Yuri Hero and Loli Demon King - Chapter 19

Is the Mohs hardness of gold really less than three?

Don’t joke around, that’s the hardest substance in the world — enough to wear down most people’s bonds.

(By Tapfer)

Unlike the villages we passed before, this place is surrounded by ten-story buildings, each shining with a golden hue under the sunlight. At the center of the complex stands a circular plaza, estimated to hold around one hundred twenty thousand people. A cylindrical golden castle hovers above the plaza.

El Dorado — that is the name of this golden city, and it also ranks second among the six major organizations of humans.

Of course, Tapfer didn’t understand these things at first; she learned them from the nearby maid who explained everything.

To avoid anyone forgetting, let’s explain it once more: the struggling hero is heading north to a place called Xi Liao Liao Village, motivated by the deceptive request of a cunning shrine maiden who tricked him into taking on a task.

El Dorado City is a large city located between the Fairy Guild and Xi Liao Liao Village, and is also the largest city in the south.

“Oh! It’s golden!” “A golden girl, oh my! A girl like a goddess!”

Since arriving in this golden city, the crowd seems to be ecstatic, or rather, I mean, they don’t know what they’re excited about.

Speaking of gold, I guess it refers to my hair color, right? But isn’t blonde pretty common? By the way, the residents of Golden City surprisingly aren’t all blonde; instead, they have a mix of black, grey, and red hair.

Just as Tapfer was observing the city’s residents and buildings, suddenly, a golden Slime burst out of an alley and charged directly toward her.

“A Slime, huh? Just right, this is a chance to reclaim the humiliation I suffered when I was a novice. If I don’t take my revenge now, then when?” With that, Tapfer drew her novice sword.I am now a proud level 18 Sword Fighter; how could I possibly lose to such a novice monster?

Filled with the pride of a level advantage, she wrapped her sword energy around the blade until a rainbow-like glow flashed…

“—Rainbow Crescent!”

As she unleashed her attack, the crowd around her cheered—until they realized they were gasping, not cheering.

No one would have expected that a Hero could end up in jail for killing a Slime!

I am Tapfer, a genuine Hero, and right now I am in El Dorado, the Golden City, and I find myself in a prison.

If the buildings outside were merely gold-colored, it would be understandable, but even the interior is coated in gold, including the iron bars of the cell; even the prison guards wear shiny golden outfits.

Yet no matter how dazzling the exterior may be, it cannot mask the ugly words.

“Let me guess how you will be dealt with.” The guard reached through the bars of the cell and stroked her golden hair: “Should we shave your head and keep it, and just burn the rest?”

The guard, dressed in a golden robe, was guessing Tapfer’s punishment while toying with her hair, which made her feel resentful.

“Ah no, it seems better to pour gold into your mouth, making your belly swell like you’re pregnant, exhibiting a painful yet beautiful expression! Ah, just imagining it makes me excited.”

Chained and forced into a kneeling position, it felt like she was kneeling before this obese guard.

“Hey, hey,” he grabbed a handful of Tapfer’s hair: “Do you have any last words to say?”

The excessive tugging made her scalp throb, but she still maintained a disdainful glare.

“I have no last words, but I do have something to say to you.”

“Oh?” The guard didn’t ask further; he simply sniffed the golden hair in his hand.

“Even if garbage is coated in gold, it doesn’t change its nature.”

“!”

It seemed the guard understood Tapfer’s sarcasm and became enraged; he yanked her hair back, causing her head to slam against the gold-plated iron bars.

Bright red blood trickled down her forehead, dripping onto the cold golden floor.

“What qualifications does this criminal have to speak to me like that?”

“…”

“So what if it’s garbage? No matter how worthless or beastly a person is, as long as they are coated in gold, people will lick their feet like dogs—this is reality!”

“Yeah… those realistic dogs love to lick gold, but they also enjoy licking excrement!”

“You’re really tough-mouthed, aren’t you? Do you believe I will pull out the gold from your head and your nether regions? As long as I have money and gold, even the law will obediently keep quiet.”

“Hmph, don’t think it will go as you wish…”

Tapfer’s strong response left the guard momentarily stunned; typically, one should understand and be as scared as a mute dog… Could it be she has a greater backing?

Oh no, could it be that she has offended the daughter of some wealthy and powerful lord?Speaking of which, her attitude had been inexplicably aggressive from the very beginning; she clearly appeared to be completely fearless. Why didn’t I notice it? This is bad. What if I’ve angered some powerful person and I lose my job? I need to find a way to make amends…

No, before that, I should first investigate the situation.

“Oh? Let me make it clear first, as long as I produce three hundred grams of pure gold, no law can touch me for tearing the golden hair off your head and from between your legs! What do you mean by not being able to fulfill my wishes?”

“Because I have no hair down there.”

“Puuhhh—!” The guard nearly choked on his own spit.

What a terrible excuse! I thought she was some rich young lady when she’s just utterly bald where it matters?

“You filthy woman dare to mess with me! Get this straight: my dad is the owner of a big company, and anyone who opposes me will not end well! If you know what’s good for you, beg me for mercy!”

With an air of arrogance, the guard thrust his shoe in front of her: “Lick it, and then plead for my forgiveness!”

“Not every dog loves garbage or gold (feces), and not every dog will wag its tail to plead…”

Saying this, Tapfer bit down on the foot that was shoved in front of her: “—Some dogs bite back!”

As the guard howled in pain, he quickly pulled his foot away.

In his anger, he no longer cared about legalities and immediately drew his side knife, preparing to strike Tapfer down.

It wouldn’t matter if he killed her here; if his family was rich, killing one or two people wouldn’t lead to a death sentence. He could just pay to get out of it.

If it hadn’t been for the sudden shout that echoed through the cell, “Summons!” that knife would probably have already severed Tapfer’s head!

“The City Lord summons the blonde girl.”

The guard, though puzzled about “why the City Lord would summon a criminal,” obediently kept quiet and led Tapfer to the castle.

As mentioned before, the castle hovered above the square, but now it seemed like an ordinary building settled in the plaza.

The golden city gates stood open, flanked by two rows of guards, estimated to be around forty in total.

One of the guards, upon seeing Tapfer and the jailer, stepped forward to speak: “You can stop here; I’ll take over escorting this woman from here.”

The guard didn’t say much more, probably because these people were of a much higher rank than him.

As for Tapfer, she silently scoffed inwardly at the term, “extradition.”That term is not used that way…!

The interior of the city was much larger than imagined; it certainly didn’t look that spacious on the outside. It felt similar to the saying, “If you don’t climb a high mountain, you cannot feel the mountain’s height.”

It had already been five minutes since entering, yet not a single hall had been seen, just a continuous walk through the golden corridor.

That bright golden color was really nauseating after a while…

To distract herself and avoid staining the golden tiles with vomit, Tapfer decided to strike up a conversation with the escort beside her: “Hey, can I talk to you? What kind of person is the City Lord?”

“I’m a city guard, not a guide!” he protested first, then answered, “The City Lord is a beautiful woman.”

“Oh?” Tapfer seemed intrigued by the City Lord, with an expectant expression clearly written across her face.

“She possesses noble beauty, impressive curves, and a great capacity for composure, as if nothing could unsettle her. Words like ‘shy flowers’ and ‘moon hiding’ can hardly describe her.”

At this point, Tapfer’s anticipation soared even higher, forgetting her status as a captive, eager to meet this City Lord.

Finally, amidst their conversation, the doors of the hall came into view.

Like a scene reminiscent of a sewage pit—no, I mean a splendid sight—made Tapfer momentarily unable to open her eyes.

The already dazzling gold, illuminated by countless ornate chandeliers, became even harder to gaze upon.

After a considerable effort, she slightly adjusted to the brightness, squinting her eyes because she had to see the City Lord’s appearance.

At the innermost center of this vast hall sat a grand throne—unsurprisingly, it was golden.

“…Is it an illusion caused by my unclear vision? How do I see a massive figure in the center of the sewage pit?” she murmured to herself.

Rubbing her eyes, by now her pupils had also adapted to the brightness.

Once again, Tapfer cast her gaze on the broad throne at the innermost part of the hall.

Seated on the throne was the City Lord, who indeed had impressive curves, and also possessed a size sufficient to rival that, large enough to accommodate quintuplets! No wonder nothing could unsettle her; she exuded an air of great composure!The City Lord must weigh around two hundred kilograms! Who told me that “the City Lord is a beautiful woman”?

Well, to casually criticize someone’s appearance is rude and wrong; “appearance associations” and “materialism” are equally relevant and vulgar realities. If one were to judge solely based on someone’s appearance, then I would be no different from those who lose their humanity for the sake of wealth.

However, to be honest, in my personal aesthetic opinion, the City Lord is not a beautiful woman.

“You’re the one who called for me, right?” Tapfer asked.

“You certainly don’t have the awareness of a captive! But it doesn’t matter; you are no longer a prisoner now – you are a soldier.”

Saying this, the City Lord casually picked a peeled lychee and popped it into her mouth.

“What do you mean?”

“From now on, you are a soldier of El Dorado and must act as a guide to lead our army south. After all, you are from the south and are more familiar with the geography there, which can help our army avoid the exhaustion of getting lost.”

“What do you mean? Do you want to invade the south? In this chaotic era, are humans still engaging in the foolish act of turning against their own kind?”

“Humans against humans?” The City Lord chuckled lightly, then picked up another lychee. “Don’t worry; I’m not that foolish of a City Lord. My target is not other humans – it is the Fairy Guild.”

– The Fairy Guild!?

The Fairy Guild in the southern part of El Dorado City; the only ones I can think of are Rei and Haitang’s guild.

But what could be the reason for El Dorado to attack the guild? How did they even find out about the Fairy Guild in the south when there are protective barriers in place?

A myriad of questions raced through Tapfer’s mind, and she couldn’t help but voice a “Why?”

In response to her outburst, the City Lord replied, “Soldiers need not question the decisions of their superiors; just do your duty well and I will spare you from punishment.”

Naturally, Tapfer found it hard to accept such an answer.

No, the worst-case scenario hasn’t happened yet; perhaps there are other fairy guilds in the south besides Rei and Haitang’s.”If you want me to guide you, then tell me… the name of the Fairy Guild.”

Holding onto a last bit of hope, Tapfer asked this question.

Her inquiry was laced with selfishness—wasn’t it just as well to invade any fairy guild, even if it wasn’t Rei’s?

Why would she hope that the name she mentioned was one I had never heard before?

It wasn’t because I was afraid of killing; in fact, I had already killed quite a few people. Long before battling Lufulus, I had taken down numerous thieves and forgers.

It wasn’t that I thought killing thieves was a crime, or that killing ordinary people was inherently evil… Regardless of the reasons, killing is ultimately a sin.

Perhaps I… just wanted to atone for something in my heart.

As long as I was not attacking Rei, anything else became inconsequential.

—Ah, yes! It was only now that I realized how hypocritical I was…

For my hypocritical and unreasonable self, my fate was to face punishment.

“Fairy Buttocks.”

The City Lord spoke the name I was familiar with.

What a strange turn of events! Why had I been reduced to a criminal, compelled to lead the enemy army to attack my friend’s guild?

“As far as I know, you entered the city with members of ‘Fairy Buttocks,’ didn’t you? You should know this guild well, or perhaps you are a member of it yourself?”

“…If you know this much, why do you think I would help you invade?”

“I have my reasons… but soldiers need not question the decisions of their superiors.”

Once again, it was that kind of answer.

“You, the City Lord, truly are as your appearance suggests! Just as foolish as a pig, thinking everyone can be manipulated so easily!”

“Oh? Then how about I exempt you from punishment and award you an additional five hundred grams of pure gold?”

“That’s unreasonable. If it’s just about guiding, it wouldn’t matter even if it wasn’t me, right? With such a price, couldn’t you find any Southerner to lead the way?”

The City Lord did not respond to this question; this time, she remained silent.After popping a few lychees into her mouth and finishing the entire bunch, she nodded slightly and asked, “Is this the answer you were looking for?”

Tapfer initially thought the question was directed at her, feeling a flood of confusion, until a girl stepped out from behind the golden statue nearby.

“City Lord, you’re mistaken!” the girl said with a gentle smile. “This isn’t the answer; it’s just a side note that’s completely unrelated to the process.”

“A side note? You’re willing to go to such lengths just to have me participate in this play?”

“This is an interesting drama! There’s nothing more fascinating in this world than the ‘tragedy resulting from internal conflict!’” the girl remarked.

What I first noticed was her expression; the girl’s smile didn’t seem like a facade, yet it wasn’t simply one of joy or schadenfreude either—I found it hard to grasp the true meaning behind her words and her expression.

It felt quite strange; her happiness was clearly written all over her face, yet I still had the illusion of seeing it through a mask.

Next, I noticed her chest… Surely, anyone who harbored such thoughts would pay attention to this, right? Ah, no! Who’s the lewd Yuri girl here! What I meant to highlight wasn’t that her chest was larger than mine—though it genuinely looked bigger—but rather that the pattern embroidered on her chest area was similar to what was on the collar of my outfit, though I couldn’t make out what it was.

On a side note, if I remember correctly, Lufulus’s armor and outfit collars seemed to have something similar too.

Turning my gaze back up, I was genuinely surprised, but it faded quickly since it wasn’t the first time I had seen a creature with animal ears above its head—it looked like fox ears.

My gaze quickly swept over the wide-sleeved white shirt, glided past the red knee-length skirt, and landed on her backside—because I was being inappropriate.

No, that’s not what I meant! And from my angle, I couldn’t see her backside at all! What I wanted to say was about something at her rear; please don’t think of her underwear, I can’t see that from my angle! What I meant was—she had nine tails, ah, upon closer inspection, it seemed there were not just nine, but fifteen… no, possibly even more!

Such an appearance reminded me of a certain race, but according to Rei, that race should be extinct, with no purebloods remaining. Of course, there might be a very few rare exceptions, but if I were fortunate enough to come across one of those extremely rare purebloods, it could only be described as a miracle.

Just like encountering a legendary beast in a valley, or being saved by a great master after falling off a cliff, it was incredibly unbelievable.I really didn’t want to believe in such an unbelievable miracle. Furthermore, I had no affection for that race, probably because of Lufulus, right?

As for the name of that race…

“Blood Fox.”

Neither the City Lord nor the girl seemed surprised by my mention of this term. Although the girl’s gaze held a certain emotion that was difficult to decipher, she still mostly maintained her original expression.

“You look quite calm, huh?” the girl asked.

“Well, this isn’t my first time seeing it.”

“It’s the first time for you with a pureblood Blood Fox. Well, at least I’m not entirely one yet,” she said. “By biological definitions, Lufulus can no longer be considered a ‘Blood Fox.'”

“What!?”

Why?

How does she know about my encounter with Lufulus?

“You don’t need to be too surprised. Didn’t you ever think about why a girl like Lufulus would ultimately give up on killing you?”

“…Are you trying to say that it was you who stopped her, thus saving me?”

“In name, yes. But in essence, that’s not the case. I didn’t intend to save you; in fact, I felt like killing you. However, given the circumstances, I had to save you.”

The Blood Fox girl maintained her ever-present smile while uttering these horrifying words about wanting to kill.

Could it be that all Blood Foxes have such a malicious and twisted nature…?

“You seem quite dissatisfied. Can’t you bear what I’m saying? Well, after all, I did say I wanted to kill you!”

“You don’t need to repeat that on purpose. Also, I’m not dissatisfied simply because you said you wanted to kill me. No matter who it is, casually throwing around the term ‘murder’ is just disgusting barbarism.”

“Barbarism…? For Blood Foxes, killing is nothing to be avoided! My moral perspective doesn’t see that as wrong.”

“That’s exactly why I dislike Blood Foxes… I’ve encountered two, and both have twisted and malicious personalities.”

“Well, it is a bit malicious for a Blood Fox to commit murder, that is true. But what about humans who kill other beings and consume them? How should that be evaluated? It’s likely more than just ‘malicious’.””Isn’t that right?” the Blood Fox Girl continued, “But don’t be sad; your values are wrong. Whether it’s Blood Foxes or humans, killing other creatures to survive is in line with nature. It’s just that I can’t tolerate killing for pleasure or turning against one’s own kind.”

Killing other creatures for survival… is that indeed the case? This statement holds some truth, yet it is contradictory.

“So, you wanting to kill me is also out of ‘survival’? In the end, isn’t it just a contradiction, stating principles that even you cannot adhere to?”

I questioned the Blood Fox.

She showed no signs of wavering or anger. Although she withdrew her smiling demeanor, she remained remarkably calm.

After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she spoke again: “If I don’t kill you, then I won’t be able to live…”

“…What does that mean?”

“One day, I will have to kill you, and you will wish to kill me as well. We fundamentally cannot coexist; this absolutely violates logic.”

“Meaningless slaughter is what violates logic! Why do you, a creature so adorable that one would want to push you down, speak in such an unpleasant manner?”

“It’s not ‘meaningless slaughter’—you must have forgotten,” she said. “You once killed my mother.”

“What!?”

What did she just say…?

“From the looks of you, it seems you still don’t understand yourself! But I can’t say anything either, as under the current circumstances, we’re the same.”

“Your mother is… Lufulus’s subordinate? That group of thieves—” I struggled to finish the sentence.

“How surprising that you bring up such a trivial matter. Are you satisfied now that you’ve killed a few insects that aren’t even Level 10?”

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

“The current ‘Seven Kings of the Cardinal Directions’ is a modern creation. They may seem powerful now, but historically speaking, those who are not even Level 100 can only be considered average, or even somewhat weak.”In the past, before the Sidoa Great War, there existed a previous ‘Supreme King,’ who was ranked among the nine.

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up?”

“My mother… was the ‘Blood Fox King,’” the girl raised her voice slightly, “the one you killed!”

Uh… even though she seemed serious, I was totally out of the loop.

Does this girl not realize that I’m only a Level 18 Sword Fighter? I am even weaker than those entities she claims are only average or somewhat weak, being below Level 100!

“You probably don’t know, but I’m only Level 18, and just a few months ago, I was Level 1. Don’t even talk about ‘Supreme King’—I can barely even handle a Troll! There must be some misunderstanding here!”

“Yeah, there must be some misunderstanding. How could such a powerful and beautiful being possibly die?”

Miss, you have an Oedipus complex, right? The so-called mother fixation? You definitely do!

“No matter how powerful or beautiful, there are no eternal beings in this world.”

“You’ve admitted it,” the girl seized the opportunity.

“I didn’t admit anything! You, with your fixation, should calm down and think—someone who doesn’t even reach Level 20 wouldn’t even be able to touch a Supreme King!””Not even a single hair could be pulled up!”

“What hair are you talking about, you pervert?” the girl retorted, “And I’m not obsessed with my mother; I have a favorite child, a young, adorable girl.”

“You’re such a lolicon!”

“It’s not a lolicon; it’s a little girl. Ah, she should have grown into a loli by now, after all, it’s been a few hundred years.”

A few hundred years… Well, that makes sense; Blood Foxes wouldn’t consider humans at all, right? Living for a few hundred years doesn’t seem to be a problem for certain species.

Although I just threw out some sarcasm, I actually do quite like lolis. A few hundred years, huh? By human standards, that should be a legal loli, right?

“To be or not to be, that is the question worth pondering.”

(Note: The above line is from Act 1, Scene 3 of Hamlet.)

“Why did it change from loli to prince?” I sarcastically remarked again.

“I’ve decided to let my enemy go this once, just like that prince. But don’t worry, this drama will not end in tragedy; the villain who killed my blood kin will face retribution alone.”

“……”

“Be sure to obey your orders related to the disaster, and then contemplate the various things that have happened to you. When random occurrences combine, they become inevitable.”

The girl started rambling, and I couldn’t understand what she was talking about!

Forget it; remaining silent is the best option.

“With a cause comes an effect, think carefully about why you and I are here! Reflect on what we’ve been doing these past few months and how these things are interconnected. Once you sort out these seemingly trivial matters, you will understand the significance of these destinies!”

As she finished speaking, the Blood Fox Girl walked towards me.

There wasn’t much interaction; we brushed past each other as she headed towards the door behind me.

“Wait!” I shouted as I turned back, “What’s your name?”

“Do you actually care about the name of your enemy? Although I want to respond with ‘there’s no need for you to know that yet,’ I understand well how important names are to the Blood Foxes.”

Without looking back, she kept going until the door gradually closed. With the ‘bang—’ of the door shutting, I finally heard her name.”Inari.”