As soon as I got back to Iris' carriage, Dick the bat came back.
　He informed me that he had found the slime.
　That's exactly what Dick did after his reincarnation. You work fast.

I'm going to go out for a while.
Yes, my lord. My Lord, take care of yourself.
'I've told you about the Minotaur. I also told you about the combined magic me and my bat army used and how we did it. I also told you that the procession would stop here for a while because Rosso-san and his soldiers are examining the Minotaur's body, and... what else was going on?
'Moo, you care too much. My Lord.
"In case you're wondering, I'm Iris's 'guardian knight' now.
I'll see you when I get back.

　Iris took my hand.

'Please do what My Lord wants you to do. I may be a princess outwardly, but I am a subject of My Lord.
Thanks. Iris.
Well, I'll be a spouse soon enough.
You're going to miss the best lines. Hey.

　I was sent off by Iris to capture the slime.






'I see. A green slime.
''Yes. Dick can win with ease now!

　This was a grassy field a short distance from the road.
　Looking back, I could see Iris' carriage in the distance. And on the other side of the road, Rosso-san and the others were examining the body of the minotaur.

''It's around here! ''There it is!''

　Dick the bat pointed to a small hollow in the grass.
　It had rained not long ago, and there was a large puddle of water.

　There was a small slime there.
　Green in color. It was moving slowly, moving on the grass.

　It's a green slime.

　It is a docile slime that eats insects in swamps and grasslands.
　It is obedient and smart, so it's perfect to be an errand boy.

I'm Yuki-Grossaria no, Yuki-Nosferatu.

　I crouched down and spoke to the slime on the grass.

"(Shake, shake, shake)

　The slime shuddered as it responded.

'Actually, I'm looking for a slime who might be willing to be a messenger.
"(Huh?)
'My job is to experiment with witchcraft and do the daily grunt work. I won't do anything so dangerous. You'll have to stay by my side and I'll serve you food. I'll also give you some magic. Will you do that for me?
"(Woof, woof, woof)
I'm sure they'll understand.

　I scratched my fingertips.
　I hold the overflowing Myster Blood close to the green slime.

It's called 'Myster Blood'. This is called 'magic blood'. If you want to be my messenger, drink this and become my messenger...
"Cue.


　Snap.


　Green Slime jumped on my fingertips.
　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

It's not a good idea to go to the beach.

　Greenslime murmured in a low voice.

'Gosh!　The Five Peoples!
'Looks like the 'magic blood' is working.
"Yes, sir. An errand boy. 'Naru.'
Thank you. It helps.
"My family was killed by the minotaur. "The gods gave me a revenge on the minotaur.
Is that so?
"Yeah, yeah. All of a sudden, they came from the south, and they were destroying this land.
Was there anyone else in there with the minotaur?
...I don't know.

　The green slime twisted his body as if he was in trouble.
　Well, slime doesn't have such a good memory. It can't be helped.

"All right. So what's your name?
No, sir.
Is it May then?
Thank you.
Good to see you, May.
"Okay, okay.

　I put May, the slime, in a leather bag.
　Then I'll introduce her to Rosso-san and Flora-Zamel.
　We don't want them to mistake her for an enemy and attack us.




This is my new servant, May the Slime. It's a harmless green slime, so it won't harm people. It would be helpful if you don't attack me when you see me.
"(puffy, puffy, puffy)
...Oh, yes.
...Yes.

　Mr. Lozzo and all the soldiers look stunned.

Yukidono.
Yes, Mr. Rosso?
How did you manage to communicate with the slime?
'Sort of.' 'Hmmm.'

　When I reached out, May poked and prodded her fingertips as she came out of the leather bag.
　It's a sign of good friendships.

'I've never heard of getting an errand boy locally. Is this a quick thing to do?　Flora-Zameldo.
It's not impossible, but it's difficult.

　Flora-Zamel shook her head.

'It takes a ritual to turn a creature into a messenger. To match the wavelengths of yourself and the subject to become an errand boy. And that in a flash?　And you're so close to the slime...?
I guess we were a good match.

　I said it.
　I'm not lying.
　I'm sure you've had a sorcerer's dog for years, and it's easy to turn it into a user.

　At my words, Rosso-san nodded, "I see.
　Flora-Zamel is still twisting her neck though.

"Yuki-Grossaria-sama, why did you decide to use a slime as an errand boy?
It's an experiment in witchcraft.
I see........as expected of you, Yuki-Grossaria. It's a wonderful desire to study.
And Martha, my maid, she wanted something to clean the ceiling.
........yes?

　Flora-Zamel gets a puzzled look on her face.
　I continue to explain.

'When I was leaving, Martha told me. She said she wanted a tool to clean the ceiling. But both Martha and her apprentice maid, Remy, are short, so they can't reach it.'
Well yes.
But I was worried that we'd both have to stack tables and chairs to clean them. So I thought it would be better to have the slime clean the tables and chairs instead of using tools.

　That's actually the main thing that made May an errand boy.
　A slime can go up the walls to the ceiling.
　If I let her have a rag, she should be able to wipe it down easily.

'Actually, I just need a couple more of them.
"Cue!　Squeak!
"...you're going to work for three of them?　You don't have to push yourself.
"Swoosh!　Cue!
All right, all right. When I get back to King's Landing, I'll introduce you to Martha and Remy.

　That's some tough slime. May...
　Well, it's good to be motivated.

Cleaning.
"...Huh?　Flora-Zamel?
"........................Grandfather, 'Zamelites'
Hey.
... haha.

　Flora-Zamel looked at me.
　She fell to her knees on the ground in a hurry.

''I'm sorry. Yuki-Grossaria-sama.'
What's up? Snap out of it.
No I've been impressed by your skills. From now on, I will serve you with all my heart and soul.
That's all well and good, but maybe we should take a break for a while.

　Mr. Lozzo and the others are beginning to prepare for the encampment.
　We've taken up a lot of time with the extermination of the Minotaur. We need to check for other powerful demons and prepare to transport the Minotaur's body.
　It seems that they decided to stay here today without proceeding any further.

''Guarding Knight, which. May I have a word with you?

　A soldier escorting Iris' procession approaches.

'I would like to ask His Highness Iris to confirm our future actions.
Do you want to stay with Rosso and the others, or do you want to move on to the next town?
'Yes, sir. Considering the current time, the next town will be reached in the evening. There's no guarantee that you won't encounter other demons during your journey. If we're going to take safety measures, we should camp here with Lozo-sama and the others, but...

　The soldier stammered.
　I can kind of understand what you mean.
　I suppose it's that the soldier can't say that he wants to send His Highness out into the field.

'I understand. I'll see what His Highness Iris has to say.

　I headed for Iris' carriage.





　Ten minutes later.



All right. I think we'll camp here for the day.

　Iris said.

'This trip is meant to calm the towns and villages near the Empire. In order to do that, we should show that the kingdom has the ability to protect its people by having a large number of troops moving together.
　Besides, if it's now, it will be evening when they arrive at the next town, right?　That would make it difficult to arrange lodging, and it would be a burden on the townspeople as well. If that is the case, let's camp today and arrive in town around noon tomorrow. It will be less of a burden for us.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness!

　The soldier who knelt beside the carriage called out.

　As expected of Iris. Quick to judge.
　As soon as I interceded, Iris called the captain of the guard.
　Then I didn't hesitate to tell him that we were going to camp here.

''Well then, please make the arrangements.
Yes, sir!

　The soldier walked back to his companions.
　As he returned to the carriage and closed the door, Iris sighed, "Huh.

'Awesome. 'Iris,'
...what is it?
No, I just thought I'd be playing princess. You're a great guy, Alice....

　Two hundred years, you've grown up in the time I haven't seen you.
　Iris.........no, Alice has grown up properly too.......

''If I don't get it right, My Lord of the 'Guardian Knight' will be embarrassed.

　Iris lay down on the carriage seat with a shy look on her face.

'And since it's My Lord, I thought you might want to experiment with your magic here soon.
"Q.Q.

　May, the green slime, purred at Iris' back.
　It was ten minutes ago that I introduced May to Iris.
　They're already good friends, and May is already playing the role of Iris' cushion.

'You're too familiar with the slime. You're a princess.
'In a previous life, My Lord used slime as an errand boy. I'm used to it.
Yeah, I know, but...

　In a past life I used slime to fight pests and diseases in my fields and fields.
　The slime is indeterminate, so it won't hurt the crops.
　It can get into tight crevices smoothly and eat only insects and moles. It's a great way to prevent pests and vermin.

''But you didn't use Mr. May as an errand boy for pest control, did you?
Yeah. For cleaning the ceiling and experimenting with magic.
You're sure it's to check out the fifth level of stairs?
That's what Odette's doing, so you should be fine. I made May an errand boy to connect the sorcerers with each other.
The sorcerer to sorcerer connection?
I heard that the compound magic I used earlier is difficult for other magicians to use.

　The bat army and I are connected through "magical blood".
　That's why I was able to simultaneously launch the Efreet Blows and multiply its power by four.

　But apparently, other magicians couldn't do so.
　According to Flora-Zamel, this is because it's difficult to match their movements and connect them magically with each other.

''That's why I thought I'd ask May, the slime, to help me with that.
"...how do you do it?
Do you want to try it?

　When I asked, Iris's eyes lit up and she nodded her head with a kokoku.
　Ah, the expression on her face is completely like the Alice of her previous life.
　The Alice from when she was full of curiosity and couldn't take her eyes off the idea without trying it.

'All right. Then let's get Flora-Zamel to help you.

　She's my squire.
　She also said something about pledging loyalty, so she'll keep her magical secrets.

Can I have May too?
"Okay, okay.

　May, the slime that used to cushion Iris, stretches out to me, nymphetically.
　It's like a robe.
　I explained it to her earlier. I think she knows what I want to do.

"After dark, we'll start the experiment.
Yes. We'll be experimenting with magic together. My Lord.
Well you'll have to listen to me this time and not do what you did 200 years ago.
Didn't you say just now that Alice was getting better?

　Iris puffed up her cheeks with a mmmm.
　With a pat on the head, Iris's expression changed to a smile. It's good to be honest.

　I said I'd be right back and got out of the carriage.
　I'll have a word with Flora-Zamel about the magic experiment while I'm at it.