"They're so strong!"
Iris stared at the girls before her, her eyes trembling.
Each one of them held more magic power than she did.
The red-haired princess had always been proud of her magical strength, yet at that moment she sadly realized she couldn't defeat even the weakest among them.
Even if she tried to console herself by thinking that magic power wasn't everything, swordsmanship was still the most important thing for a magic swordswoman.
But every one of those girls carried the distinct aura of the strong.
Iris was horrified to discover that she didn't have the confidence to defeat a single one of them.
They had no openings.
"Night Raid really is a mystery…"
Come to think of it, she was still tracking them.
The red-haired princess couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. She simply felt lucky to still be alive at all.
"I'll take this woman hostage."
After Alpha and the others entered the sanctuary, Epsilon was also preparing to step inside — but before that, she needed to rescue a certain silver-haired elf.
She pretended to press her sword against Beta's neck.
The silver-haired elf, playing along, immediately put on a performance.
"No Help I'm so scared~"
"If you scream again, I'll cut off those balloons."
"Eh?! Is… is that a real threat? Or is it just my imagination?"
Beta's eyes twitched as she shielded her chest with both hands.
She felt that Epsilon might "accidentally slip" and slice them off.
"Hmph~ You, bald guy, get over here too."
"Kuh! Who'd go there! Kill her, Executor!"
"What?!"
Epsilon's attention wavered for just an instant, and she failed to notice the assassin hiding in the shadows.
As one of the Twelve Knights of the Cult, Jack wasn't good at fighting himself, but he always carried powerful assassins with him for protection.
The assassin, codenamed Executor, suddenly appeared, brandishing a sharp blade and slashing toward the elf.
But Epsilon was worthy of being one of the Seven Shadows.
Even caught off guard, she reacted instantly. She bent sharply backward, just barely dodging the trajectory of the knife.
But that very movement led to disaster.
The enemy's blade grazed her nose — luckily, without injury.
But, unfortunately… it sliced through Epsilon's fake breasts.
"Ah—!!"
From Epsilon's perspective…
The two slime pads on her chest were severed by the blade, lost their connection to her body, and went flying into the air.
In just two or three seconds they would fall to the ground and dissolve into an ugly puddle of slime.
The elven girl screamed in her heart.
I'm going to be exposed!!
I use fake breasts — I'm actually flat as a board.
It's going to be revealed!!!
The moment of her social death had arrived.
A revolving door of memories spun through Epsilon's mind.
She had once been the daughter of an elven noble.
Born with everything she could dream of: an excellent family, beautiful looks, artistic talent, and skill with the sword.
One could say her birth was at the very top.
But one day, Epsilon was discovered to have [Demonic Possession], and in that instant she lost everything.
Her friends cursed her, her family abandoned her, and the elven girl turned from a dazzling jewel into filth in the gutter.
Epsilon still remembered clearly.
The first part of her body to rot and twist was her arm. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hide it. It truly looked like she was being possessed by a demon.
She had lost the will to live, yet lacked the courage to embrace death.
But when she wandered confused through the forest, barely defending herself… her Master appeared.
"Do you desire power?"
The voice had seemed to descend from the heavens.
As Epsilon's consciousness gradually faded, she couldn't even tell who was speaking to her. Her vision blurred, unable to make out the figure in the dark night.
She only felt that it must be a black angel, or perhaps a beautiful demon — but whatever it was, Epsilon instinctively ran toward it.
At that moment, a single thought formed in her heart:
Even if I've become so ugly, there is still someone in this world willing to accept me.
"Please, give me strength. Please… save me."
"Very well. Accept my magic."
Leon spoke as he poured magic into her, healing her body.
Epsilon's form regained its beauty, and her blurred vision cleared once more.
And then she saw — the one holding her was an unbelievably handsome young man.
"You've recovered. Now choose your future. If you want to rage against this hypocritical world, do as you wish. But if you wish to understand the true world… then come with me."
"I'll go with you."
Not a moment's hesitation.
Epsilon agreed without doubt.
She had nothing left. She was filthy and ugly after losing everything — yet this person was still willing to accept her, still willing to embrace her.
So why should she hesitate? She swore in her heart to become his most beloved.
But the competition was far stronger than she had ever imagined.
Everything Epsilon had once been proud of meant nothing in Night Raid.
Alpha was flawless, Beta was adorable, Gamma was brilliant, and then there was the mighty Delta… At that time, before Epsilon had even discovered her own talents, she was utterly at the bottom.
So she worked desperately to hone her strength.
She pursued perfection every single day.
Hoping that someday, she might be useful.
Longing for the day she could win her Master's heart.
But there was one thing no amount of effort could give her.
A beautiful body.
Epsilon: Why? Why do they all have such perfect bodies?!
She had once screamed those words into the night sky.
If only appearances were about the face, there would be no need for her to despair. But compared to their figures, Epsilon's self-esteem sank like a stone.
Who could possibly understand how she felt at that moment? Surrounded by girls of her own age, yet each one blessed with impossibly perfect bodies since childhood.
They had only been six or seven years old back then, but Alpha and the others already looked as though they'd begun to blossom.
Her greatest rival — Beta — had surpassed even "melon level" by the age of eight!
And she… she was still nothing more than a flat runway.
Epsilon's despair at that time was almost as deep as when she had been discovered to carry [Demonic Possession].
But there is always a way out.
One day, her beloved Master introduced a miraculous battle outfit: slime bodysuits.
The instant she saw them, her soul was shaken. She immediately realized this was her chance to defy fate itself.
Epsilon: With this… I can make my breasts bigger!
And so, the girl set foot on the path of slime magic.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."