As I ran deeper into the forest, I kept repeating the lines I intended to say and the answers to any questions Alice might ask me inside my head.
I was nervous. Alice would only kill Luka if he abandoned her without trying to help, which I didn't intend to. But the mere existence of that possibility unnerved me. That wasn't the only way this meeting could go wrong, either. It wouldn't be as bad as outright death, but Alice deciding not to stick with me would be an enormous setback. I couldn't afford to screw this up.
I had been running for several minutes and had to slow down to catch my breath. Was it supposed to be this far?
The forest had grown denser as I proceeded. Light was still streaming through the foliage, but it was nowhere near as much as before. It was difficult to see far with the trees being so close together, but eventually, I noticed the first signs of destruction in the distance. Upheaved earth and cracked tree bark, I was on the right track.
As I continued, a feeling of unease grew within me. There was still no trace of Alice. Why was the area of damage so large?
The devastation kept increasing until, eventually, the forest floor was scoured clean of plant life, and trees were snapped in half like twigs or uprooted entirely.
My unease grew. At this point, I was relatively certain that something was terribly wrong.
It only took a few more moments until I saw a massive crater. I couldn't see the bottom from where I was standing. I dreaded what I might find but had no choice. Gathering my courage, I peered over the edge, careful not to fall.
Only to freeze in horror at the sight that awaited me.
There she was.
But this...
It wasn't supposed to be like this. Alice was meant to be fine, barely more than scratched, despite her bout with Ilias. But right now, she was everything but that.
Her body was covered in blood and burns that glowed in an unnatural light. The scales on her red snake tail were cracked and flaking. Her silvery hair was frazzled and scorched. Her skin, originally a light purple, now more closely resembled patchwork.
How... no, why did this happen!?
Was it my fault? It had to be. I didn't know what I did to piss off Ilias enough to make her lash out so violently and not even against myself, but I had no other explanation.
For a few moments, I was paralyzed in a mix of shock and self-recrimination. My brain shouted at my body to move, to help her lest it be too late, and eventually, it did.
I slid down along the edge of the crater, landing none too gracefully. I likely earned myself some bruises in the process, but nothing could have been further from my mind at the time.
I rushed toward the center and kneeled beside her, already taking a Healing Herb out of my Inventory.
Pressing it against her body, the herb glowed a soothing green as it was absorbed into her. Eventually, it was gone.
And it had accomplished absolutely nothing.
I stared blankly at my empty hands until the reason came to me.
One of these low-grade Healing Herbs only recovered fifty HP, whereas her health pool measured in the ten-thousands. Using the herbs one by one was likely not even enough to outpace her bleeding.
I heaved the entire small mountain of herbs I had onto her battered body and could only watch grimly as it refused to take more than one at a time at the same glacial pace as before.
I didn't know what else I could do. Between Meditation and the Healing Herbs, I hadn't considered that I might need bandages. I might not have even had the strength to tie them tightly enough to stop the bleeding of someone as physically powerful as Alice.
"Please, don't die on me!" I pleaded, desperately.
Her eyes quivered and cracked open slightly. She looked at me and was about to say something, but all that left her mouth was a bloody cough.
I stared into her eyes.
Eyes...
Mine shot open in realization.
That's right, Eye of Recovery! Alice had a single healing ability in her arsenal. It wasn't self-cast, but just maybe...
I took out my hand mirror and gingerly held it before her face, hoping she would both realize what I was trying and have enough energy left.
After a few seconds of agonizing wait, there was a bright flash. I reflexively closed my eyes, and although they stung, it was drowned out by the immense relief I felt.
Once I could see again, Alice stood before me, looking down at me.
I followed her up, my legs still slightly wobbly.
"I am Alipheese Fateburn the Sixteenth. I suppose I have you to thank for my swift recovery. What is your name, boy?" she asked, presenting an air of dignity sufficient to make it seem like she had never been injured in the first place.
"You can call me Luka," I answered.
"Very well, Luka." She nodded.
"I have some questions for you. First off..." She pointed down where part of her tail was still buried in herbs.
"Why am I covered in weeds?" I was left slightly bewildered as her blunt and somewhat exasperated tone popped the earlier feeling of majesty like a bubble.
"Err, those are Healing Herbs."
She looked down, then back to me.
"Are you certain?" She asked with doubt etched on her face.
I merely nodded in response.
She took one of the herbs into her hand, gave it a sniff, then popped it into her mouth. Her face was a mask of disgust as she chewed, but she still swallowed.
"These are the worst Healing Herbs I've ever seen. I wouldn't even put these in a salad. Did you get scammed or something?"
"I... think those are the regular quality around here? People here don't have a whole lot of HP."
She scoffed, "If those are any indication, you people would likely get knocked over by a stiff breeze." Knowing the climate of Hellgondo, that may not even have been an exaggeration. "Also, where exactly is 'here'?"
"We're in a forest close to Ilias Village," I said, glad to finally be in a part of the conversation I had actually anticipated.
She sighed. "Of course we are. I bet that damn goddess wanted one of her shitty heroes to find me and finish me off."
She stared at me, "You did not."
Pausing a few seconds for emphasis, she then continued: "Killing a powerful monster like me, you would have been hailed as a Hero... and probably leveled up twenty or thirty times judging from how weak you look. Yet instead of slaying me, as should be expected, you even went out of your way to help. Why?"
I had considered telling the truth, but I couldn't tip my hand this early, not when others were likely watching. So ultimately, the best option was to get her attention mostly the same way the original Luka did.
"Because I could. I don't want humans and monsters to be enemies. I want them to be able to coexist peacefully, and I intend to do my part to facilitate that."
It wasn't a lie either, but I wasn't a hopeless idealist like my predecessor. While my desire to live in harmony with monsters was partly due to hopes concerning my future love life, it was also fueled by pure necessity.
"Hmph, a foolish ambition. You do realize that most monsters' idea of 'thanking' you would have been to forcibly make you their husband, right? Peaceful coexistence is not something achieved so easily."
"Even so, I still believe it is possible. In fact, feel free to tag along on my journey to see for yourself."
She raised an eyebrow, "You seem awfully eager to have a monster you just met join you. You should be careful unless you want to give someone ideas." She seemed to consider my offer for a moment. "But very well, it should prove entertaining at least, and I was planning to travel the world anyway."
It was a relief to be somewhat back on track. Her momentary doubt was reasonable; I really had been far too hasty in my panic. Most monsters would likely think I was trying to score with them if I invited them out of the blue like that, but fortunately, it worked out in the end.
My eyes wandered downward. "Umm, do you mind if I take those herbs back? I might still be able to sell them."
She rolled her eyes. "You would be lucky to find someone to take those things for free, but I won't stop you from wasting your time," she said as she slithered over, sounding awfully dismissive of my effort to gather funds, considering most of them would be going straight to her stomach.
While I was busy collecting the now slightly bloodied herbs, Alice raised her voice again. "One more thing, how exactly did you know I would be able to heal myself using a mirror?"
My hand stopped mid-grab, and my brain started running overdrive.
"That... I was out of other ideas, and I heard a rumor that powerful monsters could use a variety of magic through their eyes. So I figured you might have a healing spell but couldn't use it due to a lacking line of sight."
The excuse was weak. I could tell as much myself. I didn't dare meet Alice's eyes or even turn towards her as I spoke. Not because I was afraid of my lie being found out, that was likely inevitable. I was scared of what she might do. Healing was far from the only thing her eyes were capable of. The Eyes of Truth were a catastrophe waiting to happen. There was no telling just what kind of information I would divulge under its effects.
"I see," she stated simply.
I resumed taking the herbs, pretending her question hadn't bothered me. Luckily, it seemed like she wouldn't push the issue for now.
"Are you finally done? Good, then let's get going already. I don't want to spend all day inside this hole."
I nodded and turned to leave, only to have to incline my head upwards to see the edge of the crater. That was... rather high. Unfortunately, despite carrying all my earthly possessions on me, I didn't actually have a ladder. So, I was forced to scale the wall with my hands while internally swearing to myself that I would purchase climbing gear in Iliasburg.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
It took a lot of effort and about ten more minutes to finally get out, as the earth kept crumbling beneath me and making me slide back down. The practically palpable feeling of amusement coming from behind me didn't help matters.
Turning around, I saw Alice floating out of the hole with a smirk on her face.
"That is such bullshit," I grumbled.
Her smug aura only intensified at my remark.
"You know, I could have given you a lift if you asked nicely."
I sighed, "I'll keep that in mind for next time."
"How did you end up in that condition anyway?" I asked as I started walking.
The question put an immediate end to her good mood. "I would rather not talk about it," she said, grimacing.
That was fair, I supposed. I had a pretty good idea of what happened anyway, even if the why eluded me.
I continued backtracking through the forest with Alice in tow. Eventually, I arrived back at the place where I met Lime, which was when I remembered her request.
"By the way, I met a slime girl earlier, and she asked to join me. You wouldn't happen to have a method to allow low-level Slimes to travel long distances?"
"If I had such a thing, the Queen Slime likely wouldn't stop clinging to me until I gave it to her. I am afraid it seems we will have to leave your little girlfriend behind."
That was probably for the best. Things would be far too dangerous for someone like Lime. But, it was still a disappointment. No Pocket Castle either, shame.
Alice continued, "I'm going to ask this just in case, but even with your silly dream of coexistence, you aren't stupid enough to try to recruit every monster you come across, right?"
"Of course not," I responded, somewhat chagrinned she would consider me that much of an idiot, not that I'd given much of a reason not to, so far.
Admittedly, if I had the Pocket Castle, I would have been tempted to assemble a harem as if I were catching Pokemon, but even then, I wouldn't have been stupid enough to take along the literal man-eaters.
We left behind the forest and arrived at a dirt road, on which the grass was starting to overgrow from the edges due to lack of use.
"You don't need to go back to get anything?" Alice asked, looking towards the village still visible in the distance.
I shook my head. "I'm already carrying everything I own on me." And I would have taken the house too if structures didn't appear to be off-limits.
"Ah, so you are one of those people. I should not complain, I suppose. It ended up helping me after all." She mused.
We kept traveling, interspersed with conversation and occasional demands for food from Alice.
"I have noticed for a while now, but you smell delicious. You are not baptized even though you live in a place named after Ilias?"
I sweatdropped slightly at being called delicious. "I was supposed to receive my baptism today, but between a commotion about a slime girl and you falling from the sky, I missed the time." Not that I was trying to make it there.
"You do not seem particularly upset about that. I thought humans were quite eager to be branded as slaves by Ilias," she remarked, slightly curious.
"It might provide some protection from monsters, but that's the problem. While it may theoretically not be a bad option for regular travelers, for Heroes, or even just people wanting to become stronger, receiving it would be downright foolish. The few monsters that do approach them would do so with less than wholesome and likely fatal intentions. Without the Experience from weaker monsters, they would probably wind up dead." It was somewhat ironic that it was the least useful for the people it was actually intended for.
Alice nodded. "Protection, is it? I will admit most monsters would not bother approaching someone baptized. Their semen tastes like angel liver, after all."
That was actually something I had been morbidly curious about. "Is that a metaphor?"
Alice paused for a moment, then shrugged. "I am unsure myself. It is a common enough saying. If you want an actual answer, you would probably have to ask some ancient granny like Tamamo. She may, very well, be old enough to have been around in the Great Monster War."
I smiled wryly, knowing just how 'around' she was back then.
As we kept walking, the sky eventually changed to an orange glow.
"Where are we going, anyway?" asked Alice.
"We'll be traveling all over the world, but our first stop will be Iliasburg. If we keep walking until the sun goes down, we'll likely make it there by tomorrow evening."
Alice was about to say something, likely complain about the naming scheme, but in the next instant, she was gone.
My eyes shot toward the road. There was only one explanation for why Alice would suddenly disappear. In the distance was a woman that appeared to be wearing a grayish-brown hat and dress coming toward me. On closer inspection, her lower body resembled that of a slug. As far as monsters that looked like noble ladies went, this one was fairly harmless.
"Oh, a traveler? Not baptized, either. You look delicious."
I sighed. "Let me guess. You want to violate me and won't take no for an answer."
Her lascivious smile told me all I needed to know. Despite being at the same level as the original Luka, there was a chance I might be able to pierce her mucus since he was unconsciously holding back. But there was no need for that because I had something far more effective.
"I do believe I have something that will change your mind," I said, taking something out of my Inventory.
She eyed the large bag I was holding in my hand. "You want to bribe me?" She asked suspiciously.
I chuckled darkly. "Oh, this isn't a bribe." I opened the bag, making her recoil at the sight of the contents. "This is salt."
The Slug Girl was now visibly nervous, her eyes flitting between the bag of crystalline death and my malicious smirk. "I... just remembered I need to be somewhere. Goodbye." The sight of her frantically rushing back the way she came at the signature speed of a slug was quite comical. The end of combat and level-up chimes resounding in my head only made things funnier.
After the slug was out of sight, Alice reappeared.
"Leaving aside your strange way of resolving conflicts for a moment, why do you have so much salt?" She asked me.
I briefly considered the amount I held in my hand. It was probably enough to reduce the poor Slug Girl into something resembling the remains of a particularly vicious Succubus attack three times over. And I still had more in my Inventory.
"I... may have gotten slightly carried away while shopping," I admitted sheepishly.
"Well, whatever, let us keep going. Also, you best not oversalt tonight's dinner. I won't hesitate to substitute my meal." She said while looking straight at me. I wasn't sure if she was threatening me with a good time or in the mundane way, but I resolved not to fuck up my cooking just to be on the safe side.
A short while later, we settled down to camp. I was on cooking duty, naturally. I would have insisted on it, even if Alice wasn't all but demanding I do it. I didn't fancy losing a pot or getting obliterated because she considered Omega Blaze an acceptable way to start a campfire.
Meanwhile, Alice appeared to be in thought and somewhat annoyed.
Finally, she sighed. "You said you met a low-level slime in that forest, right?"
"Hmm? Yeah, her name was Lime. Apparently, there's a whole colony in the mountains there." I answered distractedly.
Alice grumbled and closed her eyes. I was slightly confused and curious about her behavior, but I was more focused on the food. After all, my chastity and/or life may depend on it.
About two minutes of stirring the pot later, I was startled by a strange sound. I looked up, trying to find the source, only to almost drop my ladle as I saw the third person now standing in our campsite.
She resembled Lime. The most obvious differences were the purple tattoo covering most of her left side, a gem or perhaps core on her forehead, dark blue imitation horns, and her face. Whereas Lime was a wellspring of emotion, Resting Bitch Face was too mild of a term to describe the new arrival. Her face could have been cast in iron rather than slime for all the difference it would have made.
The Queen of Slimes, Erubetie, had arrived, and I, sure as hell, was not prepared for the meeting.
Why did that shut-in suddenly appear!? Usually, you'd meet the other Knights twice each before finally meeting her for the first time in Undine's Spring. I subtly glared at Alice while doing my best to fade into the background. This was definitely her fault.
Fortunately, Erubetie didn't even acknowledge me as she addressed Alice. "Is what you've told me the truth? Is there truly another colony, another habitat for my race?"
Alice shrugged. "He told me," she said as she pointed towards me, leaving me wide-eyed and mentally cursing her entire family line all the way down to the Dark Goddess.
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, my Lord." Erubetie bowed to Alice, who dismissed her with a nod.
She then turned to me. I tried to look friendly, but I could tell my smile was incredibly strained. "As for you, human, I shall have you know that this information is of the utmost importance. If your words prove true, I shall see to a suitable reward, but if you wasted my time with a lie, you shall perish." Then, with the threat still hanging in the air, she vanished.
My tenseness still hadn't dissipated when Alice called out, "Aww, I think she likes you." with a smirk on her face.
My eyes twitched as I felt something inside me snap. "Likes me?! She didn't even speak fifty words to me, and part of it was a death threat! Couldn't you have at least warned me?!" I winced as I regretted my outburst immediately. Alice would only require a flick of her wrist to burn me to ashes and had an innumerable amount of other ways to kill someone.
I felt compelled to apologize before anything could happen, but my mouth was dry, and no words would leave it.
"I was merely talking to her telepathically. I had no idea she would suddenly teleport over, either." I didn't know if that was supposed to be a conciliatory statement. The flat tone certainly didn't convey it as such.
"Now, more importantly, is the food ready?" I nodded dumbly as I served her a portion, her first of many, and then took some myself.
"Hmm, a bit bland and overcooked, but edible, I suppose." She declared after the last scraps of dinner were banished to the infinite void that was her stomach. I felt like shouting something like, 'And whose fault do you think that is?!' at the overcooked part, but bit my lip.
"Well, I am tired. Good night," she said as she curled around a nearby tree. That was a sentiment I could agree with.
I crawled into my tent and closed my eyes. I desperately needed some rest. The day had been an emotional rollercoaster with far too much fear for my life included, and my nerves were starting to fray.
Everything was fine, things with Alice may be a little strained, but it was far from unsalvagable. As for Erubetie, I was planning to send her toward that slime colony anyway. It didn't matter if it was a bit ahead of schedule. With some luck, she would even meet Lime, who would put in some kind words about me. Yes, everything was fine.
As long as I could deal with Granberia tomorrow, things would likely calm down for a few days.
As long as I could deal with Granberia...
Granberia...
My eyes shot back open. Alice didn't teach me the Demon Decapitation skill. What the hell was I going to do about Granberia?!
She was supposed to recognize the skill, ask who taught me, and then things would go from there, but I couldn't do that now. And if I tried fighting her normally, she'd eviscerate me!
There had to be something else I could do...
Pleasure attacks? Oh, who was I kidding? Despite a natural weakness against those, I would still stand no chance even if she miraculously agreed to that sort of fight, stupid no reverse setting.
Emotional damage? No, if the Magical Granberia-chan incident wasn't enough to make her kill herself in shame, nothing I could say or do would come even close to breaking her spirit.
...
There was something.
It may have been caused by my gradual descent into insanity, but I had an idea.
An idea so ludicrously stupid that it might actually work.
----------------------------------------
-The next day, at the slime colony-
Erubetie had been surveying her new subjects and their spring from a distance for a while now.
The quality of water was superb and untouched by human hands. Even the air was pure. This place was fitting to become a second sanctuary for the slime race. As the queen, she would ensure its prosperity and that of its inhabitants. And considering how weak said inhabitants were, putting up magical wards to protect them would be a priority.
The Slimes themselves looked like they were all clones, descending from the same Slime. Their appearance, personality, and mannerisms were similar enough to make it difficult to distinguish them from one another.
They also seemed to have a strange fondness for boomerangs, many of them waving around a crude makeshift version of the toy.
Tribal monsters could have strange customs. Erubetie would need to make sure she understood their culture and needs. If necessary, she would personally craft the greatest boomerang this world had ever seen to win the trust of her kin.
She had garnered everything possible by simple observation. It was time to talk to them directly. Upon revealing herself, Erubetie could hear the surrounding Slimes whispering to each other, and before long, one of them approached her. Her boomerang showed significantly better craftsmanship than the others.
"I am the Queen of Slimes, Erubetie. Are you the leader of this colony?" Erubetie greeted her.
"I'm not Leader. I'm Lime!" She responded cheerfully.
...Perhaps education would also need to be prioritized.
"Did Luka tell you about us?" Lime asked.
"The information came from a human boy. I did not ask for his name." Erubetie admitted.
"That's gotta be Luka. How was he?" She asked, delighted.
Erubetie was somewhat troubled by this line of questioning. She really hadn't paid much attention to the boy aside from memorizing his features. "He... seemed physically well, if a bit pale. He was also in the company of the Monster Lord, so he is likely safe."
"The Monster Lord? Wow, that's amazing!" Lime seemed rather excited to hear from the human. Perhaps she held some fondness for him.
She had promised a reward. Maybe dropping him off here to enjoy the hospitality of the Slimes would be suitable, something that would make them happy as well.
For a while, Lime just looked at her queen, and Erubetie was content to let her do as she pleased.
"Are you... a whole lot of Slimes?" Lime asked while tilting her head.
Erubetie was pleasantly surprised. While Slimes weren't the only beings she'd absorbed over the years, to notice that much spoke well of her instincts. "Indeed, many have joined with me. To survive, to become part of something greater or to have a better chance of accomplishing their goals." She didn't mention the ones she had to forcefully absorb, criminals, and threats to the Slime race.
"Wow, can I join too?" Lime asked, her eyes glittering.
"I won't reject one of my kin, but this is a decision you should think deeply about. It is not easy to undo. Why do you wish to be part of me?"
"I've always wanted to travel the world, and I also want to be able to help out my best friend!" Lime exclaimed happily.
Erubetie didn't judge her. It was far from the most inane reason she'd heard. "You would only be one of thousands. There is a chance your desires will not be fulfilled. Do you wish to become part of me despite that?"
"Yeah! As it is, I'd never get out of here and live a super boring life. Let's do it!" Lime shouted excitedly.
Erubetie nodded. "Very well, come to me, and I shall begin."
Lime jumped towards her as if to hug her, and soon her body disappeared.
It was done. The cheery voice now occupied a small part of Erubetie's mind.
Erubetie looked down toward the boomerang that was left. After a moment of hesitance, she picked it up, the tiniest of smiles gracing her lips.
Perhaps she should mingle with her new subjects a bit.