Chapter 268: Events After III (2/4)

There was a crowd of people outside the carriages windows, as though they had gathered here just to welcome the duke. The crowd wasnt just made up of the people living in the temporary housing area but also of the city.

Ill be going ahead to prepare. [Ryouma]

The duke and the madam would be standing before that crowd, so I told them that respectfully. They nodded back calmly in a manner befitting that of a n.o.ble, then gracefully exited through the open door.

I wonder how the people felt when they saw the duke and his wife. Even as I p.r.i.c.ked up my ears, I couldnt hear any cheers or jeers, just silence. But from what I could make out through the door, the crowd was entirely focused on them.

As the security escorted the two n.o.bles, I took the opportunity while the attention was on them to alight the carriage and head to my business.

This way please! [Government Representative]

I met up with the person in charge of the place that was dispatched by the government office and inspected their progress.

Where are the wagons? [Ryouma]

There are five wagons waiting along the road. [Government Representative]

Hmm Theyll only be transporting splinters of wood, but I dont think five will enough. Were planning on making building stones out of the rubble; cant we get more wagons? [Ryouma]

We could certainly request for more, but couldnt we just swap them as they finish loading? I heard you wanted to transport the lumber and the stones separately, but [Government Representative]

The method I have in mind is different from the usual, but its more efficient. Anyhow, Id like to have the wagons be able to line up along the rubble. [Ryouma]

I-I understand. It would be problematic if we got in the way of the traffic, and there are the traffic rules to consider as well It would take us until around the time the dukes speech ends, but we should make it in time. [Government Representative]

Thank you. Ill leave it to you then. [Ryouma]

We worked out the details after that, but the duke still wasnt back, so we examined the sequence of the operation too.

H-Hey, you. [???]

Huh? [Ryouma]

A quiet voice called out to me from behind. I did notice there were some children, but I didnt think theyd call out to me.

When I turned to the voice, I saw that there were five of them. Four of them were smaller than me, and the youngest appeared to be five years old, but just one of the boys looked to be at the age of a middle-school student. He mightve been tasked to watch over these kids. I feel like something like this happened before too, but

From the angle the voice came from, it was probably the middle school kid that called out to me, but he kept glancing around him restlessly.

Is something the matter? [Ryouma]

Yeah! Here! [Kid 1]

When I replied, the one that answered was the boy closest to me. He reached out his hands toward me, and on them could be found what looked to be a simple, faceless, snowman made out of two s...o...b..a.l.l.s.

Are you giving this to me? [Ryouma]

Yeah! Its thanks for saving me! [Kid 1]

Save? Ah!? [Ryouma]

It was then that I realized it. This is that same kid that was kidnapped a few days ago.

Looks like youve recovered since then. {Ryouma]

Yeah! Mom and the others were there when I woke up! [Boy]

This kid heard about you from his parents, and he said he wanted to thank you. [Older kid]

I see, thank you. In that case, Ill happily accept thishuh? [Ryouma]

I reached out my hand to accept his present to me, but the snowman suddenly moved. I was sure of it. The boy hadnt moved the snowman; it moved on its own, or to be more precise, the snow ball on top avoided my hand. Could this be

Ah, you cant do that! [Boy]

This one doesnt like being touched by hands.

Hell run away if you try to touch him directly!

When the children said that, I was sure of it, so I went ahead and used Monster Identify.

Species: Snow Slime Skills: Flight Lv1, Cold Preservation Lv3, Lighten Lv10, Absorb Lv1, Absorb Lv3

So its a slime! Moreover, not the ice variant, but the snow variant! Thats my first time seeing one! [Ryouma]

We found it while playing in the snow. They heard you liked slimes, so they insisted on giving this slime to you as a present. [Older Kid]

Theres no need to look apologetic, Im really happy to receive the slime! Thank you so much! [Ryouma]

O-Oh You really do like slimes, huh [Older Kid]

I thanked the older kid, whos really concerned about the surrounding people, and the kids, then I formed a contract with the Snow Slime. The snow slime is bad with heat just like the ice slimes, so I made a cold box using the rubble and my spells.

I didnt think Id happen into a new slime at this timing. It probably has a similar disposition as the ice slime, but I wonder what makes it different. What caused it to branch out? Surely, its not just the humidity and the temperature.

But while I was thinking that

Oh? Friends? [Elize]

Looks like youre having fun. [Reinhart]

Oh, youre back already. [Ryouma]

Reinhart-san and Elize-san came back earlier than expected. The people of the city could be seen crowding behind them along with the security personnel. But the children that gave me the slime were all making a troubled face, and the oldest one among them had gone pale.

*Cough, excuse me, Your Grace, I misspoke. Due to some circ.u.mstances, I ended up saving them recently, so they came here to express their grat.i.tude. Theyre good children. They even gifted me a precious evolved slime. Ive yet to ascertain whether the slime could be used for anything, but its a precious sample that will surely prove useful to my research. [Ryouma]

Fu fu, I see. To aid in Ryouma-kuns research is to aid our Jamil House, and by extension, our fief. [Reinhart]

Reinhart-san said with a smile. The boys too smiled, but only the oldest child bowed so many times he looked like that drinking bird toy. The duke wasnt mad, but it was better to dismiss them out of consideration for the kids heart. Besides, now that theyre here, we have work to do.

Your Grace, shall we begin? [Ryouma]

I wasnt trying to hurry you, but If youre ready, then we can start. See to it that these kids are brought somewhere safe. [Reinhart]

Understood! Now, children, this way please. [Security]

At Reinhart-sans behest, one of the security personnel courteously took the boy away.

I turned to my left, and there on the road facing the rubble of the lumber store site were 10 carriages lined up. I asked the person in charge if we could begin removing the debris, and they said okay. Or to be more precise, they said they couldnt possibly make the duke wait, so we started the operation.

In that case, lets start. [Ryouma]

Todays job is to remove the remaining rubble. I could clean everything in one go with slime magic, but I want to use a different method today.

Dimension Home. [Ryouma]

It was that same dimension magic Ive long gotten used to, but this time, a giant, thick, transparent tentacle came out of it.