There were a certain number of people who were looking down on the country surrounded by deep forests as an "uncivilized land".
Grabalt, the forest kingdom.
It was a land of demi-humans who could communicate with animals and spirits who were blessed with physical abilities and were growing ears and tails and used their strengths and their skills.
More than 70% of the land in the country was surrounded by forest, and the land was always dimly lit.
The ground, hidden by the forest trees, was muddy, insects spring up, and the soil was rotting and emitting a strange smell.
The water in the lakes where the sun did not reach was rotten, and the beasts were much tougher here than those around Fonteau, where the systems introduced by the hero flourished.
Even beastmen and demi-humans, who have physical abilities far superior to elves, rarely set foot in such land, and only warriors recognized by the tribe were allowed to enter the forest.
Therefore, the map of the forest was not accurate, and anyone outside of the country who knew about the situation would criticize it as "uncivilized land".
The fact was. In the land of Grabalt, no one knew its full size. Many places were inaccessible even to the king of the country, long-lived fairies, and adventurers who mainly explore.
Some places were forbidden in their belief, while others were complete ravines that pose a mortal danger if entered by humans.
Even though the forest was connected to the land, once a person stepped into it, those who did not know the land could lose track of where they were going and from which direction they entered the forest in just less than half a day.
Those who get lost were unable to get out of the forest and either starve to death, become food for beasts, drink poisonous water, or take their own lives.
People who set out to improve the accuracy of the map. Some were from Fonteau that committed a crime and tried to escape to Grabalt. Some go into the forest for curiosity's sake.
There was no end to the number of people who entered it, but their fate was almost always predetermined.
Grabalt was undeveloped land.
There were not many places where people could live, and the only way to reach the kingdom was to follow a fixed path.
It was a vast land, but there were only few paths one could enter.
It was inconvenient, but the only way to reach the kingdom was through those paths. It was also the same even for the elves, who excelled in using magic and could feel the will of the spirits.
However, it was also the same for the beastmen, demi-humans, and humans who live in this world.
It had nothing to do with the beasts, insects, and monsters that were accustomed to Grabalt's climate.
In the dimly lit forest. A tropical land that was damp and uncomfortable for those who go there.
The ground was not soil but muddy, and if anyone walked on it, it would drain their strength faster.
Moss clinging to the branches of the trees where the sun didn't reach, and the horrible insects that feed on the moss swarmed around.
These bugs were buzzing, rattling, and swishing.
From every corner of the forest.
On the tree trunks, on the leaves, on the ground.
The insect's noises echoed from all directions.
They have no natural predators, and they were creatures that could multiply fast and decrease in number only due to reaching their lifespan or being narrowed down by a natural calamity.
Winged insects overflowed from the muddy water on the ground, maggots swarmed on a human body that have lost its life after wandering in, and countless eggs were planted on the broken and rotting wood.
The clothes worn by some human skeletons lying on the ground have already lost their original shape, and it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female. The few remaining pieces of cloth were damaged by wind, rain, and mud, but one could tell that they were Grabalt's military flags.
Perhaps they had entered the forest in pursuit of bandits, or perhaps they had wandered in drunk.
People who live in Grabalt never go off the road into the forest.
Because they would not be able to come back.
Some of the beastmen in Grabalt were so afraid of the forest that they even sing a song about it. The darkness of the forest took away their sense of direction, even from the light of the sun.
It was as though monsters were lurking from the darkness and luring those who were tempted by the unknown to their death.
Even though it was daytime, it reminded them of nighttime without moonlight, and the insect's noises and the rustling of the trees were like an invitation from the devil echoing in the darkness.
The wind blew and the leaves from the forest swayed noisily.
Only a little - just a little - from the swaying of the leaves caused the sun's light to shine through the ground.
In the dim darkness. The forest could corrode one's mind and take away one's sense of normalcy but there was a single thing moving through such place. There it was, reflecting the light from the sun.
The bugs were rattling.
The trees were rustling.
The sounds were slightly noisier. As though alerted to its presence.
As though the forest was afraid as it was interfering with the silence that had been stable for decades.
However, It didn't care about those things.
In the first place, it did not have the "consciousness" to address such things.
It was just moving forward.
Following its purpose―― or rather, its instincts.
Just following it.
Just following its instincts.
It didn't have a formal name.
People just call it slime. And among the slimes, there was a species called Black Ooze.
It had only a small awareness and purpose. Even though it had taken in thousands, maybe tens of thousands of lives and had acquired knowledge and consciousness, it did not have many purposes.
Eliminate threats.
Absorb all life.
And increase its kind.
That was it.
In the process, it stole mana, absorbed life, gained knowledge, and little by little, it grew in power.
The weakest "monster" was a mutation.
That was the Black Ooze.
The Black Ooze had violated and impregnated hundreds and thousands of Elven women, and its numbers were now as large as the army of the Demon King who was defeated more than ten years ago.
Although they were inferior in strength, their numbers were literally growing by the day.
Naturally.
The slime that literally "swallowed" the royal capital of Fonteau had captured most of the women living there, kept them, violated them, impregnated them, and made them give birth to children.
Normally, slimes could not reproduce, and their lifespan was limited to one generation.
Although it lived much longer than humans, it had no special abilities, and its translucent body revealed its weakness, its core.
It was somewhat resistant to physical impact, but even so, a well-trained person could smash the core with a weapon. If one could use magic, or if one had a torch, they should be able to easily vaporize the mucus
However, the mutant Black Ooze had the ability to absorb the abilities, mass, and knowledge of the beings or creatures it took in.
The Black Ooze, born in the abandoned mine, was first born next to bugs. From there, it absorbed a very weak paralyzing poison.
It was so weak that it could only be used on small bugs, and would normally be ineffective even on humans who were vulnerable to poison.
However, after absorbing the bugs, bats, and rats that live in the abandoned mithril mine, the Black Ooze's paralyzing poison gained mass and became more effective, and now it was powerful enough to easily kill humans.
The Black Ooze hunted by using its poison to weaken its prey and absorb or capture them.
The worst thing for mankind was that the Black Ooze, which had no gender, grew up and took in a "male".
He was an old man who had already lost his ability to reproduce, but the Black Ooze knew that its awareness turned male and that it could impregnate a female to increase its own kind.
It knew.
And so, as the creature's instinct was to increase the number of its own kind, the Black Ooze began to seek out more and more women.
Black Ooze, who gained knowledge and the existence of the Magic Kingdom by taking in male adventurers and knights who came to subdue the monster, attacked the country in search of more women, and the land of the elves, which had underestimated it as a mere slime, collapsed within a few months of the Black Ooze's birth.
The country, improved from the knowledge of the hero, discarded countless wastes. Things that people had discarded as unnecessary. Then it was invaded by the Black Ooze and its children, who had absorbed those wastes and increased their power and mass.
Elves were also a good source of food for the Black Ooze.
Their powerful mana. Knowledge of magic. A body that generated mana.
All of these things became the power and mass of the Black Ooze and evolved it to be able to handle mana that a slime could not normally have.
And now―― the Black Ooze was moving through the forest, chasing after the slightest trace of mana.
It wriggled its way through the ground, taking in bugs and rotting branches and leaves in the process.
Its progress was slow. It was much slower than a person who was wary in its surroundings in the forest, but it moved at a steady pace through the dark forest without getting tired.
The bugs were rattling.
The trees were rustling.
However, the sounds gradually became louder and louder, as though in alarm, and then some of the sounds disappeared.
For the Black Ooze, all creatures other than themselves and women were nothing but good food.
When bugs attracted by the strange odor of the Black Ooze, which had taken in everything, touch the surface of its body, they were absorbed and digested.
In the same way, the branches and leaves that swayed and moved forward and touched the surface of its body were also taken into its body and absorbed. After the Black Ooze had passed, there was nothing but muddy, bare ground.
It was like a path.
The black ooze moved forward as though its progress was creating a path.
It was moving on a path that was not created by the beastmen, but by humans that entered the deep forest and died from which there was no return.
It could be said that it was a secret path.
There were paths built to deepen the relationship with Fonteau. It was moving in another path because it knew from its knowledge that the beastmen and demi-humans living in Grabalt knew that one couldn't reach the villages and between countries unless one pass through those paths.
Even if that thing was a slime, it would always approach on those paths.
It would take a long time to invade from the forest with bad and uneven ground, and even a child could understand that it was much faster to reach the kingdom of Grabalt by following the roads.
In fact, when the demon king attacked Grabalt more than ten years ago, this deep forest was of great significance in terms of defense.
Even monsters controlled by the Demon King had lost their lives to the rotten muddy water, poisonous flowers, and poisonous insects once they set foot in the forest.
Because of the darkness, even the lake was a death trap, and those who fall into it could not crawl back out.
But to the Black Ooze, all of these things were "just food".
Rotten muddy water, poisonous flowers, poisonous insects.
If it touched them, it would absorb it.
Its poison that had already killed humans and elves became even more powerful, and its mass, which had already taken in thousands of men and wooden buildings in Fonteau, increased even more.
It looked like an ordinary slime, about as big as a human could hold in both hands.
However, within the writhing mucus was a compressed core from which it could release an infinite amount of mass.
It was also one of the weapons the Black Ooze could utilize.
It was hard to imagine from its appearance that it could create an infinite number of tentacles and mucus. If its mana and poisons were also inexhaustible, no one could withstand its existence.
――However, even so, the Black Ooze was moving forward to the land of the beastmen.
In search of a woman.
And at the same time, to act in accordance to the countless wills that existed inside it, and the weapon that could defeat the Black Ooze, which was in the knowledge that existed inside it.
More than ten years ago.
The weapon of the hero who defeated the Demon King.
The shield had been stored in Fonteau.
The armor was worshiped by humans in the holy Kingdom.
And the weapon was stored in the country surrounded by the forests governed by the beastmen.
That was the reason why Meltia and Mariabelle, daughters of Leticia, Queen of Fonteau, set out for Grabalt with the refugees.
To obtain a weapon to defeat the Black Ooze.
And the Black Ooze, which had taken in the knights of Fonteau, also knew about the existence of the weapon and was aiming for it.
To the place where the hero's equipment was stored.
The sacred ruins where the goddess of the world first descended to the earth.
Slowly. But straight ahead.
Leaving everything else to its children.
"Are you okay, Mariabelle? Does it hurt?"
The silver-haired woman, unaware that such a threat was close at hand, asked the black-haired girl sitting beside her in a slightly fatigued voice.
The location was on the border of Grabalt, the closest location from the Fonteau's side, which was also the entrance to the forest.
The air in the place, surrounded by forests, was fresh and clean, and it was a place where the sisters, who were half-elves, felt very at ease.
The sisters were born between the hero who was summoned from another world and a half-elf.
In particular, the sister who had inherited the blood of the hero strongly was the younger sister. The princess, who was the only one in this world with black hair, was cleaning herself in the river near the border.
They didn't have time to be staying in this place. Even though they knew that, they were not familiar with the area and would not be able to proceed through the forest without the beastmen's guidance.
Above all, there were refugees who had also fled from Fonteau. It was unthinkable for the two of them to go on without them.
Therefore, Shamia, the captain of the border, waited for a reply from her subordinate that was dispatched to the kingdom of Grabalt, and the refugees were left in the open space on the outskirts of the border.
However, as ten days passed since then, the sisters felt a sense of impatience.
The supremacy of the slime that destroyed their country.
They couldn't forget it, and they could still dream about it.
Not knowing when the slime would invade the Grabalt, they felt fear, which further rouse their impatient feelings.
As though to calm these feelings, the two of them were now at the river near the border.
The blue sky shone beautifully in the scenery, and looking down, they could see the entrance to a forest decorated with lush green leaves. Not even the sun's rays could penetrate the depths of the forest, but with the eyes of an elf, they could see through to a certain extent.
The forest was alive and different from Fonteau.
Animals walking, flowers blooming, and the wind flowing.
The knowledge of the hero certainly enriched the lives of the elves living in Fonteau, but at the same time, Meltia believed that they sacrificed a lot of nature in the process.
They cleared the forest, used the trees as fuel to make iron, and created various civilized products.
It was only a small part of the growth compared to the "civilization" of the world where the hero lived, but even so, life in the other world changed dramatically.
In a world where the threat of monsters was diminishing, iron was used for daily life instead of weapons, sewers were dug up, water systems were built, and magical lights illuminated the darkness of the night.
Literature and music enrich the hearts and minds of the people living in Fonteau, and the richness of life gave comfort to the people.
However.
Meltia and Mariabelle, who inherited the blood of the elves―― a species that called itself the guardians of the forest in the past, felt the splendor of such a rich life and at the same time the preciousness of nature they were seeing in the border.
The same was true for the river where they were about to take a bath.
Since the water system was installed, the people of Fonteau no longer go to the river to fetch water.
When they bathed in the river for the first time, they wondered how long it had been since they had seen such beautiful and crystal clear water.
The richness of nature.
The preciousness of it soothed their depressed feelings after the destruction of their country.
Perhaps because she had escaped with only her clothes on, Mariabelle took off her high-heeled shoes, which were unsuitable for traveling, and dipped both feet in the river.
The coldness of the water permeated in her scuffed heels, which were unused to traveling.
Her dress, as black as her hair, emphasized the whiteness of her skin, and the hem of her skirt, which she had rolled up to immerse herself in the river water, revealed thin, white legs that any man would be fascinated by.
Her legs were supple and free of unnecessary flab, and the thighs that were slightly peeking out have feminine plumpness to them.
With both feet in the water, Mariabelle sat down on a rock nearby and boldly exposed her thighs.
Since no men were around them.
When she sat down on the rock, her skirt rose due to the water, and her underwear, which was even whiter than her white skin, peeked out for a moment, but she was unaware of it.
Her waist was surprisingly thin, even though she wasn't using a corset, and her chest had a slight sway as the water rose. The bosom of the black dress was well hidden by the fabric, and the only skin that was peeping out was the bottom of her skirt, her neck, and her hands.
The black hair and the black robe make the white skin that was peeping out slightly stand out.
Her breasts had a slight bulge, but she was at least a head taller than most girls her age.
Unable to express her opinions much, and depressed by the fact that she was forced to leave her country, the girl's face was gloomy and oozing a shadowy feeling of sorrow.
It made the girl's expression look like an adult, which made the dark-haired girl look even more beautiful.
Her sister, on the other hand, was dressed in a bright and pretty blue dress.
The long journey had left her dress dirty, but perhaps it was because the dress was well-tailored that the stains were emphasizing her beauty.
She had beautiful silver hair and ample breasts, which was the complete opposite of Mariabelle's. Her bosom was boldly exposed, with a deep cleavage carved into it.
Her breasts were surprisingly rich despite her slender frame, and there was not a trace of excess flesh on her arms and neck that were exposed through her dress.
She seemed to have a well-developed body compared to other women her age, but she was not much taller than her sister, Mariabelle. She was just a little bit, just a little bit taller.
A little shorter than her sister, the earrings in her ears with purple gems have a magic-enhancing effect. On her fingers were two rings, also with purple gems.
She found these items when she was sorting through the luggage of the carriage they had been using since they arrived at the checkpoint.
She didn't know who the owner was.
She didn't know all the people who had escaped with them, and some of them had been attacked by the slime several times during their escape.
Some people ran off from the group under the cover of the night.
Mariabelle and Meltia knew that the more people, the greater the chance of them being found.
She was reminded that there were people who would use their group as bait to escape before reaching the checkpoint.
The refugees thought that it was probably one of the items left behind by these people, and the ornaments were given to Meltia, who had the most mana among them.
Partly because she was the princess of Fonteau, but also because they wanted her to be protected by the ornaments.
Meltia, whose ring and earrings were unfamiliar to her, checked the wound with her slender fingers as she tended to Mariabelle.
"――――"
"Oh, come on. Don't be angry with me and put up with it."
Meltia sat down beside her, smiling at the sight of Mariabelle biting her lip in pain in silence.
In her hand was a single leather bag filled with medicinal herbs given to her by Shamia at the checkpoint.
She was impressed to learn that Meltia and Mariabelle were the descendants of the hero, and she offered them as much food, medicine, and clothing as much as she could.
She was told that a long time ago - the hero and Leticia - Meltia and Mariabelle's parents saved their lives. In return, they were giving their daughters and the refugees of Fonteau some amends.
"Onee-sama"
"Yeah?"
When Meltia lifted Maribelle's right foot, which was soaked in water, to check the wound on her heel, Maribelle called out to Meltia.
Meltia responded to her voice with a slow and gentle voice.
It was the same for Meltia, who was anxious. However, she couldn't let her feelings show.
She was the older sister, and if her mother died, she would be the one who would have to take over the country.
Even though she was anxious, she was trained not to show it.... Above all, as an older sister, she didn't want to show her sister a shameful face.
"Will I be able to take our father's place?"
"Yes. You will be fine."
That was because these sisters―― No. It was the one thing that Mariabelle, who inherited the blood of the hero, needed the most.
That was what the refugees of Fonteau expected from her.
As the daughter of the hero, recapture Fonteau.
At the same time, as a daughter...... She wanted to get her mother Leticia back, who was still being held captive at Fonteau.
It was a hope.
There was no way to be sure if she was still alive or dead, just the information that men were absorbed and killed and women were raped.
That was the hope of the sisters who heard the information.
The sisters hoped that their mother was also trapped by the slime, just like the other women.
It might be a crueler reality than dying, but still, they couldn't believe that their beautiful, intelligent, and powerful mother would choose to die.
So the sisters decided.
They decided to save the country at any cost.
Ever since they escaped from Fonteau that day, swallowed by the Black Ooze and countless giant slimes, the sisters had been thinking about how they could do it.
Even Leticia, the best mage in Fonteau, had been defeated by these slimes.
There was no way that they could compete with such a thing, but there was one thing that the sisters have that was better than their mother.
That was the "blood of a hero".
It was the ability to use the shield, armor, and sword that the hero's wife, Leticia, couldn't even use...... The goddess gave the shield, armor, and sword to the heroes from the other worlds.
In particular, the dark-haired Mariabelle, who inherited the blood of the hero strongly, was superior to her in abilities, and her sister Meltia knew that better than anyone else.
It was when she was still very young.
When the hero's shield was kept in the castle.
For Mariabelle, who had no memory of her father, the shield was the only thing that allowed her to feel a connection with him.
It was not something she was taught by anyone.
It was just an instinct that made her feel the presence of the shield stored in the basement of the castle, and she would sneak into the treasury and touch the shield without telling her mother.
Ordinary people couldn't even touch it, and even those with strong magical powers couldn't even lift the shield of the hero.
But not once or twice did Mariabelle touch the shield, take it down from its pedestal, and lean against it as though hugging it.
Leticia got very angry with her, but that was the beginning of the realization that Meltia knew that Mariabelle had the aptitude to be a hero.
However, the armor was designed to fight the Demon King.
In a world without a demon king, it would not be used and would be kept in a safe place in the treasury.
"You and I are going to save Fonteau and our mother. The first thing we need to do is to ask King Grabalt if he will give us father's sword."
"That's right. In order to save our mother, we have to go to the kingdom of Grabalt as soon as possible."
But they were still stuck in this place.
The reason was that the messenger who left for the kingdom had not returned yet. Both of them understood that if they forced themselves to go to Grabalt now, they would end up getting lost, and they would end up causing trouble for Shamia, who was helping them at the border.
Was it a strength or a weakness that they wouldn't cause any problems to others, even for the sake of their country and their mother?
So the two of them spent their days with various conflicts in their hearts.
Meltia checked the wound on Mariabelle's leg and washed it with river water and applied herbs that were effective for abrasions.
She could see Mariabelle's thin, white legs were tense and her hands were gripping hard as she held the hem of her skirt.
"..."
"I'm sorry, did it hurt?"
"No, no. It's okay... I have to endure this much."
She smiled at her strength as she finished applying the herbs, and then wrapped a thin layer of cloth around the herbs to prevent them from peeling off.
"Mariabelle, anything else hurts?"
"I'm fine, onee-sama"
"Alright. Well then, let's cleanse ourselves a bit."
"Yes"
As members of the royal family, they always had a maid by their side to take care of them when they took a bath.
They washed them, wiped the water off their bodies with a cloth, fitted them with underwear, and dressed them.
They left all of that to the maids, but Meltia knew that it was insane to entrust someone with their personal care at a time like this.
So, at least during the bathing time, the two sisters were allowed to use the time alone, while Meltia took care of Mariabelle.
That was not because she was the younger sister, although Meltia was aware that it was not the right word, but because she wanted people around her to think of Mariabelle as a special daughter of the hero.
Princess of Fonteau, not as a sister.
"Daughter of the Hero". In particular, Mariabelle, a black-haired princess like the hero, must stand at the vanguard to inspire the soldiers who would be fighting with her to recapture Fonteau.
She had no experience in actual battle, but she had learned what it was like.
The things she needed to prepare to fight. Troops, food, equipment, and strategy.
She was aware that this may not be everything, and that there were things she have yet to learn, but the most important thing was the flag.
It was not a military flag, but a flag as a hero, as a hope, as a leader.
More than a decade ago, when fighting against the Demon King, her father, the hero from the other world, her mother, the great mage Leticia, the beastmen swordswoman Fornelis, and the human priestess stood at the head of the army, always fighting at the front lines of the battlefield to give morale to the troops.
The feeling of knowing that they were not being used as pawns, but that they were protecting the backs of heroes, increased the strength of the soldiers many times over.
A hero had to be special.
Like her father, mother, and their companions.
If Mariabelle was going to stand in that role, Meltia knew she couldn't stand next to her sister.
Her mother, the beastmen they would meet, and the human priestess.
They had fought alongside her father, but she had learned in school that it was not to stand next to him but to support his back.
So she was going to do the same.
That was fine, Meltia thought.
If she could save her mother. If she could save her country.
She was fine with playing a supporting role for her sister.
However, Mariabelle was not yet ready for that.
That was why she asked the question earlier.
――Was it okay for me to do this?
So she evaded the question.
No one knew the answer.
The future was boundless, and there was no such thing as certainty.
"Come on, Mariabelle. Can you stand up?"
"Yes"
Mariabelle stood up as Meltia told her to, and her silver-haired sister stood behind her.
She carefully unbuttoned her dress one by one.
Her waist-length black hair was split to the left and right, revealing her neck, which was free of stains, and the area of her white skin expanded as she unbuttoned her dress.
As soon as half of her back was exposed, Meltia sighed.
"You have beautiful skin."
"Is that so? I can't really tell for myself."
Her skin, which had been well cared for in Fonteau, did not become dry even after the long journey, and it emphasized Mariabelle's beauty.
The skin was as smooth as a polished jewel, and when she ran her fingers over it, her fingertips felt comfortable, leaving not even a trace on the neat skin.
As Meltia felt the comfort of the hair, Mariabelle slumped slightly.
"It tickled."
"Fufu, I'm sorry."
She said that without a hint of malice and pulled her black dress off her shoulders, followed by her right arm.
As the upper half of her body made an appearance into the daylight, her pure white underwear was gradually revealed, even more so than her white skin.
The lace underwear was decorated with many frills to make her breasts look bigger than they were, and some of the frills formed a pretty flower pattern.
The same goes for the bottom.
When she pulled out her left arm and the dress fell down as pulled by the gravity, her pure white underwear appeared, as do the undergarments that supported her breasts.
These, too, were decorated with many frills, and the strings were tied in a ribbon knot. The cloth area was very small, and almost half of her small buttocks were exposed.
Meltia looked at her sister's underwear from behind, which overall gave her the impression of being cute rather than beautiful, and let out another sigh.
"Now if you'll excuse me, Mariabelle."
"Please, onee-sama"
It was only for a moment that her eyes were drawn to her sister's underwear.
Meltia dipped the clean cloth she had prepared along with the medicine bag into the river water and then slowly and firmly. She wiped Mariabelle's beautiful body, taking care not to irritate her skin.
It would have been nice to be naked and soak in the river water, but as expected, she felt that it was not appropriate for royalty. Especially even if no one was watching.
Meltia wiped her neck and shoulders, then unfastened her underwear from her back and wiped her entire back. As she did that, Mariabelle was embarrassed to be seen with her small breasts, even though they were sisters, so she crossed her hands in front of her chest to hide them.
The underwear's straps
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢