The Great Witch, Sally is the Great Witch

"It's a kind of magic, I suppose."

Lu Minghao nodded at Sally, who was looking at him with sparkling eyes. This world did have magic, but it was merely a power used by humans. Monsters used 'skills.' The difference was that magic required incantations and the use of internal magic elements to activate, whereas 'skills' required none, being akin to instinct.

In this world, powerful and rare 'skills' were the key to becoming strong. As for magic, even Razan, who was hailed as the strongest human mage in the Kingdom of Falmus in the original story, was easily annihilated by Rimuru's 'Divine Wrath.'

And that was before Rimuru had awakened as a 'True Demon Lord.' Therefore, 'skills' were the symbol of strength in this world.

Of course, even if Lu Minghao explained this to Sally, a girl who was not yet ten years old and had grown up scavenging from garbage heaps, she certainly wouldn't understand.

"Oh, oh! Minghao, Minghao, can Sally learn this magic too?"

Unaware of Lu Minghao's thoughts, Sally, holding him in her hands, looked up at him with a face full of excitement and anticipation.

"Sally, are you willing to leave with me?"

Lu Minghao didn't answer Sally's question. Instead, he gently exerted force, jumping out of Sally's hands and landing on the ground. He asked with utmost seriousness. Ever since Lu Minghao understood his identity and the world he was in, he had decided to become strong. A strong person who could live as they pleased, not a weakling who could be trampled and killed at will.

This meant Lu Minghao could not stay in this ordinary village forever. There wasn't enough nourishment for Lu Minghao to grow here. Possessing the 'Gluttony' talent meant that the best way for Lu Minghao to grow quickly was to hunt and devour.

"Minghao. Don't you want Sally anymore?"

Sally looked at Lu Minghao on the ground, her large eyes filling with tears. Her young face was filled with fear, loss, and sadness. Her thin body involuntarily crouched on the ground, trembling and curled up.

"When did I ever say I didn't want you? I'm asking if you're willing to leave here with me, leave this village, leave the place where your father and Grandma Oran used to live?"

Lu Minghao looked at Sally, who was curled up like an abandoned little animal. He sighed and reached out, gently stroking her hair. At this moment, he understood that no matter what Sally had experienced in the past, or how she behaved towards others.

In front of Lu Minghao, whom she trusted and depended on absolutely, she was just a child not yet ten years old, capable of feeling fear, sadness, and happiness at his words.

"Really? You won't abandon Sally?"

Sally slowly raised her head, her tear-filled eyes looking at Lu Minghao, and asked again uncertainly.

"Yes, I will never abandon Sally."

"Then Sally will go with Minghao, no matter where Minghao goes, Sally will always be with you!"

The next second, Sally, having received Lu Minghao's affirmation, pounced on him and hugged him tightly. Her tear-streaked face showed an unprecedented seriousness as she looked at Lu Minghao with her big, watery eyes and spoke word by word.

"Mm."

Lu Minghao looked at the girl in front of him, whose eyes were red and tears streamed down her face, yet her expression was one of unprecedented seriousness. He nodded forcefully.

"Oh, right, Sally, there's something I need to tell you. We'll most likely be the villains from now on, Sally. If you follow me, you'll become a Great Witch."

After all, Lu Minghao's desire for rapid growth came at the cost of countless lives becoming nourishment for 'Gluttony,' destined to be seen as absolute 'evil' by certain beings in the future.

"Great Witch, hehe! Sally is the Great Witch."

Under the sunlight, the girl's face was filled with a brilliant smile as she looked at the slime in her arms. Thus, the initial and ultimate vow between the slime and the half-human, half-demon girl was sealed.

"Alright, stop fooling around, Sally. It's time to find today's food. After all, if you want to become a Great Witch, you need to eat more."

A few minutes later, seeing Sally still happily hugging him and spinning around, Lu Minghao had to stop her. Food was the main purpose of Lu Minghao and Sally's outing this time. Don't be fooled by Sally's healthy appearance now; her physical fitness and vitality were even stronger than those of ordinary human children.

But this was also the most abnormal part. One must know that Sally had half the bloodline of the Ghost Tribe within her. The Ghost Tribe was considered quite strong among the monsters in this world. At least, those with decent talent after reaching adulthood were Middle Demons, and the strongest could even grow into Upper Demons.

With half the bloodline of the Ghost Tribe, Sally shouldn't be unable to even defeat an ordinary adult human, let alone directly defeat a Lower Demon. Her current state was entirely due to scavenging from garbage heaps since childhood, resulting in a severe lack of nutrients and underdeveloped growth.

And to make Sally stronger, the most important thing currently was to provide her body with sufficient nutrients. Once her body was strong enough, Lu Minghao could bestow the 'Power of Gluttony' upon her and transform her into his familiar.

From beginning to end, Lu Minghao never intended to protect Sally like a canary. Since she decided to leave with him, she was destined to face all sorts of enemies. Moreover, Sally's Ghost Tribe bloodline made her naturally inclined towards fighting and killing.

It was just that her body was currently underdeveloped, and her Ghost Tribe bloodline hadn't been fully activated. However, it still allowed Sally to show her extraordinary nature. After all, how could an ordinary human child survive on their own after losing their parents at the age of five, and continue to live alone in the forest?

"Sally will eat her fill today, Sally is the Great Witch!"

Accompanied by Sally's cheerful laughter, she picked up Lu Minghao in her arms and ran towards the place where she usually picked wild fruits. Of course, before leaving, Sally also picked up the half-meter-long snake corpse that had fallen on the ground earlier and tied it around her waist with a casual knot.

An hour later.

Lu Minghao watched with great interest as Sally, standing on her tiptoes, her little face flushed red, reached out to pick a fruit from above her head. He then turned to look into the depths of the dark forest behind them, where rustling sounds were continuously coming from.

"It should be enough."

Looking at the constantly swaying bushes, Lu Minghao felt it was probably enough. After all, they still had to live in this place for a few more days to monitor the village, so if he caught everything at once, there would be nothing left to eat in a few days.

With that thought, Lu Minghao quietly canceled the 'Illusory Dream Lure' he had released earlier. ([Illusory Dream Lure]: Emits an irresistible alluring scent to the weak and causes them to fall into a frenzy.)

"Minghao, look, look, I finally picked a fruit!"

At this moment, Sally, who had finally picked a fruit not far away, waved the fruit in her hand and ran towards Lu Minghao. But the next second, the happy expression on Sally's face turned incredibly tense and panicked as a large mouth full of fangs suddenly appeared behind Lu Minghao.