‘(Those simpletons...!)’
While venting my frustrations, I hurriedly made my way through the forest. Although the adventurers didn’t seem to pursuing me, I couldn’t afford to waste any time.
‘(Even after I always told them not to mess with humans!)’
If they were using the stone-throwing technique I taught them to attack humans, it was my responsibility to stop them—even if I had to knock some sense into them.
Besides, this was for the slimes' sake as well.
When I was with the group, humans rarely pursued slimes, likely because there wasn’t much profit in it. That’s why I’d always emphasized escape tactics, and it had worked—there were no casualties.
Even though we had grown into a fairly large group for slimes, we managed to avoid detection.
‘(And yet...!)’
The earlier conversation with the adventurers replayed in my mind.
From what I heard, Slao and the others had drawn attention to themselves.
I didn’t know how dangerous humans considered slimes that threw stones, but judging by the adventurers’ tone, they seemed wary.
If they deemed them a significant threat, they would surely tail them back to their nest, find its location, and launch an attack.
‘(If that bastard Sla-taro isn’t present in the nest I could atleast convince other slimes…)’
The problem Sla-taro the self-proclaimed leader, now I think about it the main reason he pushed me out of the group was due to this…he always seemed to pick up fights against humans.
‘(And I was the only one who refrained other slimes from joining his reckless actions…)’
However, currently the more important dread was how long has these adventures began pursuing the slimes and hunting them?
‘(Still, if I get there and find the nest under attack, whose side will I take? Will I stand on slime’s side or…will I just ignore them like now?)’
The question suddenly reared in my mind.I wanted to protect my former comrades, but I could also understand the humans' perspective.
If the two sides clashed, who would I side with?
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"(...)"
No answer came to mind. But I didn’t stop running. Driven by impulse, I dashed through the forest until I reached a familiar area. Using [Sense of Direction], I had a rough idea of where the slime nest was.
Once I got close enough, I could rely on my memory of the terrain to guide me the rest of the way.
‘(If I head southeast from this rock...)’
I ran, trusting my recollections, and soon arrived at the nostalgic slime village.
‘(—What...is this?)’
But the sight before me was—
----------------------------------------
◆ ◆ ◆
—Half a day earlier.
"Damn it all!"
"!!!"
A man’s angry shout echoed through one corner of the town of Wooton, making those nearby jump in surprise.
"That slime... The next time I see it, I’ll skewer it!"
The man’s name was Jaykal.
After being defeated by the weird-cube shaped slime, his subordinates had carried him back to town, where he had just regained consciousness.
His underlings, hoping to avoid his wrath, stayed silent and tried to appear before him as less as possible. Jaykal’s temper was infamous, and everyone knew better than to provoke him when he was in a foul mood.
"Ah, Jaykal, sir! You’ve returned! So, did you manage to defeat the Arsenal Slime?"
At that moment, a plump young man approached, smiling ingratiatingly.
"And about the Molten Breaker Spear I lent you, uh... I mean, if you haven’t finished the job yet, I wouldn’t mind letting you hold onto it a bit longer. But, well, it is a family heirloom, passed down since my great-grandfather’s time, and my father is rather impatient about its return, so..."
The young man trailed off uncertainly as he noticed Jaykal’s head bowed in silence, his fists trembling.
"Ah, um..."
Thud!
Jaykal’s fist slammed into the wall of a nearby house, cracks spiderwebbing out from the impact.
"It’s that spear’s fault."
"Huh?"
"I lost to that thing because your spear was useless!"
Jaykal’s bellow made the young man take a step back. But Jaykal closed the gap in two strides, looming over him.
"How dare you give me a defective weapon!"
"W-wait! You forcibly took it from me in the first place—"
"Shut up!"
Jaykal grabbed the young man by the collar and hoisted him off the ground. The youth’s legs kicked futilely, unable to reach the floor due to the significant height difference.
"Tell your father that the spear was eaten by a slime!"
"T-that’s ridiculous!"
"It doesn’t matter! What’s gone is gone, and I don’t have time to deal with you anymore!"
Jaykal growled, glaring at him before shoving him to the ground. The young man fell hard but scrambled to his feet, backing away.
"Ugh... Y-you’ll regret this! I’ll tell the guards!"
With those parting words, the young man fled. Watching him go, Jaykal sneered inwardly. The guards of Wooton weren’t exactly known for their competence.
Especially in cases like this, where the evidence was limited to one person’s testimony, a small bribe was enough to make them look the other way.
Satisfied with the thought, Jaykal turned to his subordinates.
"Listen up, we’re going after that Arsenal Slime again tomorrow. This time, I’ll bring my usual weapon. There’s no way I’ll lose."
"Understood, sir!"
Relieved that his mood seemed to have improved, his men nodded. One of them hesitantly raised a hand.
"Um..."
"What?"
"The Arsenal Slime was spotted farther south than where the other adventurers are searching. Should we report this to the guild?"
"Why should I help those idiots?"
"To wear the slime out, sir. Even if you could defeat it easily, wouldn’t it be better to weaken it a bit first? After all, you’re still recovering from using that defective spear."
Jaykal snorted but then nodded.
"Fair enough. I’ll report it to the guild myself."