Episode 38: Encounters and Farewells
“(No way… Surao, is that you!?)”
Forgetting all about chasing the Boar Orc, I questioned the slime before me.
It had undergone an 〖Evolution〗 and become a 〖Greater Beast〗, but… there was no mistaking it.
That luster, that color, that roundness.
No matter how you looked at it, it had to be Surao.
“(Who are you? I don’t know any slimes with weird shapes like you.)”
“(Weird shape!?)”
…No, that’s not important right now.
“(It’s me, it’s me! You know, we used to be together.)”
“(Who… ?)”
“(Have you forgotten!? We used to gather berries together!)”
“(Slimes in the group. Mostly, we gather berries together.)”
I guess that’s true.
“(Sigh, it’s Sura-suke, Sura-suke! Remember?)”
“(That’s a lie. Sura-suke is a small fry. He’s not big like you. And his color was gray.)”
“(I 〖Evolved〗! When you 〖Evolve〗, your body gets bigger, and your color might change… or something… ?)”
I wasn’t too confident about the latter, and my voice trailed off weakly.
Slimes don’t 〖Evolve〗 much, so I was just thinking about my own case, but I don’t know if other slimes change color when they 〖Evolve〗.
Come to think of it, I’ve been blue ever since I became a Jewel Slime type.
It probably would have changed if I had become a Ruby Slime, though.
“(–Well, that’s not important. More importantly, what are you doing in a place like this? I told you not to go into the depths where the 〖Mana〗 is thick.)”
“(We’re here to raise our 〖Soul Accumulation Value (Level)〗, obviously.)”
“(Huh? What are you saying? It’s one thing for you and Sura-ta, who are 〖Greater Beasts〗, but bringing 〖Lesser Beast〗 children with you… are you serious?)”
Surao had several slimes following behind him, and they were clearly 〖Lesser Beasts〗.
We had moved quite a bit while chasing the Boar Orc, so we had left the area where 〖Dire Beasts〗 appeared, but this place was still thick with 〖Mana〗, to the point where 〖Greater Beasts〗 weren’t rare.
“(To become strong, sacrifices are necessary. There are many slimes in the group. It’s not a problem if a few are lost.)”
“(N-no way… Does Sura-ta… does Sura-ta know about this!?)”
“(Of course, it’s Sura-ta’s order.)”
“…………”
I was speechless.
What do these guys think of their companions’ lives… !
“(Damn it, stop it right now! I’ll talk to Sura-ta directly, and…)”
I shouted, driven by righteous indignation, but my words trailed off.
Somehow, it felt like it was someone else’s problem.
Maybe it’s because my human memories have returned, but I don’t feel as much of a sense of kinship with slimes as I used to.
I can’t lump them together with other Demon Beasts because I have the experience of living as a slime, but my attachment to them has faded to just that.
“(Sura-suke was banished. Outsiders, don’t interfere.)”
“(Y-yeah, maybe so…)”
I was pushed back by Surao’s strong tone, and I gave such a weak reply.
After that, Surao and the others resumed exploring the forest, and while I was wondering whether to stop them, a flash of light suddenly attacked from behind.
“〖Explode Cannon〗”
–WHOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
An extraordinary roar shook the forest, and a blinding blast of wind raged.
A heat wave with the force to overturn the ground was released from beyond the trees, and it exploded on the surface of my body.
“Slaaaaaaaah!”
I was unharmed by the direct hit, but the aftereffects alone were fatal to everyone else.
The death cries of the slimes echoed.
But in a way, they were lucky; those near me couldn’t even scream before they died.
“(W-what was–)”
“As powerful as ever. How was it? Did we get them?”
“Unknown. I have a feeling I took out the surrounding 〖Lesser Beasts〗. But I don’t know if my magic will work on a Jewel Slime 〖Dire Beast〗…”
“Why aren’t you boasting like usual~?”
“A superior mage knows themselves. I don’t overdo it, I always make a fair assessment.”
I could hear the voices of two women from beyond the rising smoke.
They looked to be around twenty years old. The attack just now must have been their magic.
“S-Sura…”
“(! Hey, Surao! Are you okay!?)”
Right now, the injured are more important than the identity of the attackers. In the thick smoke, I headed towards the survivors.
But the only one left alive was Surao, and even he had suffered a fatal wound.
It seemed like he had been burned by the heat of the blast, and his body was slowly necrotizing (melting).
“Are you okay?” was just a reflex, a meaningless reassurance.
I already knew he couldn’t be saved.
“(Damn it, if only I had noticed it sooner…)”
Even though slimes have all-around vision, I was too focused on Surao and the others at that time, and my vigilance towards other directions was weak.
That’s why my response was delayed.
If I had been able to use 〖Cover〗, I could have protected all the slimes.
I want to punch the me from a minute ago who was acting like I couldn’t feel a sense of kinship.
Seeing them die like this, my regrets overflowed endlessly.
“(I’m sorry, Surao, everyone…)”
“(Hmph… You… don’t… need… to… cover… me… I’m… fine…)”
Maybe he sensed my guilt. Surao said such things.
I felt sorry for making someone on the verge of death worry about me, and I ended up looking for words to escape responsibility.
“(In the first place, why do we have to be targeted… We who have lived without attacking humans, of all things…!)”
Ah, I know. This is an unreasonable anger.
Slimes also hunt Demon Beasts for survival, and the reason we didn’t attack humans was out of fear of retaliation.
There were no promises or treaties.
Besides, the biggest reason we were attacked was probably because I was there.
They used that magic to kill me, who has a lot of 〖Experience Points〗.
Surao and the others were just caught in my crossfire–
“(What… are… you… saying…? Don’t… put… me… with… a… small fry… like… you… We… have… attacked… humans… many… times…)”
Wait a minute.
“(…I told you to never attack humans, didn’t I… ?)”
“(We… don’t… fear… humans… at… all…)”
At that moment, I heard voices from beyond the smoke.
“Speaking of which, your sister had a terrible experience. I heard she was the first adventurer to be attacked by a Throwing Stone Slime.”
“Yeah~. The party leader ordered a retreat right away, so she wasn’t seriously injured, but she got a huge bump on her head.”
“If that’s all, then it’s a cheap price… or not.”
“Yeah, yeah. If there are any survivors when this smoke clears, I’m going to cut them to pieces!”
“The after-use visibility is a flaw of 〖Explode Cannon〗. I’ll improve it eventually.”
At that moment, more than half of Surao’s body next to me necrotized.
Then, the necrotized area spread at an accelerated rate, and his entire body melted into a gel in an instant.
That’s what happens to dead slimes.
“…………”
An indescribable emotion surged in my chest.
But there was no time to hesitate.
After putting my hands together for the slimes, I quickly 〖Fled〗 from the scene so as not to be cut to pieces by the humans.