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

To the top human scholars, dungeons were sacred structures—containers forged by the gods to seal away their own sins. But to the common people, they were world-class trial grounds, where the strong were chosen and legends were born.

Vieya had been to a dungeon before, but that one was centuries old, only nine floors deep.

Its insides had been scoured clean long ago. Anything valuable had already been taken by generations of explorers over the years. Now it was nothing more than an underground cavern where low-level monsters respawned.

As for this new dungeon...

Vieya tilted her head, gazing at her wide-eyed, innocent daughter, and sighed inwardly. If only Jasmine were a little older—then she could safely let her train in a dungeon.

A new dungeon meant new opportunities, new treasures.

But for now...

She’d better raise her daughter a little more—at least wait until after her tenth birthday.

At the moment, Jasmine wasn’t even four.

“Sigh... what a pity.” Vieya propped her chin on her hand and let out a long breath.

“Miss Vieya, are you interested in the new dungeon too?” Liufir blinked her bright eyes. “It’s been almost a week since it appeared, and adventurers still haven’t cleared even the first floor. Maybe when you’ve recovered, you’ll still have the chance to look for treasures there!”

“Maybe...” Vieya, sitting like a lazy otter, looked dazed and half-asleep. “I’m honestly not that interested in treasures.”

It sounded arrogant, but it was exactly how she felt now. Treasures didn’t matter much compared to raising her daughter safely.

If it were the kind of treasure that could bring her wife back to life, maybe she’d look twice.

“Hmm, looks like we’re almost out of milk...”

In the kitchen, Aislin, who had just finished preparing breakfast, was in a cheerful mood. These past few days here had been so peaceful and pleasant for her.

Aside from Vieya’s constant recklessness that made people worry, everything else was wonderful. There was a round, fluffy cat to pet, a cute little Jasmine to dote on, flowers to water in the front yard. The days were calm and serene.

It was a completely different experience from her travels—sleeping rough, eating whatever she could, living among wild beasts and plants.

“I’m one of the rare diligent ones in my tribe...” She thought of those lazy elves who crawled into tree hollows and slept for years.

Aislin twitched her ears and smiled again, remembering the peaceful days of eating, chatting, and tending to flowers.

For someone like her, this kind of time should have felt like a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ waste of life—but strangely enough, she wanted it to last longer.

“Hot steamed buns are ready~ All kinds of flavors... oh, and the little cakes we bought yesterday!”

Humming cheerfully, she carried a big bamboo steamer out of the kitchen.

“Wow... that’s amazing. Doesn’t it burn?” Liufir asked, wide-eyed. It was her first time seeing a real elf—young, lively, and beautiful, so different from the mysterious, ancient beings described in books.

Vieya is amazing, she thought. She even has an elf friend!

After eating their fill—

The three adventurers chatted with everyone, sharing recent stories and little adventures.

Some were small things—like the new “god song” spreading among adventurers, or a slime that disguised itself as a treasure chest to trick people. Others were grand tales—like how somewhere, a dragon had appeared, only to be slain by a passing Hero who cooked it into dragon steak and shared it with the entire city.

All sorts of adventure tales made Jasmine dizzy and starry-eyed.

“Hehe, Miss Vieya. In three days, we’re heading to the new dungeon to start our next adventure. If you ever come there, remember to tell them our group’s name,” Yuancherin said with a grin. “Once we hear it, we’ll treat you to a full day of fun in Tarin—all expenses on us.”

“Is that so?”

Vieya smiled faintly and waved to them as they stood by the courtyard gate. “Then tell me your next adventure story when we meet again.”

“Miss Vieya, don’t forget!” Liufir cupped her hands and called out.

Vieya nodded gently, watching them merge into the crowd on the street, fading from sight.

“Hm... another day gone already.”

Aislin stretched beside her. Under the sunlight, her graceful curves outlined in motion, she sighed softly.

“You’ve got interesting friends. When I traveled alone across the land, I met many adventurers—but ones like yours are rare.”

“Is that so?”

Vieya thought for a moment, then nodded seriously. “Diamond-rank adventurers like them are indeed rare. Worth investing in.”

Aislin: ?

...

Evening.

“My little master, may I go out tonight?” Elizabeth sat down on the empty chair next to Vieya and poured herself a cup of milk. “My subordinates haven’t reported in for days. I’m worried they might have done something irreversible.”

“I didn’t think you still cared about your subordinates.” Vieya set down the Hero trading card she’d been playing with, looking puzzled. “Can’t you use long-range telepathy? Why run all the way there yourself?”

“She must have an ulterior motive. Don’t let her leave this house.”

Jiele Xiyin approached and sat on the other side, crossing her long, pale legs elegantly. Resting her hands on her knees, she glanced between Elizabeth and Vieya.

“Her blood clan are the most loyal among the Seven Demon Kings. When she ordered that human noble—who had been turned into a vampire—to attack the decoy the master had set up, he exposed himself and risked his life just to carry out her order,” Jiele Xiyin said, her voice tinged with both envy and jealousy.

“...”

Crack!

Elizabeth crushed the milk carton in her hand, then silently blew it back up again like a balloon.

“I was just worried that someone might be impersonating our master and ruining her reputation outside!”

“Do you even hear yourself without laughing?” Jiele Xiyin mocked. “Everyone knows you just want to test our master’s limits.”

“You spider bitch, I’ll rip that mouth of yours off!” Elizabeth hurled the empty carton at her. Jiele Xiyin nimbly dodged it, and the carton exploded into a splatter against the wall.

“Enough!”

Vieya slammed her chair arm, glaring. “Both of you—outside. Stand at the gate for the rest of the night. Starting tomorrow, you’re studying the maid code. Regular evaluations. Whoever scores lower does all maid duties for the next while!”

Both Demon Kings froze.

“What are you waiting for? Get out there!” Vieya pointed toward the door. For such a small body, her presence made even two Demon Kings flinch.

This is all your fault!

The two glared at each other fiercely. If Vieya weren’t standing right there, they might’ve already been at each other’s throats.

Bang!

The door shut, cutting their figures off outside.

Climbing up to the second floor, Vieya stood on tiptoe, peeking out the window. The two Demon Kings were in the courtyard, activating a sound-proof barrier—and immediately starting to hurl insults at each other.

Nice view...

Suddenly, her pant leg was tugged. Looking down, she met the black cat’s eyes.

“Meow, what are you standing here for? Your daughter’s waiting for you in the bedroom.”

“Waiting for me? For what?”

Vieya blinked her green eyes, a bad feeling rising in her chest. She lifted her foot and walked toward the bedroom.

Then—

She was stopped in the corridor by a silver-haired elf.

The elf held a small basket in one hand, a set of child-sized clothes in the other, and looked at her with a complicated expression.

“...” Vieya fell silent, her heart sinking like a stone.

“Vieya,” Aislin said softly, “I washed and disinfected your toys. No one else saw them. I’m sorry—maybe I still don’t understand the tastes of humans or monster girls like you. But... you should probably play with them less, and stop leaving them around the house. At least until you’ve fully recovered.”

Aislin’s tone was gentle as she handed everything to the white-haired loli. “Even if no one looks after you, you still have to take care of yourself. Go outside more, walk the cat, see your friends once in a while...”

Washed and disinfected...

Whatever Aislin said after that, Vieya no longer heard.

Standing there with the basket full of cleaned toys and the freshly dried underwear, she froze like a pale statue.

Even after Aislin had walked away, she still hadn’t recovered from her petrification.