Then the answer as to why Lingreen formed a contract was clear. There was one way to combat the indomitable black dragon, and it was through a weakness that had been born out of its greed.
“A demon cannot defy a demon of a higher rank. That was why the first Lingreen formed a pact with Lucilfer, the only first-rank demon.”
Leen had even said that the mana in the hinterworld was Lucilfer. That meant that the black dragon had placed itself on a lower rank than Lucilfer by consuming a demon of a lower rank. It had accepted the laws of a different world and had paid the price for it.
“That is why the only one in this world who can control Chromrorm is the monstermancer. Every century, she must undergo a long journey to perform a rite at the location with the seal before returning home.”
A journey from the far south to the far north. Factoring in both ways, it was tantamount to circling the globe. And considering her route, Leen had barely progressed from her starting point.
“I see. That does sound tough,” I said.
I understood the purpose of Leen’s journey. It seemed pretty damn grandiose, but when things got serious, I would be long gone. If her journey failing meant the end of the world, then I prayed it’d succeed.
“Don’t speak as if this doesn’t concern you.”
“It doesn’t concern me.”
My and Leen’s contract was only until Clovel. I hadn’t thought about what came after, but I wouldn’t accidentally end up joining her all the way to the northern reaches. I wasn’t obligated to, and I also had things I wanted to achieve.
“Heh heh...”
“What’s with that knowing laugh?”
“I was just thinking that the others who joined the previous Lingreens in their journey also said the same thing.”
“Oh, quit it. I’m not joking.”
From what I’d heard about these other monstermancers, it seemed like Leen’s abnormal personality wasn’t all that abnormal. If all of her ancestors were like this, then those previous travelers must have experienced their fair share of struggles too. I wanted to quip back to the slime, but someone interrupted me before I could.
“Sorry for the wait! Here’s your stew and lamb chops!”
Along with this cheerful voice, the hawker from earlier arrived with our food. My stew was still sizzling in a little metal pan that looked like it had just been on the heat. Packed with cubed meat and vegetables, it was a big portion, served alongside two large pieces of bread. Considering you got all this for eighty ennies, it was quite the deal. I could see why this place was so popular.
“By the way, mister, who were you talking to? Or was I just imagining it? Orrr were you talking to your slime?” she said.
“How much did you hear?” I said.
I should’ve asked her what on earth she was on about, but considering what we’d just been talking about, I couldn’t help but respond that way. She just shook her head.
“I didn’t hear anything really, just that you were talking about something. Oh, you mentioned the Lingreen fairy tale, right? I loved that one. My mom often read it to me.”
“Sounds like you heard a lot to me...”
The slime had frozen up and kept silent since she came over, but she must’ve heard its voice. I supposed I should be grateful she wasn’t making a huge fuss about it.
“Work somewhere as loud and busy as here and you develop good hearing to catch people’s requests over the noise.”
“I suppose so.”
“Don’t worry. Our house rule is not to get involved in anything our customers talk about. Unless it’s some sort of shady dealing, of course! Although no one like that comes to our restaurant.”
She had a point. If you were going to plot and scheme, then you’d choose somewhere without many people around. It was exactly because of the noise that the slime and I had been chatting about whatever. Wait a second, I thought. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like I was the sort of lonely guy who walked around with a slime as a pet that he talked to... Ugh, that was not how I wanted to be seen.
It was then that I realized something. Right in front of me was a young lady—a regular person, not a tasteless church knight or a cheeky nun. I felt bad asking while she was on her shift, but I couldn’t let this chance slip through my fingers.
“Hey, er, waitress?”
“I have a name, you know! It’s Sharney Kreyon.”
I hadn’t heard the name Kreyon before. It didn’t sound like a town in Corsueny. Anyway...
“Right, Sharney... Have you ever gotten a gift that you just loved?”
After I asked this, her eyes went as round as dinner plates, and I heard a stifled chuckle as she gave an amused but derisive smile.
“Are you hitting on me?” she said.
“Not in the slightest.”
Crap, was that how my actions had been interpreted? I glanced over to the slime and saw that it was shaking with laughter yet again, the asshole.
“I accidentally angered the girl I’m traveling with, so I’m looking for a present, but I’m in need of some kind of hint.”
“Isn’t it a bit weird to ask a girl for advice on a present for another girl...?”
“C’mon, don’t hit me with logic and reason...”
Was this the common response from women to my question?
“Hmm... A present’s not something you just give them and that’s it. The situation’s important too, you know?” Sharney said in a smug tone as she hugged herself. “Like, I dunnooo...being proposed to in front of Esartella Church?! Eek! Okay, lemme share! I’m getting married in three days. And guess where? At Esartella Church!”
Esartella Church was an old church located on a cliff just outside of Esma. Even though it was in an area where monsters lived, it had fabulous stained-glass windows and an old statue of the goddess with historical value, so it was still a common tourist destination. People would hire protection when looking around or even get married there. At the bottom of the cliff was a hazardous zone that the people in Esma took care to avoid, but I supposed there weren’t any monsters around there that could scale that cliff.
“All right, I hear you loud and clear. So, mind sharing some of that happiness with me?” I said.
“Hmm, okay, I’ll give you a hint when you come and pay. Enjoy your meal!” Sharney said with a sweet smile before returning to work.
“What a lively young lady,” the slime said with a wobble after seeing that she’d left. I put the plate of lamb chops in front of it, and it immediately consumed one and started to dissolve it. Yup, that was a slime’s dinnertime...
“It wouldn’t be bad to get a hint...” I said to myself.
I dug into the stew and was surprised to see just how easily my fork went through the meat. I scooped up some and took a bite. The heat of oil and spices filled my mouth. I imagined that its slightly heavy flavor was counteracted by the vegetables and the bread, so I ripped off a chunk of the still-warm, freshly-baked bread and chased down the stew with it. I wondered what mix of spices created this unique flavor, but it was perfectly balanced by the meat and veg for a real depth.
This was really good. If Leen were here, she’d get seconds and thirds, for sure. I felt that simply taking her here would do a lot to improve her mood. Unlike her, my tongue could actually detect temperature, so my pace slowed as I let the stew cool down, although this process took time due to the pan the stew was served in. When I ate by myself, I usually got through the meal as quickly as possible and left just as fast, but today I was taking my time.
“I’m sorry, mister, we’re pretty busy today, so do you mind if someone else shares your table?” Sharney said.
Sure enough, while I’d been eating, the place had gotten a lot busier. I was a bit annoyed. There was too much stew left, and it was still too hot for me to just gulp it down and take off.
“Sure, that’s fine.”