CH 25

Even So, I Didn't Do It

Translated by Mlzkzr

Edited by Mlzkzr

“Hey, why are you in this city again?”

“Why are you, trying to hide your true abilities?”

At the city of Pindos, in a theater bar.

In the same seat as before, I was sitting with Lina.

“Don’t answer my question with a question.”

“I remember that my question was far ahead of yours.”

“Muh”

It was at that time of the first inspection huh.

Certainly, since that time she has been asking me the same question.

“Well, it’s fine. The reason I’m here is simple. To know why you hide your real abilities so much.”

“… I don’t particularly want to hide it.”

“Umu, I understand.”

Kuh, I was handled well.

Lina replied composedly like a royalty would, but its actual nuance is close to “yes yes I know.”

Perhaps it was this Lina next to nee-san in this world, who has predicted my real ability.

I can also see that she’ll say “yes yes I know it”.

I understood it, but that doesn’t mean I can start talking like “Actually――”.

Especially now. I can’t say it in front of the public.

Therefore, I shut up, ignoring her.

“……Fuh”

Lina glanced at me sideways, with her face facing the stage.

She sighed with a feeling of good grief*. (TN: it’s Yareyare)

After “Yes, yes, I know”, I felt like I was told, “Dear me, when will you be honest?”.

☆

“Runaway slimes”

The next day, at the audience hall.

As usual, I was doing my duties and listening to the reports half-mindedly from the vassals under Mimis, but I heard a keyword that somehow caught my attention.

Slime ―― Slime Lord.

Because it was at the same family of monster that I’ve defeated before, I was bothered about the story.

That was a correct interpretation in a sense.

Mimis continued to report further.

“Hah, since the Head had previously subdued the Slime Lord, the slime in the Canoe family territory became quiet at one point, but”

“That runaway you said was?”

“It was the result of losing the king that commands them, in which its unifying force was lost.”

“I see”

“What will you do?”

Mimis asked that.

I who was usually ignoring him, asked for details, so he queried my judgment, which was not the way I planned.

“Even if they run amok, they were just slimes, right?”

“Yes, their number seems to be a little high, but there was no doubt they’re at the level of slimes”

“If so, I’ll leave it to you”

“Your will”

☆

“……”

In the afternoon, after finishing my official work, I was relaxing in the garden ―― but.

In my head, the runaway slimes which was reported by Mimis is stuck.

How should I put it, it’s something like a news of insects.

It may be called my intuition.

In this matter, it feels like something out of the ordinary is going to happen.

My intuition is whispering so.

I didn’t care if it had nothing to do with me, but I defeated the Slime Lord a little while ago.

Isn’t that the cause of what was happening around? That’s what I feel.

“……It can’t be helped.”

If something really happens because of me, I can’t overlook it.

☆

Aegean grassland.

I came to the place where I defeated Slime Lord before.

Secretly, by myself.

Without informing anyone, on my own.

Since I don’t want to be seen when I do something.

However, even if I won’t be seen, I’ll be exposed with the traces, but still, I came alone just in case.

I walk through the meadow for a while, and head towards the place where the runaway slime was reported.

“Oh, squirming.”

After walking for a while, I found a flock of slime swarming for food.

In terms of numbers alone, it’s twice as many as the time I defeated the Slime Lord before.

But, everything was just slimes.

“…… It’s true.”

Just in case.

I observed it carefully.

Yeah, it is after all.

Everything here, is just slimes.

Instinctively flocking to the food that the people offered to keep them away, was just, the weakest monster, slimes.

On top of that.

“That’s …… cannibalism?”

If you look closely, perhaps because there are too many slimes and there is not enough food, some slimes fight with each other, and the winning slime takes in the losing slime―― eating it.

Partly because of that, the slimes gradually decreased in number.

They’re already the weakest slime, and moreover, they destroying themselves.

I don’t need to come out here more and more.

I was relieved, and without doing anything, I left the Aegean grassland.

☆

The next day, in the theater.

For some reason, Lina was present again.

“I heard, the story”

“What story?”

“It seems that you have defeated the slimes”

“Eh? No, no, I didn’t do it”

I answered with confidence.

Yes, I haven’t done anything.

I just went to see something――.

“There is information that you have been witnessed in the field.”

“Muh”

I was seen hah.

No, there’s no problem.

I can say it with confidence this time.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“……Haa”

Lina sighed.

It’s a sigh I’ve heard.

“I understand, you want it to be like that.”

“Eh? No no no”

Lina seems to have grandly misunderstood it.

“I didn’t really do anything, believe me.”

“You are always like that. I don’t think it’s necessary to even hide it from me.”

“No, no, as I said, I didn’t really do it.”

I was in a hurry.

Lina is believing it, convinced of it.

That I was the one who run wild and did the slimes.

Her reaction is just like, “Yes yes I know” the same as before.

“But you were being very careful.”

“Very careful?”

“There was no trace at all.”

That’s because I haven’t really done anything.

“I didn’t think that you were intending to erase your traces. I’m even impressed if you go through that much against slimes as your opponent.”

“It’s really different.”

“……Fuh”

Once again, a sigh.

Beyond the “Yes yes, I know”, it’s a “Yare yare, when will you be honest.” astounded sigh.

“Well, the fact is fact, I’ll praise you for the time being. As a nobleman, you are an exemplary figure as a lord who goes out on his own, even if it is a trivial matter.”

I was praised.

Although Lina’s eyes are astounded, it was showing a favorable color to “What I did”.

“I really didn’t do anything.”

I defended, but Lina in the end

“Yes yes, I know”

Handled me well with those words.