"Shannon left!?"
After the encounter with Larisa, Rogue lay in bed as he received a report from Daniel, the newly appointed vice leader.
"Yes. She left this note."
Daniel handed Rogue a letter, which he read aloud:
-To Rogue,
I am resigning from the [Hero's Sacred Sword].
Over the past month, I realized that my dear childhood friend, Rogue Sirius, is no longer the person I once knew.
It's disappointing. Please take care, and farewell.
From Shannon Flem
"Damn it! She could have at least let me have one last night before leaving. Alfred's woman, acting like she's some saint..."
Rogue's priority was clearly his own desires rather than the loss of a valuable healer. Ironically, this self-centered thinking mirrored Alfred's behavior before his reformation.
"Oh, come on, Rogue! You're better off than that naive girl, right?"
"Sure, there are plenty of easy options to satisfy my needs. Shannon's just used goods compared to what's out there."
"But, leader, it seems Shannon didn't leave alone," Daniel added.
"Huh? Daniel, what do you mean? Did Kanade leave too!?"
"No, Kanade is still with the party. According to members who saw her leave, she was accompanied by a blue slime the size of a ball."
"A blue slime? Wait... could it be Saku-Kichi!?"
Rogue sprang up in a panic, suddenly recalling something important.
"Oh no! I completely forgot about that slime! After Alfred banned the use of [Ability Grant], I had been using Saku-Kichi to vent my frustrations by giving him enhancement buffs! I had completely neglected him since then!"
"Leader Rogue, is something wrong?"
"...No, Daniel. It's nothing. But leaving a single slime like that won't affect the [Hero's Sacred Sword] much. Still...'
"Still?"
"I had secretly kept Saku-Kichi, who had an exceptional skill for a slime," Rogue revealed.
"An exceptional skill!? For a monster!?"
It was no surprise that Daniel, known for his extensive knowledge as a Sorcerer, was astonished. It was extremely rare, almost unheard of in this world, for a lowly slime to have such a unique skill.
"So, Leader... What kind of skill does it have?"
"[Ability Drain]. It's a skill that allows it to absorb the physical and ability attributes of its prey. This means it even reflects the enhancement buffs from [Ability Grant]."
"Are you saying that even a slime could have the same presence as you, Leader Rogue!?"
"No, no... It only converts what it absorbs into its own experience and abilities. But since Alfred banned the [Ability Grant] for the guild members, I vented my frustration by constantly buffing Saku-Kichi. That's something I regret."
"Then why not just undo it?"
"That's not possible... due to Saku-Kichi's [Ability Drain] effect. In other words, the buffs I gave him have already been digested and converted into experience and abilities within him."
"I see... So, essentially, he's a top-tier slime now?"
"That's right. The thought of Saku-Kichi falling into Alfred's hands if Shannon were to come across him is a bit irritating."
"But, Rogue, what if Alfred uses that slime for revenge? His obsession is as intense as a demon lord's."
Larisa, covering her ample chest with a towel, asked anxiously.
"Don't worry. There's no way I'll lose to a slime like Saku-Kichi. Right now, I have access to not only Alfred's unique skills but also all the skills of the executives I've confiscated. Even if Alfred tries something, I'll handle it easily with my usual 'Oh, well, dealing with trouble is such a hassle' and annihilate him in no time."
"I'm not sure about the 'Oh, well' part, but I do know that Leader Rogue is unbeatable," Larisa replied.
"Yeah. You're quite captivating as a real man... So, Rogue, how about one more time?"
"Alright, alright, Larisa. Daniel, could you step out for a bit? I might even give you some money to go out and have fun."
"No need for that. Please enjoy yourselves."
Daniel bowed politely and left the room. Despite being a greedy man, he had a surprisingly cool demeanor.
However, soon after-
Rogue would realize that allowing Saku-Kichi to be taken away was his biggest mistake.
A short while earlier:
Several days had passed since purchasing the fairy named Pico, and one morning I woke up to find Pico snuggled on my chest. Next to her, Shizuku was curled up, soundly asleep.
What was this? Sleeping surrounded by heroines from the original story...
Pico slowly woke up.
"Good morning, Alfred... Last night was quite intense."
"Huh? What are you talking about? I didn't do anything! I mean, what could I possibly do with a fairy the size of a palm? I'd like to know how that even works."
"It's the heartbeat. Sleeping on your chest, I could feel the sound of your heart... But it's surprising."
"Surprising? What's surprising?"
"You seem rough on the outside, but your heartbeat was so gentle. It was very comforting."
Oh no, this fairy is making it seem like we did something together.
Is she testing me to see if she can trust me, like some kind of honey trap? How do you deal with a fairy in this situation?
"So why are you sleeping with me? Didn't you hate me so much before!?"
"I never hated you. I said I'd decide whether to join you after observing you. So here I am, spending time with you."
"That makes no sense. You were sleeping, not observing. Well, I guess you don't seem to have any intention of running away... Wake up, Shizuku. It's morning. And you've invited this fairy into our bed..."
"Fnyu... Good morning, Master. Did you do something with Pico last night?"
Why does this silver wolf beastkin girl seem to be the only one paying attention to this conversation?
The heroines in this world are definitely a bit off!
I then woke Gaizen from his bed, who, as usual, slept fully armored. What a strange bunch around me.
"Alf, Pico has a suggestion. How about we all sleep in a big room together?"
During breakfast, Pearl, with her usual stern face, made a request.
"We've been renting two rooms, considering the differences between men and women, but Shizuku and Pico keep sneaking into my bed, making it pointless."
Indeed, combining rooms would save money.
Gaizen sees Pearl as a daughter, and Pearl regards me as an older brother.
"Alright. From today, we'll do that. But Shizuku should grow up soon. When that happens, we'll reconsider."
"Master, is there something wrong with me growing up?"
"No, Shizuku. It's not that... (It's just that if you become a beautiful girl with a great figure, I might have trouble keeping my composure.)"
"Alf, by the way, are we going to the guild and doing quests today?"
"Yeah, Gaizen. I have to pay off Pico's loan and consider Shizuku's growth. Plus, we need to level up. I plan to make up for the losses."
With that, I aimed to regain the ability to use [God's Acceleration].
Then—
Bang!
"-Alfred-sama, I finally found you!"
Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud noise, and a familiar girl stormed in.