"Haa..."

Amelia sat sighing in her room.

The slime bounced up!

'What should I name it?'

Five days had already passed since Fresia had personally told her to get along with the slime. They had finished reporting to High Priest David as well. Of course, the moment he heard their report and how they intended to treat the slime, he had angrily demanded to know what they were talking about yet again. Fortunately, Saintess Fresia had offered to vouch for it herself and suggested they observe it for now, allowing the matter to be settled.

Amelia had tried to care for the slime as Fresia, whom she deeply respected, had advised. Yet when it came to actually getting along with it, she had no idea where to begin. It was a slime, after all.

'Wh-what do slimes eat? Is it all right to give it human food?'

Her worries ranged from the basics of feeding it to whether she could take it around in front of other people. How should she treat a slime with intelligence of its own? Was it perhaps full of complaints about her? Most of those concerns ended up being resolved by Paulen, who generally acted on instinct without giving things much thought.

"Hahaha! I hear villages that raise slimes even have them dispose of leftovers! Anything you give it should do!"

"What's there to worry about? Stop worrying about what others think and simply keep it with you! People will get used to it!"

"That's Amelia for you! Your self-esteem is as low as ever! Just think of it as a new friend and treat it accordingly!"

Fortunately, Paulen's straightforward methods had resolved most of her concerns so far. Then, that morning, Amelia had asked him about a new concern that had occurred to her.

"Paulen, come to think of it, what should we name this little one?"

"Pardon?"

"I realized we haven't given it a name yet."

"Uh... Huh? You're right."

Paulen blinked at her question. They had simply been saying things like "Let's try this" and "Let's try that" without calling it by name, so it had never mattered. Only now did he realize they hadn't even named it yet.

"Unbelievable! To think I even forgot to give it a name! I still don't have enough muscle!"

"... Why are you suddenly talking about muscles?"

"Not enough blood was flowing to my head, so my brain wasn't working properly! Ultimately, muscles are what matter if you want a good blood supply to your head! Hup!"

Paulen flexed his biceps, shouting to spur himself on.

"I don't think it's healthy to relate everything to muscles."

Stroking the slime, which had bounced around on the floor before hopping onto her lap, Amelia had begun pondering a name. That brought her to the present. She really had no idea what to call it.

'Should I name it after a hero? No, wouldn't that be too grand? Maybe something cute instead? But I don't know whether a monster would like a cute name...'

After turning the matter over and over, Amelia asked the slime, "What kind of name would you like?"

'A name?'

At the unexpected question, the slime tilted its body to one side.

▶Only now they're thinking about a name? lol

▶These human bastards and their intelligence, lol

[Noblesse Fire]▶Come to think of it, how many names does Squishy have now?

▶Squishy, Alexandros II, Bouncy.

▶Why does Alexandros II stand out so much? lmao

▶Ahahaha, it's cool anyway. Have a drink~.

While the viewers laughed, the slime was actually feeling a little hopeful.

'A name!'

The slime knew it already had several names. But rather than finding that bothersome, it looked forward to finding out what its next name would be. It quivered all over, trembling with anticipation.

"... Sorry. It's not as though you can answer me."

"There's no need to overthink it, Saintess. Just give it whatever name you like."

Since they were inside the Great Church, where a passerby might overhear them, Paulen addressed Amelia as Saintess.

"Even if you say whatever I like..."

Amelia's shoulders slumped uncertainly.

'Amelia! She's feeling down!'

The slime bounced up. Over those five days, it had learned that Amelia's drooping shoulders meant she was feeling down. It already knew that a massage helped at times like these, so it immediately hopped onto her shoulder and began vibrating.

"Ah, aaah, aaaaah~."

"This little one really is kind. Every time you're feeling down, Saintess, it gives you one of these quivering massages."

"Th-th-th-that I kn-kn-kn-know very well~."

'Only this slime can quiver just right like this... Quiver?'

Once the massage was over, Amelia lifted the slime off her shoulder and spoke.

"Paulen, what about Quivery?"

"Quivery?"

"Yes. It quivers, so Quivery. ... Is that too childish?"

Paulen smiled at her suggestion.

"Not at all. I think it suits it. Let's ask the slime, too. Do you like the name Quivery?"

'Quivery!'

Delighted to have a new name, the slime quivered as if to express its feelings.

"Hahaha! It seems to like it!"

"Then your name is Quivery from now on. I hope we'll get along, Quivery."

'Yes!'

▷Quivery! I got a name!

▶lol, got a new name.

▶Quivery, lmao

▶These human bastards' naming sense, seriously.

The slime wanted to show off its new name. Squishy Queen, however, was displeased.

[Squishy Queen]▶Hah, why give one of my kin such a childish name!

▶????

▶You named yourself Squishy Queen... and you're nitpicking?

[Squishy Queen]▶What is wrong with Squishy Queen! Is it not an elegant, sophisticated, beautiful nickname!

▶Wow.

▶That's sincere.

▶Is this that... hypocrisy I've heard so much about?

+++

Although she now lived with the slime, Amelia's daily routine had not changed much.

Early in the morning, she woke from sleep and stretched.

"Nnnngh~."

Upon waking, she would stroke the slime to wake it up, then get out of bed and begin some light exercises.

"One, two, three, four."

She had taken up these flexibility exercises because Paulen had stressed how good they were first thing in the morning. By the time she finished, she was fully awake.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

"Saintess, it's time for your bath."

At the appointed time, a believer who attended her bath would knock on Amelia's door.

"All right. Let's go, Quivery."

The slime bounced up!

With the believers' assistance, Amelia went to her private bathroom and bathed together with the slime.

The believers had been very startled the first time she brought the slime into the bath. But now, water splashed down.

"Let's get you nice and clean again today, Quivery."

The slime quivered as they washed it with smiles while attending Amelia's bath. They had learned by now that it wasn't dangerous, and there was another reason, too.

"Once we're done bathing, could you do the usual for me?"

'Yes!'

Like Amelia and Paulen, they had discovered the appeal of the slime's vibrating massages. Since they were bound to see it every morning, Amelia had come up with the idea to help the believers and the slime become friends quickly.

After the bath, Paulen joined them, having finished his morning training, and they ate breakfast together.

"Nothing beats a meal after exercise! What do you say, Saintess? While you're at it..."

"No."

As always, she refused Paulen's suggestion that she go beyond stretching and start training in the mornings.

"What a shame. Quivery! You eat well, too!"

The slime quivered and ate the food it had been given.

Though not as lavish as the meals it had eaten during its stay with Count Rudendion, the food was made from far more expensive ingredients than when it had lived with Godric’s Party. This was because the meals were prepared with health rather than taste in mind.

'Delicious!'

Of course, the slime found them delicious.

After breakfast, Amelia went to the prayer room and prayed alongside the ordinary believers and priests gathered there. Naturally, she brought the slime, too.

"Let us give thanks again today to Lutinus, God of Light, who preserves our peaceful days."

Prayer time was very quiet, with everyone offering prayers of gratitude to the god during a brief silence. Although the slime's first visit had caused a stir, its quiet behavior made it easy for them to adjust. Indeed, it was so well-behaved that some believers tilted their heads, wondering whether she had brought a model rather than a real slime.

Once morning prayers were over, most of Amelia's time was her own. Occasionally, she would personally treat patients whose injuries or curses required the next saintess's holy power, but otherwise she was free to do whatever she liked. She spent most of that free time rereading scripture or immersing herself in prayer and training in holy arts.

This was certainly not because anyone in the Church was pressuring her, insisting that a saintess must not readily show herself to others or neglect her training in holy arts. Quite the opposite: in this peaceful era, unlike the time of the calamity, the Church wanted Amelia to spend less time training and more time outside, showing her face to the believers and making the saintess's presence more firmly felt.

They did not press the matter much while Saintess Fresia was still alive, but she was well advanced in years. Someday, Amelia would have to succeed her as a source of emotional support for the believers.

Yet Amelia had low self-esteem. Even now, five years after being chosen as the next saintess, she questioned whether she was suited to the role. If someone like her went outside, wouldn't she shatter the believers' ideal image of a saintess? Wouldn't they be disappointed? She couldn't help worrying about such things.

For Amelia, the perfect saintess was Fresia herself. Always kind and generous-hearted, always thinking of the people of the world, she was truly a saintess among saintesses. Because Amelia respected and followed her, she felt her own shortcomings all the more keenly.

She had no confidence, did not even know whether she was kind, and still wondered why she had been chosen as a saintess. So she had resolved to train consistently in holy arts, at least. If she were skilled in them, perhaps she would disappoint the believers' idealized expectations a little less.

With that in mind, Amelia was gathering her holy power and diligently practicing her holy arts again today. Lately, however, she had found it difficult to concentrate.

'Y-you want to go outside, don't you?'

Starting two days ago, whenever Amelia prayed and practiced her holy arts in her room, the slime had perched on the windowsill, as though gazing outside. Had it only been one day, she would have assumed it simply felt like sitting there that day. But this was already the third day. Even if it was a slime, she could guess what it was thinking.

"Amelia."

Paulen could tell as well. As her guard, he was always at her side except when she slept or bathed.

"It seems Quivery wants to go outside, doesn't it?"

"Ugh... But I'm still such an inadequate saintess. If I were to walk around the streets with Quivery, I might damage Saintess Fresia's reputation, or the Church's."

"Saintess Fresia's reputation and the Church's aren't that fragile. Besides, if you took it outside, wouldn't word spread that you're a saintess who has reformed even a monster?"

"Well..."

Paulen decided there was no point in urging her further for now.

"All right. Let's do this, then. Even if we don't go into the streets, let's at least leave the room. Quivery."

'Yes?'

At the sound of its name, the slime immediately bounced from the windowsill onto the bed. Paulen gave it a broad grin.

"Let's go get some exercise."

'Exercise?'

The slime tilted its body to one side.