Liya had a dream.
In her dream, she relied on the endless Pupu Army, fought her way back to the Demon Realm, and reclaimed the Throne.
Electric lights powered by Electric Pupu illuminated the new Demon King’s Castle, bright and splendid.
She evolved back into human form, sat on the Rock Pupu-reinforced Throne, pulled out a chilled bottle of Cola from the Frost Pupu Nest, and gulped it down—ton ton ton ton ton~~~
“Ahhh—!”
But Liya hadn’t been happy for long before a loud noise echoed from the castle gate.
The Hero, face full of killing intent, rushed in again and set the Demon King’s Castle ablaze.
Flames.
Fire was everywhere.
The fire seemed to burn directly on her, inescapable, following her like a shadow.
Liya wanted to escape the Demon King’s Castle, now turned into a fiery inferno, but for some reason, she couldn’t find the exit.
She could only watch helplessly as her body melted bit by bit.
She didn’t want to die.
It hurt too much, but she didn’t want to die.
Liya used the last ounce of her will to keep herself from fading, searching for an exit through the smoke-filled furnace.
Her body melted again and again, and she could only gather up the oozing pus, repeatedly reinforcing her magic to keep her form from spilling everywhere.
Thankfully… each time she was about to give in, a ray of light would shine on her, helping stabilize her body.
Liya finally found the exit of the Demon King’s Castle.
She pushed open the scorching doors and rushed out, but suddenly, the ground beneath her feet vanished.
Looking down, she saw a bottomless abyss outside the castle.
The Demon King’s Castle hung alone in the sky, surrounded on all sides by endless darkness.
She stared blankly at the abyss, and before she knew it, a bloodshot eye opened within the depths.
The burning sensation stopped.
Her body began to freeze, inch by inch.
The icy chill of frost flowed through her bones, making each breath harder than the last.
Suddenly, the world spun.
Liya jolted awake from the nightmare.
She wanted to scream but realized she had no vocal cords.
Wiping cold sweat from her forehead with her hand, Liya finally remembered—she had already become a “Pupu,” a slime, so of course she couldn’t speak.
“……”
Something seemed off?
Wait——hand? Why do I have a hand? And where did this forehead come from?
Frightened, Liya scrambled up from the “bed.”
She lowered her head in confusion and saw that her once round, bouncy, ball-shaped body had transformed into a small, jelly-like girl.
Thin arms and legs, wet and half-melted like ice cream, barely resembled a human form.
She tried to stand, attempting to walk on her nearly melting leg.
The first step worked, but as she took the second, her left leg went “plop” and collapsed, melting into a pool of pink slime.
She lost balance and slipped, falling off the over one-meter-high table.
“Splatt.”
Liya hit the floor with a splash, gravity flattening her into a puddle of pink water.
But soon, the puddle began to swirl and reformed into a small, adorable “gel doll,” like a delicate figurine coming to life.
She struggled to crawl up from the watery floor.
Hearing the commotion, Hero Jon hurriedly pushed the door open and rushed in.
Seeing the dazed, dumbfounded, slender, naked, lifelike “Pupu girl” standing on the floor, Jon quickly turned his head, embarrassed to look any further.
He approached Liya, picked her up—she was only the size of his palm—and placed her back on the table.
Only then did Liya notice the Hero had even made her a little nest out of leather.
“Shhh~~”
Jon made a gesture for silence, not caring whether a Pupu could understand, and hurried back out.
As she watched the Hero’s retreating figure, Liya’s stiff body finally relaxed.
She slumped onto the leather bed, the melted water flowing to the edge of the table and dripping to the floor.
She lowered her head and began checking her current body.
First, she still seemed to be a Pupu…
But not quite a Pupu anymore…
Pupus were ball-shaped.
Although they were semi-fluid and could change shape to some extent, gravity usually kept them as spheres—the “stable state” for a Pupu.
A dead Pupu would lose this “stability,” rapidly melt, and eventually become a puddle of water.
Her current self seemed to exist somewhere between “stable” and “unstable” states.
In other words, she could control her fluid body into any shape, but at the cost of instability, she could melt at any time.
Because her self-image was human, she unconsciously formed a human shape.
But… why a little girl?
Couldn’t she have become a big, burly muscleman like the Hero?
Liya was completely puzzled.
Besides that, Liya discovered a particularly strange magic within her body.
It was stored next to the “Pupu Fragrance,” using her body fluid as a medium.
The magic was extremely Violent Magic Power.
It barely obeyed her will, but its effects were extraordinary, able to strengthen her existing Pupu abilities.
For example, turning [Water Spray]into a [Spray Arrow].
Or increasing the assimilation speed of the [Devour]skill.
Additionally, just mixing a little into the Pupu Fragrance could release a high-concentration aroma, filling the whole room with a faint pink mist.
Perfect——Pupu Signal Booster! GET!
From now on, I’ll be called the Great Demon King Pupu!
Oh yeah!
Liya was filled with ambition again.
However, she soon realized a problem—the “Violent Magic Power” seemed to deplete with use.
Where could she replenish it?
Ugh, it’s so hard to guess…
Considering the abnormality and recalling the Hero’s concerned expression, Liya immediately guessed the Hero must have done something to her.
So this power could only come from the Hero.
[The power of the Hero is incredible. Just a wisp was enough to transform me completely.]
[Unfortunately… it’s too dangerous to stay by his side.]
Liya was still pondering escape strategies.
The last attempt to run had mostly dispelled any hope of escaping on foot.
Her body was too small.
Even with legs, it was almost impossible to leave a human world that was like a giant’s country to a Pupu.
If she had more Hero’s power, and could figure out more ways to use it, her chances of escape would greatly increase.
But stealing Hero power… easier said than done.
For now, Liya decided not to risk it.
She used her own melted water to write and draw on the table, quietly organizing her thoughts.
[After eliminating me, the Hero and his teammates’ next step should be to return to the Royal Capital and report. According to past practice, Heroes are usually granted titles, marry into a noble family, then sent to a border fief to train for two years.]
[The White Wolf Territory and the Beastfolk have been at war for years, and there have been many disturbances by Black Magicians in the Northern Wind Territory lately. Both are suitable places to send a Hero.]
[If I were the human Emperor, would I choose White Wolf Territory or Northern Wind Territory?]
[White Wolf Territory, I suppose. Behind it, the Duke of Constantine commands strong armies and is the Emperor’s cousin, posing a greater threat to succession. Sending a Hero there would help maintain balance.]
[White Wolf Territory… that’s my chance.]
The path ahead was clear.
For now, she would remain as the Hero’s pet, accumulate magic, develop skills, and strengthen herself as much as possible.
Then, when the Hero was appointed to the frontier, she’d seize the chance to return to the Demon Realm and rise again!
Liya felt hope rekindled in her heart.
No matter how slim, at least there was hope now.
So, the first step to becoming a King—was learning how to act cute to the Hero?
As she pondered, “Clack.”
The door suddenly opened.
Liya quickly sprawled on the table, smudging away the water marks.
Hero Jon didn’t notice Liya’s strangeness.
He leaned against the door, locked it, and sneakily pulled a glass bottle filled with honey water from the banquet out of his chest.
“Here, drink up. There’s more if you need it.”
He came to Liya, poured the honey water into a large porcelain bowl, picked her up, and carefully set her into the bowl, watching her intently.
That look—reminded Liya of her first time raising a cat, opening a can of cat food and eagerly waiting for the cat to eat.
Liya hesitated for a long time, but finally decided to indulge the Hero, lest she get abandoned before even reaching the land of destiny.
She feigned innocence, bent down, and took small sips of the honey water that reached her thighs, trying her best to appear harmless.
While licking, she stole glances at the Hero.
The Hero watched for a while, then turned away, embarrassed, not daring to look further.
Though it was a Pupu, its form looked far too much like a girl, not wearing clothes, and even half-transparent.
A sense of guilt welled up within him.
Feeling guilty, Jon suddenly sniffed the air, puzzled.
“So fragrant. What’s this smell?”