It was the day of the Founding Festival.
I had spent about two weeks learning the techniques of a Sword Dancer from Soldio-san and the others. After he pointed out that my sword skills were flawless but my practical experience with magic was lacking, he focused my training on magical proficiency and the ability to cast while in motion.
I practiced firing magic while prioritizing speed over power and maintained a continuous, rhythmic barrage of spells. I was still far from claiming complete mastery after such a short period, but Soldio-san noted visible improvements in my accuracy and my form during activation.
Having an instructor really did make a world of difference.
Additionally, I had incorporated unrestrained charges from my Metal and Iron Slimes into my daily basic training, taking inspiration from the flying logs I’d faced before. These metal lumps hurtling at me from 360 degrees provided excellent drills for evasion and parrying. It was a dangerous game that relied on their sturdiness and my own ki-based reinforcement; if either failed, it would have been disastrous. For now, however, everything was going smoothly.
It also served as good combat practice for the slimes. Just yesterday, I saw one of them taking out a Cave Mantis that had wandered in. While they had occasionally killed intruders by accident in the past, they now seemed to recognize the act of crashing into a target as an intentional method of attack. Since they were becoming a viable defensive force for the abandoned mine, I planned to continue this training.
As for the Tunnel Ants that had plagued the plains, the guild had prioritized securing the main highway, successfully preventing any damage to the city or its trade routes. Although the situation had caused a stir, the extermination was completed through a combination of human-wave tactics and the power of tamed monsters. Thanks to those efforts, spectators were now flooding into the city, and the air was thick with the vibrant atmosphere of a grand festival.
On the morning of the first day, everyone at the shop was gathered and brimming with determination.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning, Ryoma-kun. How about a hot dog for breakfast?"
"Thank you very much."
I accepted a hot dog, using the meal as a final quality check for our products.
"Ryoma-kun, come over here if you’d like," Sieg-san from the butcher shop called out, inviting me to join them.
"Thank you, Sieg-san."
"You’re quite welcome. I must say, this place has really transformed."
He was right. This lot had been empty when I first got it, but now it was filled with various structures. The stage for the Semroid Troupe sat right in the center of the far side, facing the road. One of the troupe members possessed the necessary construction skills, and led by them, the stage had been assembled in a flash using materials sourced from somewhere. Since I had been busy with the Tunnel Ant extermination, I hadn't seen the work in progress, but I believe they finished it in only a day or two.
Tables and chairs were spread across the front of the stage. Though the arrangement looked somewhat loose, the layout was meticulously planned under Prenance-san's supervision to ensure clear sightlines and smooth foot traffic.
To the left of the stage were our shop's food stalls, and with the Morgan Company's stalls on the right, the area had the feel of a department store food court. We had even set up a space behind the stalls—the Morgan Company used theirs for storage, while ours served as a path for pre-prepared goods and the wings for the stage. Curtains and stone walls extended from the stage to keep these areas partitioned.
In one corner, I had even installed public toilets for the visitors and passersby to use freely. I made sure to utilize my slimes and our shop’s cleaning products to their full potential.
We had done everything possible to prepare.
"Now we just wait for the festival to start," I said.
The Founding Festival was scheduled to begin at 8:00 AM. While some of the more eager stalls on the main street were already serving customers, we were waiting for the official start time to open our doors.
That said, Sieg-san, Pauline-san, and the group of butcher shop employees and neighborhood wives would be handling the stalls today. My own staff and I wouldn't be taking the lead until tomorrow.
"Is it almost time?"
"I think so."
Time seemed to fly when we were talking. I finished my meal and cleaned up quickly so I wouldn't be in the way.
"I’ll leave the rest to you all. I’ll be back in the afternoon."
"Leave it to us!"
"Go and have some fun, Ryoma-kun."
It would only be a nuisance for someone who wasn't working to linger around before the opening, so I said my goodbyes and headed out. With the cheers of the burly men and the ladies behind me, I stepped out into the city.
After wandering for a few minutes, the church bells began to toll.
"Oh, it's started."
It had already felt like it was halfway underway, but the formal signal changed the mood entirely. The excitement of the crowd spiked, and the city’s roar grew even louder. It was as if the pent-up energy of the city had burst through a dam and overflowed. Even the streets, adorned with colorful banners and flowers, seemed to shine more brightly.
Now, where to go first? I’d already eaten breakfast, so I wanted to save the food for later. However...
"Step right up! Our hamburgers are the best in town!"
"I’ve traveled from city to city for thirty years! Try our traditional French fries!"
"Popcorn here! Get your popcorn!"
I saw a row of stalls offering menus that felt incredibly nostalgic. Judging by the names and the items themselves, they had clearly been introduced by otherworlders from Earth.
"Excuse me, I'll take one order of French fries."
"Coming right up! That’ll be 5 suuts!"
The nostalgia was too strong to resist.
"Here is the exact change."
"Thanks for your business!"
In exchange for the coins, I received a container made from a rolled-up leaf. It was packed with fragrantly fried potatoes. I tried one immediately; the simple, rustic flavor of fried potatoes spread through my mouth along with a hint of salt.
"Delicious."
"Right?"
The name and the taste were exactly what I had expected. I ate them with satisfaction, and before I knew it, the container was empty. I felt a lingering desire for more, but I decided to stop there. Otherwise, there would be no end to it.
"Oh? Wait a moment, young man!"
"Ah, hello."
The voice came from an elderly pharmacist I often visited. Usually, he just sat in a chair in the corner of his shop and watched the customers, but today he seemed to be selling something himself.
"You're the boy who's always coming to my shop, aren't you? Here, take one of these."
"Thank you. Is this candy?"
It was a round lump on a stick. It looked like a candy apple without the apple, but it was strangely powdery and vibrantly colored. I confirmed with him that it was indeed candy.
"!?"
The moment I put it in my mouth, a chill ran down my spine.
"What is this...?"
"Heh heh heh. It’s perfect for the heat."
It had an intense bitterness and sourness that made me shiver, followed by a faint saltiness. Tasting it carefully, I realized it contained several types of medicinal herbs known for dispelling heat. Since it also contained salt, it was likely an effective countermeasure against heatstroke. A "salt candy" of sorts. It certainly seemed useful for a hot day, regardless of the flavor.
"I’ll be here selling them tomorrow, too. Buy some if you find you like them."
It wasn't completely unbearable... maybe I would buy some tomorrow. I thanked him and continued my walk.
Looking around, I noticed people were taking advantage of the festival to sell all sorts of things. Fruits were one thing, but I wondered if vegetables would really sell today. There were even people selling pots and kitchen knives; I had my doubts about anyone buying those here. But I suppose if it added to the festive atmosphere, that was enough.
There were toys over here and a shooting gallery over there—one that used quite impressive bows.
"How about a round, Young Master?"
"No, thank you. Maybe another time."
I didn't see any prizes I particularly wanted, so I moved on. Eventually, I reached the center of the city. As the crossroads of the four main directions, the decorations here were exceptionally lavish.
There were also numerous street performers gathered in this area. There was a juggler adding more and more balls to his routine—"Four, five, and six!"—and an acrobat striking poses atop an unstable tower of chairs. This part of the festival didn't feel much different from my previous world.
Personally, I found myself more interested in the magic tools and monsters being used than the food or the performances. There was even a man doing ball-balancing tricks using a monster that looked like a giant armadillo; I couldn't tell which of them was meant to be the star. Wait, is that...?
I caught a glimpse of someone wearing familiar, yet slightly out-of-place clothing through a gap in the crowd. Ah, I was right.
A nun was standing alone in front of the stalls. Her attire clashed sharply with the noisy surroundings. The young man tending the stall and the passersby seemed curious about her, but she appeared to be deep in thought.
Wait, what was that sign?
"Color Slime."
My interest was piqued.
"Good morning, Belle-san."
I approached her, and she turned around with a start.
"Oh, Takebayashi-san! Good morning."
As she greeted me with a bright smile, I saw a large box behind her filled with slimes of various colors. Seeing this, I remembered that she had once asked me how to raise slimes. She hadn't mentioned it since, but I wondered if they had finally decided to keep some.
"Yes. After I asked the children, they all said they wanted to try raising them. It took me until last week to study taming magic and learn the contract magic."
"I see. And you're here today to get them?"
"About that... I'm a little conflicted."
We moved to a spot where we wouldn't block the stall's business. Belle-san explained that she had been put in charge of the slimes at the church and was tasked with procuring them. She was torn between putting in a request with the guild or simply buying them at this stall.
"Buying them here would be cheaper than going through the guild, but... compared to the slimes I saw at the Tamer Guild, these look so listless."
"Ah... I think your intuition is correct."
I had approached out of curiosity, but those "Color Slimes" were almost certainly not a high-tier species. They were likely just ordinary slimes forced to ingest colored water to dye their bodies. The reason Belle-san felt they lacked energy was probably due to that dye.
"While slimes often change color based on what they eat, that's usually just a temporary state that lasts until digestion is complete. However, the ease of digestion varies. This shop is likely using indigestible dyes like Mizurina grass to make the color last longer."
Judging by the faint, distinct scent in the air, Mizurina grass was definitely the culprit. It could be used as a green dye, but its scent components also acted as a medicinal insect repellent. The grass was fibrous and very difficult for slimes to break down, requiring a long time to digest. Furthermore, the mild insecticidal properties would weaken the slimes, further slowing the digestive process.
"Is that so...?"
Mizurina grass was one of the plants I had stopped giving to my own slimes unless they specifically wanted it. The only ones that did were the Poison Slimes.
"Well, even if a human ate it, it would only cause a bit of stomach discomfort, and since it's a plant used for clothing, I wouldn't call it dangerous... but since children will be handling them constantly, I personally wouldn't recommend it."
While unlikely, there was even a small risk they could evolve into Poison Slimes, which would be dangerous.
"If you'd like, I can prepare some slimes for you. I go outside the city often as an adventurer, and I commute from the outskirts every day anyway."
"Would you really? I would appreciate that so much."
I accepted the task happily. The church had been good to me, and I planned to maintain that relationship. As a shop owner, being in the good graces of the clergy would be a massive benefit, as their influence in the community was significant. Heh heh heh... and I would slowly spread the word of slimes to the public while I was at it... or so I plotted.
"Hm?"
"Is something wrong?"
"No, look over there."
At the corner of a side street, a child was standing with a distressed look on their face. From the shape of their fur-covered, drooping ears, I could tell they were beast-kin. They were so young that it was hard to tell their gender, and they seemed far too small to be wandering alone. I couldn't see anyone who looked like a parent nearby.
The moment I pointed it out, the child burst into tears.
"Mommy! Mommy!"
"Oh dear, this is bad."
"They really are lost."
Even as I spoke, I was already following Belle-san as she rushed toward the child.