For Nellin, the journey to defeat the black dragon alongside her companions was unforgettable. They had often disagreed at first, but overcoming countless dangers and trials and sharing all manner of experiences had made them dear companions.

Even now, Nellin could vividly remember the conversations they had on that journey. The battles they fought on that journey. The emotions she felt on that journey.

"This is..."

That was why she remembered where she had first seen the headpiece worn by the lich in the composite sketch.

"That's the thing Ventus said he'd wear when he became master of the Mage Tower."

"So you remember it too, Nellin."

"Of course I do! More importantly, what the hell is going on? Why is that lich wearing it?"

"I don't know either. When I first saw this drawing, I was truly... shocked. No matter how much I thought about whether it was a coincidence or whether my suspicions were right, I couldn't decide on my own."

Nellin continued studying the sketch with Fresia, recalling the past. Thirty years ago, she had attended the funeral of their companion Ventus Frail, who had died in a magical accident. Aldor Meyer, known as The Impenetrable Shield and now also departed, had attended as well.

Even Nellin couldn't be her usual easygoing, cheerful self that day. Their companion's death had been so senseless. She had been too shocked at the time even to question the claim that the magical accident had been so powerful it left no body behind.

But thinking back on it now, there had been things that didn't add up. Ventus Frail had been passionate about magic, but above all else, he valued precision. How could someone like him cause a magical accident? Even if there had been one, it was strange that not so much as a handful of his remains had survived.

What if Ventus hadn't died? What if he had survived and now appeared as a lich?

"Haa..."

Nellin sighed and scratched her head.

Unlike most things, this wasn't something she could judge immediately. She could readily understand why Fresia hadn't been able to decide alone.

"Fresia, about liches. They still have their memories from before becoming liches, right?"

"Yes. Ancient texts also record that fallen mages never forgot the grudges they held in life, and sought revenge before anything else."

"So that's how it is."

Nothing had been established for certain yet. But there were far too many grounds for suspicion. That was why Nellin thought it would be best to see for herself, rather than sit here turning the complicated matter over in her head.

"Tell me if you find so much as a trace of that lich. Now I'm dying to know who he is too."

"I will."

+++

While Nellin and Fresia speculated about the lich's identity with troubled hearts...

"Hmm, should I use this? No. Nellin could easily intercept it, so I'll have to give it a little more of a twist..."

The very subject of their concerns, Smartass, was pondering how to show off the magic he had accumulated over the years.

In the plan he had devised, putting on an act and fighting them once had already become an indispensable step. After all, he wanted to use some flashy magic for the first time in ages! Catching up was one thing, but he was also eager to unleash his magic to his heart's content. Merely dispatching B-rank monsters wasn't nearly enough to satisfy him.

"I'll keep the frontliner occupied by throwing hordes of golems at him, and focus on Nellin and Fresia. Paulen doesn't seem to like charging in blindly the way Aldor did."

Smartass was thoroughly enjoying imagining the battle and combining the spells he would use. There was only one thing worrying him.

'Is this beastfolk girl going to head to the Holy City after all?'

It was the decision of Claire, the wolf beastfolk girl currently accompanying the slime.

If possible, Smartass wanted to take a little more time so he could show Nellin and Fresia even more magic. But if Claire took the slime straight to the Holy City, he would have to move his plans forward. It would be a disaster if they met the slime too soon and suspicions spread that the lich might have done something to it!

So, as he mentally organized the spells he would showcase, Smartass tried to assess the situation through the slime's stream.

+++

It was her second day in Chilture. After a good night's sleep at the inn, Claire pondered her next move over breakfast. Should she head straight to the Holy City, or leave a message and wait here?

After a week of traveling by carriage, sleeping soundly in the inn's cozy bed had been bliss. Her bottom didn't hurt, and she wasn't cramped. The comfort of stretching out her arms and legs on a soft bed for the first time in ages!

And now, after enjoying that for just one day, she was supposed to spend another ten days in a carriage to the Holy City?

'Hmmmm.'

She still wanted to grow stronger. But the desire for a few more comfortable nights was shaking her resolve. She had already confirmed that the slime she had found was Bouncy, the one Marin was looking for. Couldn't she simply report that and wait? What if they passed each other while she was on her way to the Holy City?

Unable to resist temptation, Claire was thinking of ways to avoid leaving Chilture. She continued pondering even after finishing her meal, then made her decision.

"Bouncy, give me a massage."

The slime vibrated vigorously.

"Aaaaah~."

Her decision was to leave the complicated questions for later and enjoy a refreshing massage.

[Noblesse Fire]▶That furry looks like she hasn't got a care in the world.

[Madam Cat's Cradle]▶I'd love to get a massage from Squishy, even just once~.

▶For real, I'm curious too.

▶Your belly would probably jiggle if you got one lol.

▶You wanna fucking die?

While Claire escaped making a choice by getting a massage, the slime was feeling dissatisfied.

'I want to exercise!'

It was the urge to work out.

The slime had never stopped exercising, lifting its own dumbbells in the Holy City and Smartass's stone dumbbells in his secret workshop. On top of that, sparring with opponents far stronger than itself had given it a daily sense of growing stronger.

But from the time it left the secret workshop until it arrived in Chilture, it hadn't done much of anything besides massage Claire and the other passengers in their carriage. In human terms, the slime was itching to get moving. Had Paulen known how it felt right now, he would have been moved to tears, exclaiming, "That's an excellent attitude!"

There were no dumbbells here, let alone Paulen or Smartass. The slime knew perfectly well that it couldn't do its usual workout. Even so, it wanted to move, so it typed in the chat.

▷Smartass!

[Free Spirit]▶Huh? You called?

▷I want to exercise! But I don't have dumbbells!

▶Where'd that come from lmao

[Gothic Luxury Bone]▶Squishy seems to want to exercise. Squishy kept at it consistently while staying in Smartass's nest, after all.

[Slam First Ask Later]▶It's like the urge to slam into things.

▶Is exercising even fun?

▶More fun than your life, probably?

▶Lmaooo

Ignoring the usual bickering as a matter of course, the slime asked Smartass another question.

▷How do you make dumbbells?

Having watched Smartass make dumbbells himself, the slime wanted to copy him. But Smartass was at a loss. The dumbbells he had made for the slime were, in fact, created with magic. There was no way it could imitate that.

[Free Spirit]▶I made them with magic.

▷Magic! I want to use magic too!

[Free Spirit]▶That's not doable.

▷Why?

[Squishy Queen]▶You scoundrel, Smartass! How dare you tell my kin it is not doable!

▶Lol here comes the obsessive Squishy mom.

▶Hey! Give! Squishy! Whatever Squishy wants!

[Free Spirit]▶You have to learn spell formulas and stuff to use magic, so it takes ages. Can't teach you under the current circumstances, yeah.

[Noblesse Fire]▶Formulas? Don't those just pop into your head?

[Gothic Luxury Bone]▶Isn't magic easy to learn? You can acquire it along with skills, too.

'That's a racial trait of dragons like you bastards!'

[Squishy Queen]▶Those two say they can use it too!

[Free Spirit]▶Then can you use magic, Squishy Queen?

[Squishy Queen]▶That has nothing to do with me!

[Free Spirit]▶If even a top-tier slime like Squishy Queen has trouble learning it, Squishy will have trouble too. Yep.

The Slime Queen wanted to argue immediately, but doing so would wound her own pride as the Slime Queen, leaving her unable to type a ready response.

▶Aren't those facts a little too brutal? Lmao

▶Hey, hey, she's gonna cry lol.

[Squishy Queen]▶Who is going to cry! Shut your mouths!

▷I can't learn magic?

[Free Spirit]▶I'll teach you later if we get the chance, yeah. But you can't make dumbbells right now. Sorry.

▷I see...

After living with Smartass for a month, the slime knew what he was like. At the very least, it understood that he was saying this because it truly wasn't possible right now. Then it happened.

▶Squishy, you wanna exercise?

The troll who always shouted "Go, go, go!" whenever the slime did anything dangerous—the Orc King—spoke to it.

▷I want to exercise!

▶OK, just wait there a few days. I'll give you all the exercise you want.

[Squishy Queen]▶What are you scheming!

▶Scheming? Squishy's stream has been boring as shit lately, so I'm offering some new content.

▶New content?

▶Hmm, do tell.

▶"Do tell" lmfao get a load of this guy

[Free Spirit]▶What kind of content, then?

'This guy is always stirring up trouble.'

According to the database Smartass had built over thirty years of watching streams, the anonymous viewer who had just spoken was the Orc King. He had once gone around trolling under the username [Tailwind King], only to get banned from multiple streams. Perhaps because he had been banned so often, lately he had limited himself to trolling that could pass for joking, just barely staying on the right side of the line in one stream after another.

Under the system's rules, viewers with fixed usernames could be permanently banned, while anonymous viewers could be banned for one hour, three hours, one day, three days, one week, or one month. Smartass intended to use his moderator privileges to slap him with a one-month anonymous ban the moment he spouted nonsense.

▶A nonstop battle challenge! Lately you've just been sparring with hoomans and Smartass! You think that's enough? If you wanna really grow, you have to kill your opponents and build up the power to evolve!

▶He's right about that.

▶Honestly, it's weird to be that strong after evolving only once lmao.

Evolution required experience defeating opponents of a certain strength. Yet the slime hadn't defeated anyone in the past few months. Monsters usually ate the opponents they defeated. The slime, however, had eaten monster meat brought to it. Sparring provided combat experience, but it couldn't provide the experience necessary for evolution.

[Squishy Queen]▶Indeed, it is about time my kin evolved. With such strength, remaining unevolved for so long is overdue.

The Slime Queen was also in favor of the slime evolving soon.

▶So how are you gonna provide this nonstop battle challenge?

In response to an anonymous viewer's question, the Orc King confidently declared:

▶I'll send my underlings to the hooman village where Squishy is!