Chapter 54

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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The moment I saw the suspicious man in front of me, whispering "Slime-chan," three options flashed through my mind.

Option one: Push him.

Option two: Push him.

Option three: Push him.

Talking would be pointless. Calling a slime "Slime-chan" and wandering around without noticing us, it seemed he was not in his right mind. This man must be Alexander Reed, the head of the Monster Research Bureau and the factory manager of the glue factory. I was certain of it.

"Lieselotte, what should we do?"

"Hit him with the staff and see if we can put him to sleep?"

It seemed that Lieselotte was thinking the same thing.

What should we use? This vial containing the slime might work.

The problem is, I don't know how much force to use. I'll try my best not to kill him.

Lieselotte and I made eye contact and were about to start our plan when—

"Quack quack!"

Amelia pointed out, "Sir, please come to your senses!"

"Quack quack quack!"

Furthermore, she warned, "If it turns violent, we'll have to write a mountain of reports!"

That's right. After each mission, we have to write a report, but if we use any violence, we have to document it, regardless of whether it was justified or not. The captain and Deputy Captain Berry always groan while writing them.

"What should we do..."

If possible, I want to resolve this peacefully—just then, Factory Manager Reed noticed our presence.

He quickly hid the vial containing the small slime behind his back.

"Oh, you two?"

I hesitated. Depending on his mental state, it might be better not to reveal that we are knights.

With his gray-streaked hair, unkempt beard, foggy glasses, and wrinkled lab coat, he looked like a typical researcher who is passionate about his work but doesn't care about his appearance.

But this man had released the factory slimes into the wild, and his motives were unclear. He must be dangerous.

I decided not to reveal that we are knights.

"We are just passing by as ordinary citizens."

"Oh, you're here to visit. I'm sorry, the factory isn't operating. But it will be closed soon."

"Why is that?"

"Because I released the slimes."

It seems this man is indeed Alexander Reed.

Releasing slimes that were created for food is a serious matter. Why did he do this?

"You look surprised. Once, I loved slimes so much that I wanted to eat them. That's why I came up with the idea of making edible artificial slimes. But one day, I realized that this wasn't true love—"

Loving slimes so much that he wanted to eat them. I can't understand it at all.

Factory Manager Reed's gaze shifted to Amelia at my feet.

"A griffin, huh? If the perverted director of the幻兽保护局 saw you, he'd probably jump for joy."

The irony of a slime pervert calling others perverted.

Perverts shouldn't be ranked. We're all in the same category.

One person was furious at his words: Lieselotte. Naturally, since her father was called a pervert.

"I'll burn him!!"

"L-Lieselotte, calm down! He's just a pervert! Besides, this place is strictly no fire!"

"Then I'll hit him with the staff until his glasses break!"

"Quack quack!"

Amelia also warned, "Sister, if you cause property damage, the report will be even thicker!"

Lieselotte must love her father deeply, even if she doesn't say it. She couldn't bear the insult.

Our desperate pleas seemed to calm her down.

"Still, where did Slime-chan go? I'm tired of chasing after them."

The slime pervert is probably looking for the small slime I have.

I came up with a good plan and whispered it to Lieselotte and Amelia.

"Good idea."

"Quack."

With their agreement, we immediately put the plan into action.

"Excuse me, slime pervert... I mean, Factory Manager Reed."

"Wait, did I introduce myself?"

"Sorry, I didn't say anything."

I showed the pocket watch, the symbol of a knight, which I had hidden in my coat pocket.

"I am Mel Lisris, Third Sanitation Soldier of the Enoch Second Expeditionary Force."

"Likewise, Lieselotte Lichtenberger, First Mage."

Factory Manager Reed's eyes widened.

Well, it's not surprising he recognized us, given our knight uniforms.

He might have also realized the gravity of the situation when he heard Lieselotte's family name.

"So, you're here to arrest me?"

"Yes. Are you aware of your crimes?"

"Sort of, I guess."

Good. He seems to understand the difference between right and wrong.

"Why did you do this?"

"I felt sorry for the slimes in the vials, so I... let them go."

I couldn't help but think, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I wanted to take them to live deep in the forest, but they scattered."

He had said the slimes were beautiful and edible, but once out of the vials, they were just ordinary slimes. They targeted and attacked people's magic power.

"Factory Manager Reed, will you come with us?"

"That—?"

"You'll be living in a dim room, eating cold, thin soup and hard bread."

I spoke from experience. You can get used to thin soup and hard bread.

I wished he would let us bind him easily, but Factory Manager Reed shook his head.

"I can't leave until I find my precious Slime-chan."

I clicked my tongue. I took out the small slime, my last trump card.

"Is this Slime-chan?"

I showed the vial containing the small slime, which I had hidden behind my back.

"S-Slime-chan!!"

It seems this was indeed Slime-chan.

I brought Slime-chan to the tip of Amelia's beak.

The small slime in the vial was trembling.

"If you make any strange moves, this griffin will pierce Slime-chan with her beak."

Amelia, reading the situation, sharpened her gaze, spread her wings, and let out a low, "Quack quack!"

She looked very much like a powerful griffin. Maybe I'm just a proud parent.

Factory Manager Reed, intimidated by my threat, was trembling.

"Please, slowly get down on your hands and knees."

He obediently complied.

Lieselotte tied him up with a rope. She bound his wrists tightly, and he was now in our custody.

I handed Factory Manager Reed over to the expeditionary force captain, who was in charge of the scene.

When asked for our unit name and rank, I answered clearly. I also submitted the captured small slime as evidence.

While we were dealing with the situation in the factory, the sun was setting.

Looking in the direction of the forest, I saw a familiar figure. It was the members of the second unit.

"Oh, everyone's back."

"It seems so."

"Quack."

For some reason, the captain was holding Garl's spear. Impaled on the tip was a giant slime.

It seems the second unit had been fighting a giant slime.

Everyone was covered in mud. They must have had a tough battle.

The captain easily carried the giant slime and approached a large pot.

"Take that, you slime!"

The captain, with a fierce bandit's face, dropped the slime into the pot.

The giant slime boiled and bubbled.

To prevent it from escaping, the captain pressed it down with his spear.

"You stubborn slime!"

A few minutes later, the slime stopped moving, presumably dead.

"Hmph. You gave me a hard time."

Despite performing a knight's duty, for some reason, the captain looked more like a villain with his face, actions, and words.

A factory researcher, who was in charge of measurements, announced that all slimes had been defeated.

I explained the situation to the captain.

"We have the suspect in custody."

"You did?"

"Yes."

I told him about the small slime falling, using the vial to capture the small slime, encountering the wandering slime pervert, Alexander Reed, and finally, using the small slime as a hostage to threaten and bind him.

"I see. Well done. But it's a strange story."

"What do you mean?"

The captain pointed at Zara, who was the muddiest.

"Slimes target those with magic power. Zara has the most magic power in our unit, so the slimes attacked her aggressively."

I see. That's why Zara was extra muddy.

Slimes are apparently very persistent in targeting magic power.

"Given that, it's strange that the slime targeted Lisris."

Ugh. That's how it looks.

Indeed, it's suspicious that the slime didn't fall on the mage, Lieselotte.

I was told to keep my magic power a secret by Zara and hadn't reported it to the captain.

Brainless... No, for a bandit, he's sharp.

As I was sweating, Zara came to my rescue.

"Captain, Lisris said the slime fell from above. It must have fallen accidentally."

"Yes, that's possible if she was being chased by Factory Manager Reed."

It seems he accepted the explanation. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Zara asked if I was okay.

"I'm fine. I'm not hurt at all."

Factory Manager Reed was a strange person, but he maintained a polite attitude. He must have been a gentleman among the select few perverts.

"What about Lieselotte?"

"She's fine."

"That's good."

Zara smiled at Lieselotte.

They had been tense when they first met, but they seemed to have gotten along. I was relieved.

With that, the mission was complete.

The knights who participated in the mission were gathered, and the expeditionary force commander thanked us.

It was announced that the second unit, which had captured the large slime, and the unit that arrested the suspect would receive a medal of merit. Perhaps a cash reward as well?

I wanted a large bed to sleep with Amelia in our new home. I also wanted to send some sweets to my family. My dreams were growing.

Just as I thought we could leave, the man who had been cooking slime dishes earlier came forward.

"I've prepared a meal for everyone who worked hard. There's enough for everyone, so please eat before you leave!"

The dish was slime noodle soup.

No, you shouldn't make a dish that prominently features slimes.

I wasn't the only one who felt queasy. Most of the knights who had fought the slimes looked pale at the sight of the dish.

I wondered how the captain would react—

"I'll take some since it's offered."

Truly, a noble bandit with a steel stomach.

Despite fighting slimes all day, he had a strong mental fortitude.

I wanted to learn from him.

The slime noodle soup was filled with vegetables and crispy boar pork. The sauce mixed well with the noodles.

Actually, the noodles were made of slime too!!

I ate the slime dish to the last bite, tears streaming down my face.