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. While he told the World Guild that we had beaten the boss.
As we entered the building, Mia and Lia stayed outside to keep guard.
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.
"Party_Floor_5," 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.
"I am Aurelia, " the Butterfly proclaimed.
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 curious rather than concerned.
Aurelia paused, her expression contemplative. "I could kill you all and carry on with my day, but you seem different from others I've encountered."
Leo nodded, showing respect. "Thank you for your kindness."
Aurelia's eyes narrowed. "Kindness? Why have high humans been killing mine? What is it you're after?"
Leo looked puzzled. "Killing... for what reason?"
Aurelia's tone grew bored. "You come into our world, destroy my people, and act as though it's all part of some grand plan."
Mia couldn't hold back. "How do you know about all this?"
Aurelia's gaze turned sharp. "I learned from another of your kind who threatened me. All I wanted was to communicate, but you're only the second to actually listen."
The second? A chill ran down my spine. Who was the first, and what happened to them?
Aurelia's voice cut through my thoughts. "You see this world for what it isn't. We see it as it truly is."
Lia, anger replacing her fear, spoke up. "Are we supposed to trust a monster like you?"
Aurelia's eyes flashed with a mix of hurt and fury. "Monster? Who gives you the right to call us monsters? You invade our lands, slaughter my people, and then label us as monsters?"
The air between us thickened with tension. Could we trust her? Or was this some kind of trick?
"What about the monster that attacked us?" Mia snapped, her anger rising. "Goblins killed our friend."
Aurelia's eyes darkened, her voice turning icy. "How many of those goblins and lizardmen had families waiting for them?"
"What reason could you have to do this?" Aurelia pressed.
Lia faltered, her voice shaky. "We… we're not perfect," she admitted. "But we're fighting because we have to."
Mia's voice shook with anger. "We didn't ask for this! We were taken from our homes…."
Aurelia stood, her voice heavy with sorrow. "This is our home! Why should we have to fear for our lives in it?"
The weight of her words hung in the air, and the forest around us seemed to listen. There was a painful truth in her voice.
At a quieter, more intense volume, Aurelia continued, "At the rate you're going, the lizardmen, goblins, and all the so-called 'monsters' will cease to exist."
"They don't respawn?" Leo whispered, her voice uncertain.
Aurelia's gaze sharpened, her tone biting. "We don't get rebirth like slimes."
"Why do slimes respawn?" Leo asked, his curiosity breaking through the tension.
"Slimes are born from mana itself," Aurelia explained. "If you wanted to rid the world of slimes, you'd need to destroy mana and magic entirely. The more magic you use, the more mana you create, and the more likely another will appear."
"Another what?" I asked, sensing the gravity in her words.
Aurelia's expression darkened. "Another Slime Queen."
Leo's face went pale. His eyes widened, the realization hitting him hard.
Our worlds were too different. No matter how much we argued, we would always side with humanity, and Aurelia would always defend the creatures of this world.
Aurelia sighed deeply. "I'd rather die at your hands than at the hands of any other of your kind," she murmured, almost too quietly to hear.
"We're not going to kill you!" Leo shouted, his voice desperate. "There has to be another way!"
"If you don't, you will all die by the poison I secrete."
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