COTE x Reincarnated As A Slime (On Hold)

Chapter 10

3rd POV

The magic-born Myulan pushed her emotions deep inside as she walked across the forest. She was a witch who lived in this forest. Persecuted by others, she had fled here three hundred years ago- quietly researching her magic, interacting with no one. Extending one's life only works for so long.

That was until demon lord Clayman came. He had been at that post for about three hundred years, and he was negotiating with well-known monsters and magic-born at the time, or smashing them to bits. He was building his army at an astonishing pace, and that was what brought him to meet Myulan in the first place.

Seeking her magic, he made an offer: To grant her eternal time and a young body that will never age, in exchange, she would offer her allegiance.

Myulan had accepted, which was her mistake. She did indeed earn eternal age, but in the process, lost her freedom. For Clayman, swindling someone with high magic experience and as little experience with the outside world as Myulan, was like taking candy from a baby.

The moment she made the oath, a cursed seal was carved into her heart. It was called the Marionette Heart, which was one of Clayman's mystic abilities.

This skill was pulled off successfully, and Myulan was reborn- and became a marionette, unable to defy the will of Clayman. Ever since that moment, she became Clayman's puppet.

She could not understand some, like Gelmud: magic-born who willfully wanted to be ruled over. She was always looking for a loophole that she could use to free herself and strike back at Clayman. But her knowledge told her this was all impossible. The moment she broke through, she would revert to human form. Frozen time would start again, and there would be little, if any left to her natural life span. And there was another reason: Clayman was so much more powerful than she was- enough to make her writhe in disgust.

So Myulan continued serving Clayman, knowing she would never find a way to bypass the curse and defy him.

And now...

Clayman's latest assignment for her was an investigation.

"I'm not sure I'm suited for battle..."

"No. You aren't, regardless of how high-leveled you are. So I want you to observe how those who serve a demon lord fight, and then record it for me. You won't be in direct contact with them. I am sure you're capable of that, yes?"

She was hoping she'd be asked to scout for new members for their fighting force. She was disappointed. Instead, the demon lord flashed a serene smile and gave her his order.

The demon lord Clayman could manipulate his underlings like puppets and grab the very heart of those he encounters.

Only a small portion of people could be called his friend. The rest of his forces were mere tools to him, only used until they wore to nothing. If they wanted to live, their only choice was to obey his orders. This mission, too, was set in stone. As far as Clayman is concerned, if Myulan said anything else, it would just anger him.

And so, she could only agree. Using her magic ball, she observed what could be seen. It all started before the Orc Lord until Milim came. The problem was, the first time she observed, somebody had already sensed her. It was a Devil, a true monster.

He just looked at her uninterestedly and said, "Spy all you want. Tell whoever had asked you to spy that if he plans anything that involves destroying my peaceful life, his plans will fail and backfire."

His eye seemed to pierce into Myulan's soul, striking fear into her heart. Every time she spied, he would notice, which got worse when Milim came as both always noticed her.