Published: July 30, 2025
～Side Ryoma～
…What’s wrong? After I answered their questions, the adults around me—especially those from the Duke's household—started giving me scary looks. Did I mess up somehow?
“Wonderful.”
Huh? What’s wonderful? What do you mean?
“Ryoma-kun, this is amazing! You’ve just uncovered a mystery that all Beast Tamers in this world have been struggling to solve!”
“!?”
What’s with these people!? Their eyes are so intense, and they’re hanging on every word… Honestly, this is kind of terrifying!
“Madam, Lord Reinbach, please calm down. You’re scaring Lord Ryoma.”
“Oh! Sorry, don’t be afraid.”
“My apologies, I got a little too excited.”
“I’m okay…”
“If I may explain why the two of you are so worked up… The reason you mentioned earlier about why big slimes can’t be tamed has been a mystery that many Beast Tamers have researched but failed to solve.
Big slimes aren’t particularly strong, but because they’re difficult to fight, many people have tried to tame them to use as a distraction to slow down enemies. Apparently, some still try occasionally. But…”
“As I said before, there are no successful cases. And the failure, especially the fact that the beast taming contract—the core of Beast Taming Magic—doesn’t work on them, has been a source of pride-driven research for many skilled Beast Tamers trying to uncover the reason big slimes can’t be tamed.
However, no results have come from this research, and now the scale of study has been greatly reduced. Still, no breakthroughs have been made. And you, alone, have solved that mystery.”
Wow… This has gotten way more serious than I expected.
“Hmm, your reaction is a bit underwhelming… Maybe this will help you understand: The research into why big slimes can’t be tamed began roughly around the same time Beast Taming Magic spread across this world.
Because there have been no breakthroughs for so long, this subject has been treated as a kind of dead-end position within current research institutions. After all this time, when everyone else had given up, you solved the mystery. How can we not be excited about that?”
No way, right? This was totally a coincidence, but it looks like it’s going to get complicated. What should I do…
“What shall we do?”
“You should register with the Tamer Guild and make an official announcement!”
Ah, there’s that organization that collects this kind of information, right? Judging by their reactions, if I announce it, it’ll cause a huge stir and be a real hassle… But maybe it’s a good chance to get out of the forest…
“The city, huh…”
The moment the word slipped out of my mouth, the four adults and the maid and butler standing behind them all reacted.
“Sorry, I know you don’t like the city…”
“We’re not forcing you to register or make an announcement, but this really is a big discovery. Please understand that.”
“Understood. Ah…”
Because the slime fused, the path to the entrance was open.
“For now, please come inside.”
Outside there are beasts and such, and standing around talking for too long might be dangerous.
I led everyone inside, went to the back, and brewed some tea. The tea was from the belongings of the bandits who attacked me before. There were many packets of the same brand of tea leaves in their loot, so it was probably stolen goods. I had found it when I was picking out a spear to give to Hughes-san.
I didn’t need the money, and it felt weird to use something taken from those I killed, so I left it alone and forgot about it… but if there’s tea, I should’ve checked it sooner.
It seems to be high-quality tea leaves, and the expiration date looks fine, so this should be okay. The problem is the cups. Like the chairs and other furniture, there aren’t enough for twelve people including me, so I quickly made some with earth magic.
I brewed the tea and brought back some honey I collected two days ago from a beehive, plus a lemon-flavored syrup made from the juice of a lemon-like fruit and ginger, also found two days ago, for some sweetness. This is the only substitute for sugar I have, but it should be fine, right…?