NOVEL NEXT Ch5 - Run away!
Chapter 5: Run away!
In the adventurers’ guild of the small town of Danatzela, coarse and vulgar laughter echoed. The voices belonged to a middle-aged female guild member, a government-appointed gatekeeper, and some rough-looking adventurers. They were loud and boisterous, discussing a weak-looking girl who had visited the day before.
“But hey, there’s no way that little girl could tame a monster, right? Wouldn’t it have been better to catch her before she gets hurt?”
The gatekeeper frowned as he asked the guild member.
“I was kind of hoping for some of that [Luck] that was deemed unmeasurable… she had a gift, after all. I thought maybe she had some hidden combat ability. But yeah, she definitely seems useless, doesn’t she? She had no athletic sense either.”
“Gahaha! Don’t be ridiculous, sis! What did that little girl say when she first got here? ‘Excuse me, sorry to intrude!’ Such an elegant entrance, but there’s no strong adventurer like that around!”
“Let’s just sell her and make some money off her!”
“Where the heck did she come from? Maybe she’s a discarded noble’s daughter?”
“‘Not worth laughing about! Can’t sell her! Gahahaha!’”
“That timid demeanor is just not noble at all. Come on, stop laughing already!”
The guild member clapped her hands to silence the adventurers’ laughter.
“Looks like the girl is back. Just act as usual. Let’s make sure she doesn’t feel like escaping; we should intimidate her a bit. Today is the last day for observation, right? … It would be a shame to hurt that delicate body of hers, so if there’s no result, we’ll just catch her and sell her.”
“Yessir!”
… It seems the conversation has concluded. Though the dialogue was disturbingly inhumane, it was purely self-serving.
Lena, the topic of discussion, entered, cautiously opening the guild’s door. The poorly maintained door creaked slightly.
Yesterday, she had returned home looking unusually downcast, but today she had a bright smile. The noisy crowd from earlier was momentarily taken aback. Could it be that she had achieved something?
A female guild member was the first to speak to Lena.
“…Welcome back! You look happy today! Did you manage to tame a monster?”
“Yes! Yesterday was a disaster, but today I actually made two friends!”
Lena beamed with excitement. A chorus of “Ooh” filled the guild as they expressed their admiration.
“Really? … So what did you tame?”
“It’s a slime!”
“Ahh…”
The cheers turned into voices of disappointment. Human emotions are indeed fickle. The female guild member directed a lukewarm gaze at Lena.
Lena, caught off guard, tilted her head in confusion as if to say, “Huh?”
“They’re super beautiful! Look!”
“Ta-da!”
With a sound effect of “poof,” two grapefruit-sized slimes bounced out of Lena’s bag. Bathed in the indoor lighting, they shimmered and sparkled. Their beauty was worthy of their name, Jewel Slimes.
Everyone stood in astonishment, wide-eyed. They had never seen or even heard of slimes like these.
A guild member abruptly snatched the guild card hanging from Lena’s neck, inspecting it closely. Lena gasped in surprise, apologizing and quickly reaching for her card.
Then, the guild member hugged her tightly.
“Great job, Lena! I never thought you’d tame such a rare type of slime. Mini Jewel Slimes? They’re amazing creatures that can produce gems once a day!”
“It’s… it’s too tight…! I’m surprised too; I didn’t expect them to be so beautiful.”
“Wait… did you class change?”
“Yes. They were Petit Slimes at first, but I leveled them up twice and they evolved.”
“To have caught a slime that class changes just like that… You really must have had incredible luck.”
The guild member murmured in awe, secretly smirking at Lena’s unmeasurable [Luck] status. The characteristics of this rare slime were fantastic. If presented to the government, it would surely lead to a remarkable reward.
Her voice turned sweet, gently coaxing the unsuspecting girl. It was a tone so sweet it made her forget yesterday’s sharp remarks.
“You did really well! I was tough on you to push you away, hoping you’d succeed as a monster tamer. I believed you’d make it through effort, but I never expected you to see results so soon… You’re quite an impressive adventurer! Haha, thank you for your hard work!”
“G-Guild member!”
Tears welled up in Lena’s eyes from emotion. She was easily swayed. The limited trust she had in others seemed to lower her guard against the guild members. She had completely forgotten that she didn’t even know the guild member’s name.
“What a sensitive child, huh? Tonight, let’s celebrate your success in taming with a feast! You must be hungry!”
“Yes…”
“Yay! Food!”
“Haha, no need to be shy! It’s evening already, so of course! Until it’s ready, go rest in your room!”
Lena’s stomach grumbled. She had only eaten a light meal of bread and soup in the morning, and she had been walking around the fields, so it was only natural.
As she was sent off with smiling faces, she headed toward the shabby inn next to the guild, anticipation of delicious food making her cheeks relax into a smile as she walked lightly.
“Ah! I forgot my bag!”
She returned to the guild once again. It seemed she was as clumsy as ever.
Back in her room, Lena and her slimes stretched out on the bed, tired from battle. The slimes were being pampered with [Familiar Healing Magic]. It seemed the owner was already spoiling her familiars. With their lovely appearance and personalities, it was hard not to treat them like pets.
“Can’t wait for dinner!”
“Yay!”
The slimes bounced playfully, massaging Lena’s body as she lay face down. Their slightly larger size felt comforting, and Lena let out a satisfied sigh.
Just then, a knock echoed through the relaxing space. “Yes?” Lena quickly jumped off the bed and opened the door.
“I thought you might be tired, so I brought dinner!”
The guild member stood there, holding a tray filled with delicious-looking dishes.
“Wow! Thank you! It looks so extravagant!”
“Fufufufu.
There’s enough for the familiars too, right? Slimes eat a lot, you know.
Lena should eat a lot too, and then go to bed early today.”
“Yes! I’ll do my best again tomorrow…!”
The guild members, perhaps out of concern for Lena, spoke little and quickly left the room after placing the meal down.
In front of Lena and the others was a feast of various dishes. There was consommé soup, Caesar salad, three loaves of bread, and even meat dishes!
With a happy expression, she gazed at it with wide eyes and blushed.
They’re really kind, she thought, as she put her hands together in gratitude.
It was a habit she couldn’t shake as a Japanese person to say a prayer before meals.
“Let’s eat!”
“Ku will eat too!”
“Isu will eat too!”
“Fufu…! Huh!?”
The slimes mimicked Lena and said “Let’s eat!”
…Up to this point, everything was fine, but they seemed unable to wait for her and started digging in before she could.
The slimes bounced around restlessly on the table, reflecting the light of the lightbulb and dazzling her eyes.
They nibbled from one plate and then hopped to the next, displaying very poor table manners.
I wonder if they have likes and dislikes…?
“W-wait, wait!?
Leave some for me too—!”
“We’ve left some for you!”
“You can only eat this much, you know?!”
What the slimes had left behind were only the unseasoned parts of the lettuce, round bread, and the sides of the meat dish—potatoes and carrots.
“That’s awful…”
Lena drooped her shoulders.
She had been looking forward to dinner…!
…Maybe she had spoiled her familiars too much from the beginning.
But even if she wanted to scold them, the lavish meal was almost entirely gone.
Resigned, she began to eat the remaining bread-focused meal.
Even so, the resentment over the food was terrifying. She gave the slimes a little warning.
“Next time, please share the meat with me!!”
That was such a Lena-like way of saying it. Was that okay, master?
“Sure!” “Next time!”
The slimes happily bounced around, puffing out satisfied breaths.
How unfair…
At this point, Lena’s eyes became half-lidded.
Just as the three of them finished their meal, suddenly—
“Gyahahahahaha!!”
“Eep…!?”
A deep male voice echoed from inside her bag!
The source of the sound was her smartphone.
…Was it a recording? When she checked the time, it was from when Lena had forgotten her bag at the guild.
Upon hearing the contents, Lena froze.
Her body, which had been warming up from the meal, suddenly felt cold.
Her complexion turned pale… and understandably so.
The conversation she heard was more than enough to scare her.
……
Perhaps because it had been recorded on the smartphone in her bag, the sound was a little muffled.
“Hey, are we finally going to catch that little girl?”
“Of course. We won’t let her escape!
We’ll sell the girl and present the slimes to the government for a reward!”
“So we can make another lavish meal? I suppose it’s the usual sleeping drug, huh?
I don’t want to hear that from a bunch of mercenaries.”
“I don’t need to hear that from you, you piece of trash.
Well, that girl will sleep soundly tonight, and I bet she’ll be bedridden for a few days. Ahaha!”
“You fool.”
“Gyahahaha!!”
“What is this…!?”
With trembling hands, Lena gripped her smartphone.
Her knees started to shake, and she couldn’t stand anymore, collapsing onto the floor.
…Was I deceived…?
Did everyone’s kindness stem from my usefulness? …As a person to sell?
To sell. What do they mean by capture?
What would happen if I stayed here like this…?
Human trafficking. It was a conversation unimaginable in Japan.
She realized she wasn’t the only target.
Startled by this fact, she turned her gaze to Kureha and Izumi, who had just joined her today.
They reacted with a curious “Puyon?”
“…Could it be?
Did you realize there was poison in the food earlier…?”
The slimes had said, “You can only eat this much, Lena.”
“That’s right!”
“I thought it’d be bad if Lena ate it, so I finished it for her!”
“…………!”
It seemed she had been saved by her familiars once again.
“Ah, thank you…!”
In terms of combat ability and crisis management, Lena still needed to rely on others to survive in this world.
The world of Ranash, especially within the Galalajure Kingdom, was too harsh for an otherworldly person who was accustomed to peace.
She could no longer trust herself.
By placing her trust in the guild members who had given her kindness, she had ended up facing an attempted abduction.
…It was because she was powerless and weak.
…As a master to her familiars, she felt a profound shame, and as a person, she felt incredibly pathetic.
She shouldn’t be crying, yet tears dripped onto the floor.
“Lena. Are you okay?”
“!”
The slimes danced around her, sparkling with encouragement.
She had been saved again.
…There was no way she would let them be captured.
(…There’s no way I’ll accept a bad ending like this without doing anything.
I have to run away.
I told Kureha and Izumi that we would grow strong together!)
With trembling hands, Lena rubbed her eyes and slapped her own cheeks to regain her focus.
She felt like she would crumble if she didn’t muster her determination.
The slimes jumped in surprise at her strange action.
With her cheeks flushed, she smiled wryly at them and lifted them onto her palm.
She looked each of them in the eye.
Though she couldn’t discern their expressions, she could feel their warm concern for her.
…She needed to protect them and make an effort.
“Will you escape with me…?”
“Yes!”
The familiars responded promptly.
“We’ll go with Lena!”
“We want to be with Lena even more!”
“~~~! Uu, thank you…!
You see, we’ll get caught if we stay here.
So I want to escape from the town of Danatzela and go somewhere… outside this country.
What do you think?”
“An adventure, right? Yay!”
“…Fufufu.”
Crying, Lena smiled.
…Let’s do our best! I don’t want to lose!
It seemed they had firmly decided on their direction.
Now that they had decided, it would be best to act quickly.
They swiftly packed their belongings.
Even though she felt a bit guilty for taking the whip and shirt provided by the guild, she stuffed them into her bag.
As a beast tamer, she needed the whip for her work, so she apologized!
She hoped her crime could be offset against the attempted abduction charges!
She quietly slipped out of the window.
Fortunately, the room faced the back of the dormitory, so once she got outside, she found herself immediately in front of a dilapidated field.
There were no signs of people around.
With wild grass and trees overgrown, it was the perfect place for Lena and the others to hide and move.
With the sky growing dim, Lena, with her dark hair and plain appearance, should be hard to spot.
Holding her breath, she crouched and walked along the city wall toward the gate.
The slimes were tucked away in her chest.
They made it to the gate without issue.
The gatekeeper appeared to lack motivation as always, already starting to drink, thinking his work was done at the guard station.
The raucous voices of drunkenness echoed into the darkness.
They slipped past him, and… Lena finally stepped into the night grasslands.