Published: July 30, 2025
Two weeks had passed since the Duke and his party returned home, and Ryoma had been busy with hunting and taking care of his slimes. Then, one day, four people suddenly arrived at Ryoma’s house.
“Hey! Ryoma! Open up! It’s me—Hughes! I’m not an enemy!”
The person shouting in front of Ryoma’s house was Hughes, who had come here injured two weeks ago. With him were Jill, Kamil, and Zeff, who had also visited before. Because the entrance was blocked by rocks, they shouted loudly so their voices could reach inside... but Ryoma was actually hiding in the bushes behind them.
“I’m opening it now!”
“Oh!? So you were outside?”
“I was out hunting... So, why are you here?”
“I came back to properly thank you again for the other day. I even brought some souvenirs... though it’s a bit much. A little ways off, the spatial magic user butler, two maids, and Mr. Reinhardt with his family are in the forest on some errand, and they’re with me. Sorry for the short notice, but can I call them over now? If it’s inconvenient, we can come back another day.”
Ryoma thought for a moment, but since he had no particular plans and didn’t want to turn away someone who had gone out of their way to visit, he agreed. The four escorts then went off to fetch Reinhardt and the others from the forest.
Meanwhile, Ryoma called back the slimes he had released for hunting and prepared to welcome the arriving guests.
After about thirty minutes, preparations complete, Ryoma waited at the center of the swarm of slimes basking in the sunlight—nearly a thousand of them gathered noisily—waiting for the unusual visitors.
Soon, the party of Reinhardt must have arrived. The slimes sensed the approach of many people and began trembling all over. Straightening his clothes and glancing toward the forest, Ryoma soon spotted the group coming.
There were eleven people in total. Behind Reinhardt walked an unfamiliar beautiful woman and a young girl, followed by an elderly yet dignified man. Behind them, as Hughes had said, were two maids and an elderly butler. The four escorts flanked Reinhardt from front and back.
(From their clothes, the three behind Mr. Reinhardt must be his family. But those maid outfits stand out... Isn’t it difficult to move in the forest wearing those?)
“...Are those the people over there?”
“The slimes are everywhere...”
“Oh, I heard you had tamed many slimes, but I didn’t expect that many.”
“Even considering they’re slimes, it’s amazing you can control so many.”
“The more beasts you have, the harder it is to form beast taming contracts…”
While Ryoma wondered about the practicality of the maid uniforms, the maids looked visibly unsettled by the sheer number of slimes. In contrast, the three from the Duke’s household, excluding Reinhardt, watched the gathering slimes with keen interest.
When they reached the clearing in front of the house, Reinhardt stepped forward and approached Ryoma.
“Ryoma-kun, it’s been two weeks. You’ve probably heard by now, but today I came to properly thank you again for the other day. I brought a small gift as well.”
“Thank you very much.”
“No, no, it’s just a token of our appreciation.”
“Before that, please introduce us,” said the beautiful woman from behind.
Remembering, Reinhardt began the introductions.
“Let me introduce my father, Reinbach, my wife Elise, and our daughter Eliaria.”
“I am Reinbach Jamill, the former head of Duke Jamill’s household. Sorry for dropping in so abruptly. I look forward to your kindness.”
“I’m Elise Jamill. Thank you for helping my husband and his men the other day.”
“I’m Eliaria Jamill. Pleased to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you all... I’m Ryoma Takebayashi... Thank you for coming such a long way... I can’t offer much hospitality, but I welcome you,” Ryoma said haltingly but politely.
Though a bit choppy, his courteous words made the four from the Duke’s household and their surrounding maids and guards widen their eyes in surprise. Reinbach quickly regained composure and spoke up.