Because I’ve been going to the library everyday I’m treated as a regular, and the man at the circulation desk spoke to me.

“You’re back again today too. What kind of book are you looking for?”

“Umm, do you have a book about slimes?”

“Slimes, right. Please wait a moment.”

After a moment, the man at the circulation desk returned with a book. It’s a rather thick book, so it might be a dictionary.

“This is the Monster Encyclopedia, Revised Edition. “When researching about a monster, I recommend this book.”

“Thank you very much, I’ll read it then.”

I sit down at a desk, and open the encyclopedia. There are various monsters noted on the book, and comes with diagrams. As I resist the urge to stray from my research, I look up the entry on slimes…There it is. I wonder what’s written about them?

-Slimes-
The world’s energy gathers into rocks, gra.s.s, or water (etc.) and becomes a nucleus, which gathers MP and takes the form of a round ma.s.s. Able to absorb and digest anything, however, lacks the ability to do anything else. A small fry monster even a child can defeat.

What a terrible way to put it….The ability to absorb and digest anything, does that mean it can digest metal and/or poison? For the time being, let’s continue reading.

The form and nature changes with the digested object. Slimes living in the mountains are slightly hard, while slimes living in the forest are able to create energy through photosynthesis. There is no example of slimes ranking up to Majin.

And that’s the end, eh. They can digest anything, so I’ll try getting some metal and poison and feeding it to Lime. I feel bad for it, but there isn’t any other way to make it stronger.

“Thank you for the encyclopedia.”

“Is that enough already?”

“I only needed to look up the slimes, so. Ah, right. Is there somewhere metal or poisonous plants are being sold? Solvents are cool too.”

“Metal? Poisonous plants? Solvents? If it’s monster material, then I believe the streets outside sell them. You may be able to have the smithing cla.s.sroom or botanical gardens share with you too.”

“The smithing cla.s.sroom and botanical gardens right, got it. Thank you very much.”

Think I’ll go to the smithing cla.s.sroom first. Sc.r.a.p iron is fine too, I wonder if they’ll share some with me.

“Aah, sc.r.a.p iron? What’re ya gonna do with summin’ like that?”

The smithing teacher, a short and s.h.a.ggy-looking dwarf, asks me. Well, that’s the normal reaction.

“I’m taking the Tamer cla.s.s, and my familiar needs metal for fodder… I’m fine with just the leftover pieces, so could you spare some metal?”

“If that be the case, take summin’ from that box o’er there. Small metals an’ the extras, they’re all in ‘ere.”

“Understood, thank you.”

After receiving some metal fragments, I head to the botanical garden.

“Poisonous plants and solvents? What in the heavens will you be using it for?”

In the botanical gardens was an Elf-san.

They’re probably male, but of course he has an androgynous, pretty face. He loses to Lucas though.

“I was thinking, ‘I’d like to feed it to my slime’.”

“You were a tamer, I see. Just tamed, perhaps?”

“I just tamed it today.”

“I see….In that case, feed it this gra.s.s first. If you suddenly give it something such as a solvent, its body would melt after all.”

I am handed a bundle of gra.s.s with purple and yellow leaves. It gives off an ‘poison’ feeling.

“The toxicity is not exceedingly high, so your slime should be able to digest it. Once it is accustomed to that gra.s.s, I will give you a gra.s.s with higher toxicity, okay?”

“Is a solvent a bad idea right now?”

“Hmmmm….If you dilute the solvent with water, I don’t think it’s impossible, but….It’s a little dangerous, but if it’s you it’ll probably be fine….Just a moment.”

How does he know me….Is there a network just for elves?

After waiting for a while, the Elf-sensei brought me a small bottle. Inside was a transparent liquid.

“This is a dissolved solution of the Nival Plant.” It even melts the armor of the soldiers.”

After diluting it sufficiently, feed it to your slime. Also, absolutely no letting others touch it.”

“Roger. Thanks for everything.”

“I’m a teacher, so it’s only natural. Please take care of Lucas, okay.”

Of course it was related to Lucas.

As to why he was able to affirm things to that extent, I feel like I finally understand.

After eating lunch, I return to the bestiary with water and Ruu’s meat. Lucas and Triss appear to be studying in the library. After I’m done, maybe I should go there too.

“Ruu, Lime, lunchtime.” I

enter Ruu’s room, and place the meat on the ground. Seems like she was hungry, as she chows down loudly. Good thing I asked for a large portion.

“Lime this is yours. This gra.s.s, can you eat it?”

I sit down cross-legged and place Lime on my lap, and ask whether it is able to eat the poisonous plant.

Lime immediately quivers with a ‘puru puru‘. Looks like it’s a go.

“Here, eat up. Eat slowly, okay.”

When I insert a bundle into its body, bubbles begin to fizzle from within it. Guess I’ll prepare the drink.

It’s a solvent that even melts armor. It’d probably be a good idea to dilute it a lot at first. I take the water I brought in a bucket, and transfer it to a tub in the room. It’s about one or two liters.

“Oh yeah, I brought something like this too…”

When I show Lime the bottle of solvent, it jumps back to a corner of the room with terrifying speed. You can move that fast!? Or rather,

“…Is it this?”

Lime shivers in reply. Ruu also makes a sour look, as she stares at the bottle. It’s that bad, huh…

“You don’t have to be that scared. I’ll make sure to dilute it properly.”

It’s a fact that you have to drink it though. For Lime, I must steel my heart!

“C’mon, I’m pouring it in the water now. Unless you watch it yourself, I might pour in too much y’know?”

Lime approaches slowly with trepidation. Seems like it’s made up its mind, and jumps into the tub of water.

“Alrighty, pouring it in. Anymore and my body will dissolve, tell me when you’ve gotten to that point, okay.”

As I say that I open the lid on the bottle, and pour one drop at a time into the water. At five drops, Lime tells me to stop.

“Up to here huh. When you’re able to increase the dosage, make sure to tell me okay? This is for you after all.”

As though unable to complain after being told that, Lime shuts up and begins to drink the water. Yup, curious creatures, slimes are. They can live on just water, y’know. Wonder how their body is made. As I feed the additional gra.s.s to Lime, I think such thoughts.

After eating about a tenth of the plants I brought, Lime finished lunch. After making lunches out of poisonous plants and diluted solvents for a while, I’m sure some kind of change will happen. I am leaving a few pieces of metal for dinner if it gets hungry, so maybe some of the pieces will have been consumed by then.

I then head to the library, and search for Lucas and Triss. The two are sitting next to each other at desks, and poring over the math textbook.

“Tsuchio-kun, you came. Are you done with Ruu-chan’s meal?” “I already fed her. How’re things over here?”

It seems like Lucas is the one teaching, as Triss is scowling at the textbook. What kind of problems are they solving?

“It was okay earlier, but she’s a bit stuck. It looks like she’s having problems with this part…”

I have them show me the problem Triss doesn’t understand. While the signs are a little different, based on the pages before it looks to be double-digit addition and subtraction. Although the literacy rate is high and paper is in ma.s.s production, arithmetic is not being taught, huh….What’s the deal here.

“Where don’t you understand?” “Adding up digits or borrowing digits, I don’t get it-dearimasu.”

Triss wrestles with arithmetic on paper, and is trying her hardest at calculating. Mmm, what to say in this situation…

“Tsuchio-kun, you don’t need to take Math-dearimasu? Are you really fine-dearimasu?”

“Me? I’m fine, I probably don’t even need to study it.”

“Big talk-dearimasu….In that case, what’s the answer to this-dearimasu!?”

“Uh no, that’s the problem you’re doing, aren’t you Triss.”

“Even if you dodge the question with that, I won’t let you-dearimasu! You don’t actually know the answer, right-dearimasu!”

Grrr. I, as a member of the educational powerhouse that is j.a.pan, was a high school student you know. I could handle arithmetic like that before my morning coffee!

“Gimme that. 26.”

“Even if you say such a half-a.s.sed answer there’s no way it could be…it’s right-dearimasu. H-H-H-How did you solve it-dearimasu!? You didn’t calculate anything, right-dearimasu!?”

“Mental math.”

“Wow Tsuchio-kun, you can do mental math….Did you learn it from someone?”

“Eh!? Uhhh…from my parents, my parents. My MP is low, so they beat arithmetic into me.”

“So that was it-dearimasu….That must’ve been tough-dearimasu.”

Did I dodge the question okay? Mental math is something not many people can do, huh. I’ll be careful from now on.

“Then, being with us would probably be boring, huh…”

“I’ll be reading a book. Let me know if there’s anything you don’t understand, I’ll teach you.”

“Mm, please!”

After teaching math to Lucas and Triss, we ate dinner together. It’s fish everyday, so I wonder if we’re near the ocean.

The next day was the long-awaited Magic cla.s.s. Quite a few people are taking this cla.s.s, and it appears cla.s.s will be held in a lecture hall-like large cla.s.sroom.

“How exciting!”

“I know, right-dearimasu!”

“More like, there are too many people. Aren’t most of the students here?”

There aren’t that many people with a magic -type skill, either….I wonder why they’re here?

“Um, even though it’s called Magic cla.s.s the first thing we learn is how to control MP, and warriors have skills that use that as well, so…”

“Wa-, wait Lucas! Triss’ brain is already full, and I won’t get it unless you say it one more time.”

“Um, you study how to control MP with Magic, and um?”

“Ah, sorry….I think they’ll explain soon, so they will probably be easier to understand! Look!”

Sporting a long white beard that looks like it might touch the ground, an elderly man stands on the podium with a staff.

“Eh, ahem. From now we will begin Magic cla.s.s. My name’s Gauche, pleased to meet ye.”

It doesn’t appear that he spoke loudly, but you can hear his voice loudly. Is this magic too….Wonder how he does that. Is there some kind of law?

“First off I’ll tell y’all this. Based on yer skills, yeh’ve got a certain amount ah talent in Magic. That’s fer certain, but on the other hand Magic is also a study.”

Oh?…

“Studies are, things ye can grow in with the appropriate amount of studyin’. Even those without skills, ye can get stronger in Magic. Those with skills must not be lazy either, and devote yerselves to study. Otherwise, ye may be pa.s.sed by those without.”

I see. So if I study hard, that means I can use offensive magic and recovery magic! That means I gotta do my best.

“Um…What does that mean-dearimasu?”

“Basically, if you study seriously then even without a skill, you can use magic on the same level on those with skills, I suppose.”

“What kind of study should we do-dearimasu?”

“Um, that’s…we might know if we listen to him.”

“Is that so-dearimasu!”

I need to listen too. In regards to magic, I’m also completely ignorant.

“Even though we call it Magic cla.s.s, we’re starting with learnin’ to control your MP. If ye can’t manipulate your MP freely, ye can’t use magic. Out of all of you, how many can manipulate their MP?”

Lucas and me included, several tens of people raise their hands. That’s about it, huh…

“Hm hm, well that’s about the average. We’re gonna learn how tah control MP from now, so ye might be a little bored. Well, think of it as review.”

With my Magic Hands, I just manipulate it involuntarily though. I want to know how to manipulate my MP normally. I don’t think I’ll be bored.

“First, concentrate on the area under your navel. Ye should begin to feel yer MP.”

While listening to Gauche-sensei’s instructions, I begin moving my magic around my body. I want them to teach warrior techniques soon.

Author’s Note: Mmmm, my pace isn’t rising…

(TLN: Moved Author’s notes to the bottom for layout purposes. This will probably be the last of the near-daily releases for a while, as I’ve run out of my inventory for cleaning.)