I'm a Cool Butterfly Protecting a Child!
“Do you have something you want to say to me?”
I figured as much.
There was no way a human could understand my words.
It's so inconvenient without the tree.
How am I supposed to communicate?
I pondered the question, staring at Alina, whom I had found after wandering around guided purely by instinct.
Alina's goal and my goal can't be that different.
Whatever Alina's goal was, it was painfully obvious that it had something to do with the fallen Cafe Rina.
That had to be why she was constantly being chased like this.
She was probably looking for the culprit behind Cafe Rina's downfall, or doing something else to anger Count Zeno.
If we worked together, we would eventually reach the mastermind behind all of this: Count Zeno.
But how am I going to explain that and ask for her cooperation?
That was the real kicker.
Since I couldn't speak, there was practically nothing I could do.
It was so frustrating.
Even when I tried to write, it just kept turning into weird, squiggly doodles.
I could clearly read it, though.
Well, there's no helping it. I guess I have no choice.
They say if your head is empty, your body pays the price.
But they also say if your body is strong, your head doesn't have to suffer.
If I just brute-force everything with my body, it'll work out somehow.
I can just solve this by tearing this city and Count Zeno's mansion to absolute shreds.
Wow, that was an incredibly monstrous way of thinking.
I gave up on trying to use my brain to expose Count Zeno's corruption or seek help from his political rivals.
Right now, I was a monster.
Let's solve this like a monster—by smashing everything.
Honestly, this monster mindset isn't half bad.
It was much simpler and faster than racking my brain over impossible tasks.
Since I was still at the stage where my body suffered because my brain was lacking, I just needed to get strong enough that my brain wouldn't have to worry.
I just had to get strong enough to deal with Count Zeno and rescue the tree.
“If you have nothing to say, I'm leaving. I have my own things to do.”
Alina tried to walk away, leaving me behind as I just hovered in the air.
Having decided on my future plans, I had no reason to stay still either.
I immediately flew over and perched on Alina's shoulder.
After hitching rides on the tree for so long, moving on my own had become a real chore.
Now, carry me to where the experience points are!
“What are you doing...?”
I'm going to help you. So hurry up and bring on the monsters.
“Kwek.”
In this city, there were bad, mindless monsters, and then there were intelligent, gentlemanly monsters, so I couldn't just go around killing them indiscriminately.
Once I became a fairy, I would belong to the moderate faction of monsters, so I couldn't afford to cause trouble.
In this tricky situation, Alina was basically a spawner for the bad, mindless monsters.
Therefore, to get stronger, I had to stick with Alina.
If I stayed by her side and wiped out all the monsters, it would be a win-win for both of us.
“I'll take that to mean you're going to help me, whether I like it or not. But even if things get dangerous, I'm only looking out for myself.”
Alina seemed to understand my foot gestures telling her to get moving, as she turned around and set off.
The moment Alina stepped onto the street, an eerie sensation began to creep in from all directions.
It felt as though countless eyes were watching us.
There sure are a lot of them. I guess they don't dare show themselves openly on the streets.
When I politely checked the directions of those gazes, I spotted various humans and monsters.
Judging by how their eyes remained glued to her, they had to be the ones chasing Alina.
And they were also prey for me to hunt and devour.
Fortunately, there was no one strong enough to trigger my survival instincts.
It would be much easier as long as there were no asymmetrical forces of humans and monsters, like 3rd Class Heroes or High Class and Great Monsters.
For a small, fast, flying creature like me who could use poison, I could win through guerrilla warfare as long as the gap in power wasn't as vast as a mountain range compared to a sandcastle on a beach.
“If you want to run away, do it now. You might not be able to speak, but you can understand me, right?”
Alina spoke without sparing me a single glance.
She seemed to know she was constantly being watched.
There was a reason why a girl who wasn't even an adult yet was still alive among so many enemies.
Seeing how she worried about me even when she desperately needed help, she seemed to be growing up well, even in a situation where it would be perfectly normal for her to turn out twisted.
Leaving a kid like this behind to run away wouldn't be very adult-like.
My body was that of a monster, but my mind was half human adult.
As an adult, I had to protect the child.
The reason I was only "half" a human adult was because I felt like I had been growing a bit more innocent and childlike ever since I became a monster.
Besides, there's no faster way for me to get stronger than by helping Alina.
I clung tightly to her shoulder to show her I had no intention of leaving.
It was an expression of my resolve that I wouldn't budge no matter what.
I heard Alina let out a small sigh upon seeing my choice, but I didn't budge.
This is good for me too, and it's something I need to do, so don't feel burdened!
“Kweeeek.”
I trusted my feelings were conveyed well.
Even if she didn't react, I believed she was touched deep down.
Alina, who gave me absolutely no reaction, wandered all over the city.
It looked like a desperate struggle to shake off her pursuers.
The problem was that there were too many watching eyes, so no matter how hard she tried, one or two pursuers always managed to stick to her tail.
“Hold on tight so you don't fall off.”
Huh? Why?
Before I could even wonder why, Alina dashed into a back alley.
It was the exact moment most of the watchers lost track of her, leaving only two still following.
At the place Alina reached after running, the person who had been following her was, naturally, trying to flee.
“Don't come any closer...!”
“You guys kept coming even when I told you not to. Let's make it fair.”
Alina slit the pursuer's throat without a moment's hesitation.
There was absolutely no hesitation in taking a life.
She definitely has the will to survive. But she's still inexperienced and weak.
I flew up, bit the neck of a monster that had crept right up to Alina's side, and injected my blood.
The dangerous-looking, weasel-like monster, injected with blood by a butterfly barely the size of a palm, convulsed all over before collapsing limply to the ground.
Oh. I've never seen this kind before, but it gave a lot of experience. Thanks. Become a vengeful spirit and bring lots of your friends!
Now, I was only 6 levels away from my next evolution.
I felt like I should evolve at least once more before I went on a rampage.
Tree!
You'd better be doing well over there, okay?
Because I'm definitely coming to save you!
“Thank you...”
Mhm. Yes, yes. What a good child, knowing how to show gratitude. I'll praise you.
“Kweeeek.”
Alina gave a lukewarm thank you while staring at the monster slowly melting on the ground.
It wasn't a pleasant sight for a child, but Alina, who had killed several Three-Eyed Wolves with her own hands, would surely understand.
This should have temporarily broken their surveillance net. Hurry up and go do what you need to do!
I perched back on Alina's shoulder and urged her on.
It would be best to get something done before the surveillance net tightened again.
Alina obviously knew this too, as she dashed into the dark back alleys of the city the moment I settled down.
Will our Alina be able to reach the truth?
I hope she does! If I help her achieve her goal, she can help me with mine too.
Alina isn't an ungrateful child, right?
I'll trust her.
“Whew... It's still hard to let my guard down.”
Count Zeno, who had welcomed back the Sacred Tree that had returned on its own, stood before a mirror and adjusted his attire.
This was because the entity he was about to contact was someone even Count Zeno had to look up to.
“A humble servant begs to audience with the Great One.”
As he placed his fingertip against the mirror and made his request, the surface rippled like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.
Soon, the mirror began to reflect a place other than Count Zeno's office.
It was a room far more luxurious and grand than Count Zeno's office, yet ash-colored threads hung in abundance everywhere.
In the center of this bizarre scenery sat a refreshing-looking woman who did not match the room at all, looking back at Count Zeno.
Of course, in the eyes of Count Zeno, who knew that this harmless, refreshing-looking woman was actually a Great Monster, she appeared quite different.
“Have you been well?”
“What is it? To think you'd seek me out. I thought you'd never contact me in your entire life.”
Count Zeno didn't want to contact her again either, but this was an issue of such gravity that he absolutely had to report it.
Because the Sacred Tree he thought had been dealt with had returned.
He knew just how important this Sacred Tree was to the entity he was currently communicating with.
Thus, he made the first move before the news could reach her through other channels.
He had no intention of using the Sacred Tree's existence for negotiation.
The other party was an entity that had absolutely no need to negotiate.
“The Sacred Tree has returned.”
“Which Sacred Tree?”
“It is the 3rd Sacred Tree.”
The moment the name "3rd Sacred Tree" left his lips, the atmosphere on the other side shifted completely.
The surface of the mirror, which merely reflected the opposite side, rippled and distorted violently.
“I will get there as fast as I can, so do not lose it under any circumstances. And know this—if anything happens to that child, I will kill you.”
Shatter!
Along with the Great Monster's warning, the mirror shattered into pieces.
Confirming that the connection had been severed by the shattered glass, Count Zeno sat back in his chair and looked out the window.
“I suppose even a filthy monster bitch has feelings. How disgusting.”