Leave a comment

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Kou, Sora, and Amari prepared things for the next day and were done rather quickly—probably because it was the first time the whole family had done it together. All that remained was to cook the red rice the next day.

So, left with nothing else to do after dinner, Kou decided to log into Destiny Unchain Online. But…

“I’m so bored…” Crim muttered that as she leaned against the armrest of her throne, gently combing Rouge’s hair with her free hand. Rouge was curled up on the spacious throne, resting her head on Crim’s lap.

Frey and Freya were still preparing for the next day, as was Kasumi. It was doubtful whether any of them would log in that night. Hinagiku was even busier, as she lived at a shrine that would be bustling for Obon.

Lycoris and her parents—Sara and Ryunosuke—were visiting Sara’s family, so they couldn’t log in either. Jade was away with her family as well.

To top it all off, no ranked duels or territory skirmishes were scheduled for the rest of the month, as the developers knew players would be too busy with real life. In other words, there was no one online, and nothing to do.

“Have you considered taking a stroll through town, then?”
“I mean, I could… but they aren’t doing anything fun either.”

Adonis, who stood behind her ready to serve, offered the suggestion.

A big event had just ended, so a period of downtime had settled over the game.

There were some new food stalls opened to celebrate Obon, and Crim had taken Rouge to visit them a few days prior—but she was full now and didn’t feel like going again.

In the end, all she could do was continue stroking Rouge’s hair.

Then… just as she was about to call it a night and log off, a notification popped up: an intruder had been detected.

“…What?!”

Rouge sprang to her feet at the sound, and Crim had to calm her down while checking the details of the alert.

The detection had happened just one floor beneath them… and only a single red dot marked the enemy.

“Oh? So someone managed to get this far solo. That’s quite a skillful spy, I must say.” She began to wonder which guild had sent such a capable player. Overtaken by curiosity, she decided to issue an order to Elohim, who was already preparing to intercept the intruder.

Elohim, stay thy hand. I am curious of our guest—so guide whosoever it be to this chamber, and see they come to no harm.
“Understood. I’ll do so.”

After giving those rapid instructions, Crim sat up straighter, adjusting her posture to appear more fitting of a Demon Lord.

“With all that said, Rouge, wouldst thou mind taking cover behind the throne room?”
“Ah, okay!”

Rouge gave an enthusiastic response and trotted off behind the throne—looking very cute as she went.

Crim smiled at the sight, until the throne room doors suddenly slammed open with a loud crash.

“…I’m here! This is the Demon Lord’s lair! I must be some kind of one-in-a-million genius to get here so easily!!”

Hearing that ridiculous declaration, Crim dropped her face into her hand, then looked up again, completely caught off guard.

The intruder was a young girl—no older than Lycoris. She already had the potential to grow into a striking beauty, certain features already more developed than Crim’s, but what caught Crim’s eye the most was her shiny golden hair.

Her upper body was clad in light chainmail with a black cloak draped over it. Her lower body was covered by a haidate over black hakama and cloth shoes. Her hands wore palm sleeves, and she held a dagger in a reverse grip. Her whole stance screamed…

“…Why is it that thy getup seems to scream ‘Yo! I’m a Japanese ninja!’?”
“Shut up! It’s not my fault my mom is blonde! I was born and raised in Japan, I’m no different from the natives, okay!!”
“Ah, okay. I’m sorry.”

The blonde girl shouted angrily, getting right in Crim’s face. It was clearly a sore spot, so Crim thought it best to apologize quickly.

“…Ahem. So moving on, I’m impressed by thy fortitude in reaching this place—but what is it ye seek?”
“Oh yeah! I’ve come to take the head of the Scarlet Demon Lord, Crim Lua Cheia! So bring her to me!!”
“Then that’s rather troublesome…”

Hearing that bold and completely straightforward demand, Crim’s tone dropped into something more serious.

“Then tell me—have I done aught so vexing as to warrant that?”
“Are you stupid? This is our first time meeting, so of course not!!”
“Ummmm…?”

Crim felt like her brain was melting from the sheer absurdity of the situation.

“Okay, you see, my dad is this extremely cool ninja, and I told him I wanted to be like him, right? But then do you know what he said? He just burst out laughing like, ‘Oh, a loudmouth like you could never—ohohoho!’ Isn’t that just awful?! So I decided I’d sneak into this castle—since it’s so close by—and take the Demon Lord’s head as proof of my skills! Ehem!”

All of a sudden, the girl just laid everything bare—completely unprompted.

‘Does this girl know how to keep quiet?’

Crim began to wonder, as the girl spoke like a machine gun, barely pausing to breathe. But if she was telling the truth, then…

“…So this meaneth that no one hath sent thee hither?”
“I’m still a shinobi of the free market! I’m currently looking for someone to be my master!!”

The girl said that with a self-important grin and puffed out her chest. Crim had to resist the urge to laugh, barely containing herself as she forced a Demon Lord-like, malevolent smile.

“…Then I must say, I do concur with thy father—thou hast not what it taketh to be a shinobi.”
“What?”

Swish.
Clink.

Hina and Lyco had silently crept up behind the blonde girl in their undefined forms, and then shifted into combat mode.

In an instant, they turned into recolored versions of Hinagiku and Lycoris—pale-skinned, white-haired, with glowing red marks pulsing across their bodies.

Hina held her blade to the girl’s neck, while Lyco pressed the muzzle of her gun to the back of her head.

“So… wilt thou surrender?”
“…”

The blonde girl stood frozen, her mouth opening and closing without sound, while Crim looked down at her with a teasing grin from her throne.

“Not to mention, ’twas I who ensured thy path would end here—for thy tongue knew no rest upon the floor below, even whilst alone, so deep within enemy territory…”
“Eugh?!”

It seemed someone had told her something like that before. She let out a groan like a stake had just pierced her heart. That said, she had managed to remain undetected until the previous floor—she had a knack for stealth. Her personality, however, completely ruined it.

The girl whimpered with teary eyes for a bit before glaring up at Crim.

“…Okay, I surrender. Just please spare my life.”
“Good, we shall leave it here, then. Hina, Lyco, step back—I do appreciate thy help.”

Realizing she had no way out, the girl gave in and begged for her life.

When Crim granted her mercy, the two Doppelgangers put away their weapons, returned to their formless states, and retreated to the back of the throne room with Rouge.

With them gone, the blonde girl sighed in relief… then glared at Crim again, eyes still watery.

“Don’t… don’t think you’ve won yet! You’ll pay for this one day!!”

With that rather cliché line, she turned and bolted out of the room.

“Should I pursue?”
“No need. Just keep an eye on her.”
“Understood.”

Adonis seemed a bit too eager, and Crim had to rein her in slightly.

‘Well, at least that was funny.’

In the end, the blonde girl never noticed the slightly more amused, even affectionate, expression Crim wore as she watched her leave.

Support Us

Unlock Early Access ------- Select Project ------- Project Gender Bender Project Necro ∴ Support your favorite series and unlock chapters before the public release.