I was Reincarnated as an Incompetent Leader with Zero Popularity who met his downfall early on. Instead of banishing the hidden cheat Protagonist, I decided to embrace him, and somehow, I ended up being treated like a Hero instead. - Chapter 27

“Is Mian here?!”

A man, taller than me by a head, barked out his question the moment he opened the door.
Had that blonde witch gotten herself into trouble again? For a brief moment, unease stirred within me, but the absence of anger on his face quickly eased my concerns.

Once I confirmed that, irritation replaced my earlier worry.

“She won’t come out for someone who can’t even manage a proper greeting,” I replied curtly.

Mian was raised as a proper young lady, strict about manners. My remark caused the warrior-like man’s expression to twist in annoyance.

He spat my name out as though it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“You’re as nasty as ever, Gray Alva.”

Can’t he see I don’t have the time or patience for his nonsense? His venom-laced tone made it clear he didn’t hesitate to voice his contempt. I met his glare in silence.

As expected, voicing his negative emotions without hesitation was typical “Alva behavior.”

I recalled what I knew about the man before me. Thomas—a former silver-ranked adventurer and now the vice-captain of the town’s vigilante corps.

We had known each other for a while, but we were far from friends. Even passing each other on the street, we wouldn’t exchange greetings. Only when he was truly desperate, unable to resolve a problem on his own, would he begrudgingly show up at the Gray Hawk Brigade’s hideout to seek help.

There was no need to play the role of a reformed saint with him, unlike how I acted around Mian and the others.

At least, not now.

I didn’t intend to overdo it, but showing a little spite wouldn’t hurt.

“All I did was point out common decency. You wouldn’t want your kid copying behavior like yours, would you?”

Kids are more observant than you think—they pick up on their parents’ actions. I added the comment, and a dull thud followed.

Thomas had slammed his fist into the wall beside me. His sudden outburst left me momentarily frozen.

Even in retirement, his physique remained intimidating. The muscles bulging beneath his clothes were a clear testament to his strength. If I remembered correctly, his weapon of choice was a club. With arms like his, he could probably crush my skull in a single swing.

“…It’s my kid. He’s in trouble.”

Despite his violent action, his voice was unnervingly calm. Yet it was clear he was suppressing a storm of emotions.

I take back my earlier approach—this wasn’t the time for teasing.

I decided to cut to the chase.

“Mian is out with Chrono. They’re stopping by a furniture store, a clothing store, and a restaurant.”

“Got it. I’ll find her and make my request directly.”

“Wait.”

As he turned to leave, I called out to him. Thomas glanced back, his expression barely masking his simmering rage.

If I lectured him about staying calm, he might just kill me on the spot.

“Even if you find her, she won’t be able to use magic right now.”

“What?!”

His face instantly paled, his shock bordering on despair. So, he had been counting on her flame magic after all.

When he demanded an explanation, I brushed it off as a temporary issue. There was no need to divulge specifics to an outsider.

“Temporary? Then when will she be able to use it again?!”

“If we’re lucky, a few hours from now—maybe by the end of the day. This is the first time it’s happened, so I can’t give you a precise answer.”

I had a skill book in my room that detailed magic seals. However, even if I managed to pinpoint the exact time the seal could be lifted, it was unlikely to align with whatever time limit Thomas had in mind.

“Several hours?! If we leave him like that, Marco will die!”

“Die?”

“Yes! That kid went into the forest to play with his friends and got swallowed by a giant slime!”

A giant slime. While it doesn’t actively attack like regular slimes, the threat it poses to humans is on an entirely different scale.

As its name suggests, its enormous body has a strange texture, somewhere between semi-solid and liquid.
It engulfs its prey, traps it inside, and slowly weakens it until the body decomposes and dissolves, which it then absorbs as nourishment.

It’s said that giant slimes are formed when dozens, or even hundreds, of smaller slimes merge together.

Because of this, they don’t typically appear near human settlements, where regular monster hunts keep them in check.
However, when one does show up, dealing with it without fire or ice magic is nearly impossible.

Chasing it away might be feasible, but killing it and rescuing someone it has absorbed is an entirely different challenge.

“That monster is practically immune to direct attacks. Even my club, which can kill an orc with one strike, was completely useless…”

The usually self-assured Thomas now spoke with despair, his voice breaking as he admitted his helplessness.
No wonder he was desperate to find a fire mage.

“Every other mage is out of town… I’m begging you, please. I’ll pay whatever it takes—just let me use Mian’s fire magic!”

“I told you… even if I wanted to, I can’t…”

I was about to continue with an awkward explanation when an idea suddenly struck me.

While Mian’s magic was currently unusable, Chrono’s abilities to weaken and strengthen targets were still available.
And I had a skill—Slime Cutter—that could be activated under the right conditions.

“…I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything. If we succeed, though, I’ll be expecting a hefty reward.”

“Alva…?”

“That giant slime is probably in the swamp deep in the forest, right? Take Chrono there—and bring Mian along too, just in case.”

“Also, gather as many strong people as you can and have them meet us there.”

Thomas looked at me, confused by my instructions.

“The vigilante corps will probably cooperate, but they’re not capable of defeating a slime like that…”

“I’m not expecting them to kill it. Their job is different. Make sure each of them brings a shield or a wooden board.”

With that, I gave Thomas his orders, then shut the door to the hideout, telling him I had preparations to make.