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

“Kites, kites—fairy-wing kites, big dragons with long tails!”

“Nectar buns! Fresh nectar buns, just out of the oven—hot, hot!”

“Flower cakes! Handcrafted flower cakes—fragrant and crispy, flaky and sweet, delicious!”

Cries of hawking filled the bustling street. This elven homeland, deep within the forest, had somehow picked up a few human habits. Along the long, narrow road, shops stood shoulder to shoulder, and under every eave hung colorful burlap dolls.

“What /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ are those ugly dolls under the eaves with big grinning mouths, nine teeth, and upright ears?”

Vieya followed behind Aislin, curiously taking in everything about this elven kingdom.

Perhaps it had once been open to outsiders; traces of human society could be seen everywhere. But she also noticed something troubling—she could barely understand the native elves chattering away on the street.

Seeing her old friend look around like a child, eyes full of curiosity, Aislin smiled knowingly and explained softly,

“Those dolls are images of forest fairies. Besides elves, many kinds of fairies live here as well. According to elven history, in the beginning, the magic we controlled was limited to just a few kinds—archery, healing, nurturing trees... very ordinary magic, far more monotonous than what humans had.”

“Then one day, the King of the Forest Fairies and our Elven Queen formed a pact—to support each other, to coexist, to share the miracles of magic... That was when the seed of a complete elven magic system sprouted. Little by little, it grew into what you see today.”

“That’s amazing,” Vieya clicked her tongue, then looked up and asked, “Then what did you mean earlier about buying me an outfit suitable for formal elven occasions?”

“What you’re wearing now is too... hmm, too casual,” Aislin said, glancing at the slime girl’s white oversized shirt, white coarse-linen pants, and small white shoes. She asked curiously, “You seem to really like white clothes?”

“Uh... I guess?” Vieya said uncertainly.

She couldn’t exactly say that she’d subconsciously started dressing like that because Flaviel often wore white. Besides, she always dressed however was easiest.

“What about the gown you wore at the auction?” Aislin continued.

“Too much trouble...” Vieya’s expression turned odd. “You’re not going to make me dress all flashy like a peacock again, are you?”

Aislin laughed and shook her head. “Nothing that extreme. It doesn’t have to be overly formal—just a bit more refined. Hmm... later I’ll take you to the elven hot springs and give you a proper wash, scatter some petals. You threw up all over the griffin earlier—you scared Elliti half to death.”

“So I still have to bathe and change...” Vieya sighed, but for the sake of her grand plan, she decided to follow Aislin’s lead.

Along the way, aside from helping an elven lady at the auction by talking in her place, she’d relied on Aislin for almost everything.

Her original intention was to use the Elven Tree—guarded by the elves for generations, also called the World Tree—to realize her dream of reviving Flaviel.

Aislin knew her true goal was the World Tree, yet never said why she was helping Vieya. It felt as though Vieya had once saved her life, so this was only natural... and, honestly, Vieya felt the same way.

But feelings aside, rationally speaking, Vieya didn’t believe Aislin was doing all this solely out of gratitude. There had to be another reason.

So when dealing with Aislin, Vieya rarely joked around or acted spoiled. She behaved properly—doing whatever Aislin told her to do.

At the hot springs, Aislin personally scrubbed the slime girl clean, leaving her fragrant, even slipping a sachet into her pocket. Then she took her shopping, buying a white silk blouse trimmed with lace, adding a camel-colored long skirt and matching heels. She braided Vieya’s moon-white hair and pinned it neatly behind her head. It wasn’t overly elaborate, but the slime girl now looked dignified and elegant, completely free of her former lazy, careless air.

The only problem was that wearing high heels for the first time made Vieya feel as though she were facing a great enemy—she staggered with every step.

She absolutely didn’t want to wear them, but Aislin’s reasoning was blunt and clear: you’re too short right now—it makes you look childish and unreliable. Dress a bit more maturely, and the elders will trust you more when you speak with them.

Wearing high heels, Vieya spent the entire afternoon taking tiny, cautious steps to get used to them. That adorably awkward contrast made Aislin giggle nonstop at her side.

“Stop laughing!”

Vieya’s face flushed red. She felt that her dignity and bottom line had been severely challenged that afternoon and nearly wanted to smash the flower cake in her hand straight into the elven lady’s smiling face.

“Alright, alright, I won’t laugh,” Aislin said, covering her mouth and coughing twice before regaining her composure. “Tonight, shall I take you and your daughter to rest in the royal court’s guest suites reserved for other races?”

“Guest suites for other races?” A hint of surprise flashed through Vieya’s gem-like eyes. “That formal?”

“Yes.”

Aislin nodded and explained slowly, “The Elven Queen told me that long ago, the royal court had diplomatic ties with many races—humans, giants, gnomes, and so on. But later, when the Elven Forest closed, all those connections were severed. Those suites are still cleaned regularly by dedicated elves, but no one’s lived in them for decades. I hope you won’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” Vieya said, lips pursed, then suddenly asked, “Aislin-sis... convincing your elders to bring me here must’ve taken a lot of effort. Wasn’t it troublesome?” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Aislin froze, clearly not expecting the question. She came back to herself, shook her head, and smiled. “Not troublesome at all. I am, after all, the top candidate to become the next Elven Queen. You saved me, and everyone is curious about you and grateful to you. I simply explained things to the Queen and the others, and they all agreed.”

Seeing the slime girl still silent, she added, “Although the Elven Forest has been closed for many years and is rather exclusionary toward other races living on this land, once someone is truly recognized as a friend by the elves, we’re actually very warm.”

“Like you?” Vieya asked.

Aislin paused again, then nodded firmly. “Yes. Like me.”

Though it was still the eve of the Star Dew Festival, eaves throughout the streets were already draped in colorful ribbons. Strange fairy dolls had been pushed out onto the roads, strung with multicolored stone lights. Festival music and joy drifted through the air. Elven children ran about in groups, darting through the streets, asking everywhere for flower cakes.

The elder elves were equally generous, laughing as they handed them out—often giving extra.

Even Vieya was treated like a child and gifted a large basket of flower cakes for free, leaving her both delighted and helpless.

She was clearly already an adult...

Here, Aislin was extremely well-known and popular. Elven children often ran up to her asking for sweets, and as they passed along the streets, the elder elves would also greet Aislin proactively, expressing their welcome and curiosity toward the slime girl.

The afternoon passed quickly.

Aislin led Vieya straight to their place of rest—the guest suites she’d mentioned earlier, not far from the Queen’s palace.

Jasmine and Elliti were brought over as well, but the atmosphere between the two was... very wrong. On a long sofa, one child sat on the far left, the other on the far right, with a wide gap between them, the mood like oil and water.

Vieya’s brow twitched.

What on earth?

They’d been chatting and laughing earlier, holding hands, calling each other sister this and sister that—so why were they suddenly hissing at each other?

“Mom?”

When Jasmine saw Vieya completely transformed—clean, pretty, even wearing small high heels she’d never worn before—she was momentarily confused. Then her eyes lit up.

“Mom, you smell so nice and look so pretty today! I want a hug~”