Episode 48: Question Time
A few minutes after returning the spear, we were sitting facing each other.
Well, only the two humans were sitting on logs, while I, a cube, was standing (sitting) on the ground.
“Alright, first question.”
After returning the spear, I was going to get various things explained as thanks.
The young man had said he would do other things for me, and there were various things I wanted to ask, but first, information.
There were many things I didn’t know about this world, and knowledge was essential to decide on a future course of action.
More than anything, the young man was the second son of a merchant family and seemed to have more knowledge than an ordinary adventurer.
“Are there any ‘demon beasts that coexist with humans,’ like pets or familiars?”
“Are you asking about anything other than livestock?”
“That’s right.”
“…I haven’t heard of many. I’ve heard that there are rare nobles or wealthy merchants who keep demon beasts as a hobby, but that should be a very small number.”
“So they do exist? Then, if I have a human helper, can I enter a town?”
“Ah, no, that’s difficult… or rather, I think you should stop that.”
The young man waved his hands in a hurry.
“Slime-dono’s species is highly valued both in terms of Soul Shard (Experience) and materials, and many humans will target you. Unless you are protected by a very high-ranking authority, you will surely be attacked or kidnapped. Well, in the first place, without the cooperation of an authority figure, knights and guards would not allow you to bring a demon beast into town.”
“Hmm, is that so…? I thought that if things went well, I wouldn’t be attacked by adventurers…”
“Ah, I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
The young man picked up on my grumbling and said in a light tone.
“The upper echelons of the Adventurer’s Guild have decided not to interfere with Slime-dono.”
“Huh? What’s that? I don’t know about that.”
The girl tilted her head while stuffing fruit into her mouth.
I had given her some of the fruit I was cultivating as a thank you for letting me ask her questions.
“Well, this matter is confidential.”
Then, the young man told me the following.
I, who defeated the Red Monster, was a dangerous demon beast.
However, I could not be killed by ordinary means, and I did not seem hostile to humans.
Therefore, they would keep their distance for now and see how things went.
However, if it became known that there was a Jewel Slime Dire Beast, there would definitely be humans who would be blinded by greed.
To prevent that, they had kept the information secret from ordinary adventurers, and instead, they had spread rumors that I had already been subjugated.
Fortunately, the young man was the only one who knew of my existence, and if they could silence the high-level adventurers who operated in the Ferocious Beast Zone—humans seemed to classify areas by the Mana concentration using Beast Ranks—then theoretically, it could be kept completely secret.
“So that’s what happened…”
“Well, Paula-san doesn’t have much contact with other adventurers…”
“Sorry for being a loner.”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant… Well, putting that aside, please don’t tell anyone about Slime-dono.”
“Of course.”
Here, I asked about something that had been bothering me.
“By the way, is your name Paula?”
“Ah, didn’t I say it? That’s right, I’m Paula Stear.”
“Ah, I’m sorry for the late introduction, I’m Ergo Farge.”
“What about you, Slime-san? Or do you even have a name?”
“I do. My name is Kouya. Nice to meet you.”
I thought it might be strange for a slime to have a family name, so I left that out.
After reintroducing ourselves, we moved on to the next question.
“Could you tell me about the adventurer ranks? Like, what Level they are, and what Beast Rank demon beasts they can fight?”
“Well… first, there are five ranks for adventurers. The lowest is Unranked. Then there’s Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, High-Rank, and the highest is Hero-Rank. And then—”
Summarizing what the young man, Ergo, said, it was like this.
Unranked are beginners with single-digit Levels. They are beginners who can barely hunt Lesser Beasts.
Low-Rank means they’ve graduated from being newbies, but they are still weak. Many are Level 10 or higher, but even in a party, they are unreliable when fighting Greater Beasts.
Mid-Rank is where they finally become full-fledged. They are over Level 20, and some can defeat Greater Beasts on their own.
Those over Level 50 are considered respectable High-Rank adventurers. They are powerful warriors who, in a party, would not lose to Dire Beasts, and they are usually the highest-ranking members of the guild in most towns.
But in reality, there is a rank that is only given to a handful of strong individuals who have broken through the Level 100 barrier.
That is Hero-Rank. The rank of Superhumans who can even fight Feral Beasts.
“—Well, that’s how it is. Well, there’s quite a bit of variation in strength even within the same rank, so you can’t really rely on it too much. I’m a Mid-Rank, but if I fought a Greater Beast, I’d be killed immediately.”
To him, who concluded in such a way, I asked a question I had had for a while.
“Hey, has a Hero-Rank adventurer come near here recently? Like, someone who looks old?”
“Ah! Yes, he did. His name was, I think…”
“Munch munch gulp, hmm, it’s Torba-san, the ‘War Demon’.”
“That’s it!”
After listening to the story, I learned that Torba was a crazy Old Man who challenged any demon beast with his bare hands.
The other characteristics also matched, so he was probably the Old Man who had damaged me.
Well, he seemed to have already left for another town, so I was relieved.
Let’s move on to the next question.
“The Feral Beast you mentioned earlier, is that Beast Rank the next stage after Dire Beast?”
“That’s right. They are calamities that can only be evolved by demon beasts that have broken through the Level 100 barrier, and they can even destroy towns single-handedly.”
“Is the giant turtle with trees growing from its shell in the center of this Forest also a Feral Beast?”
“A giant turtle… are you talking about Dwazov? If so, then it should definitely be a Feral Beast.”
“I see…!”
Alright, I can finally see the back of the Forest Turtle!
It will take much, much more time to catch up, but the thought that I’ll be able to match its Beast Rank soon gives me energy.
“Ah, that’s right. Speaking of Beast Ranks, humans have something else, right? Uh, what was it… right, Attribute!”
“Yes, Attributes are like Species. What corresponds to Beast Rank is Arcana Rank.”
“Arcana Rank…?”
Another word I don’t know has come up.
“It’s like the grade of an Attribute. At first, it’s First Canon, then Second Canon. The higher the number, the stronger it becomes.”
“Does that also increase with Level?”
“No, Arcana Rank increases by mastering magic. However, in order to train magic, it is necessary to increase your Level to increase your maximum Mana, so it is not completely unrelated. Also, unlike Species, Attributes rarely change their names. I am Second Canon, but I have been a Phantom Attribute since I was First Canon.”
“Ah, so you were using magic when you were hiding back then.”
Then, I suddenly became curious and turned my attention to Paula next to me.
“By the way, what kind of Attribute does Paula have?”
The air froze.
—Well, I can’t use magic because I have a dud Attribute.
Belatedly, I remembered the words I had heard before.
The girl lowered her eyes, and the young man awkwardly averted his gaze.
“No, I asked something insensitive. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to—”
“No, it’s not something I need to hide, and I’ll tell you. I’ve been treated to a meal, too.”
Paula raised her eyes and spoke calmly.
Her voice, which was more subdued than usual, seemed to be suppressing anger, enduring sadness, or giving up on everything.
“My Attribute is…”
If I had a throat, I would have gulped.
That’s how nervous I was.
I had decided in my heart that no matter what answer I heard, I would not react in a way that would hurt her.
Then, after a hesitant pause, Paula opened her mouth.
“—Spatial.”
“Spa…tial…?”
I didn’t understand what she meant, so I repeated it back to her.
Spatial, does that mean the super famous Spatial that I’m thinking of?
“Yeah, I have Spatial Affinity.”
“…………”
“Hehehe, it’s confusing, isn’t it, Spatial?”
Paula showed a self-deprecating smile that was somewhat shadowed, unlike her usual dazzling smile.
I took a moment to repeat her words, chew them over, and understand them.
And then I shouted in my heart.
Isn’t that a cheat no matter how you look at it?!