I wondered how to handle this, but the conclusion came easily.
I would tell them. To be honest, the process of research mattered more to me than the results. I had started studying slimes simply because they interested me, and I had enjoyed the journey of discovery. The actual prestige of the findings was an afterthought. Besides, I had already let it slip that I knew the answer; it was too late to try and hide it now.
"It’s all right... A slime’s evolution is determined by its diet. They change into different species... based on their eating habits. For a Sticky Slime, it’s Green Caterpillars. For a Poison Slime, it’s toxic plants. Every individual slime has its own preferences, and those preferences lead them toward the evolution best suited for them. If you force them to eat things they dislike... their evolution slows down. Depending on what you feed them, they might even die."
"I see. So those are the conditions for a slime's evolution?"
The young mistress looked at me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. I nodded once and continued.
"They evolve more easily when given high nutrition. Regular meals speed up the process. For selection, I use toxic plants, Green Caterpillars, or washed animal bones. These attract the specific slimes that can become Poison Slimes, Sticky Slimes, or Acid Slimes."
"And which slimes were the ones you said you couldn't select, Ryoma-san?"
"The Cleaner Slime, the Scavenger Slime, and the Heal Slime. However, their abilities are impeccable."
The four members of the ducal family exchanged glances, clearly unfamiliar with the names of the first two.
"What kind of creatures are Cleaner and Scavenger Slimes?"
"Their unique characteristics... lie in their Sanitization and Deodorization skills."
"Sanitization and Deodorization? I’ve never heard of those."
"I can infer the meaning of Deodorization, but what is Sanitization?"
"It would be faster... to show you. Please wait a moment."
I stepped into the back, smeared a scrap of cloth with rabbit blood I had been draining in the kitchen, and returned to the room with a Cleaner Slime in tow.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. This is a Cleaner Slime. Please, look at this."
"A blood-stained cloth? What do you intend to do with it?"
"This."
I sent a mental command to the Cleaner Slime by my side. The slime took the cloth from my hand, pulled it into its translucent body, and began spinning it rapidly around its core. I had seen it a thousand times, but it always reminded me of a washing machine.
Ten seconds later, the slime extended a portion of its body like a tentacle, gripped the cloth, and handed it back to me. I spread the fabric out so everyone could see it clearly. While the nobles reacted as if they had merely seen a curious trick, the eyes of the butler and the two maids glinted with professional intensity.
"The blood is gone. The color has shifted slightly as well—did the fabric dissolve?"
"It was absorbed by the slime. Is that all it does?"
"No, Duchess. That is not all."
"Arone?"
The elder of the two maids interjected.
"Master Ryoma, does that slime eat... 'dirt'?"
"Exactly."
"What do you mean by that?" the Duchess asked.
"Based on the material of that cloth, I could tell it was soiled with more than just blood. It was stained with various types of grime," Arone explained. "The color you see now is the fabric's true, original shade. Stains become harder to remove the longer they are left alone, which was clearly the case here. If we had tried to hand-wash that cloth, it might never have returned to its original brilliance, no matter how much time we spent. Am I correct in assuming that the Sanitization skill is the ability to remove even the most stubborn filth?"
"That’s part of it. To be precise... it is the ability to remove only filth."
I gave the slime another command and plunged my hand directly into its body.
"What—?!"
"It’s fine."
Normal slimes try to digest anything they engulf, so the group likely expected my hand to start dissolving. Everyone in the room went pale. However, my hand remained untouched, and after five seconds, the slime released me.
"Are you truly unhurt?"
"It only dissolves dirt. Unless I order it otherwise... it won't eat animal flesh, much less humans."
"To think such a slime existed..."
"Goodness, that was bad for my heart. Please do not startle us so."
"My apologies. It’s a common sight for me... and I didn't particularly want to keep touching that cloth."
"It was certainly far from clean," the Duchess admitted.
"It was originally a goblin's loincloth."
The guards and the young lady grimaced at my words, but the maids' eyes only shone brighter. Apparently, there was a saying in this world that 'goblin filth is the most stubborn grime under the sun.'
"With this slime, you can stay clean regardless of the situation. During a long journey... you can't exactly bathe, can you?"
"No, we can do little more than wipe ourselves down," Eliaria said. "This is my first long journey, and the inability to bathe even for a single day makes me feel quite unwell."
"If you have this slime... that problem... is solved."
Eliaria whipped her head around to look at me with terrifying intensity. Her eyes were piercing. Even the Duchess and the two maids were looking at me with a predatory focus.
"It eats the dirt and odors... from your clothes and your body."
"That’s it! I want that one! Please, let my contract be with a Cleaner Slime!"
Crap. Why did I just pitch the benefits of the one slime I said was a bad idea? And it was the hardest one to explain! I suppose I got too carried away talking about my research. I should have pushed the Scavenger Slime instead!
"The thing is, the selection method for this one..."
"Oh, don't be like that! It would be cruel to show us something so wonderful and then hold back!"
"Master Ryoma," Arone added, "as a maid from a line that has served the Jamil Ducal House for generations, I have been trained in the basics of Taming Magic. Please, I beg of you, teach even one such as myself how to select a Cleaner Slime."
"I want to know too~" the other maid chimed in.
Personal hygiene was clearly a matter of life and death for the women. Their enthusiasm was overwhelming. The men were visibly recoiling, and the four guards had already adopted an air of 'this has nothing to do with us.'
"Ryoma-kun, I would appreciate it if you didn't provoke the ladies any further..." Reinhardt whispered.
"It’s hard to explain... to women."
"Are you saying you refuse to teach women?"
"No, I don't mind teaching. It’s just... awkward to say."
"Well, if the Young Mistress says she wants to know, what’s the harm?"
Camille spoke up carelessly, sensing my hesitation and trying to move things along. I took him, the other four guards, and Reinhardt into the corner of the room to whisper the selection method and the story of how I discovered it.
"...I see why you were reluctant to speak."
"So that's how it's done."
"It certainly isn't something a man can easily say to a lady."
"I reckon it'd be awkward even between women, wouldn't it?"
"Well, what will be, will be."
The one who said that so nonchalantly was Hughes. He turned around on the spot and addressed the group.
"Young Mistress! Duchess! We've got the method! You too, Arone!"
What is he doing? Is he actually going to say it?
"Is it true?!"
"Yeah! Young Mistress, go wash yourself! Then use the sweat-soaked water as bait to lure 'em in!"
He said it! He just came right out and said it! And then—ah, there it was. The ladies delivered a set of perfectly synchronized slaps.
Once the women had regained their composure, Reinhardt stepped in to explain the scientific reasoning behind Hughes’s blunt summary.
If you place a bowl of fresh water next to a bowl of water used for washing, a normal slime will gravitate toward the clean water. However, for some reason, the slimes capable of becoming Cleaner Slimes gather in the water fouled by sweat and skin oils.
Once they successfully evolve into Cleaner Slimes, they become unique creatures that survive solely on filth and water, refusing all other food. Since that's their preference, it stands to reason they are attracted to the pheromones and oils in human sweat.
"To think a slime would have such a nature..."
"I’m sorry."
"Oh, no, it isn't your fault, Ryoma-san."
"For a lady to capture one... I think it will be a difficult ordeal."
"Ryoma-san."
"Yes?"
"I've made up my mind. I still want a Cleaner Slime."
It seemed Eliaria was not prepared to give up.
"In that case, perhaps one of the guards could—"
"No. Even if I am only an apprentice, I am to be a Tamer. I must not rely on others for this."
"...Doing everything yourself... isn't always... the right choice, you know?"
"Even so, I wish to take this first step on my own two feet."
"...It is your decision... Young Mistress."
"I... I will... I'll do it! May I have some water?"
The retainers were moved to tears by her declaration. Eliaria herself was flushed crimson but stood her ground. She didn't really need to push herself this hard... I mean, the atmosphere made it feel like she was making a grand, heroic sacrifice, but at the end of the day, we were talking about bathwater.
Still, I felt bad just giving her a bucket of water and calling it a day. I decided to offer her the use of my bath. As a former Japanese man, I occasionally felt the need for a good soak, so I had built a fairly sturdy bathtub in the back of the cave. I never imagined I’d be hosting guests in it, though.
"I have a bath. Please, use it."
"You have a proper bath? Oh, thank you!"
I used Water Magic to fill the tub and Fire Magic to heat it. After adjusting it to the perfect temperature with a bit more Water Magic, I informed the young mistress that it was ready. The whole process took only a few minutes; magic really was too convenient.
After seeing Eliaria and the two maids off to the bathroom, I rejoined the men.
"Ow, ow, ow... I really got it that time."
"You deserved it."
"That was remarkably tactless, even for you..."
He certainly lacked delicacy. People used to tell me I lacked delicacy in my past life, too, but even I wasn't that bad—I hope. As an adult in society, you had to be careful; a single careless remark could be branded as sexual harassment. In my old world, failure to watch your tongue meant social death.
"Ah, Ryoma-kun, welcome back."
"Duchess... about that..."
"It’s quite all right. It was her own decision. Besides, you weren't lying to her, were you?"
"Of course not."
"Then there’s no problem. Regardless of the method, I’m just happy to see her showing such a sincere attitude toward taming. If she simply wanted a Cleaner Slime, she could have just asked you to give her one of yours."
...What did she just say?
"I’m sorry, what was that?"
"I said she could have just asked you for one. Did that not occur to you?"
Ha... ha-ha... Why didn't I think of something so simple? When you want something someone else has, asking for it is the most basic solution. Had I been living in this forest for too long? For three years, if I wanted something, I had to hunt it, gather it, or make it myself.
"Honestly..."
"Oh, don't mind me. I just thought it was a lovely display of youth. It was quite amusing. But truly, her father and I are proud of her resolve."
"I see..."
I was suddenly very tired. After Eliaria finished her bath and collected the water, she headed down to the river to find her slime. Meanwhile, I consulted with the two maids about trying on the new clothes they had brought and discussing size adjustments.
Eliaria was either very lucky or very efficient, as she returned just as I finished the wardrobe consultation. She had successfully captured her slime, and with all eleven of us watching, she performed her very first contract.
By the time the contract was finalized, it was getting late, so the group decided to stay the night. I suggested the others take their turns in the bath while I started on dinner. The maids and Sebas offered to help, but I had to turn them down.
I appreciated the offer, but my kitchen was tiny. There wasn't room for three adults, and since I had built everything to fit my own height, the counters and tools were all child-sized. It would have been murder on their backs.
For the menu, I prepared a ginger-pork-style dish, sautéing beast meat with grated Jija. Reinhardt seemed to love it, and the others gave it high marks as well, though as a former Japanese person, I found the flavor a bit lacking. I’d grown used to it, though.
Even salt was a luxury; I could only find small amounts of rock salt in the cliffs, and it was so full of minerals that I had to use Alchemy to refine it before it was safe to eat. Without Alchemy, I don't think I could have survived three years in this forest. I had managed to secure enough to stay healthy, but never enough to truly satisfy my palate.
Still, seeing everyone enjoy the meal was enough for me.