“Me? Me, me, me?”
Leah tried her best not to let her expression show too much terror and panic, but even Jon could see a hint of stiffness in her forced act of “innocent composure.”
“That is right.”
Jonathan switched to the gentle, coaxing tone one would use for a child in the family.
Standing outside the wall of Poopoos, he continued to lead her on.
“Lily, think about it. You have mimicry abilities and can modify or combine other Poopoos. You could easily mold a body for Demon King Ria. Then, you can act as the head and disguise your features and expressions to match his.”
“That… that is so hard… Lily is not good at controlling details…”
Leah felt like crying, but there were no tears to shed.
“It does not need to be a perfect match. With some concealment magic, as long as it looks similar overall, it will be fine.”
“But Lily is very weak… Demon King Ria was a super expert…!”
Leah shook her head vigorously.
Deep down, she was still extremely resistant; she did not want to play the role of Demon King Ria at all.
She was scared!
She was absolutely terrified! What if, while she was performing, the Hero raised an eyebrow and said, ‘Hmm? This feels very familiar. Saint Slash x10,086!’?
— Would that not be the end of the Poopoo Empress’s career before it even truly began?
“It is fine. Jon will act as your guard and cast spells on your behalf when necessary. Your only task is to intimidate others and make them believe that ‘Demon King Ria has been resurrected.'”
Naturally, Jonathan did not know those were all Leah’s excuses.
He racked his brain trying to dispel her concerns.
“But—”
Leah was panicking to death.
“Lily.”
Jon suddenly placed a hand gently on her body.
He gazed at her with a look so serious, so full of hope, and so tender that Leah found it impossible to refuse.
“Help a friend, okay? This friend really needs Lily.”
Leah swallowed hard.
“O-Okay, fine.”
As if possessed, her cheeks inexplicably flushed, and she found herself agreeing before she could stop herself.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she snapped back to reality, feeling instant regret.
‘What on earth am I doing? Why did I agree to help the Hero? I could not have been charmed by this kid, could I!’
‘Wait! I think I understand! It must be a side effect of that damn Hero’s magic!’
“Yay!”
Jon beamed with joy.
He lifted Leah high into the air and could not resist bringing her to his lips for a kiss.
After the kiss, both the human and the Poopoo froze, staring at each other in a long, stunned silence.
The atmosphere suddenly turned quiet.
Jon’s face turned slightly red.
He was secretly annoyed by his own impulsiveness, having acted so intimately with Lily again.
‘Lily is such a pure Poopoo!’
‘Even though she is indeed excessively cute, like a human girl who is both innocent and alluring…’
‘But humans and Poopoos follow different paths. If I do something perverted to a Poopoo, I will never be able to forgive myself.’
In contrast to Jon’s clarity and self-reproach, Leah was dazed and intoxicated.
She was going crazy from the shame.
Compared to the last time, she was actually starting to get used to it.
She even felt a faint, strange greed for “more.”
The Hero’s magic was far too blissful for her; Poopoos craved this kind of magic-filled nourishment, and she truly felt like she was becoming addicted.
However, once she calmed down, she realized how terrifying this change was.
She even began to suspect — would there come a day when she would actively seek out the Hero just to obtain more pure magic…
Gurgle—
Leah’s face was flushed and hot.
She shook her head violently, desperate to throw those strange thoughts out of her mind.
‘No, no! Absolutely not! I am the former Demon King, a peerless man among men. To become a “Holy Grail” for my sworn enemy just to replenish magic…’
If she ever did such a thing, her entire life as a Poopoo would be utterly ruined!
“Then it is settled.”
Outside the wall of Poopoos, Jonathan was unaware of the little interlude happening in the pool.
His elderly voice drifted through the gaps, breaking the silence between the man and the slime.
“Yes!”
Jon replied loudly, trying to dispel the embarrassment.
He tilted his neck toward the other side of the wall.
“Master, please wait for me. I am coming out right now.”
Just as he was about to leave the pool to get dressed, a small, pink, tender hand suddenly grabbed him gently.
Looking down, he saw Leah floating near his waist, her delicate face glowing with a crimson tint.
“Can we soak for a little longer?” she pleaded in a small, weak voice.
The magic in this pool water was simply too abundant.
Leah felt that this was the most comfortable bath she had taken across two lifetimes.
Furthermore, she could absorb the magic radiating from the Hero’s body to replenish her previous exhaustion.
She was truly reluctant to end this so soon.
Hearing those words, Jon was suddenly captivated by Lily’s shy and clinging demeanor.
He stared blankly, unable to regain his senses for a long time, eventually just nodding slowly while gazing at her.
“Okay.”
Just like Leah before him, he gave his answer subconsciously.
However, unlike Leah, he chose to face his heart.
He did not search for any excuses, but instead frankly admitted to himself — he simply could not bear to refuse Lily, and he did not want to disappoint her.
Ten minutes later…
The Hero hurried out of the pool and dressed himself, preparing to go find Master Jonathan.
It was not that the “Poopoo Spa” was uncomfortable, nor was it that he was unhappy spending time with Leah.
It was simply that the trivial matters of the outside world made it impossible for him to relax for too long.
Afterward, the two men and the slime huddled together to study how to make the Poopoo pretend to be Demon King Ria.
“Jon, do you remember what Demon King Ria looked like?”
“Hmm…”
Jon fell into a memory.
“I remember. He was quite beautiful, not very tall, rather thin, with large and bright eyes. His skin was a cold, pale white, and his hair was very long. To be honest… he looked a bit like a woman.”
Leah buried her head to the side, secretly baring her teeth in anger.
‘Like a woman my ass! I was a handsome, bishonen type! Does one have to grow into a giant hunk like you to be considered handsome?’
“What race was he?” Jonathan asked again.
“I am not sure. He looked like a Blood Demon, given the signature white hair and red eyes.”
Jon rubbed his chin.
“But he never used any innate Blood Demon magic, and he never tried to drain my blood to replenish his stamina during battle. So, it cannot be ruled out that he was another race merely mimicking the appearance and dress of a Blood Demon.”
Leah: “…”
She actually was a Blood Demon.
The reason she did not use innate magic was because those abilities were futile and laughable in front of the Hero.
As for why she did not pounce and suck Jon’s blood…
‘Are you joking! Do you think these little tiger fangs of mine could even dent your bronze skin and iron bones?’
Leah could hardly imagine how awkward it would be if she took a bite and ended up breaking her teeth.
“Regarding Demon King Ria’s specific appearance, why don’t you draw a picture?”
Thinking of Jon’s practically non-existent artistic talent, Jonathan quickly dismissed the idea.
“Forget it. The succubi should have more detailed information. You are fast; take Lily and go grab it. I will handle the miscellaneous tasks like docking the ship.”
“Alright, Master.”
Jon nodded and immediately agreed.
In terms of absolute speed, no one could surpass Jon.
Usually, riding a mount was more about conserving his energy.
Before setting off, Leah melted into a stream of pink liquid and slid under Jon’s inner lining.
She covered his full, well-defined, and rock-hard muscles like a layer of pink “Poopoo Armor.”
The moment Jon realized Lily had turned into armor and was pressed against his skin, he felt his face heat up.
Especially during his high-speed sprint, Lily’s wet, soft, liquid body remained pressed against him.
It felt as though a young girl had melted into his embrace, staying intimately close to him.
‘She is so soft…’
This sensation was no different from the softness he felt when he normally stroked Lily’s body.
It was as if a “grown-up” Lily was passionately cuddling in his arms.
Jon closed his eyes.
The rushing wind whipped against his face, but it could not blow away the rising heat in his cheeks.
Before long.
They reached Rossi City.