A roar of cheers erupted.
It was a massive panic, the only way to describe it.
The place I had jumped into was like a waiting area for Golem-like.
In a space like a parking lot, dozens… or maybe over a hundred Golem-like were lined up neatly, and humans who seemed to be maintenance workers were pouring 〖Mana〗 into them.
However, the sudden appearance of a 〖Feral Beast〗 caused them to lose their nerve, and they fled, screaming.
The Golem-like, which had been filled with 〖Mana〗, began to move as if to protect the fleeing humans. They reversed their steps towards the gate and turned towards me.
『You might not believe it, but listen to me. I have no intention of fighting』
I tried to tell them, but as expected, they didn’t listen. The humans were all desperately trying to escape.
Well, that’s what I expected. I didn’t think they’d listen to me the first time.
『It would have been a bit easier without the Golem-like…』
“Then do your best.”
『Yeah. But they’re not really opponents that require me to try hard』
I received encouragement from Fiss, who was hiding between the castle wall and me, and faced the Golems.
They shot beams and slashed with 〖Mana〗 blades, but their movements were so slow that I could yawn. Their 〖Mana〗 was also weak, and the ones around here seemed to be of the 〖Greater Beast〗 class.
“(It’s not good to destroy them, is it?)”
Now that I know this is a human city, I intend to minimize destruction in order to establish friendly relations.
Well, the problem is how to do that. How do you neutralize a Golem-like?
…For now, I’ll just throw the nearest enemy away.
This waiting area is quite large, so there’s no problem with where to throw them. I keep throwing them, using just enough force not to break them.
Since I’m not hurting them, the number doesn’t decrease, and if anything, the Golem-like that returned from outside are adding to the number, but my goal is to buy time, so it doesn’t matter.
If I keep dealing with the Golems like this, eventually—
“(—Here he comes)”
“〖Gust Slash〗”
A gust of wind blew through. At the same time, a flash of sword light erupted.
A man who had just appeared closed the distance in an instant and slashed at me.
What was surprising was his speed. It was agility that surpassed even ordinary 〖Feral Beasts〗.
“(Well, he’s not as strong as the Dragon of the Demon Beast Cult)”
While thinking of the dragon, who was one of the top-class 〖Feral Beasts〗, I deflected the slash with Forest Shackles.
It was a semi-transparent sword. A 〖Mana〗 blade extended from the tip of a cross-shaped hilt.
The one wielding it was a Long-Haired Giant. His light green hair was tied back, and his muscular body was encased in red armor.
He narrowed his sharp eyes, took a deep breath, and launched his next attack.
“〖Gust Step〗, 〖Heavy Slash〗”
“(He can fly? Is it a 〖Skill〗 similar to 〖Air Jump〗?)”
He stepped into mid-air.
In an instant, he gained the high ground, and in the next moment, he changed direction and pounced on me.
Of course, the Golems were still firing, but he skillfully slipped through the gaps in the 〖Mana〗 beams with his agile movements.
It wasn’t just simple speed; his movements were also high-level.
“What!?”
“(But direction doesn’t really matter to me)”
A high-speed surprise attack from above. Certainly, it would be effective against a Demon Beast with eyes in the front.
The movement to turn the head upwards would be delayed by a beat, and most creatures are structurally weak to attacks from above.
But I’m a Slime. My vision covers all directions, and I can move the top of my body freely.
This time, I twisted the upper part of my body and caught the 〖Mana〗 sword with a white-feathered grip.
“Blade off, 〖Gust Step〗!”
The man’s reaction to this was swift.
As soon as he extinguished the 〖Mana〗 blade, he kicked off the air and quickly created distance.
The man took more distance than before, leaving the attacks to the Golems and observing the situation.
He saw that I could react to his speed. He must be thinking about how to break through.
…It’s about time.
『Hey, can I talk to you for a second?』
“Is this 〖Mana〗 communication…? No, more importantly, who is…”
The man frowned and quickly looked around.
But the source of the voice couldn’t be found. Perhaps because it hasn’t been thirty seconds since his arrival, there was no sign of reinforcements coming.
…Well, the source of the voice is right in front of him.
『In front, in front, it’s the light blue cube being attacked by this Golem-like』
“A Demon Beast… is talking…?”
The man showed a bigger reaction than before, his eyes wide open.
He kept his battle stance, but looked at me with a suspicious gaze.
『Ah… no, I’m not a Demon Beast, I’m a human who came from the surface. I might look like a Demon Beast, but this is just a transformation using magic』
“…………I can’t believe it.”
“It’s true.”
“What!”
Fiss’s voice echoed there.
It wasn’t the silent conversation through 〖Telepathy〗, but her real voice. It seemed to shake the man’s emotions even more.
『I know it’s hard to believe, but can you stop the Golem-like’s attacks for now? I’m acting as a shield right now, but if this keeps up, the girl behind me will get scared』
I told him that with a feigned innocence. This was the plan I had made in advance.
I would appeal to the fact that I was with a frail girl, forcibly stop the attacks, and bring the situation to negotiations. That’s why I had Fiss not fight until now.
The Long-Haired Giant was silent for a moment at this despicable tactic, which was similar to taking a hostage.
He must have considered various possibilities, because he took a few steps back from that spot, and then gave instructions to the surrounding Golems.
“Command, cease attack, defensive formation.”
“(〖Telepathy〗…? No, it’s a bit different)”
Following the orders using 〖Mana〗, the Golems formed a line in front of the man with perfect coordination.
The Golems in the front and second rows held up 〖Mana〗 shields, and the Golems behind them aimed their 〖Mana〗 shooting weapons at me.
Then, when the attacks stopped, Fiss came out from behind me.
She was still wearing her armor, but I had stored her axe.
To prove that she wasn’t being threatened as a hostage, she walked to the back of the Golem formation, and it was there that the Giant finally lowered his guard towards us.
“…To think that you were actually human. I apologize for the discourtesy of pointing my sword at you, I’m sorry.”
『No, no, it’s my fault for approaching you in such a confusing form, I’m the one who was wrong』
I tried to say that as brightly as possible.
In the first place, my 〖Life〗 hadn’t decreased at all, so there was no need for him to apologize.
『More importantly, we just fell from the surface… from above that ceiling. We didn’t know about this city, or that there was a city in such an underground place. Would you mind telling us about it?』
“Of course. I don’t think that will make up for my sins, but I will cooperate as much as I can.”
However, his words continued.
I had a rough idea of what his next line would be. He would probably ask me to dispel the magic and prove that I was really human.
I had expected this flow, so of course I had a countermeasure prepared.
“Could you dispel that magic? The people are frightened.”
『Ah, sorry. Once I use this magic, I can’t dispel it for a while—』
An excuse that was suspicious beyond words.
I piled on the words before he could say anything.
『—More importantly, what are those Golem-like you guys are using? Actually, I fought a Demon Beast like this on the surface, is there any connection?』
“What, that’s, could it be, from the legends…!”
What I took out was the upper half of the “Colossus”.
The man’s eyes widened as he saw it, with the head of a golden dragon.
The countermeasure was to confuse the issue with a topic that could attract other interests! And to make him think that I was human by default!
It was a secret plan that I came up with after seeing Fiss, who believed I was human even though she had never seen my human form.
As I had expected, there seemed to be some connection between the “Colossus” and the underground city, and the Giant was fixated on it, forgetting about me.
Seeing that, I chuckled to myself in my heart.