Chapter 97 – Enlisted!!
"Wh-what the hell? Why so suddenly?"
It was hard to believe how quiet the Chimera was now. And the Advisor's words just made me more confused.
"It's like a cat…"
Fule said. But this creature wasn't half as cute as a cat.
If anything, seeing it shrink back like this in spite of its vicious appearance made it look even more eerie.
It was then that Mappa tore off a strip of cloth from his waist cloth and began waving it in front of the Chimera like a toy.
Fule admonished him.
"Hey, old man! You shouldn't provoke it! Ah…"
However, Fule's fears did not come true.
The Chimera raised a paw that had long, sharp claws, and gently tried to touch the cloth.
But Mappa kept moving it away so that it would not be able to catch it.
It really was acting like a cat… But if he teased it too much, it might suddenly go wild again…
"…In any case, it seems that I can tame it. So I should hurry up and have it join us."
Once it was tamed, it would not be able to attack us anymore.
There was no guarantee that it would remain in this state, so this might be our only chance.
But more than anything, I needed to save Aries, who had been swallowed up by the snake.
If I tamed it, I might be able to make it spit her out.
"…I will tame it. And its name will be Mike(Mi-ke)."
I remembered a monster from an old story called a Mikeneko. That's where I got the name.
<
"Good…alright, Mike. Can you release Aries?"
Mike lowered its head as if bowing, and then vomited something all over the ground.
"Woah…"
Fule and Taran looked away in disgust.
But inside of the clear liquid, was a red octopus…Aries.
She seemed quite stunned, and so I poured water over her with magic.
"…Ah! I-I was able to get out…"
Her face looked alive again, and she neatly washed the slime off of her.
And then she crawled over to me and bowed her head.
"My liege, I thank you."
"…No, thank you."
I said. And Aries asked me a little bashfully.
"Di-did my plan please you then…?"
"…Plan? In other words, it was you that made the Chimera docile?"
"Indeed! It was my secret poison that allowed me to control it!"
"…Poison?"
"Yes! I am very good at controlling others!"
And then Aries spat out some ink.
Mappa, Fule, and Taran took a frantic step back. But Aries looked quite smug.
"With this poison, the Chimera joined our ranks! …Though, I did not expect to be swallowed… No, actually, it was all according to my plan!"
That was some amazing poison… I had heard of magic and monsters that were able to control other people before, but had never seen it done on the continent.
Besides, Chimera were known to be especially dangerous.
They were capable of stopping magic attacks and could spit out poison.
And yet, she had used her own poison to control it…
"I see… So that's what had happened."
To be honest, it had been very dangerous.
But the Chimera had been tamed without being killed. That was a big deal.
It wasn't just that bloodshed had been avoided, but that we might be able to get some kind of information.
Perhaps it was because she had been alone for so long, but Aries looked very childlike now… She was staring up at me with glimmering eyes.
Well, there was no point in blaming her…
"Yes…you did very well. I…see why you are called a great strategist, Aries."
"My lord! I am grateful for your words!"
Her face brightened up and tears streamed down her face as she bowed.
And then a voice echoed.
<
Apparently, it was talking about Aries.
I turned to Shiel.
Shiel nodded as if to ask me to do it.
I suppose she wanted me to take care of Aries.
Well, I had sort of discussed it with Aries already.
But I wanted to make sure one more time.
"Aries…do you really want to come with us? If you do, it will require an agreement called 'taming.' Formally speaking, you'll have to obey my orders."
I asked.
"I shall obey your every command. At least, until the day that I help you achieve your greatest feat."
"Greatest feat…I don't know what…"
"No. Everyone in the world has some kind of ambition. I know… Your cool face is hiding something. A great ambition that burns bright inside of you every day…"
Perhaps Aries had been itching to say this line for quite a while, because she now looked very pleased with herself.
"Uh, all I want is to live with everyone in…"
"And so I shall go with you."
"…Right."
"Ah! Until the day that this body parishes away, I, Aries, shall serve you Lord Heal!"
And like that, Aries and the Chimera joined us.
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Chapter 98 – I saw the treasure!!
After taming the Chimera, I decided to gather the remains of the destroyed Golems.
The first things that the Golems dropped were about 50 Heart Stones and Magic Stones.
The Hearts Stones could be used as cores, and the Magic Stones allowed Golems to learn magic.
Both were necessary in the creation of Golems.
Sheorl was in need of stronger defenses.
And so I would make good use of these.
Then there was their weapons and armor. They were all made of Mithril and were very durable.
We could use them as they were, or Mappa could take them apart and use them for materials.
In any case, I had the slimes carry them to the surface.
"Ahh, we got so much! And a Chimera as well."
Fule said as she turned to me with a smile.
Not only did we get the remains of the Golems, but Aries and the Chimera had joined us.
Speaking of Aries, she was not able to leave the water for long periods of time, and so I had sent Taran with her so that she could return to her hot spring.
"Ahh, that's right…"
I replied. But I could not be very happy about it.
This was because I couldn't help but think about how Shiel must be feeling as she frantically touched the machine.
Just like how the dwarven bodies of the gray slimes had died, others must be dead here as well.
When Shiel had shown me a map of the city previously, she had said that the majority of the population lived in the lower layers.
And so I headed towards Shiel.
"Shiel… Is there anything I can do to help?"
"…Thank you, Lord Heal. But I'm fine."
Shiel stopped touching the buttons.
"Lord Heal… I must tell you something very important. I succeeded in controlling the Golems. Now they will no longer attack you… However…"
She hesitated before continuing.
"But there are some who lost their bodies due to the meteors. Not only that, but the machine itself was damaged. And so those who survived cannot be returned to normal."
"I see…"
"This is all my fault… I believed that the lowest floor in the center of the mountain would be the safest…"
So the meteor hit the lower floors, where all the most important facilities happened to be located.
Shiel then continued.
"But…if the machine can be fixed…"
"I see. In that case we should head…no, we can't go right away."
According to Aries, there were many other Chimera underground.
"Yes. Chimeras are carnivores, so they won't eat slimes, but…"
"They will attack the rest of us without a doubt…"
Shiel continued.
"This is our problem… No, it's my responsibility as the one who led the people. And so please allow me to go so I can repair it."
"I can't do that… There might be something else dangerous that isn't a Chimera. I can't send you down to such a place alone."
"Bu-but…please… It's my duty to save all of them."
"Yes. And that's why I will help you."
"No! I cannot accept more help from you, Lord Heal!"
"Shiel. What are you saying? You helped me when I was all alone. Even now, you continue to help us."
Shiel had been the first to appear when I was alone on the island.
Not only had she offered her help after that, but she also cheered me up mentally.
"Lo-Lord Heal…"
As I spoke, Fule, who was listening next to me, also opened her mouth.
"That's right. You and the other slimes are always helping us. When we goblins didn't get along with the kobolds or orcs, you always acted as a mediator."
Mappa also stepped forward and nodded with folded arms.
Unlike the other races, Shiel and the slimes had worked hard without saying anything. And so the monsters were very grateful towards them.
"Yes. And so, Shiel. We are going to help you."
Upon hearing this, Shiel started to shake weakly and then she bowed.
"All of you… Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it. Anyway, today we should lock the area that the Chimera came out of. We won't be able to go anywhere until we prepare."
"Yes!"
Shiel said, and Fule shouted 'Aye!'
However, Shiel suddenly seemed like she noticed something, and she pressed one of the bumps on the machine.
"…Now that I think about it, Lord Heal. This…"
"This …Woah?!"
Suddenly, a part of the floor opened up and something like an altar with a glass case appeared from within.
What was on top of the altar was…
"A…crown?"
It was a golden crown with ornate flowers and trees carved into it and adorned with colorful jewels.
Mappa's jaw dropped and he looked deeply moved.
As he was a craftsman himself, it must be something that was especially beautiful.
"Yes. It is the crown of our empire. There are crystals inside and it will allow the wearer to use all sorts of magic."
"Ah, you're right…it must be very powerful…"
I could feel that the crown had magic power that was similar to my own.
Shiel continued.
"Lord Heal. It was my hope that you would use it."
"Me-me!? But it's a crown… Besides, isn't it yours, Shiel?"
"I am your servant, Lord Heal. I am in no position to be wearing a crown. Besides, I feel that you will at least make good use of it."
"I-I'm glad you think that way, but…"
"…Of course, if the idea does not please you, it can be taken apart and you can just use the crystals. If it will help you and the others, I do not mind."
"No, you can't destroy something so beautiful…"
It was a wonderful work of art. It could not be dismantled.
Mappa then stood between me and the crown, as if to say he would protect it from any such outrage.
I too thought it should be left alone until Shiel could return to her original form…
However, Shiel was right. If it was that powerful, it would be very useful to the island…
"…What if someone else wore it? If it was during an emergency?"
"Of course. Do what you want with it. Aside from that, there are other treasures as well."
Shiel pushed more buttons and took out a golden scepter, orbs and various weapons and armor that would be fit for a lord.
"The gold and jewels are decorations. Inside, they are made of Mithril and crystals."
"Th-that's amazing…"
"I only wish there were Teleportation Stones as well. But they are in storage, and I can't bring them out from here… Ah, and there is this."
Shiel said as she showed me a glass vial with a transparent liquid inside.
"It looks like water…what is it?"
I asked. And Shiel shook it a little.
And then the liquid went from clear to green.
"It changed color!?"
Fule's eyes widened.
While Mappa knew all about different kinds of ore, he looked shocked as well when he saw it.
And then Shiel shook it again and the liquid turned red. However, now it seemed to solidify, as it would not move anymore.
"This is called Ryukin. It allows you to change not just something's color, but also the shape and texture."
"Huh… So, could you make something like a real apple with that?"
I asked. And Shiel nodded.
"Yes. While it is metal, you can make things that resemble living creatures and plants."
"Oh… I can't think of any uses for it, but it's pretty amazing."
"Yes. It's a very rare metal that doesn't exist on the surface. There should be more of it if we can reach the storage house…"
"Well, perhaps we'll find a use for what we have now… Thank you, Shiel. I will try and use everything here without taking it apart."
"Yes! I'm glad that they can be of use!"
And so we decided to return to the surface.
However, on the way back, we heard the sounds of the alarm that warned of visitors from the sea.