Don't Underestimate the Slime
"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a slime."
"Guess it won't work after all?" Albert had followed along under the pretense of providing transportation, partly to make money but mainly to submit a request to the Architects Guild. The territory's condition was deteriorating by the day. The houses the residents lived in were in poor shape, and above all, the walls and the mansion needed a thorough inspection.
Well, I know we can't fix everything with the money we have right now.
So he had put in a request to repair at least the houses the residents lived in. Even though Legrian Territory was right next to Monster Land and was considered dangerous, he had thought that as long as there was money, anyone could submit a request. That thought had been correct. Up to a point.
[Money works, of course. However……]
"It costs a fortune. Ten times what I expected."
The amount quoted by the Architects Guild was ten thousand gold. Considering the average monthly wage for commoners was two hundred gold, it was an enormous sum—equivalent to a hundred million in the currency of his old world. When he pressed them on why it was so expensive, they explained that half of it was hazard pay. Apparently, a previous request had ended with the entire crew wiped out by a monster attack. The workers were now extremely reluctant to go. No matter how much they loved money, life was precious. You had to be alive to spend it, after all. To convince them, they said, the amount would have to be eye-watering.
"Tsk. No choice, then."
He would have to find another way. If all else failed, finding some dwarves to exploit wouldn't be a bad idea—though the problem was he had no idea where any dwarves even were. If that didn't work either……
Time for some infinite grinding.
He would have to clear out Monster Land. If that failed, there was always territorial war. He could pick out a wealthy neighboring territory, declare war, and seize it. And if even that didn't work……
Robbing the kingdom itself wouldn't be a bad plan either.
Albert headed back to the territory, spinning a variety of schemes that no one else would even dare to imagine.
* * *
Gluttony, the summon obtained from an S-rank Gate. In appearance it was a slime—so fragile that it looked like it would die from the slightest touch. Just like in every other game, novel, or comic, slimes were the weakest of all monsters. If you knew the trick, even an elementary school student could supposedly kill one with ease. Its soft, jelly-like body seemed utterly useless for combat. But there were exceptions to every rule.
A mutant of the Slime King. From the strongest known slime, the Slime King, a mutant had been born at an extremely low probability. That mutant was Gluttony.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kiik!"
Dozens of goblins descended from Monster Land. Spotting Gluttony, they let out shrill cries and charged. To goblins, a slime was the weakest creature imaginable—something they could trample to death without effort.
"Kieeeek!"
The goblins attacked, confident their strikes would easily finish off such a fragile slime. But—
"……"
Crunch.
Unfortunately for them, Gluttony was no ordinary slime. It was a mutant of the Slime King, further strengthened multiple times while clearing the Gate alongside Albert. Though it had started at S-rank, it now wielded power far beyond that level.
"……Kiek!?"
"Kiik!?"
The goblins let out bewildered cries. Right before their eyes, their kin were being devoured by the slime. An impossible, abnormal scene was unfolding.
"Kiek!"
Realizing something was wrong, the goblins tried to flee. Gluttony paused for a moment, thinking. It was faithfully carrying out Albert's orders.
Gluttony, if any monster tries to attack the territory, kill it—no matter what it is.
Albert had left Gluttony in charge of the territory's defense while he was away. His commands were absolute. Gluttony obeyed without question.
Whoosh!
Tentacles shot out from Gluttony's body, wrapped around the fleeing goblin, and swallowed it whole. There was no chance to resist. The moment it was caught, the goblin was already inside Gluttony.
Gulp—
Gluttony rippled contentedly, pleased with its delicious meal. Albert had said it could eat anything that threatened the territory. It seemed this pleasant mealtime was far from over.
"What is this slime?"
Just then, a boy appeared before Gluttony. He looked more like a child than a man, with blazing red hair and crimson eyes that gave him an otherworldly appearance. Even his clothes were strangely exotic by human standards.
"An unusual slime. Normally slimes are the lowest creatures in the food chain, yet this one is eating goblins…… And what's more……"
The boy's eyes narrowed. It was clearly no ordinary slime. The peculiar energy radiating from it was anything but normal. The fact that it was devouring goblins was strange enough, but the aura it gave off was deeply unpleasant.
"I was ordered to investigate a dimensional rift detected in this area, and instead I find this mutant slime."
He directed intense killing intent and hostility toward Gluttony.
"As a guardian of the middle realm, I cannot overlook your existence. Die."
The boy extended his hand. Flames of karmic fire that would burn anything they touched bloomed in his palm. It was a second-circle spell—Fireball—but its power far exceeded that rank. Not only its strength but its color was different. While ordinary Fireballs were red, the magic he used was crimson. Perhaps the color reflected its greater power. The heat alone felt like it could incinerate anything nearby.
"Die."
Whoosh!
The Fireball shot forward. The boy believed this would be enough to kill even a mutant slime. After all, it was still a slime—the weakest of monsters.
But he soon realized his mistake.
Killing intent. Attack.
Gluttony sensed the boy's murderous intent and confirmed the incoming attack. The blazing magic was certainly threatening. Gluttony followed Albert's orders faithfully.
Eliminate.
First, it swallowed the flying spell whole. Even if the caster had been a mid-tier monster like a troll, the spell carried enough power to burn its target to ash. Unfortunately for the boy, it had no effect on Gluttony.
"What!?"
Shock flashed across the boy's crimson eyes.
"You—you can't eat that……! No, that's not something you can eat!?"
Panicked, he began babbling nonsense. A slime that ate magic? His magic was on a completely different level from what human mages used. It could be blocked, perhaps, but never consumed. Yet this mere slime had devoured it.
"H-how……"
Attack.
Gluttony didn't stop at eating. Dozens of grotesque tentacles burst from its body, aiming at the boy like accusing fingers. Then—
Vwoom.
Fwoosh.
Crimson flames gathered at the tips of the tentacles.
Digest. Reverse. Release.
Gluttony's counterattack began.
"That's my magic!? A slime is using magic!? How!?"
Even as he shouted in disbelief, the boy deployed a barrier spell to block the attack. The barrier held against the crimson flames.
The power is exactly the same as mine?
"This is ridiculous!!"
While his shock continued, something pierced through the barrier and drove into his stomach.
"Guhk!"
It was one of Gluttony's tentacles. Realizing the flame attack was being blocked, it had immediately switched from magic to physical force. The tentacles had been twisted like taffy into skewers that punched straight through the barrier.
"This can't be…… How can a slime……"
Reverse. Discharge.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!!
"Aaaaaagh!!"
A powerful current surged through the tentacle embedded in his stomach. The force was comparable to a sixth-circle spell. The electric shock flooding into him from the inside made the boy's eyes roll back as he collapsed, unconscious.
Most people would have died, but the boy was still alive.
Eat.
Nom.
Gluttony opened its mouth wide toward the boy. It had been ordered to kill anything that threatened the territory. The boy was dangerous, so eating him should have been fine. But then—
Ah.
Albert's next order came to mind.
If the target is human, don't kill them. Just knock them out and wait for me. Absolutely do not kill them.
……
Gluttony tilted its body—its version of a head tilt. A question mark seemed to float above it.
Human?
Gluttony scratched its body with a tentacle. It had attacked without thinking and counterattacked on instinct. What if the boy had died? That would mean disobeying orders. Would it get scolded?
"Ugh……"
A groan reached its ears. The boy was alive. It was strange that he had survived an attack that would have killed an ordinary human, but Gluttony supposed it was possible.
Master survived something like that too.
Albert had also been impaled through the stomach and electrocuted, yet he had lived. So another human like that could exist.
Then let's head back.
Gluttony dragged the boy toward the territory.
* * *
"Brother!"
The moment Albert returned to the territory, Elena came running straight to him, looking extremely urgent. She was panting heavily and sweating coldly—clearly something had happened.
Was there a monster attack?
[Even if there was an attack, it wouldn't matter.]
[You left Gluttony in charge of defense.]
Then what?
[It seems like something else.]
"Elena."
"Brother! Why are you only getting here now!? Do you know how long I've been looking for you!?"
"Huh? I was only gone for a little while."
He really had only been gone briefly. On the way there, he had doped the horses with Bakhass and covered the distance in six hours. The return trip had taken less than an hour.
At this speed, even KTP would be crying.
"What's wrong?"
"That slime!!"
"The slime? Gluttony? Why?"
"That slime dragged in some weird guy! It stuck its tentacles right into his stomach! And when the guy woke up, it went zap and knocked him out again!! Anyway, it's a huge problem!"
She had completely lost her usual composure and was stomping her feet in agitation. An indulgent smile spread across Albert's face. He couldn't help smiling at his adorable little sister's antics.
[Hopeless brother.]
Shut it.
"Brother!"
"Huh? Ah, right. Let's go take a look."
"Hurry, hurry!"
Elena grabbed Albert's arm and pulled him along.
"Do you know how panicked I was? What even is that slime? Last time I saw it, it was eating orcs too……"
"Oh, that? It's my summon."
"A summon?"
"Yeah. Think of it as similar to Pride, the one I showed you before."
"You mean…… a monster you tamed from that place called a Gate?"
"Yeah."
Albert didn't bother hiding it. There was no need to, and it wouldn't cause any trouble if people found out. Besides, there shouldn't be secrets between family members—especially after being separated for so long.
"It's over here!"
Elena led Albert to the front yard of the mansion. An astonishing scene was unfolding there.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!!
"Y-you bastard! How dare you do this to me, Grenfell Landria Gaster, a guardian of the middle realm and a Red Dragon…… Aaaagh! S-stop!!"
The boy was on the verge of becoming grilled lizard.
Crispy frying isn't really my style.