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 42: The Return

Episode 42: The Return

“Finally found you!”

“Oh, it’s been a while.”

The one who came was the blue-haired girl I often encounter in the forest. Well, thanks to her [Skill] that expands her detection range, I suppose.

“Long time no see, Mr. Slime. What a beautiful place you have here.”

She looked around at the flowers in awe. The area was truly a riot of color, with all kinds of flowers blooming everywhere.

“Yeah, well, this is all thanks to my [Unique Skill].”

“[Unique Skill]…?”

Before I arrived, the flowers and fruit weren’t nearly as lush. The transformation over the past week was due to the power of my [Unique Skill].

“By the way, why are you here today? You said you finally found me, so you must have a reason, right?”

“Oh, that’s right! Hey, did you hear that? Mr. Slime isn’t scary at all!”

The girl called out to a tree behind her. After a five-second pause, a young man stepped out from behind it.

“H-Hello…”

“You… I think I’ve seen you before…”

I felt like I had met this slightly chubby young man somewhere. There weren’t many humans I had encountered: the blue-haired girl, the Jascal gang, and then—

“—Ah! You’re the guy who got attacked by the red monster!”

“Y-Yes! That’s me! Thank you so much for helping me back then…”

The brown-haired young man vigorously nodded his head.

“Glad to see you made it back to town safely. Sorry I couldn’t escort you all the way.”

“No, no, no, please! You saved me from a Chaos Beast, and I am forever grateful—”

He stammered through his words, clearly nervous. He kept repeating himself, caught in a loop, too scared to relax around me.

Sensing that this could go on forever, I cut him off.

“—Okay, I get it. You’re really grateful. But is that the only reason you came here today?”

“Oh, uh, no, right. Sorry.”

He suddenly looked like he remembered something important. Guess he had genuinely forgotten.

“U-um, when you saved me, you were using a spear, right…?”

“Oh, you mean this?”

“! Yes, yes, that’s it!”

When I showed him the amber-colored spear that the high-level adventurer Jascal had used, the young man’s face lit up. But then, in the next moment, he dropped to his knees in a bow.

“Please! Please let me have that spear!”

Huh, so this world has the custom of bowing down like that too? I couldn’t help but think about something irrelevant like that.

I was confused by his sudden action. As I stood there, he continued to press his head into the ground. So I gave him a neutral response.

“…Tell me why. Why do you want this spear so badly?”

Even though I asked, I already had a guess. He’s probably a family member or friend of Jascal, trying to retrieve the weapon Jascal lost. Honestly, it doesn’t matter much to me either way. Since I had already copied it with [Replicant Form], giving it back wouldn’t affect my strength.

“Actually, this spear was a treasured heirloom of my family.”

Oh?

“I was given special permission to use it to defeat a certain monster… but it was stolen by someone else before I could.”

Hmm, he’s being vague, but that ‘certain monster’ is probably me. And the part about it being stolen is clearly a lie. In reality, Jascal took the spear to kill me, and I ended up taking it. He’s probably spinning this story so he doesn’t anger me by telling the truth.

That makes the most sense.

“Even thinking about it now makes me furious. It was Jascal, that guy, who forcefully took my spear! And in the middle of the forest! Can you believe it?!”

Huh???

What’s going on here…?

“Ahem, excuse me. Anyway, Jascal probably challenged you, Mr. Slime, and lost. That’s how I believe the spear ended up in your possession. Does that sound about right?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess. The spear was originally a human’s weapon. After I defeated him, he dropped it. So I started using it. That might’ve been this Jascal guy.”

“…Wait, Mr. Slime, you fought Jascal?”

“Oh…”

I had completely forgotten! The girl had warned me to avoid encountering Jascal! If I leave it like this, it’ll look like I ignored her advice!

What should I do…? How can I talk my way out of this…?

“Uh, well… it was kind of an accident, or something like that…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m not blaming you. You’re alive and well, Mr. Slime, so I guess my warning was unnecessary.”

“That’s not true… I only managed to beat Jascal thanks to the information you gave me beforehand…”

Even though she said she wasn’t upset, I found myself making excuses. I guess it’s because I felt guilty. 

As I struggled with my words, the young man spoke up.

“Excuse me, Mr.Slime. Just to confirm, that spear belonged to Jascal, correct?”

“Uh, yeah, probably. I didn’t check his name, but the description matches what I heard.”

“Oh! Then it must be our family heirloom, the Earth Dragon-Slaying Spear: Mould Breaker!”

Still kneeling in a bow, the young man escalated his action—he slammed his forehead into the ground.

“Please! Please let me have that spear! I’ll do anything within my power to repay you, so please…!”

“Uh, sure, you can have it. I’ll give it back. So, please, lift your head.”

And so, the earth-specialized spear, the Earth Dragon-Slaying Spear: Mould Breaker, was returned to the young man.