"It could be considered magic."
Lu Minghao nodded as he looked at Sally, whose eyes were shining as she gazed at him. This world indeed had magic, but that was merely a power used by humans. Monsters used "skills." The difference was that one required chanting and coordination with the magicules in one's body to activate, while "skills" required nothing at all, functioning more like instinct.
In this world, powerful and rare "skills" were the key to becoming strong. As for magic, even Razen, known as the strongest human mage in the Kingdom of Falmus in the original story, had been casually erased beneath Rimuru's Divine Wrath.
And that had still been before Rimuru awakened as a "True" Demon Lord. Thus, in this world, "skills" were the symbol of strength.
However, even if Lu Minghao explained all this to Sally, she was not yet ten and had grown up digging through garbage for food. There was no way she could understand it.
"Oh! Minghao, Minghao, can Sally learn this magic too?"
Sally had no idea what Lu Minghao was thinking. At that moment, she simply held him in her hands, her little face filled with excitement and anticipation as she looked at him.
"Sally, are you willing to leave with me?"
Lu Minghao did not answer Sally's question. Instead, he exerted a little force and jumped out of her hands, landing on the ground before asking seriously, "After learning his identity and the world he lived in, Lu Minghao had already decided to become strong—a strong person who could live as he pleased, rather than a weakling who could be trampled on and killed at will."
That meant Lu Minghao could not remain in this ordinary village forever. It had none of the abundant nourishment he needed to grow. Possessing the talent Gluttony, the best way for Lu Minghao to grow quickly was destined to be hunting and devouring.
"Minghao, do you not want Sally anymore?"
Sally looked at Lu Minghao on the ground. Her large eyes brimmed with tears, while fear, disappointment, and sorrow filled her immature face. Her frail body slowly crouched down, trembling as she curled into a ball.
"When did I ever say I didn't want you? I'm asking whether you're willing to leave this place with me, to leave this village and the place where your father and Grandma Oran once lived."
Looking at Sally curled up like an abandoned little beast, Lu Minghao sighed and reached out to gently stroke her hair. At that moment, he understood that no matter what Sally had experienced in the past or what she was like in front of other people, before Lu Minghao, whom she absolutely trusted and depended on, she was only a child under ten. A single word from her could bring her fear, sorrow, terror, or joy.
"Really? You won't abandon Sally?"
Sally slowly raised her head and looked at Lu Minghao with tear-filled eyes before asking again uncertainly.
"Mm. I absolutely won't abandon Sally."
"Then Sally wants to leave with you, Minghao! No matter where you go, Sally will always stay with you!"
The next second, after receiving Lu Minghao's affirmation, Sally threw herself at him and hugged him tightly. Her tear-streaked face was filled with unprecedented seriousness, and she looked at Lu Minghao with watery eyes as she spoke each word clearly.
"Mm."
Lu Minghao looked at the girl before him. Her eyes were red from crying, tears still streaked her face, yet her expression was more serious than ever. He nodded firmly.
"By the way, Sally, there's something I have to tell you. We'll probably end up as the big villains, so if you follow me, you'll become the Great Witch."
After all, Lu Minghao wanted to grow quickly. The price was countless lives becoming nourishment for Gluttony, which meant that in the eyes of certain beings, Lu Minghao himself was destined to be absolute "evil."
"The Great Witch? Heehee! Sally is the Great Witch."
Under the sunlight, the girl smiled brilliantly as she looked at the slime in her arms. At that moment, the first and final vow between the slime and the half-human, half-ghost girl was made.
"All right, stop fooling around, Sally. We need to find today's food. If you want to become the Great Witch, you'll have to eat more first."
A few minutes later, Lu Minghao had no choice but to stop Sally, who was still happily carrying him around in circles. Finding food was the main purpose of their outing. Although Sally looked healthy now, her physical strength and vitality were even greater than those of an ordinary human child.
But that was precisely what was most abnormal. Sally had half the bloodline of the Oni Clan, and the Oni Clan was considered quite powerful among the monsters of this world. At the very least, any adult with even a little aptitude would be a Middle Demon, while the strongest could even grow into an Upper Demon.
Although Sally's half-Oni bloodline did not mean she could defeat a Lower Demon outright, she should not have been unable to defeat even an ordinary adult human as she was now. This was entirely because she had dug through garbage for food since childhood, taking in far too few nutrients and suffering stunted development.
And if Sally was to become stronger, the most important thing for now was to let her body obtain sufficient nourishment. Once her body was strong enough, Lu Minghao could grant Sally the Power of Gluttony and transform her into his Servant Race.
From beginning to end, Lu Minghao had never intended to protect Sally like a canary in a cage. Since she planned to leave with him, she was destined to face all kinds of enemies. Moreover, the Oni bloodline within Sally already made her warlike and bloodthirsty.
It was only because her body was currently underdeveloped that her Oni bloodline had yet to fully awaken. Even so, Sally had already shown that she was extraordinary. After all, how could an ordinary human child survive alone after losing her parents at the age of five, let alone live by herself in the forest?
"Sally is going to eat until she's completely full today! Sally is the Great Witch!"
Amid Sally's joyful cheers, she picked up Lu Minghao and ran toward the place where she usually gathered wild fruits. Before leaving, she also picked up the half-meter-long snake carcass that had fallen to the ground earlier, wrapped it around her waist, and casually tied it into a butterfly knot.
One hour later.
Lu Minghao watched with interest as Sally stood on tiptoe in the distance, her little face flushed red as she stretched out her hand, trying to pick the fruit above her head. Then he turned around and looked toward the depths of the dark woods behind him, where rustling sounds kept coming from.
"That should be enough."
Looking at the constantly swaying bushes, Lu Minghao felt that there should be enough already. After all, he still had to stay in this place for several days to monitor the village. If he caught everything at once, there would be nothing left to eat in a few days.
At that thought, Lu Minghao quietly canceled the Illusory Dream Lure he had released earlier. (The Illusory Dream Lure emitted an irresistible, alluring scent to those weaker than its user and caused them to fall into a frenzy.)
"Minghao, look! Look! I finally picked a fruit!"
At that moment, Sally had finally picked a fruit in the distance. She raised her little hand and waved it as she ran toward Lu Minghao. But the next second, the happy expression on her face turned extremely tense and frantic as a huge mouth filled with fangs suddenly appeared behind Lu Minghao.
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