Volume 5 - CH 2.3

Part 3

“Well, then, let’s continue and go pick up Surara.”

I said and activated [Auto Mapping] again.

I searched and found that Surara had not moved from the rooftop.

I wonder what in the world he is doing.

Well, we’ll find out when we get there.

I lead Lily up the stairs of the guest house.

Second floor, third floor, fourth floor──.

Finally, we opened the door leading to the rooftop.

The rooftop is a reasonably large area, enough to hold a soccer game.

In the center of the rooftop was the figure of Surara.

“Surara?”

I called out from afar, but there was no answer.

He was staring blankly up at the sky, at Zogral, which was enveloped in a golden barrier.

“What’s going on with Surara-san?”

Lily wondered.

“The atmosphere is somehow different from usual.”

“Anyway, let’s go closer.”

Lily and I walk over to Surara’s place a little faster than usual.

“Surara, are you alright?”

I tried to talk to him, but he didn’t respond.

Surara’s face was vacant, and his gaze was fixed on Zogral.

It was as if his soul had been sucked out of him by Zogral.

I was beginning to feel uneasy.

I kneeled down on the spot and reached out with my right hand to touch Surara’s head.

Then, shaking his round body, I called out to him again.

“Surara? Say something, Surara.”

“Huh!”

Whoa.

There’s a response.

I removed my right hand from Surara’s body.

Surara’s face turned into a look of surprise, and he turned his attention to me.

“Huh, Master-san, Lily-oneechan. What’s going on?”

“We came to pick you up because Surara seems to be on the rooftop. What are you doing here?”

“Um, well, umm…”

Surara mumbles something like that, swaying his body from side to side.

“Why am I here?”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah. I was sleeping in my room…”

Surara has a look of deep wonder on his face.

He didn’t seem to be in the mood to lie and cover it up.

When asked for more details, he said that he fell asleep in Lily’s room right after dinner.

He has no recollection of anything after that.

When I told him that Zogral had already appeared, Surara exclaimed with a look of astonishment on his face.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeehhhh! So that round thing in the sky is Zogral?”

“Yeah. Right now, the Greedy Dragon is holding it back.”

“Awawawawa…! I must have fallen asleep at such a difficult time. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. Right, Lily?”

“Yes. I’m glad Surara-san is safe and sound. …But why did you come to the rooftop?”

As expected, that’s something I am curious about, too.

What is [Full Assist]‘s opinion?

We are currently analyzing it.

We will notify you when we reach a conclusion.

Apparently, they had already started looking into it.

As expected of [Full Assist], they are very competent.

Thank you very much. For the time being, how about requesting cooperation in the ritual?

That’s certainly right.

I nodded to myself and called out to Surara.

“Surara. Actually, there’s something I need your help with.”

“Yes, sure. I’ll work twice, thrice, or four hundred times as hard as you’ve been asking me to!”

Twice, thrice, or four times as much?

It’s exaggerated, but that’s how motivated he must be.

I told Surara that there seemed to be a sealed part of my memory and that I needed to perform a ritual to unlock it.

Surara’s reaction was──

“Eh? Master, are you missing your memory?”

“Apparently so. …I’m not aware of it.”

“I wonder… Anyway, I understand. Tell me about the ritual, and I’ll tell the others.”

“Can you do that, Surara-san?”

Lily asked, and Surara answered a little proudly.

“Yes! We Helper Slimes can talk in our dreams while we are asleep!”

Come to think of it, [Full Assist] told me that before.

Helper Slimes are connected as one in the deepest part of their consciousness and can share information with each other during sleep or something like that.

That means that if I teach the ritual procedure to Surara, it will be passed on to the other Helper Slimes.

As I was thinking about this, I heard the voice of [Full Assist] in my head again.

Fast installation will be performed on the individual name “Surara” for the ritual procedure.

Please touch the subject with your right hand.

Understood.

I again extend my right hand and touch Surara.

“Yay! Master-san patted my head! What’s wrong?”

“I’m going to tell you the steps of the ritual if you don’t mind.”

“Yes! I’ll do my best to remember!”

“Alright. Here we go.”

Start the fast installation.

Completed.

It was just a moment.

That’s just fast.

“Woowwww, I just got a whole bunch of stuff in my head!”

Surara seemed to be surprised at the suddenness of it all, and his eyes were whirling around.

“Kou-san. What did you do just now?”

Lily asked me.

“I used my skills to give him information about the ritual.”

“That’s a remarkable skill…”

“Yes. It’s a skill I’m very proud of.”

I reply with a chuckle.

It feels good to be praised for [Full Assist].

“You sounded like you were bragging about someone you know.”

“That may be true.”

In the early days, [Full Assist] was really just a mechanical sound, but now it has become a completely human atmosphere.

I also feel like [Full Assist] is my partner.

Once we get back to the common room, I’d better introduce it (?) to everyone.

…While I was thinking about it, Surara spoke up.

“Master-san, I understand the ritual. I guess I just have to tell everyone about it, right?”

“Yeah. Can you do it?”

“Yes, leave it to me!”

Surara said and jumped up and down on the spot cheerfully.

“If I go to sleep now, I think I can tell everyone about the ritual in my dreams and make the arrangements! …I wonder if Iris-oneesan and Leticia-oneesan are awake? If they are awake, I’d love to say good night to them.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m sure they’re both worried about Surara, so I guess you’d better show up.”

So we left the rooftop and headed back to the common room for the time being.

When we returned to the common room, Iris and Leticia were talking happily.

“I was just listening to what Iris-sama and Kou-sama were saying about when they first met. I was told that Kou-sama was an extraordinary adventurer from the very beginning.”

“To be honest, I’m surprised that less than half a year has passed since then. …We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

“I guess so.”

It is quite a distance across the sea from Aunen to the royal capital, and besides, I never expected to be in a party to do battle that would ultimately determine the fate of the world.

If I told the me of a year ago about the current situation, I’m sure he wouldn’t have believed me.

As I shrugged my shoulders, Surara stepped out in front of Iris and Leticia.

“Iris-oneesan, Leticia-oneesan. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Surara-chan, I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m so relieved.”

“I knew it would be a relief to have you here, Surara-sama.”

Leticia, sitting on the sofa, reached out with her right hand and patted Surara’s head.

“Hehehe, I got a pat on the head! Yay!”

Surara shivered happily.

“By the way, Kou-sama. What was Surara-sama doing on the rooftop?”

“Actually, I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m analyzing it with my skills, so please wait for the results.”

After answering that, I decided to explain [Full Assist] to everyone.

The effect is that it is a skill that automatically analyzes information, but recently it has developed a kind of ego, and although it does not have a physical form, I consider it a reassuring partner.

I told this to Iris and the others.

“It’s kind of strange, isn’t it?”

Iris said after hearing my story.

“I’ve never heard of a skill having an ego.”

“It really is something out of the ordinary, isn’t it?”

Yeah, yeah, Leticia muttered as she nodded her head.

“Anyway, as a fellow traveler, it is necessary for me to say hello to you since you have been supporting Kou-sama behind the scenes for so long. ──I am Leticia di Meteor. As you probably already know, I am the reincarnation of the Brilliant and Arrogant Dragon.”

“Um.”

Lily, looking at Leticia, announced in a timid manner.

“I am Lily Luna Lunaria. I am the [God of War’s Shrine Maiden], and now I have inherited the power of the God of War.”

“I am Surara! I’m Master-san’s favorite slime and a companion slime! Nice to meet you!”

“I wonder if I should introduce myself as well.”

Iris said, puzzled.

“I’m Iris Note Fafnir, an A-ranked adventurer.”

Well, let’s see.

I don’t know why everyone is introducing themselves to [Full Assist].

Will there be a reply?

Thank you all for your politeness.

I am [Full Assist] and I am supporting Kou Kousaka.

…Please tell them that.

I apologize for the trouble but thank you in advance.

I didn’t expect this, but I got a reply.

[Full Assist] is an important partner, and, of course, I have no intention of ignoring their wishes.

I told Iris and the others without a single word of difference.

“It’s kind of funny to hear back from a skill, isn’t it?”

Iris chuckled and said.

“So, [Full Assist] is analyzing what you’re doing on the rooftop, Surara-chan?”

“Yeah. I’ll let everyone know when I get the results. …Well, and…”

After the conversation is over, I look at the wall clock in the common room.

It was already around one o’clock in the morning.

Everyone looked a little sleepy after the battle with Zogral.

“Surara. What time can we start the ritual?”

“I’m going to sleep now and discuss it with the others… so I think we can start at noon.”

“Then I guess we should get some rest tonight. If we’re still tired, it’s not going to help us get ready for tomorrow.”

“I suppose so.”

Leticia nodded.

“It is at times like this that it is important to rest your body properly.”

“Kou-san. What time shall we gather tomorrow?”

“Let’s see…”

I thought for a while in response to Lily’s question.

“Considering that we’re getting ready for bed now… I think around 10:00 a.m. would be a good time. We could have breakfast at that time and meet in the dining room.”

“I understand. That’s fine with me.”

“Me, too.”

“I’m fine, too.”

“Me, too. At that time, I should have finished talking with everyone!”

“Then tomorrow, we will meet at the dining room at 10:00 a.m…No, wait. If we’re going to start the ritual at noon, we might as well have more breakfast.”

“That’s for sure.”

Iris nodded at my words.

“Well, then, shall we have lunch as well?”

“So it’s brunch, then?”

“Yes.”

I nodded at Leticia’s words.

“Let me tell the staff at the guest house. Then we’ll break up for today.”

So that was the end of the day (although it was already after midnight).

There was a staff member who works the night shift at the guest house, so I asked him to prepare breakfast from 10:00 a.m. tomorrow and to have more for lunch as well.

“Understood. By the way, Kou-sama.”

The night shift male staff said with a respectful look on his face.

“I have received a message from King Octo that he would like to know the time of the ritual when you confirm it.”

Yes, that’s right.

I have to ask him to leave the royal square open as a place to put out the Blaznir, don’t I?

“The ritual will take place tomorrow at noon. If there are any problems, let me know immediately. You can wake me up.”

“Yes, sir. I will let him know.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After I said this, I suddenly wondered.

Currently, Zogral was floating in the sky of the royal capital.

The staff at the guest house must be aware of this, but I wondered what they thought about it.

When I asked him, he answered as follows.

“King Octo has already given us a full explanation. He told us that there is a powerful monster inside that golden barrier and that only Kou-sama and his companions are capable of defeating it.”

It seemed that King Octo had already informed the staff of the guest house of the minimum information.

“We, the staff of the guest house, will do our best to support you. If there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to contact us.”

“Don’t you ever think of escaping from the capital?”

“We, the staff of the State Guest House, will provide the best service at any time. We pride ourselves on that. Even if the guest house is attacked by a swarm of monsters, we will serve our guests until the very last moment.”

“That’s admirable.”

“If you say so, then I suppose it is the same for you, Kou-sama. I heard from King Octo that you protected the royal capital from that spherical monster at your own risk.”

The male staff member bowed deeply.

“Unfortunately, I do not have the strength to fight. I will leave the task of defeating the monsters in the hands of Kou-sama and his companions, but in return, I will do my best with all my might.”

“I understand. I will definitely defeat that monster. You can count on me.”

“Yes, I will. Good night, then.”

After that, I went back to my room, set the alarm on my magic tool, and lay down on my bed.

A shower would be fine in the morning.

When I closed my eyes, I heard the voice of [Full Assist] in my brain.

May I have a moment?

“Of course. What’s up?”

Thank you for introducing me to your fellow companions today.

I am glad to hear you call me a valued partner.

“Of course. You’ve been supporting me close by ever since I came to this world. I mean, your reactions have become really human-like.”

I feel that is strange even for me.

Perhaps if I can unseal Kou Kousaka’s memory domain, I might be able to find out the reason why.

“That’s a possibility. Anyway, let’s go to bed for tomorrow, shall we?”

Yes. Good night then.

“Good night. Have a good dream.”