Amelia and Paulen took the slime and headed to Saintess Presia's room.
The room belonged to Presia, the heroine who had saved the continent from a past disaster.
It was a spacious room adorned with artistic decorations.
Though Presia herself preferred simplicity, the priests had insisted she occupy this elaborate chamber.
"Amelia, knight Paulen."
Since it was a private space, Presia comfortably addressed Amelia.
"Could you tell me what's going on? Oh, and please don't fabricate a story like you did with High Priest David."
"..."
"Haha, understood. Here’s what happened…"
Paulen thoroughly explained everything to Presia.
He described the reason they left the holy city, the incident that occurred during their stroll in the valley, and why they brought the slime back with them.
"What a fascinating situation."
Presia appeared genuinely amazed after hearing the entire story.
Even as a saintess who had repelled great disasters, who could have imagined a slime riding a lesser troll would float down the river?
Furthermore—
"Is the vibration from this little one really that pleasant?"
"Yes..."
Re-explaining the reason made Amelia feel so embarrassed she wanted to hide beneath the covers.
Even she found her own reasons absurd when reconsidered.
Meanwhile—
'Presia! Saintess! Nellin! Friend!'
Boing!
The slime was excited to see Presia.
Presia was the very same person from the biography that Jessie had read to it.
Someone from a similar race to the first human it had ever seen.
A close friend of Nellin, the elven hero.
Technically, this made her a friend of a friend.
Meeting someone it had eagerly anticipated seeing naturally filled it with joy.
'Jerky!'
The slime briefly wondered if Presia also had tasty jerky, like Nellin.
Presia smiled warmly as she watched the slime energetically bouncing in place.
"What a lively slime."
"Hey, stay still!"
"No, it’s fine. Let it be. It seems true that it doesn’t harm people."
"Huh?"
Presia stopped Paulen from subduing the slime.
"Normally, slimes don't jump around like this. Usually, they either crawl slowly or run away. But this one is very lively. And seeing it jump in place…"
"It—it looks like it's happy."
"Exactly, Amelia. It seems that way to me too."
Presia slowly reached out towards the slime.
Upon seeing her hand, the slime stopped bouncing and quietly stayed in place, allowing Presia to gently stroke it.
"This slime seems smarter than I expected. Plus, it doesn’t fear human touch. What a good little creature."
Brrrrrr!
The slime trembled happily at Presia's compliment and touch.
"Oh my, it tickles. Hehe. So, does such vibration really feel nice on the head?"
"Well, when I received it, the vibration was stronger."
"Really? Should I try it myself?"
"S-Saintess Presia! You don't have to!"
Though Amelia had brought the slime because she enjoyed the massage, she felt guilty about Presia feeling compelled to try it.
"I'm simply curious."
Although Presia didn’t actually expect the slime to understand, she spoke to it anyway.
"Little one, can you give me a massage like you did for those two?"
'Okay!'
Responding inwardly, the slime immediately jumped onto Presia’s head as soon as she removed her hand.
"Oh!?"
"S-Saintess Presia!"
"Oh my goodness."
Amelia and Paulen were astonished, their eyes wide at the slime's sudden action.
Before either could remove the slime—
Brrrrrrr!
The slime began its vibrating massage immediately.
"Oh my, my, my~."
Presia experienced the slime’s renowned massage, which countless people had praised.
'This is...!'
Despite always caring for her health, her body had inevitably grown stiff and weary with time.
The accumulated fatigue gradually melted away under the slime’s gentle vibrations.
"Hey! Get—get down…!"
"W-Wait a mo-mo-moment, A-Ameliaaa~!"
"Saintess Presia?"
Presia stopped Amelia with a trembling voice due to the vibrations.
"This feels a-a-amazing~."
"I'm—I'm glad."
"Did it understand my words, or was it just a coincidence?"
A moment later.
Presia placed the slime on her lap after the massage and stroked it gently with a refreshed smile.
"Ah, what a wonderful massage. I've had sore shoulders lately, and even my blessings could only briefly relieve them, so it's been quite troublesome."
"Even your blessings can't relieve muscle fatigue, Saintess Presia...? How about exercising together from now on? It'll definitely help!"
"I already exercise enough on my own, knight Paulen. If I worked out at your level, I'd be meeting our deity within a week."
"Ahem! I always recommend suitable exercises for each individual! Only incompetent fools push beyond reasonable limits!"
"Hehe, of course. I'm sorry for making unnecessary comments."
"It's nothing."
"By the way…"
Presia glanced down at the slime.
"This little one really is gentle and intelligent. It feels like it understands human speech."
"Understands human speech? Can monsters do that?"
"Of course. Some monsters can understand human speech."
'And some can even convey their own intentions.'
Saintess Presia recalled events from the distant past.
Burning lands, gasping breaths, flowing blood.
The decisive battle against the Black Dragon, the worst disaster that had taken countless lives.
After several hours of fierce battle, they finally managed to defeat the black dragon.
One of its eyes was pierced by Nellin's arrow, its claws—strong enough to demolish buildings—were shattered by Katshal's axe, and its scales, impervious to ordinary attacks, were stripped away by Ventus's powerful magic.
All of Presia's companions were utterly exhausted, gasping for breath, barely conscious.
At last, the heroes succeeded in bringing down the black dragon.
Or rather, they believed they had completely defeated it.
The black dragon's eyes were completely lifeless, and anyone could see that it was dead.
Relieved, her companions fell unconscious one by one.
Just as Presia herself began to relax and her eyelids grew heavy, she heard it.
[Ah~ This really sucks. I was finally having fun with this overpowered dragon character, who would have thought there'd be OP monsters like you guys around.]
'......!?'
A voice filled with clear intent rang directly into Presia's mind.
Too exhausted to react properly, Presia's body stiffened at the sudden intrusion.
[This was a strange world, but being a dragon was really awesome. Well, I've dropped enough epic lines and had plenty of fun, so this isn't too bad.]
'Who…who is speaking? Could it be—the black dragon?'
Was the dragon still alive?
Could it possibly still move?
It was a dire emergency.
At this point, Presia was the only one barely conscious.
[I should at least leave behind a cool line…]
In that instant, the black dragon’s remaining eye suddenly regained its glow.
That eye stared straight at Presia, who still stood trembling.
"Haa, haa, haa..."
Her body wouldn't move due to fear and tension.
She couldn't even think of waking her companions.
The idea of attacking the dragon herself didn't even cross her mind.
However, the dragon didn't move, only conveying its final thoughts.
[I have not a single regret in this life…]
With those words, the black dragon's eye lost its glow again.
At that moment, Presia couldn't determine if what she experienced was real or imagined.
Perhaps fear had conjured hallucinations.
Or perhaps the black dragon really had conveyed its thoughts to her.
As soon as Presia felt certain the black dragon was truly dead, her consciousness also faded.
Now, years later, Presia couldn't fully recall the black dragon's exact words from that day.
The only clear memory was that the dragon had expressed no regrets about its life.
She was convinced that the black dragon hadn't just exhibited superficial intelligence but clearly possessed consciousness and will.
Though the black dragon had remained evil until its final moment, Presia did not develop hatred toward monsters.
She knew all too well from life experience that ugliness wasn't exclusive to monsters alone.
Thus, Presia pondered a possibility.
If monsters possessed intelligence, if they could think and communicate, perhaps some among them might indeed be good.
It was a vague thought, but—
"This little one might just be such an existence."
Presia gently stroked the slime as she spoke.
"Please get along well with Amelia."
'Okay!'
Brrrrrr!
'Hehe, it really seems to understand.'
The slime's reaction stirred Presia's playful side.
"Can I ask you a favor?"
"Saintess Presia?"
"Amelia usually lacks confidence and always has droopy shoulders."
"Saintess Presia!?"
"So, could you give Amelia a shoulder massage too?"
'Okay!'
Brrrrrr!
"W-what are you talking about?!"
"Hehe, why not? Since it's so pleasant, wouldn’t it feel even better directly on your shoulders?"
She hadn't expected the slime to truly understand and react.
Thus, Presia picked up the slime, intending to place it on Amelia's shoulders.
However—
Boing!
The slime leaped from Presia's lap, skillfully landing directly on Amelia's shoulder.
""Huh?""
"Hmm?"
The three of them blinked, staring at the slime in disbelief.
They had just witnessed an action that a slime incapable of understanding human speech would never do.
"D-do you really understand huma—"
Brrrrrrrrr!
"Aaaah~!"
Before Amelia could finish her question, the slime began its vibrating massage.
The incredible relief from the tension in her shoulders made Amelia unable to speak.
***
As the current Saintess, her successor, and the knight guarding them stood astonished—
—Haa… I never expected to even meet Presia again.
In his solitary workshop, Troll felt complicated seeing another old companion from the past.
While he felt nostalgic upon seeing Nellin, who still looked and acted the same due to her elven heritage, Presia visibly showed the passage of time.
This made Troll vividly realize just how much time had passed since he became a lich.
—You're still as kind and open-hearted as ever, Presia… What would you say if you saw me now?
Would she scold him for becoming a lich?
Or would she simply greet him warmly after such a long separation?
Seeing his aged companion inevitably led Troll into such bittersweet thoughts.