Chapter 34

"Emma!!!"

Georg runs towards Emma, but it's too late. Just as the water gun is about to hit Emma, Violet's spider silk cuts in...

"!!!!!"

The direct hit is avoided by the spider silk, but the splash from the water gun douses Emma's right side, causing a burning pain.

"Ahh... It hurts!!"

Emma collapses on the spot, and the slime's second water gun attack is mercilessly launched at her.

"Emma!!"

At the last moment, Georg scoops Emma up and dodges. He quickly moves to the shade of a tree and gently sets Emma down to check on her. Violet uses the trees to quickly spin a web, trying to protect them from the slime.

"Emma, are you okay?"

Hearing her groan, Georg's expression twists. The parts hit by the splash, including her face and right upper body, are turning red and melting. The right arm, which was hit the most, continues to erode, the wound spreading.

"Bro...ther... I'm s...orry... It...hurts... a...bit... Ahh! It hurts!"

Every time she tries to speak, the melted cheek pulls and causes pain.

"Damn, even though you're a girl!!"

Even the slightest movement causes her skin to tear and bleed. The erosion on her right arm won't stop. If this continues, the bone might dissolve, and she could lose her right hand. With no knife or anything, the erosion continues even in this moment of hesitation.

"Sorry, Emma! It's going to hurt, but bear with it!"

Georg bites into the eroding wound on Emma's right arm and spits out the flesh.

"Ahh!! ☆＃％〒§＆＊‡!! Nnn!! Ahh!"

Despite the pain, she can't struggle because of the strong grip of her brother, who has Violet on his head. Georg spits out the last piece of flesh he bit off, ties off Emma's right arm with the ribbon from her head to stop the bleeding, and then runs with her limp body.

The inside of his mouth stings from the slime's bodily fluid, so he spits again. The slime is closing in, but it's not firing its water gun.

Emma, in Georg's arms, is in a daze from the pain but tries to think hard. She tries to piece together the information she observed, but it's not working.

1. The slime seems to get a little smaller each time it fires its water gun.

2. The first slime has fired over ten times, but the second one hasn't fired again after the second shot.

There's another oddity. Even when it charges at Georg, it doesn't take the shortest path. Simple creatures should take simple actions, so why?

"Brother Georg!!"

William, out of breath, returns with several bottles of vinegar and lemons.

He notices Emma, who is limp in Georg's arms, and rushes over.

"Sister, your face!"

Her right cheek is melted and bloody. William looks at Emma, who seems to be in even more pain than he is, and tries to reassure him by forcing a smile.

"William, there are two slimes. The smaller one is targeting Emma, so try it on that one first."

Georg, trying to stay calm, is deeply concerned about Emma's condition. He wants to treat her immediately, but they can't escape until the second slime is defeated. Once targeted, the prey is pursued until consumed.

The second slime has grown slightly by consuming the flesh Georg bit off from Emma's right arm and the blood that dripped.

William throws a lemon at the slime with perfect control.

It hits, but bounces off with a silly sound.

"Oh, physical attacks don't work..."

William is a klutz in combat.

Regaining his composure, he throws a bottle of vinegar at a nearby tree, which shatters and splashes the slime.

"How about this!?"

The slime absorbs the vinegar and grows a little more.

"No good!"

William shouts in frustration.

"Still... there's hope! If we can't neutralize it, we need more... If it's absorbing liquids, there might be a chance."

Emma, in Georg's arms, endures the pain and tells William.

The first slime starts firing its water gun again, and Georg dodges while holding Emma. He tries to minimize the shock, but Emma winces with each landing.

William keeps dousing the second slime with vinegar, but it doesn't seem to be taking any damage.

"No good! I used it all, but the slime just keeps growing!"

He runs out of vinegar and is at a loss.

"But... it's definitely... slowing down..."

She tries to speak, but her mouth doesn't work well.

The vinegar probably isn't acidic enough to neutralize the slime, but it's not completely ineffective. The second slime's insides are slightly cloudy, and it hasn't fired its water gun since.

The first slime has returned to its original size and fired about ten more times before stopping. Something is happening. Her right side is burning, and she can't muster the strength.

"William, you need to run."

The survival priority among the three brothers is William first.

Since the vinegar isn't a decisive blow, he must be saved. Fortunately, the size of the hole in the local hazard barrier hasn't changed, so no other monsters can pass through. They need to get William away before a third slime appears.

"No way! Brother!"

William is silenced by the look on his brother's face. Emma, in his arms, seems unconscious, her body limp and unresponsive.

"Ah!"

The first slime charges at Georg. The impact of dodging causes Emma more pain, but it brings her back to consciousness. She sees the slime in front of her.

Strangely, the grass the slime has passed over is still green and hasn't melted.

The slime's body, at least on the outside, is not liquid. Of course, it can't be. Otherwise, it couldn't maintain its shape.

Why did she find this strange? What's nagging at her? She's almost there... but her consciousness is fading again.

"Over here!!! Hurry!!!"

The sound of people approaches. The hunters from the Valery territory are gathering.

"Prince!!! Why!?"

Prince Edward, leading a group of over ten hunters, runs over.

Georg dodges another charge from the slime and curses.

"William! Take the prince and run!"

"Yes, but why the prince!!"

However, Edward pushes past William and runs straight to Georg, who is holding Emma.

"What!! That's a slime!"

"Two of them!!?"

"Three of you against two slimes!?"

The hunters are shocked.

The grass around the three brothers is almost completely melted. The fact that they've dodged the slime's attacks multiple times is unbelievable, and everyone gasps.

"Emma!? What happened? Emma! Emma!?"

The prince, seeing the bloodied Emma, calls out frantically. His voice brings Emma back to consciousness.

Why... is the prince here? Amateurs shouldn't be in the hunting grounds...

"Prince! The slime is coming! Get out of the way!"

Georg moves away to prevent the slime from targeting the prince. The slime charges at Georg, but before it can, the prince instinctively cuts it with his sword.

"What are you doing!!"

William shouts from behind.

They were trying to minimize the damage to just themselves and Emma, but Georg curses and hides the prince behind him.

The first slime splits into a third slime when cut.

The third slime's target, of course, is the prince who cut it.

The hunters from the Valery territory scream.

"What! It doesn't die when cut?"

The prince is shocked, but everyone else knows.

Having amateurs in the hunting grounds is the most dangerous thing. The prince, now a target, can't even run.

"Did you see that? Why did you bring the prince?"

Georg is angry at the pale-faced hunters.

"I'm dealing with two! The prince will die, so you need to do something!"

Georg, holding Emma, is automatically targeted by two slimes.

He's managed to dodge the second slime's slow movements and Violet's help, but he can't handle the third.

Holding Emma, his hands are occupied, making it difficult to protect the prince.

The oldest hunter apologizes to Georg and takes the prince's sword.

When facing a slime, you shouldn't have a sword. No matter how finely you cut it, it will split and multiply.

The more slimes there are, the more people are at risk of being targeted.

Two hours left.

If the slimes don't multiply and they can keep dodging, the palace's father and uncle, along with the hunters, will come. The palace's hunting dogs should be able to hear the whistle from a distance. The palace has the hydrochloric acid Emma made, which might be able to defeat the slimes.

...But.

Emma can't last.

Georg's clothes are soaked with Emma's blood.

There's no concept of blood transfusion in this world. She's losing too much blood. Emma can't last.

Still, Georg holds her tightly.

Leaving Emma behind to protect the prince would be the right thing to do.

...But.

He can't.

Georg, and Kō, are

Emma's, the harbor's,

big brothers. Protecting a sister is what a big brother does.