I'm a Trespassing, Awesome Butterfly!
How long had this girl been running?
She looked utterly exhausted, as if she had been fleeing for a very long time.
I bet she hadn't rested for at least three days.
It was obvious, considering how long she was staying unconscious and keeping me waiting.
The city was practically right in front of us, yet we had spent almost a whole day in this exact spot.
At least it's a good thing they keep sending monsters.
Thanks to the monsters sent by the faction targeting the girl, I was simultaneously leveling up my experience, demonic energy, and skills.
Curing my boredom was a nice bonus.
They must really want her dead, because the sheer number of monsters they sent had pushed me right to the brink of my next level.
I wish they'd send a wider variety, though. I'm not getting much out of these Three-Eyed Wolves anymore.
Eating the same side dish every single day gets tiring, but those guys clearly didn't get the memo.
Still, I couldn't complain too much since even the same side dish helped me grow.
Looking at it like this, I've really grown a lot.
It was on a completely different level compared to the bleak status window I had when I first became a caterpillar monster.
Back then, I had seriously contemplated just giving up and dying.
But somehow, I survived, and look at me now.
I'm a respectable, fully-fledged young monster.
I still have a lot of surviving left to do, but since I've made it this far, things will probably work out.
I wish I could see how many evolutions are left before I can become a fairy.
Then I'd know exactly how strong the monsters I need to hunt have to be.
The strength scaling of monsters gets absolutely absurd with every level.
The Three-Eyed Wolves that keep coming are probably in their early to mid-20s.
Since I'm level 28, the level gap is too wide, which is why they barely give any experience.
I wonder if Low Class, G-rank monsters translate to around level 20. It's hard to convert since I haven't seen other monsters.
Anyway, when is she actually going to wake up? Dawn is already breaking.
I watched the sun rise over the distant horizon.
We definitely arrived here yesterday when the sun was at its peak.
If she's out for this long, isn't there something seriously wrong with her?
How is she?
"Gwek?"
"Her body is completely healed, but I don't know why she isn't waking up."
Even the tree didn't know.
So we just have to keep waiting here?
Taking that to mean we still had a long, hopeless wait ahead of us, I slumped onto one of the tree's branches.
But since I've already gone this far to protect her, I'm going to see this through to the end.
If only because the time I've spent waiting would go to waste otherwise.
I'll see this through, track down the base of the bastards sending those Three-Eyed Wolves, and smash it to pieces.
That way, I can make up for all the experience points I missed out on while waiting.
"Who are you...?"
As I was burning with rage toward those faceless enemies, a voice I had never heard before reached my ears.
I couldn't speak, and I already knew the tree's voice, so there was only one person it could belong to.
She's finally awake!
"Gweeeck!"
I sat up and looked at the girl, who was squinting as she stared at us.
Despite having just woken up, she was alert and keeping a sharp eye on us.
Since I couldn't speak, the tree initiated the conversation.
"Hello. How is your body feeling?"
"It doesn't hurt. Did you two do this?"
"Yes. Can you stand up?"
The girl answered by pushing herself up and twisting her body side to side to check her condition.
She looked like she was on the verge of death earlier, but now she's completely recovered?
What on earth was that fruit?
I want one too.
I made a mental note to ask the tree for one later.
"Why did you save me? Seeing as you're monsters that don't attack humans, you must be from the City of Renegades."
"I believe I knew your mother. You are Alina, correct? The daughter of Cafe Rina."
Wow.
Hey, tree, is it really okay to be that direct?
She clearly has a complicated past.
Aren't you just going to make her unnecessarily suspicious?
I was shocked by the tree's bold approach, showing absolutely no hesitation.
Since it never asked me anything and never spoke about itself, I had thought it was a very considerate and cautious monster.
Was it actually just being considerate because it was me?
If so, I might actually be a little touched.
"Who are you...? You knew my mother...?"
"I cannot tell you that. However, I can assure you that I am not your enemy. We can help you. Do you want our help?"
Hearing the tree speak with absolutely no filter, Alina's guard went up even higher.
Out of nowhere, this creature claimed to know her mother—who was presumably deceased—yet refused to reveal its identity.
Seeing how her guard spiked particularly when it said it wasn't an enemy, she must have been betrayed multiple times.
"I don't need any help."
Alina flatly rejected the tree's offer and stood up abruptly.
It was frustrating to see her reject genuine help, but I could understand.
If I were in her shoes, I would have been suspicious too.
She's still just a kid, you could've been a bit gentler.
"Gwek."
"Alright. But you must not die. I do not wish to see my friend's daughter perish."
Surprised by this unexpected turn, I stared at the tree.
I thought it would try to help her no matter what, but it was just letting her go that easily?
If we don't help her, she's definitely going to die out there somewhere.
Are we really just going to let her go?
I nudged the tree, trying to convey my concern.
"Because Alina does not want it. I also have my own tasks, and I should not hold you back any longer when your own goal has already been delayed because of me."
I'm seriously touched.
I didn't realize the tree was a monster that cared about me this much.
"I will make sure to repay this debt."
Leaving behind a promise to repay the favor—one that seemed highly unlikely to ever be fulfilled—Alina vanished into the forest.
The tree stared in the direction Alina had gone for a moment, then started moving toward the exact same spot.
What are you doing?
"Gwek?"
Didn't you just say you weren't going to help her?
Why are we going the same way?
Is it planning to help her secretly?
"There is a side path here. If we want to enter without going through inspection, we must go this way."
Ah.
So that's why Alina went this way too.
But why go through a side path?
It looked like she was originally heading toward the main gate.
Did seeing Alina give us a reason not to use the main gate?
Ah, this is so frustrating. I want to talk already.
Since I can only communicate through basic gestures and noises, it's driving me crazy.
I want to speak in full sentences!
At this rate, I might forget how to speak entirely and end up babbling like a baby when I finally become a fairy.
Surely I won't have to start from baby talk again at my age.
Following the path Alina had taken, we came across an opening leading to a sewer that looked incredibly uninviting.
Don't tell me this is the side path.
"Gwek...?"
"Yes, we must go in here. Let's hurry."
I wanted to believe the tree was lying, but I could smell the scent of Alina's blood leading straight inside.
That meant this was indeed the way.
I really wished it wasn't.
I absolutely did not want to go in there.
It's filled with filth and the smell of blood.
The moment we entered the sewer, the fresh scent of the forest vanished, replaced by a foul, sticky stench and the metallic tang of fresh blood.
Fortunately, it didn't smell like Alina's blood.
Still, let's check it out.
You never know.
Maybe we need to save her again.
When we arrived at the source, we found corpses with their throats slit by a dagger scattered on the ground.
So she's at least capable of defending herself against ordinary people.
I guess I don't need to worry too much.
Now, I should focus on what I need to do.
After all, I have my own reason for coming to this city.
What are we here to do anyway?
"Gweeeck?"
I flew back to the tree's side and asked.
Since I had decided to travel with the tree, its goal was my goal.
We were about to reach the city, so I needed to know what we were doing!
"I am going to meet a friend. A friend who can help me."
So we're meeting a friend.
Friends are important.
I wonder how my own friend is doing.
The last time I saw him was on the news.
Of course, he wouldn't recognize me in this form!
Maybe I'll look for a way to talk to him once I become a fairy?
But why haven't we entered the city yet?
It had been quite a while since I sat on the tree's branch and wandered the sewers, yet we were still stuck down here.
Plus, I felt like we kept passing the same signs over and over.
Don't tell me you're lost.
"Gwek?"
"I do not know the way. But a human will arrive soon to guide us."
Well, even if it didn't know the way, as long as a guide was coming, it was fine.
But how did it know someone was coming?
I hadn't seen it send any kind of message.
Did it have some special way of communicating?
"Well, look at that. Monsters? They look like they'd fetch a pretty penny if I sold them."
"Our guide has arrived."
He looks like a human trafficker. Or is it monster trafficking?
The "guide" the tree had been waiting for was clearly a monster trafficker trying to capture and sell us.
I thought the tree was a sensible monster, but I guess it really is a monster after all.