Chapter 3

"Indeed, then this place is west of the Central Mountain Range, and it has been over a thousand years since I died."

After a while, I decided to hear Rune's story.

It's hard to believe at first.

However, reincarnation itself is unbelievable, so it's not surprising.

Slimes are immortal unless affected by external factors. That's why it could live for a thousand years.

If that's the case, what I'm concerned about is the other servants...

"What happened to the others?"

"After crossing the Central Mountain Range, we discussed what to do next. However, we couldn't agree, and everyone went their separate ways."

"I see... So that's why it's just Rune now."

"Yes. I decided to live hidden from humans. And by moving from cave to cave, I managed to gather a few companions."

There were about eight small slimes behind Rune.

"You must have felt lonely."

"It would be a lie to say I wasn't lonely. However, as Lord Rudis said, there were no humans west of the mountains, so everyone should have been able to live in peace... until five hundred years ago."

"Five hundred years ago, humans came. Were they from the Empire?"

"No, I've been away from human settlements for a long time, so I don't know the world situation of the past thousand years."

"I see... I understand, thank you."

It seems I was reincarnated in a distant future.

And this place is west of the Empire, in the western part of the continent.

The west was a barren land, but it seems humans have finally set foot there.

With a thousand years, it's not surprising that the natural environment and world situation have changed.

"Um, Lord Rudis... I mean, Your Majesty."

"Yes? What is it, Rune?"

"What are you doing now? It doesn't seem like you came to find me."

"Ah, I was born as a peasant..."

I told Rune everything that had happened so far in detail.

"I see, you became an adventurer to explore the world."

"That's right. I was seeking something that monsters possess."

"In that case, please take a part of my body. It will recover immediately."

"Great, then I'll cast a recovery spell on you."

I cast a recovery spell on Rune, who had given me a part of its body.

"Your Majesty's recovery spell... It's warm... It's been so many years. Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I should be the one to thank you. Now I can become an adventurer."

I put the slime jelly in a burlap bag and tried to stand up.

I was heading to the guild.

Before I could say goodbye, Rune spoke up.

"Your Majesty, um..."

"What is it, Rune?"

"Um, if it's alright with Your Majesty... Could you make me your servant again?"

"Again, you want to be my servant? I feel like I abandoned everyone."

I don't want to part ways with Rune again.

However, I once abandoned my servants...

"Abandoned? Not at all! All the servants, including me, understood Your Majesty's feelings! That farewell was for our sake... So, if Your Majesty allows it, I want to be a servant again."

"But... I'm just a peasant now. The imperial seal..."

I noticed my right hand was glowing.

The imperial seal, a familiar five-pointed star, was floating up.

"My imperial seal... Why?"

It seems I not only inherited the knowledge but also the imperial seal.

There is one condition for making a servant contract with a monster.

Both the monster and I, as the master, need to agree.

When one party proposes a servant contract, the imperial seal starts to glow like this.

In this case, all I need to do is agree.

"Rune, are you sure?"

"Yes. Please, let me serve Your Majesty again."

"Alright... Rune, I recognize you as my servant."

As I said this, the imperial seal floated up to Rune's body.

Rune is now my servant again.

"Your Majesty, I swear my loyalty to you again."

"Thank you, Rune. Now, what to do..."

I'm glad Rune is joining me, but what to do from here.

Living here with Rune is not feasible.

If that's the case, I'll have to bring Rune with me.

I have no money or place to stay.

Also, to understand the current world situation, I need the freedom to move around.

I'll return to Elphen and become an adventurer as planned.

"Rune, I'm going back to the adventurer guild."

"I want to stay by Your Majesty's side."

"Alright. But humans will be wary of monsters. Before entering the city, you'll need to hide in a burlap bag or something. What about the others?"

I'll have to leave the slimes behind.

"Bringing everyone would be too conspicuous..."

If they weren't living beings, I could use the [Compression] spell.

But even then, I don't have enough magic power for that spell.

"Your Majesty, could you make these slimes your servants too?"

Not to bring them along, but to increase the magic power available to both me and the servants.

"I don't mind. Indeed, with that magic power, you might not be able to protect yourself in an emergency. That might be a good idea. But are they okay with it?"

The blue slimes nodded in agreement.

"Then, let's do that."

I made the remaining blue slimes my servants.

I ordered them to stay in the cave for a while.

I'll call them when I have a place to stay.

As I left the cave with Rune, I cast a double barrier on the cave as a precaution.

"Then, Rune, let's go."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

And so, I returned to Elphen with Rune, where the guild is located.

As we left the forest and entered the road to Elphen,

"...Right. Rune, call me Rudis, not Your Majesty."

From now on, we're in the human world. I don't know who might be listening.

Being called Your Majesty by a peasant would cause misunderstandings.

I'll stop using "I" as well.

I inadvertently used the pre-reincarnation tone when I met Rune, but I'm still a young boy now.

However, since Rune has been with me since I was a child, calling me "I" feels natural.

"Understood, Lord Rudis!"

"Calling me 'Lord' is a bit much... But as a servant, it's fine."

I don't intend to walk around in public with Rune.

When we get close to the city, I'll hide Rune.

"But to think Lord Rudis would become an adventurer."

"You might have seen it with [Thought] earlier, but I couldn't leave the village unless I became an adventurer or a soldier. Besides, I've always wanted to see the world. As an emperor and even as a prince, I was always tied down by obligations."

"I see! Then, I'll accompany Your Majesty on your adventures!"

"Welcome. If there are any other surviving servants, we might meet them again. I don't know if they'll forgive me, though."

"If there are, I won't allow it!"

Rune said this, but I still feel guilty.

At that moment, a commotion came from ahead.

"Huh? What's that?"

"It looks like a carriage."

Rune and I found a carriage on the road.

It seems the carriage's wheel came off... and it's being attacked.

The humans in iron armor, likely the carriage's guards, are fighting a group of goblins.

There are three guards and about ten goblins. The humans are likely to lose.

"Is it a battle? Either way, I can't just ignore it."

"Lord Rudis, should we kill the goblins?"

"No... Our goal is to stop them. Rune, can you support from the back with [Magic Grant]?"

"Yes, Lord Rudis!"

I ordered Rune and headed towards the carriage.

There are eight goblins with spears and two with bows. They don't seem to be wearing armor.

I can't use a flashy spell.

I don't want to draw attention and be noticed. I want to live freely.

I cast [Magic Wall] on the guards.

A spear aimed at one of the guards was barely deflected.

Next, I'll silence the archers.

I activated [Lightning Whip] and swung it at the goblins.

The lightning whip paralyzed the arms of the two archers, making them drop their bows.

The goblins, confused that their attacks weren't working, looked at me.

The goblin leader, wearing a helmet, shouted at me.

"Is it a mage?! Retreat!"

The goblins indeed said this in the Empire's language and fled from the carriage.

The guards didn't chase them but fortified their position.

When the goblins were out of sight, one of the guards called out to me.

"You! Come here!"

I was puzzled by the goblins' language but quickly obeyed the order.

I stopped in front of the guards and asked, "Are you okay?" in a worried tone, like a young boy.

"The other guards are also lucky to have only minor injuries. Thank you for your help."

"I'm glad... I'm still a new adventurer and not used to fighting monsters."

"No, your magic was impressive. You could become a top mage."

The guard smiled and said this when a man, likely the carriage driver, called out from inside.

"Princess! Princess, stay calm!"

"What happened?! Did something happen to the princess?"

The guard quickly returned to the carriage.

"What's this?! Hey, lay her down on the ground!"

The driver and guard carried the princess out of the carriage.

I helped the other guards.

The woman who came out of the carriage was a young girl with long silver hair.

She's about the same age as me.

Her blue dress was adorned with frills and jewels, suggesting she was from the upper class. I couldn't see her eye color, but her skin was white and beautiful. Her body was already that of an adult woman, slender but well-developed.

She's a beautiful girl. I thought to myself.

But I don't have time to think about that.

A goblin's arrow was embedded in the girl's arm.

It's not a vital spot, but she's unconscious.

"Princess! How could we not notice the enemy's arrow..."

"Excuse me, can I see her for a moment?"

I slipped through the guards and cast [Status Diagnosis].

This should tell me the girl's health and any abnormalities.

"This... It's a poisoned arrow. A high-quality poison... a curse poison, and it spreads quickly."

"Curse poison?! We need to get her to a doctor in Elphen immediately."

"No... With this, the princess will... in less than five minutes."

"Die?"

I nodded silently.

"Driver! Take her to Elphen on horseback immediately!"

"The horses... ran off during the attack..."

"What?! Then the princess..."

Even if the horses were available, it would take more than three minutes to reach Elphen.

In other words, there's no way to save the princess.

...Unless I use the high-level recovery spell [Purification].

For ordinary poison, [Detoxify] would suffice, and for a curse, [Curse Removal] would work.

However, a curse poison, which has both elements, can only be cured with [Purification].

This is a high-level spell.

In the Empire, only sages could use it.

Using this spell would make me stand out.

However, I can't let her die when I can save her.

Besides, the guards wouldn't understand magic.

"...Don't worry, everyone. I'll treat the princess."

I placed my hand on the princess.

Rune's magic supply is sufficient. I activated [Purification].

The white light from my hand moved to the princess's chest.

"...Uhn?"

"Princess! Are you okay! We did it!"

The princess regained consciousness. The guards raised their hands in joy.

"Everyone, she's still injured. We should take her to Elphen and have a proper doctor examine her."

"Right, let's do that. By the way, what's your name? Since you've helped us this much, the lord will—"

"Um, let's take the princess to Elphen first!"

"That's a good idea. Let's do that first."

We made a simple stretcher and carried the princess to Elphen.

I told Rune to follow without being noticed through [Thought].

When we arrived in Elphen, I managed to escape while carrying the princess to the hospital.

However, I didn't notice the princess's blue eyes watching me from behind.