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Chapter 75

All the monsters that had swarmed like clouds vanished, and only countless elves stood amidst the devastated forest.

Thud. Irmarel, planting his sword on the ground, gathered the elves.

"Everyone, good work. Those who are unharmed, tend to the wounded."

His thick eyebrows softened gently.

"Return to the village!"

Waaaa!

With the elves' victory cheer, we also relaxed and sat down.

Finally, it was over. I'm exhausted.

---

Dragging our tired bodies back to the elf village, the Echo Mercenary Group.

It was already deep into the night.

"Tsk, it'll be dawn soon."

Delro walked along with his arms crossed. A yawn that nearly split his mouth was an added bonus. The elves who had swung their swords alongside him at the front looked at him with prim expressions.

"He's tired after all that rampaging."

"Human, it must be hard to find a sword that big."

"Hmph, I kept breaking thin swords. It was really a choice I had to make."

Keu-ha-hat. As Delro shrugged, the cold-looking elven swordsmen also subtly smiled.

"He's the biggest human I've ever seen."

"How many swords did he break to end up like that?"

The usually quiet elves gathered in small groups and chatted.

"That mercenary captain is also an exceptional swordsman for a human. As expected, Lord Zelmir's eye never misses."

Having fought monsters tooth and nail, they'd developed a kind of camaraderie. Their gazes toward us seemed much different from when we first arrived at the village.

Heu-heut, smiling proudly, I clung to Elija's shoulder, and immediately the talk turned to me.

"……Hey, you all saw that slime change shape earlier, right?"

"It definitely grew that big. And it looked human."

Ah. How embarrassing.

"Keu-ha-ha! He's our mercenary group's mascot! Where else would you find such an amazing monster!"

When did Delro hear that? He grabbed me and squeezed hard.

Hey, squeezing isn't the same as patting.

"Go on, show them! Your ability!"

Delro set me down and gestured ta-da toward me.

Curious gazes from the elves gathered, and feeling shy, I pyoroong transformed into my human form and hid behind Elija.

Ooh. A small exclamation of admiration came from the elves.

"How did Lord Zelmir know about something like that?"

"As expected of Lord Zelmir."

Everything praises Zelmir. Still, it seemed to pass without incident, so I guess that's a relief. Quietly matching Elija's stride, I awkwardly shrugged.

Well, I'm a well-behaved and cute slime. They all saw I don't cause trouble and listen well. And after fighting alongside them, I must have looked even more special. One cute slime girl on their side among all those ugly monsters. Even looking harmless is a merit. Heu-heut.

"……Can I just keep going around like this?"

Elija grinned and lifted me up.

"Still, not in human villages."

Aish.

And as we arrived at the village, the elves who had been waiting for us until dawn poured out.

"Elija-niim!"

Melden rushed out, his disheveled hair uncombed. Both Melden and the remaining elves had tired faces, unable to sleep from worry.

"Thank goodness. It seems no monsters came this way."

Elija patted Melden's shoulder as he examined his body. Other elves also hurried to check on their comrades and family.

Soon, the elves, wanting to hold a small celebration for the returning kin, tugged at their sleeves. To commemorate today's great victory, everyone nodded happily. They were getting hungry anyway.

Ttok-tak-ttok-tak. One by one, lights in the village flickered on under the blue predawn moon.

"Things should be safe for a while."

"Phew, I was so worried every time I sent the young elves outside."

Everyone has such young-looking faces, yet they speak like old folks—it's hard to get used to.

The elves, each boasting hundreds of years of experience, prepared the party in no time. A fire rose in the center of the village square, and delicious smells wafted from everywhere. Stew bubbled in a large cauldron.

"Whoa, elves have alcohol too?"

"We don't usually enjoy intoxication, but we do have drinks as a form of culinary appreciation."

Aria twitched her eyebrows, glaring at Delro's mouth, which seemed ready to drool.

A young elf chimed in from the side.

"It's not just any alcohol. It's the kind humans couldn't even taste—like Star Brew and Leaf Wine."

"The clear water and sweet fruits of Loel's forest are on another level. Whenever humans taste the wine I make, they get desperate to take more."

Elves sure have a lot of pride.

Ah. Is this why they don't get along with dwarves?

Feeling an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, I clapped my hands together.

Definitely. It's exactly like Zendor's tone.

"This! This is really delicious!"

Delro, with mushroom skewers wedged between his fingers, chugged the elves' alcohol.

He's going to get carried out again.

"You've worked hard, Elija-nim."

Leon smiled shyly and handed Elija a blunt wooden carving. Having dozed off and woken up not long ago, his orange hair was a bit tousled.

"What's this?"

"I learned it while staying behind with the elves earlier."

Looking closely, it was a small four-leaf clover.

"Since I had nothing else to do……."

Elija's eyes, lit by the large bonfire, glowed vermilion. His laughing voice rained down over Leon's head.

"That's amazing. You wished us luck, right? That's probably why we all returned safely without serious injury."

At his bright smile, Leon shyly fidgeted with his fingers.

"I'm so glad you came back safely."

Leaving those words, Leon quickly ran back. Cute. I covered my stretched-wide mouth with my hand. Leon, moving his legs busily, was soon surrounded by elves of similar height.

Oh? Did he make friends while we were gone?

Looking back with a proud feeling, Melden also seemed busy gathering information about the village beside the elves. Elija must have felt the same, tilting his head.

"Somehow, Melden and Leon seem to have adapted quite well?"

Nodding, I stayed close to Elija. Having stayed behind in the village, worried and waiting, they must have bonded. It looked like they'd gotten along.

"Especially, elves are weak to young ones."

Zelmir said softly, smiling.

"Young animals, young elves, young humans. Regardless of race, they have a tendency to respect young life as much as possible."

Ah, we quietly watched Leon chatting with the elves, blushing.

"Particularly that child, Leon—his personality and general aura seem to appeal to elves."

Leon seemed to have lowered the elves' wariness considerably. Indeed, Leon was quite popular among the elves; those curious about humans had all gathered around to talk to him.

A gathering of cute Leon and cute elf friends—how healing……

I sat down comfortably and looked up at the sky.

"This is the first time I've seen something so beautiful……."

The elves' party, where beautiful lights drifted around, was pure romance. My black eyes sparkled like jewels, reflecting the spirits' light. And suddenly, a large elf loomed in my view.

"Hmm, is this one really a slime?"

"Ah……."

At Tharel's question as he approached, Elija stammered.

"Ung! Can't you tell?"

I decided to be confident now!

The elves' reaction when Delro boasted about me earlier wasn't bad, and I'm blue, sure, but unlike ordinary monsters, I'm a very intelligent slime!

"……Unusual."

"Cough! Very interesting!"

Cough, cough.

Nérien approached, trembling with coughs.

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