Chapter 49 - Chapter 20: I Shall Dig
Gokigenyou! I am Violia Nico Fortesia!
I have successfully vanished gallantly while remaining in the soldiers' memories as the mysterious hero who saved Elsemarin from its crisis!
I ended up spending the night at the bandits' hideout because I had not thought much about what would happen after that, but well, that is fine.
With this, the Elsemarin split-up disturbance has come to a complete end. The Guild will still have Royal intervention from now on, but for now, the restoration of the ravaged town comes first. It will likely continue to be operated by the current Guild Master.
……Yes.
In other words, Elsemarin has…… finally! Become a wonderful town that moves according to my wishes—!
It is a refreshing feeling! Ohohohohoho!
Now then. In the end, after staying for a day and a half at the bandits' hideout, I returned to Elsemarin in the middle of the night.
There must be soldiers around, but they should be in the direction of the port town and the urban area where the Guild is. If I enter from the noble district, I will not be discovered unexpectedly.
And since the entrance and exit of our hideout are at the edge of the noble district, entering and exiting is unexpectedly easy. I was able to return to the hideout safely without being seen by anyone.
……However, it is this.
「Ah, I have a bad feeling about this.」
In the underground passage near the hideout, there was one slime.
It is a docile, herbivorous Blue Slime, so it is harmless, but…….
「Aaaaaaaa! As I thought, they are leaking!」
「Welcome back, young lady! As you can see! Help us with the slime extermination!」
It was as I expected! The slimes were leaking!
Come to think of it, because I had shelved the plan to release them into House Fruitier's winery while they were thrown into the Spatial Bag with food, they had been multiplying as much as they wanted inside!
「Who was the first to notice this……?」
「Me. When I came back, I couldn't see the warehouse floor because of the slimes.」
My…… that was quite unfortunate for you…….
「Can you believe it? Until I noticed, neither Doran, Chesta, nor Giovan noticed.」
「Sorry, sorry, both me and Doran were drunk.」
「What about Chesta?」
「Young lady. Did you think this guy was ever sober?」
I did not. Yes.
……And so, because the drunks overlooked it, the slimes had continued to increase.
For now, the slimes are only leaking from the bag at intervals like pyoko, pyoko, so we are scooping them up one by one and throwing them into another bag for the time being.
……Exterminating slimes is easy, but if you accidentally do it indoors, the inside of the room becomes covered in mucus and it is impossible to clean up. Therefore, in times like this, one should capture the slimes alive and exterminate them in an appropriate place!
「What should we do with these slimes?」
「Shall we just go and dump them into House Fruitier's winery?」
「But they seemed to be plotting something.」
……That is the thing.
These slimes, which have increased as much as they could, will soon fill up the second Spatial Bag. What should we do with their disposal?
I feel like it would be good to dump them into House Fruitier's winery as planned, but even so, it is two full Spatial Bags' worth? It is a bit too much to handle?
Besides, as Doran said, the story that House Fruitier seems to be 『investing』 in something has already been heard. It is a bit scary to meddle blindly in something I do not understand well.
……While I was worrying like that,
「Ah. Then how about making them dragon food? Look, those guys are omnivores, right?」
Chesta began to say such a thing.
「Eh, do dragons really eat slimes? I've never heard of that?」
「No, apparently they do. It seems they have likes and dislikes regarding taste, so there are probably some who won't eat them.」
My, is that so? Dragons have likes and dislikes? ……Well, fine. It is worth a try.
If the baby dragons really eat the Blue Slimes, then these Blue Slimes that I have let increase so much will not go to waste…….
And so, we tried giving the slimes to the baby dragons.
Naturally, the slimes just stayed puru puru without doing anything in particular even in front of the dragons. Slimes are basically creatures that produce many and die many, so they are graceful even when they are about to be eaten…….
On the other hand, the dragons were excited in front of the slimes they were seeing for the first time.
They were gashi gashi-ing the puru puru slimes with their front paws or throwing them around. ……Ah, they are already toys rather than food, are they not?
After watching for a while, there were some dragons that nibbled on the slimes, but…… it seems it was not to their taste. They do not try to eat them proactively.
「Ah—, it doesn't seem like they're in the mood to eat 'em.」
「Well, they do not look delicious.」
Blue Slimes are especially just water. They look like water. They are probably tasteless and odorless. They do not seem delicious.
「If they don't like the taste, I wonder if they'll eat 'em if I season 'em?」
As soon as he saw that the dragons would not eat the slimes, Chesta…… for some reason, took a sweet liqueur from the shelf and began pouring it over the slimes.
「Wait, Chesta. Are you perhaps high? It is just alcohol, right?」
「Yeah. I thought if I started drinking, the drugs would be fine.」
As expected of a die-hard junkie, his actions are on another level…… even with just a slight buzz, he is like this. It is surprising.
Well, the Elsemarin civil war has also settled down, so even if I overlook this much playfulness…….
「……Ah. The color changed.」
「Eh?」
……Before our eyes, the puru puru-ing slime, for some reason…… incorporated the berry liqueur Chesta had poured, and was puru puru-ing while a sweet-looking red color drifted inside its body.
After that, we repeated a mysterious experiment for a while: pouring something over the slimes and having the dragons eat them.
No, honestly, what are we doing……? Nothing good comes of it when drunks gather. Well, I was not drunk, though…….
「As I thought, slimes with meat juice poured over 'em must be delicious. They're really going for 'em.」
「This one seems to like sweet things. It eats slimes with honey or sugar on them well.」
「It seems slimes with salt and lemon are also quite good.」
……For the time being, I shall keep the slimes soaked in seasonings and make them snacks for the dragons.
A few minutes after Chesta recklessly ate a slime (soaked in liqueur), saying, 「It looks delicious, so I'll try eating it too,」 and rejoiced, 「This is actually quite good!」 he collapsed from the liqueur's intoxication, but well, that is as usual.
By that time, the slimes on the floor had been mostly cleared away. It might be fine to leave a few of them free-roaming to have them clean the floor. It would be tragic if I accidentally stepped on one, slipped, and fell, though.
「……Doran. Hey. Wait. If even you start using slimes as a side dish, I honestly don't know what to do.」
「You want to eat some too?」
「No, as expected, eating slimes is a bit……」
On the other hand, Doran seems to have taken a liking to the liqueur-soaked slimes. He is having a drinking session with them as a side dish. In short, it is like he is drinking alcohol with alcohol as a side dish!
「Keeb, won't you drink something? Are you not good with alcohol?」
「I'm just not in the mood. Or rather, Violia isn't drinking either, right?」
「I am drinking, you know? It is just that no matter how much I drink, I do not get drunk.」
On a day like this, it should be fine to drink grandly, so I have been drinking a lot for a while now. Well, no matter how much I drink, I do not get drunk, though!
Seeing me finish the drink I had poured into my glass and pour a second one, Keeb gave me quite an evaluation: 「Are you a monster……?」. It seems this boy wants to be turned into a girl later? I would not mind that, you know?
「Was there a need for Violia to appear in public this time?」
The sober Keeb said to me with a slightly displeased look.
「If there is an easy-to-understand symbol like a 『hero』, the Royal Family's eyes will go there. I believe it was optimal for deceiving other things.」
「Right now, it seems the Royal Family is looking for that 『hero』, though.」
My, is that so? ……I wonder if that is in the sense of a wanted poster……?
「If you're going to have someone do that, you should've just had me, Giovan, or at least Chesta do it. There was no need for Violia to go out in public. What are you doing, not even a month after standing on the execution platform?」
Well…… I also think it was somewhat reckless. But even if my true identity were revealed, it would be no problem.
The information that 『the Guild is split in two and having a civil war』 would be drowned out by the information that 『Violia Nico Fortesia has appeared』.
If it is just me escaping, it will work out somehow, so I do not worry much about that. I would even be fine with challenging a fourth prison break!
「……I'll make it so I can use magic other than lightning.」
「It is a good thing to have ambition! I shall support you!」
It seems Keeb also had some thoughts. He said so and opened a bottle of juice with a sigh.
Now then. After carrying the junkie who was drunk on alcohol to his room and carrying Giovan, who had unusually fallen asleep, to his bed, only me, Doran, and Keeb remained.
In short, it was the three of us: the one who does not look drunk even if he drinks, the one who is not drinking, and me, who cannot get drunk no matter how much I drink. Yes.
「I intend to go and scout for information on House Fruitier starting tomorrow.」
As soon as I said that, thinking I should at least make tomorrow's plans today, both Doran and Keeb gave me indescribable looks.
「……No, you shouldn't move.」
「I'll handle that part, so Violia, do something else.」
Ah, is that so? Well, that is true. After all, after standing on the execution platform, I have appeared in Elsemarin as the gallant hero. It might indeed be better to stay quiet for a while.
「I understand. Then I shall go and set the slimes on House Fruitier's winery.」
「That's why I said stay quiet.」
……I know. It is better to go and crush the winery after I find out what House Fruitier is investing in. I know. But I am bored! Since I have the chance, I want to crush House Fruitier! I want to go and crush them! I do!
「Tomorrow, we will be investigating House Fruitier's investment target. Giovan should already be looking into it, so you should ask him when he wakes up. I'll move too.」
「I'll go around the Guild and ask. Whatever you do, Violia, don't go outside, okay? Got it?」
「I understand.」
Hmm, it is quite frustrating that everyone else can move while I alone cannot…… well, it cannot be helped.
That night, because the beds in the hideout were all taken, Doran, who had no place to sleep, ended up sleeping on the sofa, and Keeb went back to his house.
……Keeb's house is also in the underground passage. In short, he is imitating me.
Since it is a house decorated with furniture he scavenged from the mansions of the noble district, it is reasonably comfortable. Well, it is inferior to my castle, though!
And I, of course, went back to my house…… and there, I suddenly thought.
「I am sure from now on, there will be many times when I am hesitant to go above ground like this……」
This time too, it would be better to keep a low profile underground for a while, and it would be terrible if I were accidentally seen by a soldier while walking in the town. It is fine at night, but I should absolutely not go out during the day.
……But that is suffocating.
Is there no way to go outside even during the day…… at least, even if the inside of the town is difficult, a way to make it possible to go out just enough to enjoy hunting magical beasts in the nearby forest……?
While worrying, I took a shower, felt refreshed, got into bed, felt cozy, and was soon fast asleep until morning. I woke up feeling crisp.
It is early in the morning, but I have nothing else to do. I shall head to the hideout.
「Good morning.」
「Ah—…… mornin'.」
When I arrived at the hideout, Giovan, who was clearly hungover, was slumped listlessly on the sofa. Can this guy work today?
「You're early.」
On the other hand, Doran shows no sign of a hangover. He is as usual. Chesta is probably still in the bedroom. I bet he will not wake up until past noon.
「Because I have nothing else to do.」
「So you came to kill time.」
「That is right.」
If I am to spend time without going above ground, I have no choice but to go to the Bag Village, play with the dragons or slimes, read a book I have already finished reading once more, or poke the junkie for fun. I am bored.
「Sigh, I wish I could somehow go outside. Would it be no good even if I hide my face?」
「……It would probably be better to avoid it. At least for the next ten days or so.」
I thought so too. After all, I am a person who stood on the execution platform.
「But boredom is boredom. Is there no way to kill time?」
Doran began to think about my words…… and after thinking seriously for a while, he said this.
「How about the task of endlessly digging a hole and filling it back up?」
「The fact that that is the result of your serious thinking is the most amusing part.」
What are you saying with such a straight face?
「I did it for a while when I was captured.」
「That is torture.」
Honestly, what is he saying.
「You can train your body.」
「If I'm going to train my body, I'll do something else besides digging holes……」
I simply cannot understand subjecting oneself to torture just to train one's body!
……But.
「Digging a hole might be a good idea……」
I reconsidered a little.
「If there were a hole leading directly from the underground passage to the outside of the town, it would be very convenient……」