Chapter 73:
Added Value
I TOOK THE TOWEL and dabbed at the corners of my eyes. “…Thank you.”
“What tipped you off, Ivy?” Rickbert’s question made sense. I was an inexperienced adventurer, so how could I tell something was amiss?
What should I say? I don’t wanna lie to them. They trust me. Maybe I should just…tell them the important parts.
“Actually, I’m a tamer. And…I tamed a weird little slime. The slime told me.” I was so nervous it came out kind of awkwardly. Would they believe me?
“Whoa, you’re a tamer? And your slime told you?!” Rattloore was amazed.
Yeah, it’s pretty unconvincing, isn’t it? Though there are lots of different slimes out there that no one really knows much about.
“It must be a rare slime—one that’s not well documented yet, I’d guess,” Seizerk chimed in. “There’re no shortage of mysteries when it comes to slimes.”
Hearing that was a relief. If slimes were known for unknowns, then I could get away with people seeing Sora sometimes. Maybe I could relax a little on my future travels.
“That’s gotta be an incredibly rare slime if it has abilities other than digestion.” Rickbert’s response made me rethink my rethinking. Maybe letting people see Sora was out of the question after all.
“So, just to get this straight…a slime you tamed told you Mira was a traitor?” Bolorda sounded puzzled. I mulled the question over for a moment. How should I answer?
“Sora—that’s the slime’s name—usually reacts when I talk to it. But when I mentioned Mira, it didn’t react like normal. I was curious, so I said other names to see what Sora did. In the end, it only reacted like that to Mira. That’s how I figured it out.”
“Huh. Through the slime’s reactions, eh? If so, then your slime must be able to distinguish other people. That’s extremely rare.”
“Distinguish?”
“Yeah. So, regular slimes can recognize the person who tamed them, but they can’t tell the difference between any other humans.”
Really? Was it just my imagination that Sora stopped and stared when I mentioned Mira? But wait, it definitely reacted differently when I told it about Captain Oght versus Vice-Captain Velivera. I don’t think that was just in my head. Maybe that means Sora really is one of a kind.
Bolorda furrowed his brow and closed his eyes. Seizerk seemed lost in thought, too. Was there a problem? Should I have kept quiet about Sora?
“Ivy…about your slime. Do you think Mira might’ve seen it?” Seizerk’s usually steady voice trembled a little.
“I don’t think so.”
“Hmm. Anyone else that you know of?”
“…I don’t think they have.”
“Then make sure you don’t let anyone else lay eyes on it until this is over. Got it?” Seizerk’s serious expression scared me a little. I nodded wordlessly, but…why was he so adamant? I wasn’t planning to let anyone see Sora either way, but it made me wonder.
“If the kidnappers find out about your slime, they’ll see you as a prize. And they’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on something so valuable.” I stiffened at Bolorda’s words. Valuable? Does taming a rare slime add value? Why?
I felt a soft hand on my tightly balled fist. I looked down and saw that Rattloore was holding it.
“You’ll be okay. We’re here for you.”
“…Yeah.”
Rickbert saw how nervous I was and brought a fresh mug of tea to calm me down. I sipped it and felt my heart unclench. My tense muscles slowly loosened up. I’ll be fine. There are people here to protect me. I have Sora, too. Everything’s gonna be okay.
“So anyway, yesterday. We came back here a little before evening.” Rattloore’s cheerful voice lifted the mood a little.
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. When you weren’t here, I panicked. I thought you might’ve been kidnapped.”
“Sorry! I didn’t feel that chill on my neck during the journey to town, so I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just my imagination. I thought if I went out alone, I could find out.”
“Huh, really? We…” Bolorda sounded flustered.
“Yes?” I tilted my head.
“See?!” Rattloore crowed triumphantly. “I told you Ivy’s a clever kid!”
“Sorry. Aargh, so…everyone but Rattloore thought you sneaked off to play, so… Y’know?”
Bolorda’s admission took me by surprise. Was that really how they saw me? It didn’t make much sense. I’d gone out alone knowing the danger I was in, after all.
“I’m sorry for acting recklessly,” I said.
Bolorda asked with the sincerest look on his face, “Ivy, are you really eight years old?”
Um, yeah, I am? Oh…but wait, today’s the first day of August, right? If so…
“Actually, I’ve just turned nine,” I said.
“That’s…not what I’m asking, but nine? Huh. You said you were eight a few days ago, didn’t you?”
“I was eight yesterday. I think the end of July is my birthday, so I guess I’m nine now.”
“You sound so uninterested—hey, happy birthday!” Rattloore said. For some reason his smile looked a little strained.
I hadn’t heard those words in a long time. In fact, the last time might have been my fifth birthday. These past few years, my birthday had always passed before I’d realized.
“Thank you very much.”
I was surprised how good those words made my feel. Never had two words warmed my heart so much. Rattloore gently tousled my hair. He really was a kind person.
“Once this is all over, let’s have a big celebration,” he said.
“Huh?! Th-that’s not—”
“It’ll be fine! Let’s do it. And since Bolorda and Seizerk doubted you, we’ll make them pick up the check.”
“No, I’d feel bad! It’s my fault for going out without telling you, anyway.” I was a little flustered. I appreciated the thought, but there was no way I could impose on them like that.
“Sure thing, we’ll treat you. We got an important clue thanks to your efforts, after all.”
My efforts? Did I make more trouble for them? I didn’t think I did anything beyond walking around town alone…
“What did I do?”
“You’re good, Ivy,” Rattloore assured me. “We should thank you! You sensed it during your walk around town yesterday, didn’t you?”
During my walk—they mean that revulsion I felt. I nodded. Bolorda looked sad.
“Mira was on the other side of the road back then.”
“She was?”
“The person she was with is the problem. But thanks to all this, we uncovered the traitor.”
The person with her? Is that whose eyes I felt on me? If it were just Mira, I guess I would’ve felt discomfort like before.
“What’s on your mind?” Bolorda asked, a little concerned.
“Huh? Oh…yesterday, it wasn’t just that uncomfortable feeling. I felt someone’s eyes sticking to me like glue, too…”
The four gasped and looked at each other. What? Did I say something weird?
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Ivy, do you have the discernment skill on top of your taming skill?” Seizerk asked.
“Discernment? I don’t think so…”
What’s discernment? I’ve never heard of that.
“That so? Then maybe you sensed danger and saw through their intentions.”
Sensed danger? Well, their gaze was creepy. It made me want to run away and hide. I don’t ever want to feel that way again.
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