Regulating my breathing, I released mana toward the three slimes.
The slimes’ bodies trembled as they surged toward the energy. The emotion radiating from them was pure joy. At a glance, it might have looked like they were simply shaking, but thanks to my Mana Perception Skill, I could tell they were gradually absorbing the mana into their bodies.
"Just as I thought..."
Yesterday, after watching an evolving slime circulate mana in and out of its body, I’d started contemplating the relationship between slimes and magical energy.
First of all, since Heal Slimes used Healing Magic, there was no doubt they possessed mana. I also suspected that exposure to Healing Magic was the very catalyst for their evolution in the first place.
Back then, I had wondered if there were slimes capable of using fire or water attributes as well, and I had even conducted experiments. However, those trials had ended with me simply injuring the slimes with Attack Magic, so I had suspended the research. I wondered how it would go this time.
Slimes capable of using various types of elemental magic... I had previously predicted that if slimes capable of using Healing Magic existed, others surely possessed different affinities. That theory had been confirmed by the story Meilyne told me the other day.
If it was an established species, there was a high possibility they could be evolved through their diet, just like the others. The remaining question was whether slimes could use mana itself as a food source.
I released my mana once more. This time, I visualized the energy burning like gas, as if I were preparing a fire spell. I had heard that mental images varied from person to person, but through this visualization, I could transform the No-Attribute mana inherent in the human body into the Fire Attribute mana required for elemental magic.
This conversion was an essential skill for casting, but because a caster normally released the energy as a spell the moment it transformed, this was my first time stopping just before the manifestation to release the mana in its raw, attributed state.
"This takes more concentration than actually casting a spell..."
It was likely because I wasn't used to the delicate control required.
"Do you dislike No-Attribute mana?"
When I tried releasing it without any conversion, the rate of absorption seemed to drop. Testing the other attributes, I discovered that two of the three slimes preferred Earth, while the third had a distinct appetite for Dark Attribute mana.
It seemed that even among slimes, taste in mana attributes varied by individual.
I wondered if mana had a flavor?
Regardless, the slimes seemed happy, so I decided to make this a part of their routine.
After that, I continued feeding them until I was on the verge of running out of mana. While waiting for the cloth to dry, I took a short rest, then collected the finished Waterproof Cloth and headed back to town to visit Sieg’s butcher shop.
"Hey there, welcome! What can I get for you today?"
A teenage boy, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old, greeted me at the front.
"Excuse me, I’m actually here to speak with the owner, Sieg. Would he happen to have a moment?"
"Oh, sure thing. Boss! Boss, you’ve got a visitor!"
At the boy’s call, Sieg emerged from the back workshop. He was wearing clothes heavily stained with blood. With his pale skin, sickly thin frame, and bloodied attire, his work appearance was intimidating in a way that was entirely different from Wogan’s gruffness.
"If it isn't Ryoma. Do you need something?"
"Yes, actually..."
I explained my situation and made my request.
"...I see. I didn't know there was a slime like that. Sure, help yourself. Do you need it right now? It seems the rookie adventurers had a big haul today, so we’ve got plenty of it."
"Thank you very much. I’d appreciate it."
He led me straight into the workshop. Five men were busy at work inside. Along the walls, carcasses were suspended from large hooks and ropes attached to the ceiling beams, dripping blood.
"Over here."
He guided me to a spot beneath the hanging beasts. There were two large containers filled with blood, each stretching almost the entire length of the room.
"Thank you. May I let it feed now?"
"Go ahead."
With his permission, I placed the Bloody Slime into one of the containers. In the blink of an eye, the slime began vacuuming up the liquid, draining the entire vat dry.
"Huh... that looks incredibly handy."
"Do you think so, Sieg?"
"Once we’re done bleeding the meat, we have to ladle the blood out and dispose of it. Even without that, we have to wash these containers constantly. Because they’re so big, they’re heavy and exhausting to move."
"It’s a real pain when we have a big kill or a massive haul like today," one of the nearby workers added.
I could see their point. It was a laborious, messy task, yet one that was absolutely necessary for their business.
On a whim, I asked if there were any local dishes that used blood as an ingredient.
"Using blood for food? Never heard of such a thing."
"Isn't it common sense to just toss it?"
"I mean, if it were edible, it’d be a waste to throw it out, but..."
"I’ve heard the mana in blood dissipates if you leave it out. But by the time it’s gone, the blood is either rotten or dried up, so you can't eat it anyway."
It seemed that blood containing mana was viewed as nothing more than a nuisance.
After that, Sieg and his staff told me I could come by whenever I needed blood. They even offered me spoiled meat and bones that hadn't sold. They were happy to give it all away for free, since it was just trash they’d otherwise have to pay to dispose of. This meant I now had a steady food supply for my Scavenger and Acid Slimes as well.
"Thank you so much!"
In an excellent mood after gaining far more than I had expected, I thanked Sieg and left the shop.
As I walked toward my own store, I heard shouting.
"Move it! Keep walking!"
"Ow, that hurts!"
"Hey, what are you all gawking at?!"
"This isn't a show!"
"Shut up and move!!"
Several rough-looking men were being marched away from my shop by the Guard Force. My heart skipped a beat. Had something happened?
I rushed into the shop to find the entire staff gathered together.
"Is everyone okay?!"
"Ah, Boss!"
"I saw the guards leading some men away from the shop... Is anyone hurt?"
"We’re perfectly fine. No one was injured at all."
"Fei handled them all by himself!"
"I see. Thank you, Fei."
"Do not mention it. This is why I am here."
"You were a huge help today," Carla said, turning to me. "Thanks to Fei and Li Ling—and of course to you, Master Ryoma, for having the foresight to hire them—the shop, the staff, and the customers were all kept safe."
"No, I didn't really do anything."
I felt a bit awkward, considering I had arrived after the entire situation was already resolved.
As I was reflecting on that, Li Ling called out to me.
"Boss, we should speak. We need to decide how to handle this going forward."
I left Fei and the three girls to mind the front while I headed to the manager's office with the twins and Li Ling.
"I mentioned taking measures, but for now, we are fine as we are," Li Ling explained once we were inside. "As long as my father or I am at the shop, there will be no problem. Small-time thugs are easy enough to handle alone. However, I must ask: do you know of anyone who might hold a grudge against you?"
"A grudge?"
"Those men said someone hired them. I managed to extract that much using a truth serum I had on hand before the guards arrived. There is no doubt about it."
"Someone hired them...?"
I tried to think of anyone I might have crossed.
"The only thing I can think of is that group of thug-like adventurers I beat up for trying to extort those kids..."
Since coming to this world, I had mostly been a hermit in the forest. Even after moving to town, I had generally only met kind people, and I certainly hadn't gone around looking for fights. That one incident was truly the only conflict I'd had.
"The thugs claimed they were paid a significant sum. Even though their actions were relatively minor."
"Minor? What did they do?"
"They were picking fights with customers and shouting loudly to cause a scene," Carla explained. "When Fei warned them, they lunged at him, and he restrained them."
So, they weren't trying to destroy the shop or hurt the staff; their goal was simply to interfere with the business.
"...I honestly have no idea who would do this."
"It may simply be envy," Caulm suggested. "To an outsider, we are a shop that appeared out of nowhere and started turning a massive profit overnight. There are people like that everywhere. We should remain vigilant."
"It would have been better if the thugs knew who their employer was, but it seems the client took care to hide their identity."
"As long as a business is successful, this kind of thing is bound to happen to some degree," I said. "We just have to prepare and deal with it as it comes."
We spent some time coordinating our response. Carla and Caulm would notify Serge and the Guild Master of the Commerce Guild. I, meanwhile, would inform the Duke’s family. As for security, we decided to leave the daytime shifts to Fei and Li Ling, while I would station slimes throughout the shop and the premises to act as night guards.
Later, when I returned to the inn and told Reinhardt about it... things nearly spiraled out of control. He immediately offered to use his connections to hire guards for the shop.
The candidates he listed were all former high-ranking military officers or knights. While he specified they were skilled individuals who had retired or resigned due to injuries, their titles were far too prestigious for a laundry shop.
The most formidable person he suggested was a retired Knight Commander who had been a brother-in-arms to Lord Reinbach. There was no way I could hire someone like that to guard a laundromat!
It took a considerable amount of time and negotiation to convince him to just let us handle it ourselves for now.
On another note, I had glossed over it at the time, but the fact that Li Ling and her father just casually carried truth serum was... well, a bit startling. But they were reliable, so I decided not to overthink it.
I think I’ll just go to sleep.