'Coins! One hundred!'

The coins it occasionally received as donations. Once it had accumulated a hundred of them, the shop would open. Having learned this new fact, the slime asked the system another question.

'How many do I have now?'

[Current coins: 47. Total accumulated coins: 52.]

'Wow!'

The shop had not opened yet, but the slime was delighted to be more than halfway there. It shared its excitement with its viewers.

▷Coins! Got them! Ten coins! Got them!

▶You got coins?

▶Can you even get coins off that red goblin?

▶Yeah, coin rewards are relative, so it's possible.

▶Those were the days. I used to make a fuckton of coins too.

▶I have to grind my ass off to earn coins lolol

▶Still, ten coins for a goblin is a pretty good haul.

[Slam First Ask Later]▶Hahahaha! That was one satisfying slam, Squishy!

[Madam Cat's Cradle]▶You're always adorable when you're excited, Squishy~.

While the slime read the chat, Godric’s Party cut off the Scarlet Goblin's ear and put it in their bag. With other monsters, they could have made money by cutting off other body parts, but a goblin's body had little use. Still, an ear would earn them payment as proof of the kill.

Once back, Godric’s Party placed the bag of goblin ears on the adventurers' guild reception counter.

"Here's the proof."

"You've killed quite a few. Please give me a moment."

One of a receptionist's duties was to count trophies serving as proof of extermination quickly and accurately. With three years of experience, she confidently opened the bag to count the goblin ears.

"Huh?"

The moment she opened it, her eyes widened.

"A red ear... Is this a Scarlet Goblin?"

"That's right. We ran into it on the way back."

At Godric's answer, the receptionist's expression grew grave.

"Were there any other goblins near the Scarlet Goblin?"

"No, there weren't."

"I see."

She let out a deep sigh of relief.

"That's a real relief."

"What is?"

"It seems the Scarlet Goblin you found had only appeared recently."

She set its ear aside and continued speaking as she counted the ears remaining in the bag.

"Variants like Scarlet Goblins are particularly likely to change into higher forms. And given the way goblins behave, their strength makes it easier for them to gather a group."

"It's only..."

"You may say it's only a goblin, but the most troublesome thing about a Scarlet Goblin is that it's more prolific than other goblins. No, to be precise, it produces many offspring that are prolific breeders."

With another relieved sigh, the receptionist stated firmly,

"Had that Scarlet Goblin remained alive, there would have been at least two hundred more goblins within a month. This city might have been fine, but the goblins spreading out could have attacked other villages. It's a very good thing you dealt with it now."

"I-is that so?"

Realizing they had resolved a more serious problem than he had thought, Godric glanced at Hawein.

"Ahem. I didn't know that much either, Boss."

"Hehe, our Bouncy took that goblin..."

Def was grinning and about to boast about the slime when Sgol slapped his thigh.

SMACK!

"Ow!"

"This slime did distract that goblin for us!"

"Did it?"

As the receptionist looked at it with interest, the slime bounced once on Def's head.

BOING!

'Goblin! Beat it!'

"I'm glad you seem to work together better than I expected."

Having checked all the ears, the receptionist handed over their payment with a smile. The Scarlet Goblin was worth twenty ordinary goblins. It was only about three times as strong, but the payment also took its future danger into account.

It was a truly unexpected windfall. What's more, the Scarlet Goblin kill had practically been handed to them on a platter, making it feel like extra free money. With far more money coming in than expected, it was only natural that smiles spread across the faces of Godric’s Party.

"Sgol, why did you hit me earlier?"

Def asked as they left the guild. Sgol gave his thigh another light slap and said,

"Idiot! If you told the truth there, everyone would start paying attention to this slime! What if someone tried to steal it?"

At first, Sgol had looked down on the slime and wanted to get rid of it because it was a nuisance. But things were different now.

'It's way more useful than I thought!'

He had thought it was merely a quick slime, but it had taken out a Scarlet Goblin—said to be three times stronger than an ordinary goblin—in one hit. And with a tackle powerful enough to cave in its face, at that. By now, even Sgol had to admit that the slime was stronger than he was.

Moreover, thanks to the slime, they had received an unexpected reward. It was no longer a nuisance, but an asset that benefited them in all sorts of ways. He therefore thought it best to minimize any chance of someone coveting it and taking it away. His irritable temper and stubbornness became infinitely flexible in the face of profit.

Godric and Hawein caught on to his thinking and gave him incredulous looks.

"Hehehe, you fellows. Any thoughts of selling the slime this time—"

"Get the hell out of here!"

"Eek! Wh-what's wrong? Why are you suddenly angry?"

"We're not selling our Bouncy to anyone!"

Sgol had accepted the slime as a party member so completely that the instant the robed man appeared asking to buy it, he snapped at him to ward him off.

"Wow! Sgol finally called it Bouncy, Boss!"

"Yeah. Good for him."

"Pfft. I do like how honest Sgol is."

+++

In the elf village at the center of the Green Elf Forest, Nellin, the elven hero also known as The Starlight Archer, was at home, chewing on jerky while checking her bow and arrows.

"Munch, munch... Ugh, there's fuck all to do."

All she did these days was hunt animals near the village and sell them there. If she had her way, she would leave the elf forest and roam from place to place as she once had. But the elder would not allow it.

["As a hero, Lady Nellin, you must set an example in the village! And haven't you already traveled enough?"]

As a result, aside from attending the funeral of a companion with whom she had once defeated the calamity, she had never gone anywhere beyond Rudendion's territory. Nellin was perpetually bored and restless.

'That slime was at least entertaining. Tsk. What a shame.'

A slime that was strangely unguarded and understood speech. Had she kept it, she would not have been so bored. But because the elf elder had objected, Nellin had been forced to release it into the wild.

'That slime really did seem tame...'

As she continued tending her bow with lingering regret, someone knocked on the door.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

"Who is it?"

Nellin stopped her work, stood, and opened the front door.

"Lady Nellin, the elder wishes to see you."

The visitor was an elf who served as the elder's personal guard.

"The old lady? What for?"

"I was only told that she has something to discuss with you."

"Really?"

'What does the old lady want? I haven't caused any trouble.'

Even by her own reckoning, she had been very well behaved since releasing the slime. Apart from announcements about regular events, a summons to the elder's house usually meant a lecture, so she could not help being puzzled.

"All right."

For now, Nellin followed the guard to the elder's house to hear what she had to say.

"Old lady, you called?"

"You've come, Lady Nellin."

"Why did you call me over? I haven't caused any trouble."

"I didn't call you here to scold you. I have news to share."

"News? Don't tell me... Did Fresia or Kachal die?"

Fresia was approaching seventy in human years, so it was entirely possible. Kachal, being a dwarf, could easily live another fifty years, but there was no telling what might happen in the world, so she asked cautiously.

The elder shook her head, dispelling Nellin's fear.

"No, this isn't news of a death."

"Really? Then what is it?"

"A letter has arrived from Count Rudendion."

"Rudendion?"

The sudden mention of Rudendion left Nellin even more confused. The most obvious possibility was...

"Oh, does he want me to visit his mansion again?"

'That wouldn't be bad. The meat and booze I had there weren't bad either.'

"No."

"He doesn't? Tsk."

Nellin clicked her tongue, making no effort to hide her disappointment. The elder narrowed her eyes at her, but decided to save the lecture for later and continued.

"This letter contains something truly peculiar."

"Peculiar how?"

"Apparently, Count Rudendion's daughter found a slime and took it in."

"Daughter? He had a daughter at his age?"

"I'm not referring to the previous Count Rudendion."

"Oh, his son's already inherited the title? And he even has a daughter... No, counting the years, that makes sense. Wait, a slime?"

"Yes, a slime. Count Rudendion's daughter apparently found one while passing by in a carriage. He says it was very tame and friendly toward people."

"Don't tell me it's that slime."

"Judging by the circumstances, I believe it's the slime you brought to our village."

"That really happened?"

She had thought that, provided the slime did not fall prey to a wild animal, she might encounter it again on patrol someday. She had never imagined it would be in the County of Rudendion.

"Please read this letter for the details."

Nellin accepted the letter the elf elder took from inside her clothes and began reading it on the spot. Its contents were enough to surprise even her.

The letter described how the slime had lived in the mansion. It had joined them for every meal, sat quietly on the count's daughter's head when they went anywhere, and had books read to it by her in the evenings. Even when taken outside on what were called inspection tours, it had remained calm, showing no sign of agitation or wild behavior.

However tame it was, it was still a monster. The count had persuaded his daughter to release it on the grounds of its boundless curiosity. Finally, the letter described what had happened when they let it go.

It was strong enough to defeat twelve goblins single-handedly, and, incredibly, it had said farewell to the count's daughter using actual written words. Having read all of this, Nellin raised her head and addressed the elder.

"Old lady."

"Yes. Now that you've finished reading, you must understand. That slime is—"

"We could've just kept it here."

"Something we must never let our guard down around... Pardon?"

"I mean, if it was this tame, we could've raised it in our village without any trouble. You worried over nothing, old lady. Honestly."

"What are you saying, Lady Nellin! Did you read it properly? This is a slime capable of learning to write! I mean that it could become a threat if it grows even stronger! How could you reach that conclusion?"

"Sigh. There's that bad habit of yours again. You jump straight to the worst and refuse to see anything else."

"Wh-what did you say?"

Nellin tapped the folded letter against her palm as she spoke.

"A slime smart enough to learn to write spent a month behaving itself in the count's territory. What does that tell you? It can tell when someone's treating it well."

"Well..."

"Ugh, honestly. It would've been so much fun to raise that little thing. Anyway, this slime isn't in Rudendion's territory anymore, right?"

"That's correct."

"Hmm."

She gazed at the letter for a moment, then broke into a grin.

'I'd like to meet her—the count's daughter who likes slimes just as much as I do.'