For two weeks after the Duke’s party departed, Ryoma spent his days consumed by the busy routine of hunting and caring for his slimes. Then, one day, four people suddenly appeared at his home.
"Hey! Ryoma! Open up! It’s me—Hughes! I’m not an enemy!"
The man shouting in front of Ryoma’s house was Hughes, who had arrived there as a casualty two weeks prior. Accompanying him were Jill, Camille, and Zeff, the same trio who had visited before. Since the entrance to the cave was blocked by a large rock, they were shouting at the top of their lungs to ensure they were heard inside... unaware that the person they were looking for was actually in the bushes behind them.
"I’m... opening it now."
"Whoa!? What the—you were outside?"
"I was... hunting. Why... are you here?"
"We came to thank you properly for the other day. We brought some gifts, too... though there’s a fair amount of them. A little ways back, there’s a butler who’s a space mage, two maids, and Lord Reinhardt and his family. They’re all here because they had business in the forest. Sorry to drop this on you so suddenly, but can I call them over? If it’s a bad time, we can come back another day."
Ryoma thought for a moment. He didn't have any pressing errands, and he felt it would be rude to turn away people who had traveled all this way without a good reason. He gave his consent, and the four guards headed back into the forest to fetch Reinhardt and the others.
While they were gone, Ryoma called back the slimes he had sent out to hunt and began preparing to receive his guests.
About thirty minutes later, the preparations were complete. Ryoma stood in the center of nearly a thousand slimes sunbathing in front of his house, waiting for his unusual visitors.
Eventually, Reinhardt’s party arrived. The slimes, sensing the approach of a large group, began to jiggle their bodies rhythmically. Ryoma straightened his clothes and watched the forest until the figures finally came into view.
There were eleven people in total. Behind Reinhardt followed a beautiful woman, a young girl, and an elderly man who, despite his age, stood with a straight back and a dignified presence. Further back, just as Hughes had described, were two maids and an elderly butler. They walked in a file, flanked by the four guards at the front and rear.
Based on their clothes, those three behind Reinhardt-san must be his family. But butler suits aside, those maid outfits really stand out... I wonder if they’re difficult to move in within a forest?
"...Is that the boy?"
"There are so many slimes..."
"Ho, I heard he had tamed many slimes, but I didn't imagine it would be this many."
"Even if they are just slimes, managing such a number is impressive."
"Usually, the more familiars you have, the harder it is to maintain the contracts..."
While Ryoma was internally questioning the functionality of the maid uniforms, the group drew closer. The younger maid’s face twitched at the sight of the massive swarm of slimes. In contrast, the three members of the Jamil family—excluding Reinhardt—watched the congregating slimes with intense curiosity.
When they reached the clearing in front of the cave, Reinhardt stepped forward to greet Ryoma.
"Ryoma-kun, it’s been two weeks. I’m sure you’ve already heard, but we came today to thank you once again for your help. We’ve brought some gifts for you, though it’s only a small token."
"Thank you... very much."
"No, no, it’s the least we could do."
"Dear, please introduce us first."
Prompted by the beautiful woman behind him, Reinhardt realized his lapse and began the introductions.
"Let me introduce them. This is my father, Reinbach; my wife, Elise; and my daughter, Eliaria."
"I am Reinbach Jamil, the former head of the Jamil Ducal House. I apologize for the sudden intrusion. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I am Elise Jamil. Thank you so much for saving my husband and his men the other day."
"I am Eliaria Jamil. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"It is an honor... to meet you... My name is Ryoma Takebayashi... Welcome... after your long journey... I cannot offer much... but you are welcome here."
Though his speech was fragmented, his polite phrasing caused the four Jamils and their retinue to blink in surprise. Reinbach was the first to recover and spoke up.
"There is no need for such formal language. Please, speak naturally with us. Don’t worry about hospitality either; we are the ones who barged in unannounced."
"Thank you. Then, please... come inside... Ah."
Just as he was about to invite them in, Ryoma realized that a wall of slimes was blocking the entrance. He gave them a command, and the slimes began pouring into the cave in an orderly fashion, starting with those closest to the opening.
Seeing this, Reinhardt remarked, "They’re even more impressive in the daylight... Is it my imagination, or has their number increased?"
"...After you left... they divided..."
At present, Ryoma’s slime count was as follows:
Sticky Slimes: 364 Poison Slimes: 323 Acid Slimes: 211 Cleaner Slimes: 11 Scavenger Slimes: 730 Heal Slimes: 2 Skills: Healing Magic Lv1, Vitality Reinforcement Lv1, Photosynthesis Lv3, Digestion Lv1, Absorption Lv1, Division Lv2
To be blunt, they had increased far too much. Immediately after the slimes divided, Ryoma had been run ragged trying to form contracts with the new ones and securing enough food for them all.
As a result, Ryoma finally learned the meaning of self-restraint. He began to worry about the potential impact on the forest’s ecosystem and struggled with how to manage the ballooning population. For now, he had started by reducing their food intake to prevent them from using excess nutrients for further evolution or division. Slimes required very little food just to sustain their existence, after all.
He had even considered thinning the numbers himself if things got out of hand, but for the past two weeks, he had managed to get by by exterminating a group of Goblins that had started building a settlement in the forest.
The Goblin extermination had brought more than just food; it brought unexpected luck. After seeing slimes that were nearly dead from heavy injuries sustained during the battle, Ryoma had hurriedly gathered the dying creatures and cast healing magic on them. Some survived, and the next day, two of them had evolved into a new variety capable of using magic: the Heal Slime.
While the birth of the Heal Slimes almost reignited his obsessive research instincts, he managed to hold back after looking at the current state of his living room.
"Will they all fit inside?" Reinhardt asked.
"It has... become alright..."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Like... this."
In response to Reinhardt’s question, Ryoma issued a specific command to the slimes.
The biggest problem after the mass division had been the lack of living space. However, that issue had been solved by chance three days after the split. It had all started with a idle thought that crossed Ryoma’s mind.
He had been watching the slimes overflow from their designated area and crawl across his bedroom floor when he muttered to himself, "Can’t these slimes just merge together? Like in that one video game..."
The moment he said it, every slime shook violently. Slimes of the same species gathered in one spot and, in the blink of an eye, fused into a single massive entity.
When the startled Ryoma performed an Appraisal, the results were:
Big Sticky Slime × 1 Skills: Strong Adhesive Fluid Lv5, Adhesive Hardening Fluid Lv4, Sticky Thread Spitting Lv3, Physical Attack Resistance Lv1, Enlargement Lv2, Reduction Lv4, Jump Lv2, Digestion Lv3, Absorption Lv3
Big Poison Slime × 1 Skills: Poison Fluid Creation Lv4, Poison Resistance Lv4, Paralytic Poison Fluid Creation Lv4, Physical Attack Resistance Lv1, Enlargement Lv2, Reduction Lv4, Jump Lv2, Digestion Lv3, Absorption Lv3
Big Acid Slime × 1 Skills: Strong Acid Fluid Creation Lv5, Strong Acid Resistance Lv4, Physical Attack Resistance Lv1, Enlargement Lv2, Reduction Lv4, Jump Lv2, Digestion Lv4, Absorption Lv3
Huge Scavenger Slime × 1 Skills: Disease Resistance Lv5, Poison Resistance Lv5, Scavenge Lv6, Sanitization Lv6, Deodorization Lv6, Deodorizing Fluid Lv4, Foul Odor Release Lv5, Nutrient Return Lv4, Physical Attack Resistance Lv2, Enlargement Lv3, Reduction Lv5, Jump Lv2, Digestion Lv6, Absorption Lv3
Though initially shocked, Ryoma was relieved to find that they would split back into their original numbers the moment he told them to return to normal. Excited, he spent the rest of the day experimenting.
The results showed that merging and separating could be done at will. He discovered that 100 or more slimes of the same type became a "Big" version, and 500 or more became a "Huge" version. Merging was impossible with fewer than 100 slimes, and the threshold where the name changed from Big to Huge was exactly at the 500 mark.
Fortunately, these merged slimes could use the "Reduction" skill to shrink down to a size only slightly larger than a normal slime. While their food consumption was several times higher than a single slime, when viewed as a collective of 100 individuals, the total food required was reduced to between 1/20th and 1/50th of the original amount. This saved a massive amount of space and resources. Ryoma suspected—though he had no proof—that this might be a biological self-defense mechanism to prevent habitat destruction or starvation.
Furthermore, any number of slimes over the 100-count threshold could merge. Since the "Division" skill disappeared from the list after merging, Ryoma concluded that Big slimes and higher were essentially a single collective consciousness of their component parts.
While mysteries remained—such as where the physical mass went when they used the Reduction skill—he was simply happy to have a solution to his housing and feeding problems.
Thinking it would be faster to show than tell, Ryoma gave the command. The three adults of the Ducal House stared with wide eyes, while the rest of the party stood in stunned silence as the slimes fused into Big Slimes before them.
"A Big Slime!?"
"Is that... truly possible!?"
"No, there’s no mistake... Young man, are you saying you have a contract with a Big Slime?"
"...Is it... strange?"
"Ryoma-kun, the Big Slime is a monster that was thought to be impossible to tame," Elise explained.
"Eh?"
Ryoma was genuinely confused by Elise’s statement. Sensing his bewilderment, Reinbach took over the explanation.
"The Taming Contract, which is the very foundation of our craft, has no effect on certain high-ranking slime species like the Big Slime. Many have tried over the years, but there has never been a single successful case."
Hearing that, the pieces finally clicked for Ryoma.
"The Taming Contract... has no meaning. That... is natural."
"Why do you say that?" Reinhardt asked.
Feeling everyone’s eyes on him, Ryoma spoke with a touch of discomfort.
"A Big Slime... is a collection of many slimes. The conditions for a Taming Contract... cannot be met. You can only contract with one at a time. Many at once... is impossible. At the moment of contract... you cannot identify one individual out of a hundred. The core looks like it is only one... so the Taming Contract... fails. I... contracted with many slimes first... then gathered them. That is why... it worked."