Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 36: Encounters and Partings

Episode 36: Encounters and Partings

“(Could it be… you’re Sla-o!?)”

I forget about chasing the Boar Orc and question the Slime in front of me. It has evolved into a Greater Beast, but there’s no mistake. This sheen, this color, this roundness. It has to be Sla-o.

“(Who are you? I don’t know any Slime with such a strange shape.)”

“(Strange shape!?)”

…Well, that’s not important right now.

“(It’s me, me! Remember, we were together before.)”

“(Who…?)”

“(Have you forgotten!? We used to gather fruits together!)”

“(A group of Slimes. Generally, gathering fruits together.)”

That’s true.

“(Sla-suke, it’s Sla-suke. You remember, right?)”

“(That’s a lie. Sla-suke was a small weakling. You’re not as big as this. Also, it was gray in color.)”

“(I {Evolved}. When you {Evolve}, your body gets bigger, and sometimes your color changes… maybe…?)”

I’m not too confident about the latter and my tone weakens. Slimes don’t {Evolve} much, so I only thought of my own case, not knowing if other Slimes’ colors change when they {Evolve}. Besides, I’ve always been light blue since becoming a Jewel Slime. If I had become a Ruby Slime, I might have changed.

“(—Anyway, that’s not important. What are you doing here? I told you not to enter the dense Mana areas.)”

“(To increase the <Soul Accumulation Level>.)”

“(Huh? What are you talking about? Even if it’s you or Sla-ta, bringing along the Lesser Beasts… are you out of your mind?)”

Sla-o has several Slimes following him, and they clearly look like Lesser Beasts. I’ve moved quite a bit chasing the wild boar orc, so I’ve left the area where Grand Beasts appear. But even here the |Mana| is dense enough that Greater Beasts are not uncommon.

“(To become stronger, sacrifices are necessary. There are many Slimes in the group. Even if some die, it’s no problem.)”

“(W-What nonsense… Does Sla-ta know about this!?)”

“(Of course, it’s Sla-ta’s order.)”

“……” 

I’m left speechless. What do they think the lives of their comrades are worth…!

“(Damn it, stop this immediately! I’ll go speak to Sla-ta directly and…)”

I shout out in righteous anger, but my words trail off. It’s starting to feel like a distant matter. Maybe because my human memories have returned, I no longer feel the same kinship with Slimes as I used to. I’ve had experiences living as a Slime, so I can’t lump them together with other magical beasts, but my attachment has faded somewhat.

“(Sla-suke, you’ve been dismissed. Do not speak of the injured.)”

“(O-Oh, maybe so…)”

Pushed by Sla-o’s stern tone, I respond weakly. Then Sla-o and his group resume their exploration of the forest, and I hesitate whether to stop them when suddenly a flash of light attacks from behind.

“[Explode Cannon]”

— Boommmmm!!!”

The deafening explosion shakes the forest, and a dazzling blast wind sweeps through. A heatwave with the force to upheave the ground is released from beyond the trees and explodes on my body’s surface.

“““Slaaaaa!”””

I’m unscathed by the direct hit, but for everyone else, the aftermath was fatal. The screams of the Slimes in their final moments echo through the trees. However, in a sense, they were lucky. Those closest to me had no chance to even scream before they perished.

“(W-What’s going on—)”

“Still as powerful as ever. How? Did we manage to defeat them?”

“Unclear. I felt I hit the surrounding Lesser Beasts. But whether my magic affects the Jewel Slime Grand Beast…”

“Not bragging as usual?”

“A good mage knows their own limits. Overconfidence is avoided; always provide a fair assessment.”

From behind the rising smoke, I hear the voices of two women. They seem to be in their twenties. The earlier attack must have been their magic.

“Su, ra…”

“(! Hey, Sla-o, are you okay!?)”

Right now, the priority is the injured rather than identifying the attackers. Through the thickening smoke, I head towards the survivors. But as it turns out, only Sla-o remains, and he’s severely injured.

He seems to be suffering from a burn-like state from the explosion’s heat, with his body slowly decaying and melting. My instinctive words of “Are you okay” are merely comfort. I already knew it was too late.

“(Damn it, if I had noticed earlier…)”

Despite having 360-degree vision as a Slime, I had been focused solely on Sla-o and neglected vigilance in other directions. That’s why my response was delayed.

If I could have used [Cover], I could have protected all the Slimes. I want to hit the me from just a minute ago who was too proud to feel kinship. Watching them die like this, regret overflows endlessly.

“(I’m sorry, Sla-o, everyone…)”

“(Hmph… even if you didn’t cover me… I’m fine….)”

Maybe Sla-o sensed my guilt. He says such things to comfort me. I feel sorry for making someone in their final moments have to care about me, and I can’t help but search for excuses to avoid responsibility.

“(Why were we targeted in the first place…? Especially since we’ve lived without attacking humans…!)”

Ah, I know. This is irrational anger. Slimes hunt magical beasts for survival, and the reason we didn’t attack humans was out of fear of retaliation. There weren’t any promises or treaties involved. Moreover, the main reason we were attacked was probably because I was there. They used that magic to kill me, who has a lot of [Soul Fragments]. Sla-o and the others were just caught up in the crossfire—

“(What are you saying… Don’t you know? Don’t mix me up with those weaklings… I… I’m not afraid of humans…)”

Wait a minute.

“(…Didn’t I repeatedly tell you not to attack humans…?)”

“(I… I don’t fear humans…)”

At that moment, I heard voices from beyond the smoke.

“Oh, speaking of which, your sister had a rough time. I heard she was attacked by a rock-throwing Slime for the first time.”

“Yeah. The party leader quickly gave the retreat order, so there weren’t any major injuries, but she got quite a big bump.”

“Well, that’s cheap… or maybe not.”

“Yeah, yeah. Once this smoke clears and if there are any survivors, I’ll slice them to pieces!”

“The reduced visibility after use is a flaw of [Explode Cannon]. It will be improved eventually.”

At that moment, more than half of Sla-o’s body had already necrotized. The necrosis rapidly spread from there. In no time, his whole body melted into a gel-like substance. This is what happens to Slimes when they die.

“……” 

I’m overwhelmed with indescribable emotions. But there’s no time to hesitate. After putting my hands together in respect for the Slimes, I quickly use [Flee] and escape the scene to avoid being cut down by the humans.