Inside the House of Genesis, slimes were roaming around here and there, or so it seemed.
It was unclear where they were coming from, but since they didn’t track in dirt, Kousuke and the others had grown accustomed to their presence.
While it was unknown how they were segmented among themselves, the slimes rarely got in Kousuke’s way. They often appeared without him realizing it, giving the impression that they had simply settled in.
As far as Kousuke could tell from examining their skills, there wasn’t a specific slime in a specific location. They seemed to be replaced quite frequently.
However, this only meant that a single slime wasn’t staying in the same place. Certain groups of slimes appeared to gather in similar locations.
For example, slimes carrying harvested crops frequented the warehouse, which could be considered a group in itself.
Kousuke had once tried to investigate how these groups were formed.
He discovered that slimes belonging to a group didn’t necessarily stay within that group permanently.
In essence, what he had initially thought of as groups were merely divisions by location. Individually, the slimes went wherever they pleased.
Of course, some slimes did stay in one area, repeatedly traveling back and forth or remaining in place.
Ultimately, Kousuke concluded his analysis by determining that their actions were dictated by their individual preferences.
Although Kousuke had stopped analyzing the slimes’ behavior, he still observed the slimes indoors whenever he happened to remember.
At such times, Kousuke, upon seeing the skill of a nearby slime, suddenly noticed something and looked at Silvia.
“By the way, do slimes enter your laboratory too, Silvia?”
“…Huh? Well, of course, they do?”
To Kousuke’s sudden question, Silvia paused slightly before answering.
In the House of Genesis, the presence of slimes was so commonplace that she momentarily struggled to recall if they were actually present.
With Silvia’s answer as expected, Kousuke nodded, thinking, “Just as I thought.”
“So, that means you’ve also spilled potions and other concoctions you’ve made, Silvia.”
Silvia’s work in her laboratory involved creating recovery potions using medicinal herbs grown in the fields.
For a cleric, producing such potions was an important role.
“Ugh. Well… yes, that does happen?”
Even with a familiar task, accidents and spills could occur.
Confronted by Kousuke about these details she wished to forget, Silvia confirmed the facts while averting her gaze.
Seeing this, Kousuke apologized with his palms together.
“Ah, sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. I was just a little curious about something regarding the slimes.”
“…Did something happen?”
Silvia, still slightly flustered, asked, her gaze still averted.
“Well, you could say it’s quite obvious. Some slimes have skills related to potions.”
“Potion-related skills?”
Confused by Kousuke’s words, Silvia tilted her head.
Silvia was aware of skills like “Alchemy” or “Herbalism,” but the term “potion-related skills” didn’t ring any bells.
To Silvia’s confusion, Kousuke tilted his head slightly.
“Huh? I haven’t told you before? That some monsters possess skills with effects similar to the recovery potions you make.”
Kousuke continued his explanation.
Some monsters had skills that relied on what were clearly concoctions, rather than recovery magic.
One could think of it as the reverse of an attack that spreads poison.
These skills manifested in various ways, such as internally producing unique drugs or accumulating medicinal components from herbs.
In Kousuke’s view, these were skills distinct from recovery magic, hence why he referred to them as “potion-related skills.”
Silvia nodded at Kousuke’s explanation.
“Ah, I see what you mean. In that case, I understand.”
Even before Kousuke arrived in this world, and before the existence of skills was revealed, many monsters were thought to be able to recover without relying on magic.
Furthermore, specific parts of such monsters were often collected and used as medicine.
For Silvia, who possessed knowledge of potion creation, this was common knowledge.
Ensuring Silvia was nodding, Kousuke continued.
“And I thought it was the most natural explanation for why slimes, which shouldn’t have had such skills originally, would possess them.”
Silvia was momentarily confused by his statement but quickly understood Kousuke’s point.
“I see. So, you believe they absorbed the potions I spilled or fragments of medicinal herbs, and that’s how they acquired these skills.”
“Exactly. It’s far more natural than the slimes evolving through some kind of miracle, like that one time, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, it is.”
Silvia chuckled softly at Kousuke’s words.
Kousuke still considered the slimes that had taken up residence in the Florece Kingdom’s royal castle to be products of a miracle.
Kousuke beckoned a slime that was slithering across the living room and showed it to Silvia.
“Now, here we have a slime with the ‘Alchemy’ skill. What do you think would happen if I told this one to make a potion?”
“Kousuke-sama, surely you don’t mean…?”
Although she doubted it was possible, Silvia wore a worried expression.
Kousuke nodded at Silvia and said to the slime,
“Can you make any kind of medicine?”
When Kousuke asked this, the slime began to tremble in place.
Unfortunately, neither Kousuke nor Silvia understood the meaning of its trembling.
Resigned, Kousuke called over an interpreter who was a short distance away and repeated the question.
“…So, that’s the situation… Huh? What? It can’t?”
The reply was unexpected, and Kousuke tilted his head. Silvia let out a sigh of relief.
If slimes could perform alchemy, Silvia felt, what would be the point of her being a cleric?
However, as if to crush Silvia’s hope, the slime’s answer continued.
“Ah, I see. Of course, it wouldn’t be possible without ingredients.”
The alchemy skill couldn’t create something from nothing; it required ingredients. Since the necessary materials weren’t present, the slime couldn’t produce any medicine.
Kousuke gently patted Silvia’s shoulder, attempting to console her.
“Well, regarding slimes, it might be best to assume that if they evolve, there’s nothing they can’t do.”
“I suppose that’s true… but it’s quite a departure from common sense.”
Silvia replied with a look of resignation to Kousuke’s words.
Incidentally, later, after being provided with materials, they confirmed whether the slime could indeed create medicine. The slime produced medicine equivalent to the provided ingredients.
Silvia thoroughly examined the effects and gave her seal of approval.
I feel like I’m writing about slimes whenever I need a topic, as if they’re my go-to. (Perhaps it’s even more so after writing a grand narrative previously?)
I worry if my readers are getting bored. – The author.
