Attacking Slime

"Blop—"

Little Lan moved with astonishing speed, quickly catching up to Xia Lun and Aina ahead.

"Little one, why did you come here?" Aina bent down and picked up the slime.

"Blop blop—"

Little Lan's mouth opened and closed as if trying to convey something.

"I see." Aina nodded lightly.

"You can understand what Little Lan is saying?" Xia Lun was surprised—he didn’t know the language of monsters.

"Mmm… naturally not. But a mind-bridge spell lets me directly understand the little one’s thoughts." Aina covered her mouth with a light chuckle.

"So, what did Little Lan say?" Xia Lun narrowed his eyes at the slime in Aina’s arms.

Slimes shouldn’t have a gender, right?

Little Lan seemed to sense some kind of threat, trembling as tiny, soft spines sprouted all over its body.

"Ara, Xia Lun, are you jealous of the little one?" Aina clearly noticed Little Lan’s reaction and giggled behind her hand. "What terrifying possessiveness."

Aina took out a small ice crystal and tucked it into Little Lan’s body. The slime immediately leaped out of her arms and bounced away cheerfully.

"Such a clever child," Aina praised.

"Ahem… so, why did Little Lan come?" Xia Lun coughed awkwardly, steering the conversation elsewhere.

"The little one came to tattle," Aina said, taking Xia Lun’s hand. "Liyana seems to have done something… quite outrageous."

Xia Lun rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache coming on.

"What did she do?"

"Liyana once boasted while drunk, and now the elves believe she’s the real hero—the one who defeated the Demon King." Aina spoke calmly.

Xia Lun blinked, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Seeing him laugh so heartily, Aina’s lips curled into an elegant, subtle smile.

"How could anyone believe that? According to the world’s rumors, you later broke the seal and ruled over the Human Race… Did Liyana never get exposed?"

"Ah, I remember now." Aina stuck out her tongue playfully. "When I visited the Elven Forest back then, I ran into her… but I left before she could recognize me. The elves seemed to think I fled because she scared me off."

Xia Lun: "…"

Then, another thought struck him.

"Demon King… a thousand years ago, how exactly did you rule the Human Race?"

The peaceful unification of the world and the harmony between races were largely Aina’s doing.

"Simple." Aina shrugged. "I kidnapped the leaders of every race and made them obey… and beat up any strong individuals who came to cause trouble."

It was hard to imagine how much bloodshed lay beneath Aina’s casual words.

Given her state of mind after losing her husband, "beating them up" was likely an understatement.

"Then I ordered the Demon Race to occupy Human territories. Since no one dared defy me, even though the Demon Race and Human Race despised each other, they never actually fought… After a few generations, their cultures merged, and later generations let go of past grudges. They just got used to each other."

Aina made it sound effortless—because back then, she truly hadn’t cared. She hadn’t even bothered with the world’s affairs afterward, simply retreating into seclusion with Xia Lun.

"But… what a dilemma. How should we deal with Liyana?" A dangerous smile curled on Aina’s lips. "Though she’s my friend, she’s done something quite infuriating…"

She was clearly hinting at something.

"Liyana is my comrade. I won’t abandon her." Xia Lun stepped forward, standing before the Demon King. "If you have a problem… take it out on me."

Aina: "Heh, so even the Hero shields his errant companions? That troublesome archer deserves punishment."

Xia Lun: "That’s my business. As the Demon King, you have no right to judge her."

Aina: "Then tonight, I’ll see just how determined you are… Don’t think I’ll lose to the same trick twice."

Xia Lun recalled Aina’s earlier, breathless state beneath him.

Yeah… not convincing at all.

Aina had no real intention of targeting Liyana—Liyana had been worrying over nothing.

Right now, Aina’s focus was entirely on Xia Lun. She couldn’t be bothered to spare a thought for Liyana.

After all, in Aina’s eyes, Liyana was just a minor nuisance… Not because Aina considered her one of her few friends and was letting her off the hook.

Besides, who the real Hero was—that wasn’t for the elves to decide.

Aina rose on her tiptoes and stole a kiss on Xia Lun’s cheek when he wasn’t looking.

Still, Xia Lun hadn’t expected Little Lan to start tattling on its own.

The slime’s growth was astonishing. Though Liyana and Mo Lini couldn’t tell, Xia Lun’s Insight Eyes clearly saw Little Lan’s changes.

Though it had never fought, its strength was now roughly mid-tier. At the very least, it could protect Mo Lini from harm if she were alone—more than enough against common thugs.

Aina’s gifts hadn’t gone to waste.

Most capable adventurers fell within the mid-tier range.

Hah… Xia Lun wondered how Mo Lini would react if she knew the little creature on her head was now stronger than her.

"Blop blop blop—"

Little Lan bounced back toward the house, each hop accompanied by bubbly sounds.

Mo Lini had picked it up, so it held deep gratitude for her, sticking to her side like a shadow. And though no one knew exactly when its intelligence had awakened, the first person it had ever truly sensed was Mo Lini. In a way, she was like its mother.

Aina and Xia Lun? They were its true masters—Little Lan understood that distinction well.

Joli taught it swordsmanship, making him its mentor.

And the being from the book occasionally played with it, so they were friends.

"Ha, see? The little guy’s back." Liyana smirked as Little Lan returned, addressing Mo Lini. "I told you not to worry or go looking for it. Where could a slime even go?"

"Little Lan, you’re back! Where did you run off to?"

Mo Lini spread her arms, and Little Lan leaped into her embrace.

"Don’t bother asking. It can’t talk… Probably went to pee or something." Liyana waved it off with a laugh.

Little Lan stared at the foolish elf. She always bullied Mo Lini.

So—this one was an enemy!