the important thing was to have fun. Anyone who ruined the atmosphere would face more than just a kick in the butt.

One of the squad leaders left temporarily. He left the banquet to catch his breath; he had drunk too much and now felt like throwing up.

"Oh~~~"

He staggered out of the banquet hall, leaning against the wall as he walked. It wouldn't be a problem to vomit here, but the commander didn't like such an eyesore. If he were found out, his future would be ruined right here.

We need to find something...

Then he saw a wooden crate in the corner, ran over to it immediately, and then lost consciousness.

……

Wow, this guy suddenly ran over by himself, it really scared me to death.

Ah, right, that guy, see him lying on the ground? I knocked him out.

When I reached the corner, I suddenly bumped into this guy coming out of there. I was so scared that I quickly transformed into my human form. He walked over on his own, and I suspected that I had been exposed, so I knocked him unconscious.

Hey, his armor looks pretty good, huh? Priority: Lv.43? Turns out it's just for looks...

One glance at the data and it's like it's made of paper, all unnecessary embellishments. Shouldn't this kind of equipment be kept as a collector's item? Why was it used?

Ugh, these people must have something wrong with their brains, right?

Let me tell you about how I infiltrated this place.

There were no guards at the entrance, the gate was unlocked, and the anti-intrusion barrier was not functioning because it lacked magic. I didn't see anyone else besides this person while climbing the building.

Ha... It went so smoothly, without any warning, I just swaggered in... What kind of infiltration is this?

I dragged the fallen guy to a dark corner and hid him, then used some of the things I had on me to tie him up and gag him, before returning to my original task.

When he walked out of that room just now, I heard the kind of shouting that you only hear when people are drinking, and I also smelled a strong odor of alcohol on him. I guess there are no more rooms upstairs. Is that the commander here?

Let's just rush in.

bump--!

I smashed the wooden door with the pliers and saw the group of people behind it. The first person I saw was the guy sitting at the head of the table, dressed in particularly luxurious clothes. This guy must be the commander, right? It saves me the trouble of asking them one by one.

"Hey! What's that thing!?"

"Huh? A mimic monster? How could such a monster appear here?"

"Ah, Lord Karashiro! I remember now! Those are mimics! Each mimic has a very rare item on it!"

"Oh! Is that so? Lord Gokudai! I'll kill it right away and present you with the treasure!"

"What are you waiting for? Attack now!"

...Judging by this, it seems I've been mistaken for a monster who stumbled upon this place, and these guys all seem intent on killing me. And what's with that Lord Karashiro...? I'm starting to feel sorry for him; why did he have parents who gave him such a name?

Clang—!

All of these people left their positions and drew their swords, as if to say they were about to fight. Uh... I don't want to play along with their act, so let's finish this quickly and try not to cripple them.

“RUWAaaaaaa!”

A man yelled and swung his sword at me. Because it looked so flimsy, I tried to block it with my shell, and the sword snapped in two. The man stared at his broken sword, speechless… So why use such a fragile weapon?

I immediately approached him, then grabbed his leg with the pliers, laid him on the ground, and then jumped up and pressed my full weight on him. He cried out "Pfft!" and passed out. That made one.

"Its shell is very hard! Don't repeat the same mistake!" one of them said to his companion, gripping his sword. "Let's wait for it to open its mouth! The inside is very soft! We can inflict effective damage by stabbing it with our sword!"

Ah...isn't that clever? What if I don't...? Ah, never mind, I don't want to talk to them at all, it's too stupid, isn't it?

I didn't want to waste any more time on them, so I used my unique skill, "Magic Dragon Transformation," which is similar to the Mimic.

Because this mimic's body only received a portion of the Dragon King's power, possessing some things similar to a dragon, but essentially it cannot transform into a dragon. Only I, the Dragon King, can transform into a dragon, because I am the one who truly possesses a dragon's body.

As you can see, this mimic of me can project magic and, after certain manipulations, materialize it into parts of a dragon. Right now, I've used magic to simulate a dragon's claws, wings, and tail—that's all the mimic I can do.

Well, actually, its strength is the same as a dragon's. It might accidentally kill someone. You could just knock it unconscious with its wing.

"Huh?! What is this?! What is this?!"

"Oh my! It's even grown into the shape of a dragon! This is incredible!"

"My goodness... Could it be a rare species?"

"Hey! Don't kill it! Be careful, we might be able to make money off it!"

They were making a ruckus, trying to capture me. Even though I am indeed a rare species, one of a kind in the world, I am the Dragon King, you bunch of idiots!?

Annoyed, I swung my tail and smashed the stone table laden with delicious food. Seeing the table's destruction, they immediately cowered and hid in a corner, begging for mercy and kneeling before me.

I wasn't there to see them, so I went straight for my target: the guy hiding behind the chair.

I used my magical dragon claws to grab the chair and toss it aside, revealing the trembling guy hiding behind it. I grabbed his armor and easily lifted him up.

"Eek!!!! Don't eat me! Don't eat me! I don't taste good at all! Really! You have to believe me!" The commander struggled to escape while suspended in mid-air.

"I won't eat you. You just need to answer a few questions." My telepathic message was only connected to him. "Tell me, why is the hero alone on the front lines while you're all having fun here?"

To bring him to his senses, I gave him a little shove so he wouldn't keep nagging about not wanting to eat me, it's so annoying.

"This has nothing to do with me! It's an order from above!" the commander said, shifting the blame. "It really wasn't me! The higher-ups said we couldn't help the hero, so they just told us to stay here and guard the place."

"Ugh... I'm completely missing the point."

I asked him several more questions, but I still couldn't get any answers. His answers seemed completely irrelevant, and I felt like I had asked the wrong person. I couldn't get any information from such a nobody.

However, I could tell from his answer that the kingdom did not value heroes at all, but rather only provided them with perfunctory support, using them as tools.

What should we do now? We have absolutely no clue what to do...

Oh, right, let's go see the Demon King.

Chapter 50

Hey, why are you looking at me like that? There's nothing wrong with me at all.

I am the Dragon King, so I should be a neutral force in this world, right? It's my freedom to side with whomever I want, isn't it?

Now that the hero and I have a grudge, I won't side with her without a good reason. But that doesn't mean I definitely won't side with the Demon King! Being a villain wouldn't be bad either!

Hmm, what? What if I can't clear my name? Well, we'll see when that happens. Anyway, apart from the hero, probably no one can do anything to me, right?

Ultimately, I just wanted to try out what it's like to be a villain... Uh, should I talk to Ning about this?

"Ning? I'm not getting any useful information right now." I told her, "I'm planning to go to the Demon King's side now, depending on the situation, we might end up joining his side."

"Hmm, is that so?" Ning's reaction was calm. "Then let's do it. There's really nothing to worry about, right? I told you, wherever you go, I'll follow you."

"Oh dear, but won't this implicate Olito and the others?" I voiced my concern.

We now have some contact with humans, especially the Borg Chamber of Commerce, and there's also Xia Ling, who's unrelated to us, in my home. I'm afraid my rash actions might implicate them. Thinking about it now, I should probably change my thoughtless, self-righteous way of acting.

We've already caused trouble for too many people.

"...That's true, but you don't need to worry." Ning smiled mysteriously. "You'll know once you use your magic eye to look at Xia Ling."

"...I don't understand what you're saying." Ning's deliberate cryptic remarks annoyed me, especially since I didn't understand what she meant.

"Anyway, just go for it," Ning said easily. "You still have me to help you, don't you?"

"You said it yourself..."

Hearing Ning's words made me feel much more at ease. Yes, I still had a reason to help me, so there was no need to hesitate. But right now, I still have things to deal with... headache.

The commander I lifted up and suspended in mid-air is now emitting a foul stench from his genitals. Yes, he has lost control of his bladder, both sides at once, and he looks like he's about to cry.

Ugh, I didn't intend to go this far, but now the atmosphere is incredibly awkward, and none of the people around seem inclined to come to my rescue. What should I do...? What do villains usually do in situations like this...?

"Ahem..." I cleared my throat, feigning annoyance. "Hmph! Useless trash! I'll let you off this time!"

I tossed him over to his subordinates with a force that wouldn't hurt him, but to my surprise, the group immediately scattered when they saw he had lost control of his bladder. Wow, people can be so wicked.

Don't look at me! I didn't do it on purpose! Wait, what do we do now? Just walk out the door...? How do you guys usually do that?

Ah... I remember now.

Meteor Fire—!

I casually cast a spell, and a meteorite flying from the horizon pierced through the fortress's stone wall and entered the room, making the already chaotic space even more chaotic. I spread my dragon wings and flew directly out through the hole created by the meteorite.

Hmm, as expected, villains should retreat in such a cool way... Wait, why am I so naturally considering myself a villain?

I glanced at the camp in chaos caused by the sudden appearance of the meteorite. These guys, who only knew how to have fun, were as flustered and anxious as ants on a hot plate. I wonder what their reaction would be if the hero fell.

As for me, I'm going to go and cause trouble for the hero right now.

"Die! You demon—!—!?"

Another enemy fell to Xia Que's "Holy Sword." Holding the "Holy Sword," Xia Que wiped away the blood remaining on the blade and tried to calm herself down.

I'm not killing anyone, I'm protecting...

...Whom should we protect?

Even though she told herself that, she couldn't calm down. She didn't know why she had to fight the enemy here alone. She didn't know why she was standing here. She didn't know... the meaning of her existence.

She had to do it simply because she was a hero...

She had lost count of how many enemies she had killed; all she knew was that she was surrounded by cold corpses, all of which belonged to the enemy. On her side, there were only four casualties.

The four men brought her to the front lines to observe, and although she didn't know what the point of their visit was, Xia Que agreed. Afterwards, they became corpses in that forest.

She knew that if she didn't hold them off, many people would be sacrificed. While keeping them occupied, she found the sentry on guard duty and asked him to go back and request reinforcements, but there was still no news.