Free Web NovelMorning in Fengxiang Town. Ye Chi awoke early.
Perhaps because, in essence, she was no different from a slime, she did not need sleep. Yet she still stubbornly clung to a few human habits.
Unlike the inns in the Royal Capital, this tavern lacked soundproofing formations. Outside, the noise of the street and the songs of birds had already begun echoing at her ears.
Ye Chi glanced at the cat-girl sprawled on her bed, sleeping soundly in a spread-eagle pose, and immediately felt displeased.
Last night, after drinking her wine, that cat had lost the wariness seemingly etched into her very bones. She had clung to Ye Chi, pestering her with endless questions, then rambling nonsense.
Things like taking her back to her palace for fun, or leading her to the Demon King’s Castle to taste its unique smoked scorpion–salmon liquor...
She had babbled on and on, and in the end had claimed the only bed in the room for herself.
Ye Chi, who had been left to drink alone all night, pushed at the cat-girl’s shoulder.
“Myaa~”
Helcat gave a soft mewl, rubbing her face against the pillow. She turned away from the morning sunlight, a tail slipping out from her skirt to curl over her pale stomach.
Who knew whether it was reckless confidence or sheer stupidity—sleeping openly and soundly like a baby.
Ye Chi opened the window to air out the smell of wine. After one last glance at the slumbering cat-girl, she slung on her little pack, pulled up her white hooded coat, and left the room.
No one noticed that at the very instant the door closed, the cat-girl’s eyes flicked open.
Compared to the Royal Capital, this frontier city was not large. But it teemed with adventurers and with teams and organizations who lived by monster-hunting.
In short, this town was a Maginot Line that humanity had deliberately built against monsters.
“Too bad it only stops brainless low-tier ones.”
Ye Chi muttered inwardly, not at all realizing that before she reached Level 60 and regained the Hero class, she herself dared not openly enter the city either. She could only sneak into the looser-guarded villages at its outskirts.
But her case—could that really be called brainless?
She did not think so.
Near a breakfast stall, adventurers were still discussing last evening’s siege beast. Their curiosity about such flying dragon-shaped monsters was unusually strong.
But Ye Chi, as a monster herself, was far more curious about the Hero who had appeared yesterday—a curiosity she had never possessed during her Hero days.
Back then, as the world’s number one Hero, she might glance once at the second or third. As for the rest—what brand of small fry were they? She never bothered to know.
Lost in thought, Ye Chi arrived at the Saint Catarina Convent.
This convent had a long history on this land, though what stood before her was only a branch.
The true motherhouse lay in the golden fields of the Royal Capital, Rodel.
Ye Chi had not come to repent or atone.
Renting a small courtyard for herself was necessary, if she were to use her new identity as Vieya to blend back into human society.
She certainly did not dare appear before her old friends, her master... her little disciple, in this form.
Ah, she wondered how that child was doing now.
Ye Chi sighed, heavy with regret.
“Hello, little one. You mustn’t sigh so easily. If you have troubles in life, you can always come to big sister for help~”
A sweet, coaxing female voice floated in. Then Ye Chi felt a hand ruffle her hair.
Ye Chi: #!
She looked up. A woman in black nun’s robes was smiling down at her, a piece of candy in hand from who knew where.
“Little one, if you’re lost, I can take you to find your mommy and daddy.”
“I am an adult!” Ye Chi drew a deep breath and declared.
“Eh?”
The nun scrutinized this so-called adult, then furrowed her brow. Her tone shifted into one used to scold naughty children: frёewebnoѵēl.com
“Such a cute little girl telling lies will turn into a big frog, you know.”
Enough!
Stop using words like that!
As other nuns gathered at the commotion, each wearing an expression as though they had discovered some rare, adorable creature, Ye Chi’s temples throbbed in pain.
If only she had dragged that damned cat along.
Sleeping all day, all night—what the hell was she even sleeping for!
Ye Chi regretted deeply.
In this world, land within the city was tightly regulated: it could only be leased, never sold.
All procedures had to be verified and signed inside the convent.
Even in her days as the first Hero, she had only held a villa in the Capital for lifetime use.
It was likely that after her death, even that villa had been reclaimed.
Ah... hopefully her little disciple still had somewhere to live, and was not left on the streets.
“Here, sweetie, have a piece of cheesecake. My daughter just loves this...”
Another nun bustled over, slipping a too-sweet cake into her mouth while pinching her cheeks.
Ye Chi: #!!
Were it not for the precise control she had as a slime, her face would be red with fury by now.
Enough! This humiliating farce had to end!
She swallowed the cloying cake shoved into her mouth, then pulled out the documents she had commissioned the tavern owner to handle, raising them high as she shouted:
“I am here to rent a residence!”
At once, silence fell.
Even if the nuns suspected the little girl had stolen her parents’ papers, they had to follow protocol.
After a brief pause, the nun who first offered to take her to her parents spoke again:
“Mm... then, little miss, please come with us. For leases of this sort, we must obtain approval from the Vice Abbess.”
“So troublesome?” Ye Chi blinked.
“It is mainly because your black-edged document is rather special, and the property lies closer to the core district...”
“Yes indeed. Young lady, you really should have brought your guardian.”
Shaking her head, Ye Chi followed the leading nun.
“Little miss, our Vice Abbess is holding Mass in the chapel. We will wait in the side hall. There are fruits and ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ tea.”
“Mm. Thank you.”
...
The waiting room was sparse but clean, with bright windows and orderly tables and chairs—clearly well kept.
Sitting idly, Ye Chi could not help but recall how convenient life had been when, as Hero, others handled every procedure for her.
Ah. She had sighed more today than in an entire year before.
What was happening to her?
Life was hard. The loli sighed.
Tok, tok, tok.
The sound of hard-soled shoes struck the floor in the corridor outside. Someone was coming.
Ye Chi straightened at once, from slouching to sitting prim and proper.
“My apologies, Miss Vieya. I spent some time healing the Violet Hero, so I kept you waiting.”
The voice came before the figure.
Ye Chi brushed the crumbs from her lips and turned toward the doorway.
Beside the expected Vice Abbess, there was also a figure cloaked in violet.
The light mood grew heavy.
