"Oh, Aefina—I just remembered something I’ve been meaning to tell you." Back at Nia’s house, I turned to Aefina.

It’d been on my mind ages ago, but life kept piling up until I completely forgot. Only now did it resurface.

"Hm? What is it?" Aefina tilted her head, curious.

"Remember when I promised to teach you Chinese someday? Things kept happening, and I never found the chance. But now’s perfect—we’ve got time."

Honestly, I’d made that promise right after meeting her. How had I let it drag on this long?

"Chinese… the language Luo Sa and Nia used before?" Aefina blinked, intrigued. "Um… ‘I love you’?"

"I love you too~ Yep, exactly! Want me to teach you?"

"I thought Luo Sa had forgotten."

"Well, I remembered now…"

"No—you actually mentioned it twice."

"Eh… *twice*?!"

Aefina nodded. "I kept track." Once on their first night together, and again during the UNO game with Mithril Edge at Elu Village. That second time, she’d shivered slightly—I’d broken my promise.

As a Great Dragon who valued oaths deeply, Aefina disliked broken promises. That slip had cost me a fraction of her trust.

"But Luo Sa, go eat first. We can take a walk after dinner." Aefina set me down at the door.

"Okay, I’ll come back later." I waved goodbye and stepped inside.

"Luo Sa! You’re back~" Loli’s voice hit me the moment I entered. A fluffy white blur launched into my arms.

"Huh… what’s up?" She seemed unusually energetic today. Or was it just me?

Loli shook her head, hugging my waist tighter. "Nothing. Dinner’s almost ready—let’s go to the dining room."

Me: "Alright, I know. Let’s go."

Loli: "Okay!"

Me: "…"

Loli: "? …"

"You’ve gotta let go first. How am I supposed to walk like this?"

"…Mmph." She released me but kept holding my hand, as if it were the most natural thing.

Since it didn’t slow us down, I didn’t mind. Loli bounced beside me, her white hair swaying like a forest sprite’s. Her pointed ears—so elven—made the resemblance uncanny. Wait… had those little black horns grown? They peeked through her bangs now.

"Yo, back already?" Nia spotted us the moment we entered the dining room, waving a tentacle.

Mo Mo perched on her head. She’d been chatting with Lilith beside her but paused to watch us. Lilith rarely appeared here—ghosts didn’t eat.

"Yep. Lilith, what brings you here today?" I knew her habit of wandering, so we’d chatted often.

"Luo Sa. I’m leaving tonight—just came to say goodbye." For sunlight-averse Lilith, night travel was safest.

"Eh… leaving so suddenly?" She’d stayed awhile. The news still caught me off guard.

"Oranda’s unstable. I need to rein in the little ones before they get tangled in the mess." By "little ones," she meant the weaker undead on Shadow Trace’s outskirts. Disturb one, and the whole hive stirred.

Her presence alone could contain the chaos. As their Sovereign, no undead dared disobey her.

But if even Lilith had to intervene personally—and after running into White and Sophia earlier—just how bad was Oranda’s situation?

"Is this kingdom doomed? How’d it spiral this fast?" I blurted.

"*You’re* part of the problem," Mo Mo shot back. "The king’s on his deathbed. Choosing an heir turned the Sacred Relic hunt into a bloodsport. Add the Dragon God Sect stirring trouble, and—boom."

"Sacred Relic? The thing those pirates stole in Modria?" I’d never learned what it was. My rank in the pirate crew hadn’t warranted details.

"Exactly. The founding emperor’s gear—insanely powerful. Most pieces are lost across the continent. The pirates grabbed the one they’d just found."

"Why would pirates *use* it themselves?" I frowned. "Aha! Plot hole!"

"Because they *can*," Nia deadpanned, giving me the *are-you-simple?* look.

"Hold up—why *can* they use an emperor’s relic? Shouldn’t it only work for royal blood?"

"You read too many novels."

"Seriously? I *transmigrated* here! Judging by novel logic is fair game!"

"...Huh. Actually, that makes sense."

Nia and I were mid-bicker when Mo Mo cut in—she hadn’t finished explaining.

Once we quieted, she continued: "After Aefina wiped out the pirates, she didn’t take the relic. An Orandan mole inside the crew snatched it back. They’d planted him years ago to dismantle the pirates but never got the chance. He’d been off-island during Aefina’s attack—lucky for him. He grabbed the relic and ran."

"Hold on. I met Aefina ages ago. Shouldn’t it have reached the capital by now? Why’s it still up for grabs?"

"The king declared: whoever delivers the relic to him personally becomes the next ruler. And the new king inherits *all* the relics. Of course they’re tearing each other apart."

"Isn’t this king *causing* chaos? What if neighboring countries invade while they’re busy?"

"Armies can’t be mobilized—only private forces. And with the king still breathing, no sane person starts a war."

"Then why’s the fuss so huge? Even Lilith’s heading back. And that wolf White dragged his human girl out of a village. This isn’t just succession drama—it’s civil war!"

"Princes and princesses don’t brawl personally. Royal heirs command elite forces—archmages, Sword Saints, you name it. Their clashes alone shake cities. Beyond that, private armies swell the chaos. But since they’re siblings, no one fights to the death.

The goal’s the relic, not killing rivals. Those who don’t have it hunt it; those who do avoid fights. So the conflict spreads everywhere.

Plus, nobles back certain heirs—it’s prime time to pick sides. Bet on the winner, reap rewards. Even neutrals help when asked. Offend a future king? Bad idea. This succession crisis drags in *everyone*."

Suddenly, I was grateful I’d spawned far from the capital—and met Aefina. This mess had zero to do with me.

"But seriously—why’s this trope *everywhere*?" Another thought struck me. "Kings in transmigration worlds always drop dead out of nowhere. And picking heirs? Why not just use primogeniture? So much cleaner."

"*You’re* the toxic one," Nia pounced. "I’ve lived here years—the king was fine. You show up, and *bam*—he’s dying. Walking bad luck charm much?"

Dinner passed with Mo Mo’s explanations and my bickering with Nia. When Lilith announced her departure, Nia and Mo Mo insisted on escorting her.

I should’ve joined—they were friends—but I’d promised Aefina I’d come after dinner.

Escorting Lilith might take hours. Leaving Aefina waiting without word felt wrong. Abandoning Lilith felt worse.

As I hesitated, Mira—ever perceptive—slipped away the moment we stood up. She returned with Aefina moments later. *Mira, my angel. Are you Sebastian reincarnated?* I mused. *Guess demon butlers really are reliable.*

We walked Lilith far down the road before she insisted we stop. Honestly, she didn’t need escorts. Her beauty was haunting—monochrome like a vintage photograph. Moonlight turned her into a proper ghost… well, she *was* one.

She vanished in a breath after refusing our company. I suspected part of her hurry was impatience with our slow human pace.

After seeing Lilith off, Nia, Mo Mo, and Mira headed home. Aefina and I walked toward her cave—time for Chinese lessons. Loli glanced between us and the others, smiled at me, then followed Nia inside.

Teaching Chinese? I had zero experience. No clue where to start. But since we shared a language link and Aefina had a steel-trap memory, we made progress.

Chinese was complex—no one mastered it in days. But we had time. No rush.

Days settled into rhythm: mornings with Mira’s "training," afternoons with Aefina, evenings teaching Chinese. Sometimes I visited other Monstrous Beasts. They warmed up quickly. Ignore their appearances, and this place felt like a self-sufficient village—beasts as neighbors.

Among them, White stood out. As the only other humans here, she and Sophia treated me like family. Shared blood runs deep.

Sophia's three daily meals were all prepared by White. Humans couldn't eat raw meat or wild fruits like Monstrous Beasts, after all. So White had studied human cuisine quite a bit. That was why we got along best—he often came to discuss cooking with me.

Honestly, watching a wolf cook seriously was incredibly funny.

Lately, I noticed something. The Monstrous Beasts here were friendly, and Nia was one of them. But her bond with them wasn't as strong as I'd thought. They knew each other and could chat, yet it felt like a barrier stood between Nia and the beasts.

It was like the relationship between a harmonious little village and a mysterious witch living nearby. They were kind to each other, but rarely interacted.

Nia mostly stayed home all day. She talked a lot with me, Mo Mo, and Aefina. Sometimes she spoke to Loli, though got no reply. She rarely chatted with Mira.

From what I saw, Mira respected Nia deeply, like a subordinate to a superior. That's why they seldom talked like friends.

Since I often went out, I wasn't sure what Nia did daily. But I saw her spending time on her game console and reading books. Especially after Lilith left, she lost another person to talk to.

After all, Nia was a transmigrator with a human soul. Though physically a Monstrous Beast, a gap always separated her from the others. That wouldn't change even if those beasts were as smart as humans.

And as a girl, having her body turned into a Slime—though she never said it—must have hurt a little.

Just like Mo Mo said before, Nia was actually quite lonely, wasn't she?