"I... I am a... human language... student."
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm rays across the oak tree house, illuminating a slime and the book before it.
Chen Yu was using awkward pronunciation to study the "Basic Grammar and Vocabulary" book that Yano had brought back.
Although his pronunciation wasn't very standard, he could understand basic Common Tongue well enough for communication without major problems.
The issue was that slimes lacked vocal organs - he could understand, but to speak he still had to rely on the Sound Transmission Technique.
Still, this was already quite satisfying for the slime.
As he practiced, his panel continuously displayed "Proficiency +1" notifications, until finally he saw what he had been waiting for.
[Common Tongue Lv.1 → Common Tongue Lv.2]
Whew, not easy... finally leveled up.
With Lv.2 Common Tongue, he should be able to understand most daily conversations of the local humans.
Too bad Yano had returned to Ironboot Town, otherwise he'd really like to test it with him.
Just as he was feeling regretful, he heard shouts coming from outside the castle.
"Boss, it's me, there's an emergency!"
Yano's tone carried some urgency, as if this emergency was why he had returned today despite just going back to Ironboot Town yesterday.
Chen Yu realized he could understand what Yano was saying, but that wasn't the main point. He opened the maze formation and hopped down step by step from the stairs to greet Yano.
"Have the Corrupted Lizardfolk attacked?"
Yano took the dew water offered by a Poison-stinger Wasp and drank it all in one gulp, soothing his parched throat.
"No... not that."
"Boss, you know I previously attended knight training camp - actually that training was for recruiting new knights for the kingdom's Border Garrison."
"Just... just today, I received news that the garrison's Training Instructor Alice had stopped by Ironboot Town."
Chen Yu was puzzled.
"Huh?"
"You're bringing this up - does that mean you're some kind of garrison traitor, and she's come to arrest you?"
"Ahem... actually, Training Instructor Alice brought observation reports from the Weather Station. I heard that deep in the swamp, mana is gathering and stirring violently - there's going to be a heavy rainstorm!"
"When I was gathering information at the Old Oak Tavern last night, I heard that many adventurers have been attacked by those Corrupted Monsters recently. I suspect... before the heavy rain comes, they won't be staying quiet."
After Yano's reminder, Chen Yu felt it made sense.
Ever since he used Ironboot Town's adventurers to drive away those Corrupted Lizardfolk, he had rarely heard any news about them.
Now it seemed they must be brewing something, preparing to make a big move to reclaim their original territory.
To the west of the swamp were Corrupted Crocodiles, to the south were Corrupted jackals and hyenas, and along the southeastern riverbank lurked two demi-human tribes - lizardfolk and gnolls - both of whom had accepted the Corruption faith.
As a conductor slime, he had to say this battlefront looked quite concerning.
If the Corrupted Lizardfolk really reclaimed their territory on the eastern riverbank, he'd be surrounded again.
He might just wake up from sleep to find his castle crowded with Corruption believers coming to usurp his overlord title.
Uneasy.jpg
Seriously uneasy.
But compared to him, the Rotten Moss Tribe seemed even more unwilling to see those faith betrayers return.
Yano mentioned that the Rotten Moss Tribe had the idea of hiring human adventurers to besiege the Scale Claw Tribe.
Chen Yu gave his stored Moonlight Moss to Yano and dispatched a team of Poison-stinger Wasps to accompany him to find Sekashi, hoping to help the Rotten Moss Tribe recruit more adventurers.
This way, while the Scale Claw Tribe's lizardfolk were being besieged, he could quietly sneak around behind... to ambush the lizardfolk from the rear.
...
Yano hurriedly left the Oak Territory and, following Chen Yu's instructions, traveled to the Rotten Moss Tribe north of the riverbank. It took some time to find the lizardfolk named Sekashi and deliver the talismans and Moonlight Moss to her.
Sekashi didn't seem surprised by Yano's arrival, only curiously asking.
"Are these two leaves given to me by the Envoy?"
Envoy?
That should refer to his boss.
Yano wasn't very familiar with the demi-human language and didn't pay much attention.
"Correct, the boss said these are called... uh, I forgot, but they should be similar to evi... blessed items."
After explaining how to use the leaves, he hurried back to Ironboot Town.
"Given by the Envoy... they must be good things."
Sekashi carefully stored these two strange leaves. Just as she turned to leave, she spotted Semiaya watching her from a distance.
"Sister?" Sekashi was startled, her tone immediately becoming guilty and flustered.
Semiaya withdrew her gaze from the pile of Moonlight Moss at Sekashi's feet and sighed softly.
"Sekashi."
"Ever since we left that swamp area, you've been hiding something from me."
"Is this something even I cannot know?"
Sekashi's gaze wavered, hesitating as she whispered: "I just thought you wouldn't believe..."
Semiaya approached and gently stroked her cheek.
"Silly child, if I can't believe you, who can I believe?"
"Hmm..."
Sekashi finally told her about encountering the Putu Envoy in the swamp.
"The Putu Envoy... is a slime?"
Semiaya pondered.
Although she found this absurd, if these words came from her nature-worshipping sister's mouth, then undoubtedly it was true.
She simply prayed devoutly a few times, said nothing more, seemingly accepting the matter by default, and turned to leave.
"Sister, wait, take this."
Sekashi handed one of the leaves to Semiaya.
"If... if anything happens, the Envoy's power can protect you."
Semiaya looked at her, and ultimately accepted the leaf.
"Nature protecting non-believers of nature... hopefully..."
...
Only half a day after Yano left, light rain began falling in the swamp forest.
[Little Arrow Technique Lv.2 → Little Arrow Technique Lv.3]
[Devour Digestion Lv.3 triggered - Giant Vein Leech characteristics recorded, talent incubating (8/10)]
"Chomp chomp chomp..."
A Giant Vein Leech lay helplessly by the swamp edge, its body hollowed out, its magic organ entering the nearby slime's stomach.
Perhaps until its death it never imagined it would be hunted by a slime.
"Burp..."
Chen Yu let out a belch, bubbling and gurgling as he expelled the gas.
Fishy.
Tasted awful, yet eating it made the slime unable to stop.
Such strange food.
Cool raindrops pattered on the slime's head as Chen Yu hopped deeper into the swamp.
The demi-humans were starting war, and he planned to join the excitement.
But before that, his magical creature level seemed about to break through to Bronze-tier.
This was a big deal for a slime.
Since he was almost done collecting the Giant Vein Leech's talent, he might as well hunt deeper in, while also checking what his neighbors were up to.
Chen Yu groped his way into the darkness, and soon the wet, soft swamp ground was replaced by broken stone bricks. Crocodile roars seemed to be coming from ahead.
Chen Yu stealthily crept closer. At first he thought these crocodiles were fighting, but upon closer inspection he realized -
Seven or eight robust Corrupted Crocodiles were forming a semicircle, trapping a clearly much thinner member of their species in a corner of collapsed stone wall, using their bodies to repeatedly bump against it.
The poor little thing was trembling and shrinking back.
Huh?
So swamp creatures also bully their own kind?
Who started this bad atmosphere?
Why are all the native swamp dwellers bullies?
Must eat them hard...Pah, criticize them!
Must eat them hard... Pah, criticize them!
Need to thoroughly rectify this bad bully atmosphere.
And the direction they were heading was...
Huh?
Why was it toward his castle.