The Hero Who Became a Monster Girl Will Never Fall to Evil

“ Aurora, how long has it been since you last returned to the Western Territory?”

“About two and a half years...”

“Two and a half years, huh? So after I beat you up back then, you came running home to your sister for comfort. And now that you’ve been beaten up again, you’re coming back to your sister for comfort again. That sounds about right, doesn’t it?”

“Captain!” Aurora’s eyes widened, her voice turning sharp. “Why are you still in your little monster-girl form, yet poking at people’s sore spots just like before?!”

Vieya shook her head and continued as if the protest hadn’t happened. “It’s just the truth. And didn’t those sailors say it earlier? The Western Territory is electing a new Great Chief.”

The so-called Great Chief was the highest leader of the Western Territory.

Unlike the Southern Territory, this land enjoyed autonomy. As long as they didn’t create turmoil that disrupted the entire human realm, the Royal Capital wouldn’t intervene.

When she came to subjugate the Demon King years ago, the then–Great Chief had hosted her. He’d been an exceedingly ambitious man—born and raised on the grasslands of the Western Coast, having never seen the Holy Mountain, yet harboring greedy desire for the Sky City above the Royal Capital.

And now, he was apparently about to be dethroned?

Vieya sighed inwardly at the changes of the world, then steered the discussion back to her true concerns.

She looked at Aurora—still somewhat irritated—and added, “My primary objective in coming to the Western Territory this time is the Elven Royal Court. In theory, I shouldn’t have any overlap with human affairs... but I still feel vaguely uneasy.”

“The elves and humans have always had a strained relationship. And the elves are also preparing to elect a new Elf Queen. I suspect the two matters might be related.”

“No way, right? The Elven Royal Court is deep inside the Elven Forest—full of poisonous bugs and vicious beasts. One wrong mushroom or berry and you drop dead on the spot. People who aren’t strong enough don’t need to go deep; even the outskirts can kill them with all sorts of uncontrollable factors.”

Aurora’s attention shifted as she reminisced. “Back then, our tribe used to gather mushrooms and berries from the outer forest. We’d mash them into paste and coat our arrows and daggers with it for hunting dangerous beasts from the outside.”

“And beasts poisoned like that can still be eaten?” Vieya asked a brutally practical question.

“...” Aurora fell silent for a while, then shrugged. “Who knows. Some people ate it and survived, some ate it and died. No one cared. They give birth in such large batches that anyone who doesn’t hunt just stays in the tent creating new life.”

Eat, make babies, sleep, then hunt for more food... a cycle repeating endlessly. That was the daily life of most tribes in the Western Territory.

Vieya found herself briefly speechless.

“Captain, Tiya is here in the Western Territory, you know. At least, two years ago my sister said Tiya even visited her.”

“...”

Vieya gave no reply. She simply let out a quiet sigh and carried the box of anti-seasickness pills back toward her cabin.

Tiya was a gunsmith, her second recruited teammate—introverted and highly skilled, responsible for all equipment maintenance and upgrades for the entire team.

“Reliable”—that had been Vieya’s first impression.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the line she’d gone off track and become a complete clown. Vieya suspected teaching her gun-martial arts had ruined her.

Too painful to remember. The slime girl covered her inner face in despair.

Aurora had been unusually talkative today—likely because they were nearing her homeland. Maybe she wanted to release the emotions she’d bottled up over the past two years... or maybe she was simply excited to see her sister again.

She looked cheerful on the surface, but her underlying anxiety was real.

“Captain, what do you think my sister will do when she sees you’ve turned into a little girl? Will she be happy? Scared? Excited?”

“Will you shut your mouth for a moment?!”

“....” Aurora fell silent immediately—almost too immediately—her expression suddenly anxious.

As if remembering something troublesome.

Vieya found it strange at first, but quickly realized the reason: Aurora was probably terrified that her sister would notice her physical condition and scold her.

Understanding this, she didn’t ask further. Holding the seasickness pills, she opened the cabin door and walked in.

At some point, Jasmine had fallen asleep on the sofa. She only stirred when the door opened, rubbing her blurry eyes as she looked toward the entrance.

Strange.

Why was Mom returning together with Sister Aurora?

Jasmine detected the scent of wrongdoing—her small brain instantly powering up—but then her mother sat beside her, poured warm water, picked up a pill, and gently said:

“Sweet girl, Mommy brought the seasickness medicine. The water isn’t hot—sit up and take it.”

“M-Mommy...” Jasmine’s brain, which had just begun running suspicious calculations, overheated instantly at the gentle touch on her forehead. Like a puppet, she was fed five seasickness pills in a row before she even processed what was happening.

“Mm? You’re not eating more?” Vieya asked.

Jasmine asked nervously, “Mom... can you really take this much medicine at once?”

“I have no idea... but seasickness pills work better if you eat more, right? Look, there are a few more. Once you finish them and sleep, we’ll be getting off the ship tomorrow.” Vieya frowned thoughtfully.

Jasmine clutched her stomach, face pale.

“...Mom, do you not want your daughter anymore, so you’re trying to poison me first...?”

“Eh? J-Jasmine! Why is your face so pale?!” Vieya hurriedly set aside the cup and pills, fumbling to check her daughter’s condition.

Jasmine: “......”

At that moment Aurora, unable to endure any longer, finally spoke in a ghostly tone:

“Captain... are you an AI? You’ve raised a child for years and still don’t know kids can’t take that many pills at once?”

“These are just seasickness pills. I tasted one—they’re not poisonous, just a bit sweet,” Vieya argued seriously. “And since the active ingredient is so low, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} taking more—”

“Stop talking.”

Aurora confiscated the remaining pills. “Give her more water and let her sleep. These have sedatives in them. I’ll go get your dinner. From now on, don’t feed children that many pills. Any kind of pill.”

“....” Vieya looked genuinely upset, hugging her daughter blankly on the sofa.

Before long, Jasmine closed her eyes again and drifted back to sleep.

The slime girl held her daughter without rest, distracted and wide awake all night.

...

The next morning—

The sun rose once again over the horizon. The long shriek of the ship’s horn startled the white-feathered seagulls resting on the deck. They took flight in flurries, wings beating loudly.

A continent appeared ahead.

“We’ve reached the West Coast! Prepare to disembark!”

A wave of passengers rushed toward the deck. The moment someone shouted the announcement, cheers and echoes erupted across the ship.

The first officer began reminding passengers to gather their belongings and prepare to leave in an orderly manner. Meanwhile, the horn bellowed again—long and triumphant.

“The West Coast! We’ve arrived!!”

The entire ship boiled with excitement.

Jasmine awoke from her pleasant dream to the noise. Instinctively, she opened her eyes—and saw a magnificent port city unfold before her. Flags bearing the feathered serpent deity fluttered above the harbor. There were no towering buildings here, only orderly rows of sandy-yellow square houses, bustling crowds of varied races, and walls painted with bright, colorful pigments—like a vivid floating world drawn across reality.

This was the West Coast.

And this was the farthest Jasmine had ever been from home.