The thin boss leaned back again, letting the wooden chair creak under his weight as the last thug was shoved into the tavern.
Six men in total. They were in various conditions like bruised, limping, clothes torn, and still shaking. They stood before him.
Among them was their leader, the same man who had abandoned his men and sprinted through the streets earlier.
He refused to meet the boss's eyes, trembling like a cornered rat.
The boss stared at them silently.
The tavern quieted instantly.
Even the drunken men in the back lowered their mugs.
"So," the boss said at last, voice soft, almost gentle. "These are the ones chasing the woman?"
"Yes, Boss," the burly man said. "All six. They're the ones who saw the slime first."
The boss chuckled under his breath, a low sound that made the air feel colder.
"Well then," He folded his hands. "Explain."
The men exchanged uneasy glances, waiting for someone else to speak first.
When no one did, the group's leader stepped forward. His legs wobble.
"B–Boss… something happened earlier. We—we tried to catch the girl to collect her debt like you asked. But then someone appeared. There was a tall man wearing a cloak, I didn't clearly see his face."
He swallowed hard.
"He beat all of us. Like we were nothing."
The boss's eyes narrowed just a fraction. "A man?"
"Yes!" another thug blurted out, clutching his ribs. "He didn't even use a blade. He knocked Farris out with just a flick! A flick!"
The boss tilted his head slightly, interest sharpening.
"What else?" he asked, pointing at the man with a swollen jaw.
"He grabbed my arm," the bruised man said, voice shaking, "and I swear, I swear, Boss, I felt like my bones were going to explode. He didn't even try. He just moved, and we fell."
The boss tapped his fingers again, slower this time.
"And what about the slime?" the boss asked.
The leader admitted he had only caught a glimpse of the creature after he ran and hid.
The slime had bounced around with a green, gelatinous body and a glowing core at its center. It didn't look like a normal slime at all. That thing radiated mana stronger than slime they had ever encountered.
"Who else saw it?" the boss asked, still unsatisfied.
One man slowly raised his hand.
"You?" the boss said.
"Yes, B-Boss… I didn't actually pass out earlier," the man admitted, shrinking under the sudden attention. "I—I pretended. I was still conscious.
"I could hear… bits of what the mysterious man and the girl were saying. Not all of it because my head was pounding so bad I could barely think, but… I heard enough."
"The girl said that the slime had been following her from the Dungeon, and ever since. And… and it can speak."
The tavern erupted in shock, disbelief, and laughter. Curses thrown at the bruised man accusing him of lying.
But he shouted back, "I'm telling the truth!"
The boss listened in silence, focused and intent. His fingers no longer tapped. His eyes sharpened. If any of this was real, he couldn't afford to ignore it. No matter how absurd it was.
He raised a hand, and the tavern fell quiet instantly.
"You hear where they went?" he asked.
"I… I only heard 'Blackwater Alley,' Boss," the bruised man said. "I didn't hear the rest."
The boss stood from his chair, voice firm and cutting. "Then start searching Blackwater Alley. Look for a girl with a mysterious man, and a slime. Ask questions and drag answers out if you must."
No one dared question him. Not even those who doubted the story.
They moved at once, filing out of the tavern with grim faces and hurried footsteps, heading straight for Blackwater Alley.
—
After dinner, Aria finally relaxed a little.
She was far too exhausted to keep her guard up around Calder and Daelan any longer. At that point, she no longer cared what would happen.
She just wanted to rest. To sleep. Maybe not even wake up again, and that would still feel like a relief.
A small bed stood in the corner of the room.
Calder noticed the way her steps dragged, the way her shoulders sagged after crying and eating.
"You can sleep there," he said gently with a smile.
Aria only nodded.
The slime watched her walk toward the bed. Through its mana senses, it could see how drained she was. Her mana flickered weakly, like a candle struggling to stay lit.
Aria lay down, curled her body slightly, and fell asleep almost instantly.
Silence settled over the underground room.
The slime, Calder, and Daelan remained awake, each of them exchanging unsure looks.
"What should we do now?" Calder said in a low voice to Daelan because Aria was asleep. "You said you wanted to settle in this town for a while. But after today, those thugs saw you. They won't leave you in peace."
Daelan let out a long, tired sigh. "I don't know. I thought I finally escaped my old life. But it feels like I've ended up in the same situation again."
Calder looked at him, unable to hide the helplessness in his expression.
"Actially, I think that's not your fault," he said. "You always help people who need it, even if you don't know them. That habit often drags you into trouble. But if you ask me? That isn't a bad thing."
He leaned back slightly, voice softening. "If you hadn't saved me back then, I would've died."
Daelan smiled faintly and nodded, the weight in his chest easing a little.
The slime observed their exchange quietly. It stared at Daelan, trying to understand something it couldn't grasp.
Why did he choose to help people he didn't know? Why did he take risks for someone who couldn't offer anything in return?
Was that logical? Did humans do that normally? Was it something only Daelan did?
The slime tried to make sense of it, but the answer remained just out of reach for the newly awakened monster.
Suddenly, the bracelet in complicated patterns in Calder's hand beeps.
"There is someone in front of my shop," Calder said.
—