046. The Slime with Intelligence 3
Bin gazed at Irin, dressed in her blue uniform, with cold eyes. She was strikingly beautiful. But the Bin from his late twenties before regression had no reason to see her as anything more than that.
The Taia family, one of the three great battle houses.
The Taia family. Masters of mana divided into three types, they excelled in particular with Mana of Wisdom. Using it, they could communicate with certain monsters. Their hallmark was forming symbiotic bonds with a single monster each.
Irin appeared to be around the same age as Bin now. Her eyes widened at the sight of Zeke, the slime she had split into four pieces.
What happened? Zeke's body...
Her eyes blank with shock. Facing something she'd never experienced before, Irin alternated glances between the divided Zeke and Bin.
Just moments ago, she'd told Zeke, "Stop it!" Rare was the opponent who could best him. Yet when Zeke's body split instead, she was stunned.
As soon as Irin appeared, Zeke glanced at her warily. Then he hurriedly began merging his divided bodies. It was to escape his embarrassment.
Soon, the four lumps fused back together, and the green liquid no longer flowed. Zeke stomped over to Bin with an irritated expression.
"Hah, huff. I won't let it slide anymore!"
But Irin shouted at Zeke.
"Stop!"
Irin began piecing together the situation. Zeke had been on edge from his comrades' deaths, and in that state, a strong opponent appeared—leading him to suspect Bin.
Zeke, who’s never lost even to a 4th-grade monster... how could he lose to someone our age?
Of course, Bin had been exhausted too. But to her, Zeke's state was the bigger shock.
Irin frowned at Bin in his black uniform.
The Bascon family...
Normally, she'd apologize right away, but the bizarre scene left her too stunned even for that. Only belatedly did she think to check on the other side.
"Are you... okay...?"
Seeing a peer eased her into casual speech, but she quickly added the polite ending.
In stark contrast to Irin's gentle tone, Bin responded firmly.
"What if I'm not?"
"......"
An unexpectedly provocative reply. Irin furrowed her brow at Bin's words, which shut her mouth instinctively. It had been a perfunctory question, not out of real worry. But his prickly attitude rubbed her the wrong way.
There was a reason Bin treated her coldly.
Attacking out of nowhere...
Moments ago, the slime had approached Mia and opened its maw. If he'd been even a little slower, Mia might have been in danger. True, it had been an extension of Zeke's body without its main consciousness... but Bin had no way of knowing that.
Irritated by Bin's attitude, Irin raised her voice.
"Is everyone from the Bascon family like this?"
"Then is everyone from the Taia family like this?"
His retort struck precisely at her weak point, leaving Irin speechless.
"Th-that's..."
Given the circumstances, it wasn't easy for the young Irin to win a war of words against the regressed Bin.
She puffed out her cheeks and clenched her fists. Clearly frustrated.
He's upsetting me... This isn't what Father said.
Irin usually heard stories about the Bascon family from her father, the head of the Taia house. She soon recalled one such conversation from the past.
"The head of the Grander family is a man with grand ambitions. Keep your distance from him."
In contrast, the assessment of Moden, head of the Bascon family, was positive.
"The head of the Bascon family may look fierce, but he has at least a baseline of honor. You can keep close to him."
Irin nodded silently at her father's words.
"......"
"Right now, the three houses check each other, but if you ever have to choose one... side with the Bascons."
"Yes, Father."
Father, why this family...?
Zeke, who had known Irin for a long time, immediately noticed. Bin had soured her mood.
Zeke shouted at Irin.
"This pisses me off. Let's smash him!"
Angry, Irin almost nodded without thinking. But she came to her senses and shook her head.
"Zeke, we started it. These people didn't touch our comrades. There were no traces of that greatsword on the bodies."
Zeke's expression hardened at her words. Irin looked displeased too but nodded.
Yeah, they'd feel wronged from their perspective...
Irin tried putting herself in their shoes. As she yielded a step, Zeke trembled with clenched fists, suppressing his battle instincts as best he could.
I have to hold back... hold back...
But the fact of his defeat and Bin's arrogant attitude grated on him. Unable to endure, Zeke spat through gritted teeth.
"You bastard... wanna go again?!"
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth? Ignoring Zeke's size, Bin swiftly raised his greatsword.
"If you want, anytime."
Thud. Thud. As Zeke approached Bin, Irin yelled.
"Zeke, stay put!"
Her raised voice halted Zeke in his tracks. He ground his teeth, glaring down at Bin. Bin, meanwhile, looked up at him with composed ease.
"......"
The tense atmosphere showed no signs of cooling. They stared each other down. Then someone broke the mood...
Ront.
"Everyone, calm down."
His voice was calm and leisurely, evoking a high noble. His shabby clothes had somehow been replaced with neat ones, complete with high-heeled shoes.
Mia tilted her head at Ront's uncharacteristic appearance. But Bin seemed to know what was coming.
Hah... here we go again.
Bin recalled his pre-regression memories of Ront. Back then, the dwarf transformed 180 degrees around pretty women—in voice, attire, and behavior. A completely different person.
Even so, with a kid this young...
Was it because even at her young age, Irin's looks were exceptional? Ront flashed a fatherly smile at her.
"My lady, forgive our rudeness."
Caught off guard by the sudden shift, Irin stammered.
"Ah, no. If anything, we were at fault."
Ront lifted the corners of his mouth in a friendly grin.
"Hahaha, it's rare for fault to be one hundred percent on one side. We're greatly at fault too."
"Yes..."
Irin looked flustered by Ront's behavior. Then Mia doused him with cold water.
"Mister, are you sick? ...You're weird!"
Her eyes wide, Mia looked up at Ront and shook her head.
"Your height's weird too. It was like mine before."
At the sensitive remark, Ront quickly pressed a finger to his lips toward Mia.
"......Shh!"
Anyway, thanks to Ront, the tension eased bit by bit. Moments later.
Bin stared straight at Irin, meeting her eyes. It was an unabashed gaze. Her face flushed, and she looked down.
Why's he looking at me like that...?
Bin thought back to his past memories of her. Traveling with a slime. Pureblood of the Taia family and one of its heirs.
Taia family's pureblood. Super Nova Irin Taia.
The youngest of the ten Super Novas. One of Taia's rising stars.
Uncomfortable under Bin's intense stare, Irin changed the subject.
"Anyway, what brings the young master of Bascon here?"
Bin opened his mouth without changing expression.
"Shouldn't you explain first?"
"Mm..."
His prodding tone made Irin bite her lip briefly.
Still holding a grudge? Sigh... so petty.
She let out a deep sigh and spoke again.
"We came looking for our family-affiliated monsters that went missing. But we found their bodies... torn to pieces..."
Tears suddenly welled in her eyes, cutting her off.
Something clicked in Bin's mind at her words.
Chimera.
Unlike now, where they were called the three great battle houses, before regression the Grander family had been unrivaled. A colossal force no other house could match. The heart of the Gana Empire, without exaggeration.
One reason was their chimera legions—hybrids blending various monster types. They covered weaknesses and maximized strengths, far beyond normal monsters.
Among them, the 2nd-grade Cerberian. Through countless chimeras, they'd forged peak forces.
Places like Shobe Cave are probably just one of many. Grander bastards, is this the foundation that let you seize continental dominance?
As Bin pondered, Irin spoke.
"Then why are you here, young master?"
"......Shobe or whatever."
Bin muttered to himself in response to her question.
"Sho, Shobe...?!"
Irin, unaware of Shobe Cave, felt dismissed. Wherever she went, she was treated as Taia nobility. Yet Bin treated her like an afterthought. Any fondness for a peer had long vanished.
She frowned, thinking.
The Bascon family really isn't it...
Feeling miffed, Irin stood.
"We'll be going now."
She no longer cared if a Bascon scion was here. As Irin moved to leave, Zeke stood too.
"Up we go."
As the two rose to depart, Ront greeted them.
"Leaving already?"
His soft tone was still hard to get used to. Zeke, now standing, spoke to Bin.
"We'll settle the score later."
Bin replied indifferently to the reluctant Zeke.
"Do what you want."
His half-hearted attitude made Zeke clench his fists again.
"This guy..."
Irin muttered as if she'd expected it.
See? What a sight...
She paused mid-step. Her eyes caught Mia nearby. The girl was slightly hunched, looking somehow unwell. Irin felt uneasy.
It was because of the girl... I wonder what happened to her.
Curious about Mia's condition but hesitant to pry—afraid of reopening wounds—Irin held back.
Seeing Mia follow them closely, Irin started seeing Bin differently.
The girl trusts them, so they're probably not bad people...
Still, something nagged at her. She couldn't just leave like this. After hesitating, she rummaged in her clothes and pulled out a glowing blue seal. She approached Bin.
Tap. Tap.
She stamped it on the back of his left hand. A blue mark appeared: a round circle with a blue bird spreading its wings.
Bin looked stunned and spoke.
"This is...?!"