There was no chance Jessi would readily accept Rufus Rudendion's words.

"That can't be true! Alexandros II will want to keep living with me! You don't know anything! You're an idiot, Father!"

With tears in her eyes, Jessi hugged the slime and left the study.

"M-my lady!"

Nina hurried after her. Left in the study, Rufus clutched his chest in anguish.

"Gaaaah! My angel! She called me an idiot! A-aaargh!"

'If it pains you so much, why did you say it, my lord?'

Albert silently sighed inwardly.

+++

Shut away in her room with tears welling in her eyes, Jessi wanted to deny what her father had told her today. That the slime wanted to go outside. That it wanted to leave her side. That letting it go would be better.

She wanted to shout, "That can't be true!" and keep denying it, but Jessi was no fool. In fact, having watched the slime all this time, she knew just how curious it was, and how many different sights it wanted to see.

Whenever she read it a new book, the ones that delighted it most were those illustrated with scenery it had never seen before. And how happy it had been on their first inspection!

But as they went on more inspections, the slime began gazing beyond the territory. It reminded her of the way it looked out the windows inside the mansion. Jessi could easily guess that it now wanted to see a wider world, beyond both the mansion and the county.

Even so, she had ignored it. Pretended not to notice. Because she didn't want to part with it.

At first, she had brought it home because it was fascinating and cute. Now, though, the slime was practically family to her. It felt less like having a pet than gaining an adorable younger sibling.

There was Nina, like an older sister whom she already considered family. Her older brother, currently studying hard at the academy. The count and countess, who loved her dearly. But as the youngest, Jessi had never had anyone like a younger sibling to look after until the slime came along. That made her all the more attached to it, and all the more reluctant to part.

"Alexandros II..."

Jessi set the slime on the bed and asked, "Do you want to go outside?"

'Outside? I want to go!'

The slime bounced once.

"You want to see more things out there, don't you? Like the scenery in the books."

'Yes! I want to see! I want to see lots! I want to know!'

The slime bounced twice, as though giving an emphatic yes.

'So I was right...'

Jessi accepted the slime's feelings, which she had tried so hard to ignore until now. Still, she couldn't help feeling reluctant to let it go, so she asked,

"Do you want to see those things even if it means leaving me?"

'Leave Jessi?'

The slime already knew what parting meant. It had experienced meeting Nellin and leaving her. At the time, it hadn't clearly understood that meeting or farewell, but as Jessi read it various books, it had come to properly understand the concept.

Parting. Not seeing someone for a long time. Or never seeing them again.

It would be separated from Jessi, who had given it food. It would leave Jessi, who had taught it so much.

'That's... sad.'

Instead of immediately bouncing, the slime leaned forward. But that sadness could not suppress its curiosity, its desire to know more—the strongest feeling it had possessed from the very beginning. Its longing to see and learn more clashed with its sadness at leaving Jessi.

The slime looked dejected. Just seeing it like that comforted Jessi. It was sad to leave her. That was proof of how much it liked her.

"Thank you, Alexandros II."

Jessi gently hugged the slime.

'Jessi?'

"I'm sad to part with you too, Alexandros II. I want us to stay together. But that... wouldn't be for your sake, would it?"

Jessi had read countless folktales, biographies, and legends. Many told of families lovingly sending off protagonists on adventures—to become champions, to become heroes, or to pursue their dreams. She felt that such a moment had come for her too.

But not all those stories ended with someone leaving and never returning. Some told of people coming home to their families after achieving great things, overcoming crises, or finding treasure. Hoping that she, too, might reunite with the slime if possible, Jessi held it close and said,

"We'll definitely see each other again, Alexandros II."

+++

The next day, Jessi set out beyond the county with Nina and Finn. Inside the carriage, Nina gave her a worried look and asked,

"My lady, will you really be all right?"

"I'm fine, Nina."

"You're crying."

"I'm! Fine! Alexandros II wants to see the wider world!"

Nina couldn't help being astonished at Jessi's determination to release the slime despite her tears. To think she would grow so much! The young lady who had always stubbornly insisted on seeing Nellin had acquired the qualities of a proper lady, accepting a parting and thinking of another's feelings.

'Though it's a little strange that the other party is a slime.'

Nina looked at the slime—the monster they had brought into the mansion a month ago at Jessi's insistence.

By now, however, Nina knew it was no ordinary slime. It was friendly with people, relished its food, and was strangely skilled at massages. Though not to Jessi's extent, Nina had grown fond of it too, and was sorry to see it go.

Stroking the slime resting on Jessi's thighs, Nina said, "You have to do well out there too, all right?"

"Will Alexandros II really be able to manage?"

"My lady?"

"But Alexandros II is a slime."

Jessi hugged it close.

"It's so cute, and it quivers and jumps so well, and eats so much, but it's still a slime. What if another monster hurts it?"

As their farewell drew closer, Jessi was growing more anxious.

'She's exactly like the count in this respect.'

"Don't worry. This little one is very clever, isn't it? If there's danger, I'm sure it'll find a good place to hide."

"It will, won't it?"

"Of course."

"But I'm still worried..."

'She really does take after the count.'

A little later, the carriage stopped at the very place where Jessi and the slime had first met: the road near the Green Elf Forest.

Holding the slime, Jessi slowly stepped out of the carriage. Then she gently set it on the ground.

"Alexandros II..."

The slime looked up at Jessi.

'Jessi...'

It understood too. This moment, right now, was their farewell. It also understood that if it expressed a desire to stay with Jessi longer, it could go straight back to the mansion.

But yesterday, the slime had thought about how it wanted to see more, a greater variety of things. The landscapes in the "books" Jessi had read to it: scorching lands, freezing regions, vast green jungles, sweeping plains, and domains of crystal. A curiosity even more intense than when it had watched Fenrir's stream had blossomed within it.

Just as Jessi had decided to let it go, the slime had decided to be true to its curiosity. That didn't mean it intended to leave without a proper farewell. It wanted to convey its feelings using what it had learned during its time beside Jessi.

The slime was just about to bounce.

KEEK! KEE-HEE-HEE!

...!

"My lady! Get back! Nina, you too! Hurry!"

A group of goblins had emerged from the Green Elf Forest. Twelve of them. Finn hurried down from the driver's seat, stepped in front of Jessi and Nina, and drew his sword.

Twelve goblins. They were numerous, but Finn could defeat them even on his own. The problem was that he wasn't alone here: he had people to protect. Goblins or not, he couldn't fight all twelve at once. While he was fighting, others might threaten Jessi and Nina.

"My lady, Nina! Get inside the carriage, quickly! I'll deal with them."

"All right, Finn! My lady! Hurry!"

"Wait! Alexandros II too!"

Jessi hurriedly reached toward the slime she had set on the ground. But instead of jumping into her arms, it bounced out in front of Finn.

"Huh?! Why are you coming out here?"

"Alexandros II! It's dangerous!"

The slime heard Finn's bewildered voice and Jessi's worried cry. Even so, it went farther forward.

'Bad!'

The slime was angry. Angry that its attempt to tell Jessi how it felt had been interrupted. But what angered it most was that those goblins meant to attack Jessi, Nina, and Finn—the people it liked.

On its way out of the Green Elf Forest, the slime had met goblins time and again, and defeated them time and again. It had learned that goblins attacked as soon as they encountered someone. So it didn't need to think to know who these newly appeared goblins would attack.

The slime bounced on and on.

"Hey! Wait!"

It picked up even more speed as it headed toward the goblins. Bewildered by its sudden behavior, Finn tried to stop it.

Meanwhile, the goblins sneered at the slime approaching them. A slime was coming. A weak slime was coming. Some insignificant thing was coming at them.

"No! Alexandros II!"

To Jessi, the slime's actions looked like a reckless charge. Her kind, clever slime seemed to be risking its life, fearlessly throwing itself at the goblins for the people it held dear.

"No, my lady!"

Nina caught Jessi as she tried to run after the slime and held her back.

"Finn!"

She urgently called his name.

Finn made a quick assessment. Even if he ran now, he couldn't stop the slime before it collided with the goblins. Still, there was some distance left between them. If he hurried after it, he could take down a few goblins and rescue the slime. His chance to retrieve it would come when an attack knocked it unconscious.

'Please don't die in one hit!'

Finn inwardly prayed that the slime was sturdy.

Then something happened that none of them—Jessi, Nina, Finn, or the goblins—had anticipated. The slime sprang forward.

THWAAACK!

KREEAAAGH?!

"Huh?" two voices said together.

"Hm?"

The slime had unleashed a Bounce Tackle fueled by anger. It moved too fast for a mere goblin to react. The impact bent the goblin it struck at a right angle at the waist. Not only that, the blow was powerful enough to send the goblin behind it flying as well.

It was even more powerful than it had been in the forest. Even after a month without practicing tackles, its mastery of Bounce Tackle could hardly have rusted away.

Above all, unlike in the forest, where it occasionally ate an animal when hungry, it had spent the past month eating nutrient-rich food at the mansion every day, without missing a single meal. For living creatures—especially monsters—high-quality nutrition meant growth itself.

Furthermore, after gaining the Vibration skill, the slime had used delicate vibrations to massage Jessi and the servants, learning to control its strength more precisely than before. Absorbing high-quality nutrients and refining its control had allowed it to deliver tackles more powerful than those of a month ago.

'Bad! I'll teach you a lesson!'

▶Oh lolol, time to stomp some noobs?

[Slam First Ask Later]▶Bwahahaha! Go! Slam them! Slam them!

[Madam Cat's Cradle]▶Even angry Squishy is adorable~.

[Noblesse Fire]▶This should be entertaining for a change.

[Squishy Queen]▶Wipe them out, my kin!

With the first battle in a long while unfolding, the chat went wild.