Chapter 55. Between Appraisal and Emotion (6)

For a moment, a ringing sound echoed in my ears. The world turned white and blurry before I regained clarity.

Lime's voice reached me. "Are you alright?"

I wasn't alright, not in a good way, at least.

Evolution? Class change?

Is such a thing even possible?

I had never heard of the concept. In my twenty years as a Skeleton Soldier, not only had nothing like this occurred around me, but I had never even heard of anyone experiencing it.

A Skeleton Soldier remained a Skeleton Soldier. Stats and skills might improve slightly, but the class never changed. That was how it had always been.

So what is this?

I asked the man, "Class change?"

"Pardon? What do you mean by class change?"

As expected, he had no idea. Only I could view this peculiar status window. When he scanned items, hidden information surfaced, some of which seemed to be accessible only to me.

"..."

This appraiser's potential seemed immeasurable. I addressed him in a slightly friendlier tone.

"Thanks for everything. Is there anything I can do for you in return?"

"Well..." Lime replied, hesitating briefly, "if, someday, you come across another slime..."

"Go on."

"Would you show them a little kindness? That's all I ask."

"Another slime?"

"Yes."

For the first time, Lime's expression turned slightly sorrowful.

"We are on the brink of extinction."

Extinction?

Thinking about it, I had hardly ever seen slimes. Even after the Demon Kings' rise, their presence was rare.

"Could you explain a bit more?"

The man cleared his throat and continued, "Slimes were once the quintessential hunting target. Beginner adventurers slaughtered us endlessly."

Clink.

I chuckled. "We're the same."

I shared a bit of my own plight. Establishing camaraderie often required finding common ground.

"You mean skeletons?"

"Of course. We're smashed like toys every time..."

"I see. As for us..."

Lime opened up to me. I listened attentively as he spoke at length.

"We are pacifists. We love humans and other races alike. Many of our kin perished while pleading to humans to stop tormenting us and befriend us."

Slimes, born with bodies ideal for embracing others, were pacifists and a peaceful race.

"I'm sorry for rambling sentimentally," he said, bowing his head apologetically.

I wasn't a pacifist, nor did I have any intention of embracing humans or other races. Still, his words resonated with me.

"No, it was worth hearing. I'll treat slimes kindly if I come across them."

Ding!

[Lime's Affection has increased by 11!]

Hmm.

"Well, I'll head to the city to get your armor repaired."

"Please do. Oh, and let the old smith know that the request is complete."

"Did you accept a request from him? If you let me know what you were promised, I'll retrieve it for you."

"The reward was prepaid and more than enough. Just pass on the message."

"Understood."

With that, our conversation ended. I gathered the books. The title

Kevin Ashton and the Lewd Slime Maid

caught my eye again. No doubt it was this book that prompted me to ask an unnecessary question.

"

Ah

... I'm curious about something."

"Yes, please ask."

"Do slimes have genders?"

"Haha, no, we are genderless. Is the female form more comfortable for you? I can create features like a chest if it helps. I can reshape myself into any form, gender, or race you prefer—"

I hurriedly waved my hand. "No, that's unnecessary!"

Pacifist or not, I reaffirmed that slimes were a terrifying species.

***

While Lime took the armor to the city, Rena spent some quiet time with her sibling. I didn't want to intrude.

I secured a separate room to read. I slowly turned the pages of

Achievements of Kevin Ashton - Volume 17

. The book, filled with self-aggrandizing anecdotes, made my head throb and filled me with self-loathing as I forced myself to read in an upright posture.

Still, it was a chance to increase my Wisdom stat for free. Complaining wasn't an option.

[Wisdom increased by 1!]

Next book...

"Master, could you move your hand, please?"

"Miss Slime, no one's watching—just let me touch a bit. Please?"

"Ah, this is troublesome... You'll ruin the omelet..."

"Ugh... Miss Slime, your... it's so hot, it feels like I'll burn!"

"When I get excited, my body becomes acidic. Oh dear, your hand has melted! Let me remake it with my slime."

The Lewd Slime Maid was by far the most grueling, but I forced myself to focus and finished reading.

To my shock, I discovered something horrifying. The Lewd Slime Maid wasn't a standalone volume. It was only part one of volume five, not even the entirety of volume five.

Terrifying, truly terrifying.

Thunk.

I closed the book and set it aside. I reached for the Webslinger's Ruby I had prepared earlier. Of course, merely holding the gem wouldn't change anything. Evolution wouldn't occur on its own; something else was needed.

Evolution.

Molting or a transformation would undoubtedly mark a turning point in my growth. I pondered deeply about the conditions required.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, the candlelight on the desk flickered slightly. I turned toward the direction of the breeze. A woman with short black hair stood there. She was dressed comfortably, as if ready to sleep at any moment.

She brushed her hair back with both hands and spoke. "I knocked, but you didn't respond."

"What about your sister?"

"She's sleeping soundly," Rena said, tilting her head slightly.

I checked her status window.

[Name: Rena

Thief Lv. 15

Health: 21

Strength: 22

Agility: 29

Wisdom: 20]

[Affection: 40

— Rena trusts you sincerely. If you harm her, she will be deeply shocked.]

Shocked?

I had no intention of harming her. If she became a hindrance, I'd simply part ways.

That's... the plan.

I asked her, "Are you planning to take your sister with you?"

She shook her head. "No. It's too dangerous outside. She's better off here. There's no one as trustworthy as the director."

"Hmm."

"But once I settle down, maybe we can live together someday. Would you live with us then?"

"Live together?"

"Yes. When I start living a proper life..."

A real life—Rena seemed like someone who had never experienced or known how to live such a life. Someday, repeating those words tastelessly, as if chewing on them, until they led to death.

For a brief moment, I felt sorry for her. I almost nodded unconsciously, but...

Clink.

I shook my head firmly. "No."

"Why not?"

"..."

I didn't reply. I had already experienced what a "proper life" was like.

Even though it had been trampled by heroes, my "real life" wasn't something I could share with this woman. She was just someone accompanying me temporarily, someone I'd likely part ways with halfway through.

I opposed the heroes. Ultimately, I opposed humanity. If Rena established herself in the human world, our paths would inevitably clash.

In the end, Rena was human.

Someday, far in the future, if she chose me over humanity, then perhaps we could live together.

But her younger sister was a bright, ordinary girl. Someone like that could never join me in the monster's world. It was better to let that idea go. We'd walk together only as far as we could. That was all.

"We'll go as far as we can together. That's the kind of relationship we have."

I said no more. I pulled the robe draped over a chair and threw it over my shoulders. Rena looked at me with a slightly complicated expression.

***

The next afternoon, the slime returned with my repaired armor. It had been restored perfectly in just one day.

"That was fast."

"I helped with the process. There were plenty of spare materials, so it wasn't difficult," Lime explained.

"You?"

"Yes. I used my abilities to melt and fuse the materials."

"Does the smith know your true nature?"

"No, I made a plausible excuse to get access to the workspace."

This slime truly was versatile. Not just the breastplate but also the gauntlets, greaves, and helmet had been impeccably repaired. They almost seemed to sparkle.

"Hmm... Thanks."

Thinking about it, this slime was extraordinarily helpful and, more importantly, very kind to me.

Compared to the humans who shattered me without reason, the slime's inexplicable goodwill felt strange and unexpected.

Maybe it's just their nature

.

From my perspective, it wasn't some grand stroke of fate. Rena had simply brought this slime along, leading to the current situation.

Still, overall, things seemed to be going well this time around. I thought back to the thunderous grave, where I had endlessly sunk into the mud and died in frustration. This was different.

Clink.

I donned the armor Lime handed me and asked, "I'll probably find more items in the future. Can I keep coming to you for appraisals?"

"Of course, anytime."

I had no intention of asking for free services.

"How should I pay for the appraisals?"

"Aren't we both trying to live hidden among humans? Feel free to ask without hesitation."

"I'm not comfortable with doing that."

Nothing truly came free. It was a heavy debt on the mind.

"If that's the case..." Lime hesitated, lacing his fingers together. "Would you take on requests from our branch or headquarters?"

"Sure."

"Let's see..." Lime rummaged through a drawer. "There's a suitable request. Bandit chief elimination. It's from the administrator of Grassmere. The reward is 20 roti. A bit low, I'd say."

"A bounty? I just said I'd help out."

Lime shook his head. "No, completing the request successfully adds to my performance record and the guild's reputation. You should, of course, receive compensation."

"Hmm..."

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Rena chimed in, "At that rate... isn't it just some poor peasant-turned-bandit? Even the guards could handle it if they wanted to. Is it too troublesome for them?"

"Seems so," Lime agreed.

"They must be weak, then?"

Both nodded. That made it less appealing to me. If I was going to help, I wanted something a bit more challenging.

"Any other requests?"

Lime said, "There's an extermination of Frost Trolls, but that's excessively difficult. Or there's the Erast Tournament, representing the Jinney family crest. This one's a bit odd..."

"Erast... Tournament?"

"Yes. It's hosted by the new lord who ascended earlier this year. Invitations were sent to nearby noble families. Many just hire mercenaries to save face."

Lime focused on explaining the tournament. But my attention was caught by something else.

Erast. It was the city Rubia had escaped from.

Lime continued, "The current head of the Jinney family is supposedly indifferent to chivalry, focusing only on leather trade."

As Lime spoke, my thoughts wandered.

Should I take this as an opportunity to enter the city Rubia fled? A tournament meant I might even encounter the lord, Rubia's uncle.

"Each victory earns two seirons—large, gleaming gold coins."

"I see."

It seemed Lime, or rather the slime, really wanted me to take this request.

"Note, though: 'No further compensation after the quarterfinals.' They're clearly not looking for attention. It's a practical request. Would you like to take it?"