After defeating the boss, Leo quickly led us back to the warp point, his eyes glinting with determination. Without a word, we found ourselves transported to the second floor, a bustling city filled with countless travelers and adventurers. The familiar sights and sounds of the city provided a brief comfort, but we had no time to linger.
Leo directed us toward his inn, moving with purpose. As we entered the building, Mia and Lia stayed outside to keep guard.
"We need to stash this where no one can ever find it," Leo whispered, his voice barely audible. The room fell silent as we considered the options. Finally, Leo nodded to himself and guided us to a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards, a place no one would think to search. With the item securely hidden, we exchanged tense glances.
"Let's hope this is enough," I said to myself.
.After the intense fight, we all needed time to rest and recover. While others were probably rushing to the fifth floor, we knew that taking this time for ourselves would be worth it. Mia and Lia went out almost every day to practice their magic and acquire new skills. Leo, on the other hand, stayed home, indulging in new foods from the tower, and I focused on improving my handwriting and reading. The pain from our past still lingered, the memories refusing to fade, but I knew the best way forward was to live in the moment, to cherish my life with Leo, Lia, and Mia.
After our three-day break, we were finally ready to face whatever came next.
"Warp," Leo commanded.
The air was cool , the entire forest bathed in a glow that seemed to flow from the moon itself. Towering bioluminescent trees stretched skyward, their leaves and petals shimmering gently, as if touched by the moon. The ground beneath our feet was dappled with patches of light, creating a surreal dance of shadows, while the gentle fluttering of lunar butterflies filled the air, their delicate wings casting faint, iridescent hues.
As we took in the scene, we quickly realized there was no set path. The shimmering trails that appeared were as fleeting as the moonlight, shifting and vanishing without warning. The eerie silence was suddenly broken as a figure emerged from the shadows, regal and unsettling in her presence.
Before us, at the edge of an expansive lake that glowed with a soft white light, stood a palace made entirely of moonlight. It was a small structure, almost as if it were meant for dolls or something smaller than the average human. Despite its size, it was mesmerizing, an ethereal beacon in the midst of this strange and beautiful forest.
He knelt by the lake, cupping his hands to collect the cool, clear water. He took a sip, savoring its refreshing taste. "This is really good," he remarked, his voice calm and steady.
Before any of us could react, a butterfly with shimmering, radiant wings danced around us, leaving a faint, glowing trail in its path. It hovered for a moment, then began to transform. Its delicate body grew and shifted into a more humanoid shape. The air grew heavy with anticipation as we watched. Above the creature, a red name: "LV10 Lunar Butterfly Queen Aurelia."
Aurelia's form was almost translucent, her skin glowing softly under the moonlight. Her long hair, a mix of deep purple and black, cascaded down her back with dull purple eyes that seemed to pierce through us. With an elegant, almost hypnotic grace, she stepped forward, her movements more like a ghost than something living. She sat on a nearby rock, gesturing for us to do the same. Leo, unshaken by her presence, sat down across from her, and we quickly followed suit, though the unease was clear on Mia and Lia's faces.
"So… high humans," Aurelia began, her voice a soft, melodic echo in the stillness. "It has been an age since I last saw your kind." Her words lingered in the air, barely louder than a whisper, as if the entire forest was hanging on her every syllable.
Lia and Mia exchanged nervous glances, their fear evident as they realized the vast difference in levels. Aurelia was not just another obstacle; she was a formidable force. Leo, however, remained calm, leaning back on the rock as if they were old friends having a casual chat.
"What do we do now?" Leo asked, his tone more curious than concerned.
"Well," Aurelia began, her expression thoughtful, "I could kill you all and go about my day, but you seem more peaceful than the others I've met."
Leo nodded respectfully. "Thank you for your kindness."
Aurelia's eyes narrowed slightly. "Kindness? Why have you high humans been going around killing my people? Is there a quest to do so?"
"Quest…?" Leo repeated, his brow furrowing. "Do you know what the system is?"
"Of course," Aurelia replied, her tone almost bored. "The system makes you believe this world is a video game.'"
Mia couldn't help herself and blurted out, "How do you know what a videogame is?"
Aurelia's gaze shifted to Mia, her eyes sharpening. "I learned about it from another one of your kind who threatened me and my people. All I've ever wanted was to talk with high humans, but you're only the second to accept my request."
The second? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. Who was the first, and what happened to them?
Aurelia's voice cut through my thoughts. "Your system is a watered-down version of reality. We see this world for what it truly is."
Lia, her fear turning to anger, interjected, "Are we really going to trust the word of a monster?"
Aurelia's eyes flashed with something between hurt and anger. "Monster? What gives you high humans the right to call us monsters?" Her voice grew colder. "You invade our world, slaughter my people, and then label us as monsters? "
The tension grew palpable, the air thick with the weight of her words. Could we really trust her, or was this just an illusion.
"And what about the monster that attacked us?" Mia cried, her voice tense. "Goblins killed our best friend.
Aurelia's eyes gleamed with a cold fury as she leaned forward, her voice sharp and accusatory. "How many lizardmen and goblins had families to go back to?"
"What reason could you have to do this?" Aurelia pressed.
Lia hesitated before finally speaking up, her voice trembling slightly as she tried to defend humanity. "We… we're not perfect," she admitted. "But our actions are justified. We're fighting because we have to."
Mia interjected, her anger bubbling to the surface, "We were taken from our home! We didn't ask for this—we were forced into this nightmare."
Aurelia's expression hardened as she stood, her voice rising with sorrow. "This is our home! Why should we have to fear for our safety in our own lands?"
The forest seemed to echo with her words, the trees and moonlight casting long, ominous shadows. There was a painful truth in her words that struck us all deeply.
"At the rate you're going," Aurelia continued, her voice growing quieter but no less intense, "lizardmen, goblins, and all the so-called 'monsters' of this world will go extinct."
"Don't they respawn?" Lia asked, her voice wavering with uncertainty.
Aurelia's gaze sharpened, her eyes narrowing as she replied, "We are not gifted with rebirth like slimes are."
"Why do slimes respawn?" Leo asked, his curiosity breaking through the tension.
"Slimes are the manifestation of mana itself," Aurelia explained. "To rid the world of slimes, you would have to eliminate mana and magic entirely. The more magic you use, the more mana you create, and the more likely another one will appear."
"Another what?" I asked, sensing the gravity in her tone.
Aurelia's expression darkened as she answered, "Another Slime Queen."
With those words, Leo's eyes widened, his face pale as if he'd seen a ghost.
Our perspectives were too different, our worlds too far apart. No matter how much we argued, we would always side with humanity, just as Aurelia would always protect the citizens of this world.
Aurelia sighed deeply. "I'd rather die by your hands than those of any other high humans," she murmured, her voice almost too quiet to hear.
"We're not going to kill you!" Leo shouted, desperation in his voice. "There has to be another way!"
========================
Forced Lunar Contract
Objective: Party L2WMN must eliminate the Lunar Butterfly Queen Aurelia.
Penalty for Failure: Death.
======================
Aurelia's eyes narrowed, her voice filled with disdain. "Why won't you kill me? Is it because I look human? How 'human-adjacent' do we need to appear before you stop murdering us ? I promise you this—one day, you'll meet high humans who don't have the same reservations as you. What will you do then?"
Leo began to walk toward her, each step heavy, as if he were moving toward an unavoidable fate. Aurelia stood still, watching him with the quiet resignation of someone who had already embraced their end. When he reached her, he drew his blade, the moonlight catching the metal.
Aurelia's gaze remained steady, even as Leo raised his sword. "For what it's worth," she whispered, "I'm glad it's you."
Leo's face tightened with resolve. With one swift, decisive motion, he brought the blade down. The cut was clean and precise. Aurelia's form shimmered briefly before dissolving into pixels scattering in the breeze.
For a moment, everything was still. The forest seemed to hold its breath. But then Leo's knees buckled. He dropped to the ground.