After my fruitful trip to the divine realm, I went back to my house in Gana Forest. They told me to report immediately once I’m back, so I sent a Rimel Bird to contact them.
They said they would make time, so Reinhart-san and the others should be coming soon.
“Regardless, I finally have some time now, so I might as well do some of the experiments I’ve been putting off.” [Ryouma]
But not long after I started preparing for my experiment, I felt the weed slimes outside stirring already. I’d just sent the letter yesterday, but they’re here already? That’s fast.
“Ryouma-kun, are you in?” [Elize]
“There’s a sign that says ‘Experiment in progress. Please wait inside.’ So it should be alright to enter, but just what could he doing so soon after his return?” [Reinhart]
I could hear voices from the entrance. I guess it’s about time.
“Welcome, Everyone.” [Ryouma]
“Ryouma-kun! Can we come in?” [Reinhart]
“Welcome back! Oh?” [Elize]
Reinhart-san-san and the madam entered, then came Reinbach-sama, Sebasu-san and then the four bodyguards, along with Eleonora-san, whom I have been previously acquainted with.
They could tell as soon as they entered that something was off.
I thought they wouldn’t notice, and I would appear as though I was just sitting by the table as usual, but I guess the difference is stark enough that people close to me can tell.
“Sorry about this, but I’m currently doing an experiment, so I’ll have to remain seated.” [Ryouma]
“That’s alright, but just what are you doing?” [Reinhart]
“It doesn’t look like you’re doing anything in particular, but your expression sure seems stiff.” [Elize]
“The tone of your voice is a bit off too.” [Sebasu-san]
“As I thought, you were able to see right through it. In that case, allow me to explain—” [Ryouma]
Just as I was about to explain.
“Don’t tell me… Did you get hurt!?” [Hyuzu]
“Ah.” [Ryouma]
Anxious, Hyuzu-san rushed to place a hand on my shoulder and check on me. I realized right away that that was a bad idea, but it was already too late, and as soon as his hand touched my shoulder, I lost balance and slid off the chair.
“Ryouma!” [Hyuzu]
Hyuzu-san managed to catch me before I could hit the ground, but my limbs dangled, unresponsive, causing everyone to rush over all at once.
“—” [Ryouma]
“!? Your neck!” [Hyuzu]
“Ryouma!” [Rheinhart]
I tried to calm them, but with my neck was twisted, I couldn’t even produce a coherent sound. When I realized that explaining would be impossible like that, I rushed into the room right away and appeared before everyone in my real body. That’s right. The body they’d gathered around was actually the mimic slime disguised as myself. It was currently lying motionless on the floor.
“Guys, it’s fine! Everything is alright!” [Ryouma]
“Nu!? What’s going on?” [Reinbach]
“There are two Ryoumas?” [Jill]
Everyone was initially confused by the strange situation, but they soon got their wits about them as I explained that the other Ryouma was in fact a mimic slime. It possessed a high level of Mimic, so it could disguise itself perfectly. To demonstrate, I got the slime reveal its true form.
“—So, I had the slime take on my appearance and shared my senses with it, then I communicated with all of you through its own senses. I already knew from previous experiments that sensory sharing would be possible, so I figured that if communication would be possible through it, I would be able to navigate just fine even with my curse. I’m really sorry for scaring everyone.” [Ryouma]
“That was bad for the heart indeed, but no doubt it’s impressive. I couldn’t tell the difference between the two of you at all.” [Elize]
“There’s no need to apologize. It’s not as though you were playing a prank on us, and it was an appropriate application of your slime’s abilities. Given your curse, the success of this experiment should benefit you greatly.” [Reinhart]
“Seeing you like this, it really does feel like you’ve finally come back.” [Hyuzu]
I wasn’t so sure about Hyuzu-san’s remark, but everyone else seemed to agree.
…I know I cause commotions from time to time, but I don’t think I’ve ever gone as far as to reenact a scene straight out of horror.
“Now, I’m sure everyone wants to celebrate Ryouma’s safety and hear all the details about his trip, but we’ll need to borrow him first.” [Reinhart]
The others weren’t wholly agreeable to that, but it was Reinhart-san himself who was saying that, so they could only agree. At his behest, I led Reinhart-san, the madam, Reinbach-sama, and Sebasu-san into the back room. Just like before I left, a soundproof barrier was erected to keep our conversation private.
“So, did you succeed?” [Reinhart]
“Yes. I was able to reach Cormi Village and successfully recover the inheritance of my grandparents.” [Ryouma]
Given how big their name was, Reinhart-san was understandably cautious. And despite the soundproof barrier, he oculdn’t help himself but lower his voice.
“It was mostly research data, weapons, as well as the tools and materials to create them. There were keepsakes and several journals too.” [Ryouma]
“What are your plans?” [Reinhart]
“All of it should be valuable, but aside from the weapons, I don’t intend to sell or transfer any of them. A cursory look at the materials showed that quite a few of them would prove useful to my own research, and even the unrelated ones were interesting. Moreover…” [Ryouma]
At this point, I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should say it, but in the end, I decided to trust everyone who had supported me so far and shared what I had on my mind.
“Academically, they are extremely valuable. I’m sure any researcher would desire them, and I’m certain there would be no shortage of those who would argue for them to be donated to research institutions.” [Ryouma]
“Since you understand that much, we won’t interfere with your decision. Of course, should you find them to no longer be of use , we’ll be happy to take them off your hands. With proper compensation, of course.” [Elize]
“It’s not a loss to us either way.” [Reinbach]
When I saw them smile, I found myself smiling too. Right, since we’re on the topic anyway, I might as well talk about Cormi and the base in the forest.
There are also some things I need their help with, so I might as well bring it up.
“――And that’s the gist of it.” [Ryouma]
“…” [Reinbach, Reinhart, Elize]
As I explained what happened at Cormi Village, the smiles faded from them, and in the end, everything was dead silent. Sebasu-san, who had been standing behind them, maintained a calm expression, but even then, there was no hiding the sweat on his forehead.
“Is everything alright?” [Ryouma]
“Yes. I just thought I’d prepared myself sufficiently only to realize that it was in vain.” [Reinhart]
“And I thought that Mimic Slime was shocking. Sebasu-san, could you pour us some tea?” [Elize]
“Of course, Your Grace. The inheritance that has been spoken of for so long turned out to be relatively tame, so I had let my guard down. I shall prepare it at once. Please wait for a moment.” [Sebasu-san]
“It’s rare to see the ever perfect Sebasu-san make a mistake.” [Ryouma]
“It was just that surprising. There was that talk about the cursed magic gem recently too. It appears you have a penchant for getting involved with shocking things.” [Reinbach]
“Alas, I can’t refute that at all.” [Ryouma]
Although there was a job from the gods, I was going to head to Cormi Village anyway, so we would have met each other anyway.
Though given the number of those undead, we might not have tackled the problem directly without knowing the situation. Come to think of it, Reinbach-sama and Gayn said something similar, didn’t they? Even though I’m lucky, I feel unlucky, as though the extreme ends of the probability are being forced.
It’s the god themselves who said it, so whether it’s bad luck or strange luck, I can only accept that I must have been born this way.
“Rather than my luck, there’s actually something that I need help with.” [Ryouma]
“Oh? It’s rare to hear you ask us for help. If it’s something we can help with, then by all means, please.” [Reinhart]
Reinhart-san leaned forward and listened with rapt attention.
“In that case, I won’t hold back. The first request is related to what was mentioned earlier—the undead that closely resembled a human. Cormi has been keeping the armor of Baron Destria, so I was wondering if it could be returned to his family.” [Ryouma]
“There’s no direct relationship between our families, so it might take some time, but I should be able to get in touch with them. I’m sure they’ll be grateful.” [Reinhart]
“The Destria are a military family. I should be able to speak to my acquaintances to serve as intermediaries and ensure that things go smoothly. Let’s talk more about that baron later.” [Reinbach]
With Reinbach-sama, who had a past with the military, agreeing to take care of it, the matter was as good as resolved.
“Next, I would like to be introduced to a skilled craftsman who can make saddles for familiars. It’s for the mimic slime, who can transform into a Takeo Ostrich, and a young Cannonball Rhino named ‘Rino,’ who was entrusted to me by her parents.” [Ryouma]
Rino… At first, I considered naming her ‘Rai’ after the Cannonball Rhino species and the sound of that thunderous crash when the boss charged at us during that battle in hopes she would grow to be that strong; however, when I suggested the name to Cormi, he pointed out that it was a girl, so I changed it.
If Cormi hadn’t been there, I probably would have named her “Rai” without realizing it.
“The Mimic Slime can change its size, but Rino-chan is a growing child, so I’m sure she’ll grow quickly. Later, I’ll give you the contact for a workshop I’m close with. I’ve entrusted all the gear for Luorg and the other kids to them, so their skills are definitely reliable.” [Elize]
“Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]
The Duchess’s familiar is a large wolf-type monster, a Little Fenrir. If the workshop that can make gear for it has a skilled craftsman, they should be able to handle Rino’s growth as well.
“Next is more of a consultation than a request, but there’s something I would like to ask for the cooperation of the sorcerer, Mr. Rosenberg, who helped me the other day.” [Ryouma]
“is that in regards to your curse?” [Reinhart]
“It’s not unrelated. Actually, among the inheritance I recovered from my grandmother, I found research materials related to curse-breaking, a spell form a city-state lost to the forest.” [Ryouma]
“Lost magic, huh…” [Reinhart]
“Yes. My grandmother has developed it tot he point it should be reproducible, and the notes suggest that it should be even more effective than current methods.” [Ryouma]
It’s clear that Sage Melia’s area of expertise was vast, but I never imagined I would come across such timely materials. When I found them, I understood right away why Fernoberia-sama had advised me to familiarize myself with them.
“To be honest, the information is complete enough that I could likely use this magic on my own. However, I know that my knowledge of curses is limited, so having an expert supervise the process would make me feel more at ease. That said, I do need to discuss my grandmother’s research materials, so I need someone I can trust.” [Ryouma]
“In that case, Mr. Rosenberg is indeed a good fit. More importantly, the curse on you seems to be a powerful one. It’s best to avoid trying to break the curse with an unknown magic, as it could end up going terribly wrong.” [Reinhart]
“I would like to ask for his guidance in curses as well.” [Ryouma]
Meltrize-sama had advised me to learn curses, suggesting that it could be the key to allow Cormi to interact with others again, but even though I have all the necessary knowledge, I still don’t understand it all that well. The instructions of an expert should prove invaluable.
“I understand. I’ll let him know and contact you later with the schedule.” [Reinhart]
“Thank you. And this is the last request, but if I succeed in facilitating Cormi’s interaction with the outside world… Would it be possible for you to introduce me to a teacher who can properly teach him the common sense and rules of human society?” [Ryouma]
“When you say ‘teacher,’ what exactly do you mean?” [Reinhart]
“Should I succeed in allowing Cormi to interact with others, I believe he will need to learn how to interact with people properly. I’d teach him myself, but… to be honest, I don’t think I’m all that different from Cormi.
I was originally someone who shut myself away in the forest, and in the first place, children of the gods like myself come from a distant place called Earth.
That’s a place so far away that we couldn’t have come here without the help of the gods’ power, so really I’m even more foreign than he is.” [Ryouma]
“Of course, if you were born and raised in a different country, it’s natural that the common sense would be different. Even the children of gods in legends are often depicted as unusual individuals.” [Reinhart]
“In my homeland, there’s a saying, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do,’ meaning that when you go to a foreign land, you should respect and follow the customs of that place. I try to live by that saying and make personal efforts, but as a teacher, I have to admit that I’m not fully confident.
Moreover, while Cormi may have the mentality of a young child, due to his ability to read minds, he has a wealth of knowledge, albeit with some biases. His comprehension is high, and he often asks questions that are difficult to answer…” [Ryouma]
I figured that alone wouldn’t be enough to explain, so I decided to provide some concrete examples too from our conversations.
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