Chapter 25
I hopped in place and flailed my arms wildly.
“Milady, stay still!”
“Waaahhh!”
“Shhh, good girl. Just stay still!”
How could I stay still when something sticky was clinging to me?
I shut my eyes tight and trembled, and then Dad tucked me under his arm and peeled the thing off my arm.
Only after the heavy, gooey, and sticky thing was removed did I open my tightly closed eyes.
“Wh-What is it?”
“Looks like a monster.”
“A monster…?”
I looked down at the ground.
Dad was dangling something from one hand. Now that I looked closely, the black, semi-transparent, stretchy thing looked kind of like slime.
“Should I kill it?”
“Piiik?!”
As if it understood Dad’s words, the slime flapped its tiny stubby arms.
Wait, could those even be called arms?
‘What the heck is that…?’
I’d never seen such a creature in the original novel.
Well, slimes are low-ranking monsters… it wouldn’t be surprising if they weren’t given much attention in the story.
‘If it’s a slime… did it follow us from the Winter Mountains?’
Now that I think about it, I did see something dark when we were leaving the cave where the World Tree was.
Did it sneak in then?
“Should I kill it?”
Dad drew a dagger from his waist, and with a sharp glint in his narrowed eyes, brought the blue-tinged blade right up to the slime’s face.
The black slime shivered violently and started to cry big, fat tears.
“A monster… is crying?”
Dad sounded genuinely intrigued.
“Did you follow me?”
“Piiing…”
The slime nodded.
“From that place with the white tree?”
“Piii!”
It nodded again.
“Did you live there?”
“Piiik!”
Nod, nod.
Each time it nodded, tears welled up and poured from its round body like rain.
“….”
That was strange.
‘Monsters are born from corrupted mana, or animals that have been tainted and mutated.’
In other words, they possess a power opposite to that of divine energy.
But the place where the World Tree was—was brimming with divine energy. It was the only spot in the Winter Mountains where even the brutal cold had been purified into a warm spring-like climate.
So…
‘A monster shouldn’t be able to live there.’
That place was so warm and livable, and yet it had felt untouched for ages—that must have been why.
Even if it’s low-ranking, a slime is still a monster. The moment it entered the World Tree’s domain, it should have been completely purified, leaving not even bones behind.
‘But it lived there?’
Something was off. This wasn’t normal.
And then…
‘This smells like an opportunity.’
There are always a few rules in novels.
If someone’s good-looking, they’ve probably got something going on—so pay close attention!
And if something breaks the rules or expectations—in short, if it’s an irregular—it’s always special.
Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing… that’s for the future to decide.
‘A chess piece’s value depends on how you use it!’
I didn’t know how I’d use a slime, but…
It might end up like those grateful-slime stories I read as a kid.
“Don’t kill it. I’ll raise it.”
“Piiik!”
The slime wriggled frantically, trying to escape Dad’s grip.
“Hey, stay still—”
Squish.
Plop.
The slime split in two and fell to the floor.
Ack! Now it’s in two pieces!
“Yikes, what the heck? Monster brats are all disgusting.”
Dad flung the piece of slime in his hand.
The two slime halves wriggled and merged back into one.
“You seriously want to raise that?”
“Yes.”
“A monster?”
“Yes.”
“They might look harmless now, but monsters never bring anything good to humans. Best to kill it while you can.”
Dad’s eyes darkened.
“Especially slimes. They reproduce and split quickly. Leave one unchecked and it might ruin your entire family.”
He lightly twirled his dagger as he spoke, but his eyes burned with deep-seated hatred that his usual lazy attitude couldn’t hide.
I knew the reason. I’d read it in the novel.
‘Though it’s not something to worry about right now.’
For now, I placed the slime on my shoulder.
The moist, squishy, sticky texture felt weird.
“Anyway, I’m counting on you, Dad.”
I reached out my small hand. He clicked his tongue and knelt down with a sigh, reluctantly shaking it, then asked seriously:
“When are we signing the employment contract?”
“…When you start acting like a noble.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll talk to Grandpa. Starting tomorrow, you’ll attend all kinds of classes on noble etiquette and how to blend into noble society. Good luck, Dad!”
I shouted and dashed out of the room.
“Oh! Go eat! I’ll eat separately!”
“Wait…! Milady! That wasn’t part of the deal!”
Ignoring his echoing voice down the hallway, I scampered off to Grandpa’s room.
Two months later.
Dining Hall, Duke of Altard’s Estate.
The duke’s estate had finally started to resemble an actual home!
The retainers had returned from the rundown outpost on the border of the Winter Mountains and resumed their long-lost duties, and the formerly gloomy estate was at least free of vines now.
We paid off back wages and promised to give overdue bonuses once things improved.
We couldn’t afford to hire too many servants yet, since restoring the house and grounds had been expensive—but we did manage to hire a cook.
‘Though we still haven’t hired a head chef.’
BANG!
The door burst open.
“Good morning, Little Duke! Is this still not a dream?!”
“…Mmm.”
“It’s not a dream!”
“Wahaha! I am the treasurer!!”
And so, another round of cheering began.
They punched each other in the face, slapped cheeks, pinched arms—all to remind themselves it wasn’t a dream. It was crude and over-the-top.
I’d decided to have breakfast with the retainers, but once they filled the dining room, it got hard to breathe. They were all too intimidating.
No matter how much they shaved or dressed up, their decades of built muscle and fierce expressions couldn’t be hidden.
Click.
“Yaaaawn.”
“Welcome, Your Grace!”
Dad, who had been lazily scratching his head as he strolled in, froze. All the retainers had stood and bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle. They clearly had years of military-style discipline ingrained in them.
It probably helped that Dad had started sparring with them regularly and naturally took on a leadership role.
“Ahem, yes.”
Dad stopped yawning and quickly straightened his posture, putting on a dignified face.
“Pffft!”
I couldn’t help laughing. It didn’t suit him at all.
“What are you laughing at, daughter?”
He strode over and pressed my head down with one large hand as he sat at the head of the table.
Thanks to Grandpa’s tutoring over the past two months, Dad had developed quite a noble bearing.
Though honestly, it probably wasn’t too hard for him.
‘He’s just recalling memories from his childhood…’
If not for that, it’d be impossible to master noble etiquette in just two months.
Because originally, Calix was the sole surviving member of a fallen kingdom—wiped off the map thirty years ago.
Part 2 of Arphedis began with the execution of the protagonist from Part 1 and Calix’s mother, the former queen, fleeing during the Monster Rush.
The kingdom had sought aid from the Empire, who had a track record of repelling monster invasions—but Dad, the hero who had saved them once, had already been executed for treason.
That’s why Calix hated monsters—more than hate, he despised them.
The kingdom was gone. Lost forever.
To erase its traces, he became a monster-hunting mercenary, living rough, wild, and fierce.
‘No wonder he looked like a bandit before…’
But now that he’d shaved, styled his hair, and put on proper clothes—his appearance was dazzling.
Red suspenders, a blue tailored vest.
With just one sharp outfit, he looked the part.
‘Honestly… I bet he’ll have women lining up soon.’
I thought to myself as I glanced at the retainers.
