The Queen Slime

Bagan mulled over Gruon's words. Daphne was a named character, so healing her would undoubtedly prove useful. She was someone who had already demonstrated both skill and remarkable growth. The problem was, he had no way to treat her.

'The game flat-out called it impossible, and magic won't get anywhere near it either.'

If it were an external wound or internal injury, Bagan's magic might have been able to manage something. But healing an injury whose cause was unknown was simply impossible. In the end, he had no choice but to express his refusal.

"I'm sorry, but that's impossible."

"I see. Well, even the most skilled physicians in the Seiros Kingdom, the healing-specialized mages, the priests who can call forth miracles, and the alchemists' potions all failed to cure her. I had expected as much, but hearing you say the same forces me to abandon the idea entirely."

In truth, Gruon had tried every possible method to heal Daphne. He wanted to restore her voice more than anything. He had sought out the physician who served as Pelion's personal doctor, an elf mage who wielded a special attribute like himself, and even priests of the Priya Church who worshipped the chief god Priya that governed life itself. He had even chased down ridiculous rumors about a panacea that supposedly cured all diseases.

Of course, those rumors had proven as absurd as they sounded and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ended in failure. After all those attempts, he had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠placed his last hope in Bagan—the living legend who had accomplished countless feats and recently appeared in the Seiros Kingdom. Yet even he could not restore Daphne's voice.

Gruon couldn't hide the disappointment on his face. His head drooped heavily. Seeing him like that, Daphne reached out and gently stroked his hair, as if feeling guilty that he was suffering because of her.

Watching the two of them, Bagan felt a pang of regret for having refused so bluntly. In fact, if there had been any way, he would have wanted to help her regain her voice. Knowing she had lived a difficult life as a former slave, he genuinely wished to do something for her.

Still, when there truly was no solution, giving her false hope would only cause more harm. It was better to be clear and decisive.

'If it's impossible, it's impossible.'

Leaving the gloomy-looking Gruon behind, Bagan rose from his seat. Gruon spoke as he did.

"Ah, right. I've kept a guest tied up with pointless talk. Please, rest for the night."

Bagan gave a small nod, turned, and left the reception room. Once outside the door, he let out a long sigh, his face clouded with regret. But he quickly steeled himself and walked down the spotlessly clean corridor.

The hallway was almost excessively pristine, in stark contrast to his muddled heart. As he walked, Bagan silently prayed that his own tangled emotions might be washed away along with it.

Thud. Thud.

That was when Arien spoke.

"Sir Bagan, did Lady Daphne lose her voice due to trauma from her past?"

It was the result of her habitually analyzing Daphne while Bagan and Gruon had been talking.

"Mm, probably. A long life of slavery must have led to this. Unfortunately, even I don't have a way to treat it."

He explained to Arien the same thing he had told Gruon. But Arien paid it no mind and continued based on her own analysis.

"Lady Daphne has not used her throat for a very long time since the day she first lost her voice. It is possible her vocal cords have simply stopped functioning. If she can produce even the slightest sound, there are various possibilities."

Bagan was surprised by her words. The fact that she could reach such conclusions just by looking meant that with a more precise analysis, she might actually find a solution.

"Is that possible?"

"I am not entirely certain, but if my existing data leads to a viable conclusion, I would like to attempt it."

For some reason, Arien's eyes burned with determination. It was as if something had sparked inside her. Or perhaps there really was a chance for Daphne. Either way, seeing the resolve on her face, Bagan turned around once more.

Going back the way he came might have been a mistake, but if she wanted to try, he was willing to take full responsibility.

In the end, he found himself standing in front of the reception room door again.

Knock, knock, knock!

Bagan rapped on the door. From inside came Gruon's low, still-dejected voice.

"Come in."

With Gruon's permission, Bagan opened the door and stepped inside. It seemed that every time he had tried and failed to restore Daphne's voice, Gruon had looked exactly like this. His mood showed no sign of lifting. Even when Bagan entered, he didn't even glance up.

Tap, tap.

Only after Daphne patted Gruon's shoulder did he finally notice Bagan had returned.

"Ah, what is it? Did you have something else to say?"

Assuming there was no particular reason for Bagan's return, Gruon made an effort to brighten his expression and speak.

Bagan shook his head and explained why he had come back.

"After thinking about it, I realized what I said doesn't only apply to me. As I mentioned before, Arien is an apothecary. What if we left it to her?"

His words managed to ease some of the bitterness from Gruon's smile.

"Is that possible? At this point, what do I have to lose? Even a straw is worth grasping. And in my opinion, she seems... different somehow."

Every time an opportunity had presented itself, Gruon's expression had been the same. This time was no different. If there was even a 1% chance, he would trust it and leave it in their hands.

Since Gruon had given his permission, Bagan nodded toward Arien. She approached Daphne with a serious expression and spoke.

"Lady Daphne. Please take a seat first."

Daphne, who had been comforting Gruon from behind, brought over a chair and sat down. Her face was tense with nervousness, but she seemed to be holding onto quiet hope as she looked at Arien.

"I will now begin a detailed examination. Even if you feel something strange, please do not move. Follow my instructions precisely."

Arien's tone was extremely businesslike, yet that very professionalism inspired trust. Daphne gave a small nod, which was enough to show she understood.

Arien reached out and placed her hand on Daphne's throat. With a soft boing, a squishy green liquid oozed from her palm and seeped into Daphne's neck.

The only thought that crossed Bagan's mind as he watched was:

'No matter how you look at it, that's a slime, isn't it?'

She was manipulating a slime. And as far as Bagan knew, there was only one race capable of doing so—the race considered supreme among slimes: the Queen Slime and King Slime.

Because they were named monsters, encountering one was incredibly difficult. Legend had it they only appeared once every few hundred years. If Bagan's suspicion was correct, then Arien had evolved into a Queen Slime. Otherwise, there was no way she could generate a separate body and perform such precise analysis.

While Bagan watched with growing fascination, Arien organized the results of her analysis inside her mind.

After organizing everything, Arien placed her hand on Daphne's throat once more. She was retrieving the slime that had astonishingly restored the damaged tissue and was now withdrawing from her body.

Once the slime had been collected, Arien remained silent. The one growing anxious was Gruon.

"S-so? How is it? Is there any possibility?"

At his urging, Arien finally spoke.

"Lady Daphne's throat has sustained severe damage. I have performed immediate healing for now. Once a certain level of recovery has been achieved, continuous medicinal treatment will be required to restore the original form."

"R-really?! Then you're saying she can regain her voice?!"

Gruon grew excited again, quite unlike his usual self. The idea that someone might finally heal the throat no one else had been able to touch left him so moved he could barely speak. But Arien's analysis was not yet finished. Even after physical recovery, Daphne would still be unable to speak.

'After physical function is restored, mental treatment will be necessary. Required medicinal components: None.'

Arien first calmed the overexcited Gruon.

"Please calm yourself. She has only regained the ability to produce sound. The language function is a mental issue for Lady Daphne, so a different approach will be needed."

Gruon realized he had gotten carried away and composed himself.

"I see. In any case, she needs immediate treatment, correct? Please proceed right away."

"Understood. I will now synthesize the medicine required for treatment."

Boioing!

Her body began to ripple. As a Queen Slime, not only could she command slimes for analysis—she could even create the most suitable medicine. The sight was nothing short of astonishing.

'Modern medical equipment can't even compare.'

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Having lived in the modern world, Bagan found himself thinking that Arien might actually be more accurate than any machine.

Glurp. Glurp.

After a series of ripples, a vial appeared in Arien's hand. Gruon's face was a mixture of hope and anxiety as he asked,

"W-what kind of medicine is this?"

His greatest worry was that it might harm Daphne. From this point on, even Bagan couldn't help but feel tense. If the medicine Arien created caused any side effects that endangered Daphne's life...

'It's over with the Seiros Kingdom.'

With that nervous thought, he examined the vial. The red liquid inside looked no different from a standard recovery potion. And they had already tried recovery potions hundreds of times—drinking them, pouring them on her—without any effect.

"If it's a recovery potion, we've already tried drinking it and applying it, but it had no effect," Gruon said cautiously, hoping it might still help somehow. Repeating past failures didn't seem wise.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Arien's analysis was not wrong.

"This is an immediate healing potion that is far more effective than what is commonly called a recovery potion. However, this is not the end. Lady Daphne has forgotten how to produce sound, making it difficult to maintain her throat's condition. She must consistently consume the potion and practice making sounds. Even babbling is acceptable."

In other words, Arien was telling her to train her muscles. Until now, even if her throat had recovered from damage, she couldn't produce sound, so it would deteriorate again. Since the throat was made of muscle, any sound at all would be a start.

Whether that was entirely correct remained to be seen, but there was no way to know without trying. Daphne trusted Arien and drank the potion.

There wasn't even a gulp. Her throat was far too weak. But after drinking it, she felt a strange sense of comfort, and the feeling of something being stuck in her throat vanished.

"I will analyze again."

This time, Arien wanted to check the recovered state of the throat. She once again produced the green slime and examined her.

She had simply drunk Arien's special recovery potion, yet every bit of damage to her throat had been completely healed. Daphne placed a hand on her chest, took a deep breath, and expanded her ribcage. It was clear she finally found breathing comfortable.

However, there was no sound of her exhaling like a normal person—no "haaah." This nearly proved Arien's words: Daphne had forgotten how to produce sound.

Gruon looked at her, silently urging her to try making any noise. Arien spoke gently.

"Now, please try to make any sound at all. You do not need to form words. Since your throat is in optimal condition, you may even shout if you wish."

At Arien's words, Daphne tried to produce a sound, moving her lips awkwardly. But it still seemed difficult. She shook her head helplessly.

"I did not expect success on the first try. However, if you drink the medicine I provide every day, you will be able to maintain this condition. If you continue treatment alongside practice making sounds, you should regain your speech within a reasonable time."

Daphne nodded at Arien's words. Looking at her, Gruon spoke while taking Arien's hands.

"Th-thank you so much, Miss Arien! Just seeing the improvement in Daphne's expression tells me something is truly happening. I cannot thank you enough."

Unable to express his feelings with words alone, he kept shaking her hands. But the treatment was not yet over.

"I will return tomorrow. Please save those words until Lady Daphne's treatment is fully complete."

At Arien's words, Gruon came back to his senses and nodded.

"Mm!"

Releasing her hands, Arien stood up and walked over to Bagan.

"Sir Bagan, we are finished for today."

Bagan nodded absentmindedly, noticing that Arien's demeanor had somehow changed from before.