“An ad-adventurer?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden, boss?”
“Pfft, an adventurer with a s-slime? Boss, your jokes have gotten better. Khuh!”
“I’m not joking.”
The subordinates had different reactions to their boss’s statement.
“Didn’t you say being an adventurer is d-dangerous?”
Def expressed concern.
“What kind of adventurer would go with a slime?”
Skol retorted.
“What are you thinking, boss?”
Hawane asked.
The boss calmly explained his reasoning to his subordinates.
“You guys know, right? There’s no way being bandits will end well. We’ve been trying to hang on until the wanted notice is lifted, but... with that perverted bastard around, it’ll take a long time before that happens. So.”
Clap!
He smacked his knee and continued.
“We’re going to be adventurers with this guy.”
“Wait, what do you mean, with a slime...?”
“Let me finish, Skol. You all saw it today. How well this slime fights. It didn’t get in the way, and actually took down monsters faster than you guys. More importantly.”
The boss picked up the slime, who was quietly listening on the floor, and patted it.
Brrrrrr!
“See how calm and obedient it is? It’s perfect to bring along... Wait, why is it trembling?”
Def smiled sheepishly.
“I-I think it’s happy.”
“...Yeah. Meeting a slime that’s this strong and friendly is pure luck. And when luck comes, you grab it.”
“Haha, boss. Didn’t you say adventuring was too dangerous?”
“I said I wouldn’t do it unless I had to. But we’re not in a position to pick and choose anymore. Right now, it’s best to become adventurers in a place free from that bastard’s influence.”
“Boss! Then wouldn’t it be better to work as mercenaries in another place instead?”
“Skol, even if we escape his influence, you know the mercenary world is small. Not many would want to hire us once they hear we’ve been marked by a noble. Some might even try to inform him about us.”
“Um, boss.”
“What? Are you against it too, Def?”
“No. It’s not that. I-I just have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Even if we become adventurers... wouldn’t there still be people who might tell him about us?”
The boss, Hawane, and Skol looked at Def in surprise.
Who would’ve thought Def would ask something like that?
“Huh? Wh-why are you all staring at me?”
“No, it’s nothing. Yeah, you’re right. Even if we become adventurers, someone might talk. But so what? At least as adventurers, we’re choosing jobs from a pile, not waiting for someone to offer us one. There’ll always be work. And if we prove ourselves and gain fame as adventurers... that guy won’t be able to mess with us so easily.”
“Why not?”
“Because fame gives power to our words. If he spreads nasty rumors about us... we can expose the kinds of jobs he gave us when we were mercenaries. Mercenaries are cautious around nobles and tend to keep things quiet, but adventurers have more freedom.”
Since adventurers mainly took on dangerous tasks like monster hunting, they could also gain people’s trust.
“Any more questions?”
No one asked or objected further.
The group of bandits—
No, now aspiring adventurers—decided to begin their new lives alongside the slime.
Meanwhile, in another space...
▶ Lol This is getting interesting Lol
▶ So after living comfortably in the mansion, it’s party time with humans? Lol
▶ No one could’ve predicted this.
[Thread-Lady] ▶ Since all the humans are so un-cute, Squishy looks even cuter~
▶ What if those humans sell him out later?
▶ [DestructionLover has been kicked.]
▶ Cut!
▶ Loll
▶ Damn Lol This room has a manager now Lol
Some viewers were watching the situation unfold through the slime with great amusement.
‘Should I be relieved... or concerned?’
Meanwhile, the chatroom’s moderator, nicknamed “Free Spirit,” also known as Troll, couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the slime’s ongoing actions.
‘I hoped the slime wouldn’t antagonize humans... but I didn’t expect them to get along so smoothly.’
Having once been human, he believed he understood the relationship between monsters and humans.
But the slime was mingling with humans much more smoothly than Troll had imagined.
Not only had it lived over a month in Count Ludendion’s mansion, but now, even the bandits it met afterward didn’t try to defeat it and instead wanted to team up and become adventurers.
‘Has the world’s view on monsters changed recently? Or am I just... out of touch with the times?’
It had been thirty years since he last stepped outside.
Maybe society had changed.
Even if that were true, Troll had a hard time accepting it emotionally.
Because even as a lich, he didn’t want to associate himself with words like “old,” “outdated,” or “rigid”!
To protect his own mental state, he changed the subject in his mind.
‘More importantly, Squishy Queen has been awfully quiet. Is she okay with this?’
Nickname: Squishy Queen.
She always referred to the slime as My kin and worried about it during times of danger.
But this time, she hadn’t said a word.
‘I thought she’d say something like, “Don’t associate with filthy humans!”’
While Troll was thinking that...
‘This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’
Squishy Queen didn’t find the bandits’ conversation particularly offensive.
‘It’s about time for my kin to start fighting stronger foes and laying the foundation for the next evolution.’
The slime was no longer the weak creature that trembled in fear of wild beasts.
Not only had it undergone one evolution, but it had also learned to Body Slam from Fenrir—even if she hadn’t liked it—which gave it a way to attack.
More than anything, despite how absurd it had been at the time, the slime had stayed in a high-ranking human’s mansion and ate nutritious food regularly, which helped it grow.
Monsters absorb what they consume even better than humans, and are that much more influenced by it.
To the Slime Queen, the current slime stood overwhelmingly superior to the average one.
Just by its ability to easily take down about twelve goblins, one could tell.
The Slime Queen nodded as she recalled that moment.
[Goblins are no longer of any use to my kin. To evolve further, one must fight stronger foes.]
She hoped that the slime would grow stronger and evolve again to one day meet her.
And the sooner that time came, the better.
In that sense, the bandits’ proposal wasn’t bad.
The Slime Queen also knew from watching the stream.
That adventurers were humans obsessed with hunting monsters, fearlessly so.
That they charge into monsters like fools, and sometimes lose their lives out of arrogance despite the odds.
[My kin is not so foolish as humans. If faced with an overwhelming foe, it will surely flee alone. Besides.]
She didn’t think those weak humans, who relied on the slime’s power to become adventurers, would challenge enemies even the slime found tough.
***
The group of former mercenaries and bandits who decided to become adventurers with the slime planned to move to a region beyond the influence of Baron Fedfil.
However, there was a slight problem.
The wanted status?
That could be handled with extra money through their own networks.
The problem was the slime.
Even if it was a weak slime, a monster was still a monster.
If they used a carriage and were questioned or denied entry because of it, it would be a big issue.
More than anything, if they hid it and got caught during adventuring later, that would be even worse.
As they were trying to figure out a smooth way forward, Skol came up with an idea.
“How about just putting it on top of this pighead’s head? Like, we’re showing it’s safe to carry around like this!” At first, it seemed ridiculous enough to shout, “Are you serious?”
[...Could it actually work?]
Even now, the slime was sitting atop Def’s head.
Def had a large frame but an innocent-looking face, and with the slime quietly sitting on top of his head, it somehow looked convincing.
“..............We don’t have a better plan, so let’s go with that.”
And so, the bold adventurer hopefuls’ plan—
“Hah, even you guys are doing that now?”
Succeeded without a hitch, with only the coachman’s baffled comment.
“Is putting slimes on your head a trend these days—whether it's noble ladies or lowlifes like you?”
The reason was a rumor that had spread from Count Ludendion’s domain.
A story about the count’s eccentric daughter.
She toured the town happily with a slime perched on her head, guarded by escorts.
That slime was said to be very tame and had a great appetite.
Of course, the adventurer hopefuls, who had lived as bandits and rushed their black-market deals, had never heard the story before.
They managed to ride the carriage, but everyone except Def was still bewildered.
“Hehe, it worked out.”
“No way... this actually worked?”
“Pfft, what a funny world we live in.”
“Who would’ve thought the count’s daughter would be the one doing something so dumb?”
“......Well, whatever works.”
After two weeks of traveling, the adventurer hopefuls arrived in a region beyond Baron Fedfil’s influence.
“This is where we start over.”
“Wh-whoa, as expected of an adventurers’ city, so-so many people!”
“Idiot! There are a lot of people in cities in general!”
“Khuh, haha, don’t talk so naïvely, Def. You're totally giving off that country bumpkin vibe.”
Brrrrrrr!
“Oh, Tongtong says he's happy to be in the city too!”
Tongtong.
That was the name Def had given the slime during their journey.
“Let’s get a room fast and head to the guild. Got it?”
“Yes, boss!”
[Boss!]
Boing!
The slime thought matching their cheer with a jump was a fun game.
After booking an inn room, the adventurer hopefuls headed to the guild.
“Welcome. What can I help you with to—wait, is that a slime?”
The guild receptionist, who began with a formal greeting, was immediately distracted by the slime atop Def’s head.
The boss, already completely used to such reactions, ignored it and stated his business.
“We’re here to register as adventurers. Me and these three. And... this slime.”
“You’re registering a slime as an adventurer?”
“No, not registering it exactly. It’ll just be with us, so add it to our party list.”
“Oh! His name’s Tongtong!”
Boing!
As if confirming, the slime bounced atop Def’s head.
The receptionist thought to herself as she looked at Def speaking with a simple smile.
She had worked at the guild for years, but she had never seen such an absurd adventurer registration.