Chapter 4: Slimes Are Essential, Right?

"I want to take Shou to town at least once, but I have a contract to fulfill here."

Falco spoke to Leon as he was preparing to return to town.

"Yeah. Let’s make it in a week then."

"For now, get a full set of children's clothes and extra food."

"Got it. I’ll also notify the guild master and the church."

"I’m counting on you."

Leon then turned to Shou.

"Honestly, I’d rather find you a proper guardian, but Falco’s being selfish. So, you’ll be staying here for the winter."

He ruffled her hair as he spoke. Apparently, it was now November.

Being patted on the head… had it really been twenty years since someone last did that?

"Okay."

"Good girl."

Leon left, looking somewhat reluctant.

They really do cherish children in this world.

"Alright, Shou. I stay here during the winter as the guardian of the northern forest."

"Guardian?"

Hadn’t he said he was a hunter?

"You don’t know about the northern forest or hunters, do you?"

"No."

"Ahh."

Falco tapped his temple a couple of times with his right hand, then gave a simple explanation.

During the winter, the number of monsters in the northern forest increased. Having a skilled hunter stationed in this cabin at the forest entrance helped prevent monsters from reaching town. Additionally, hunters were paid just for staying here, and they could earn extra by selling the monsters they hunted.

For those confident in their skills, it was an excellent job and had been a standard winter gig for years.

"Usually, I’d have two other teams here, so we’d take turns going to town. But this year, it’s just me."

Which means I get to have this interesting kid all to myself, Falco thought to himself.

"Anyway, I go out hunting during the day, so you’ll be alone. You might get bored, so how about taking out some slimes?"

"Slimes! The light blue ones?"

"You know about them? They come in different colors, but they spit acid, so be careful."

He handed her a potion and a short sword, then taught her how to fight slimes.

Before she could even process it, she found herself accepting the items.

"Just poke them so they spit acid, then take your chance and cut them."

And with that…

"I’ll be back by evening!"

Falco walked off with a carefree attitude, leaving Shou completely stunned.

Wait, hadn’t she said she didn’t want to fight?

Oh, right. She only told that to the goddess.

No, she had told Falco she wouldn’t use a sword, hadn’t she?

Then why was she holding one?

For now, she used the magic stone he had given her to draw water, washed the dishes, cleaned the cabin, had lunch, and then stared at the short sword on the table.

She recalled Falco’s words—slimes lurked in the grass, and though small, they were dangerous monsters that could harm children. It was best to reduce their numbers whenever possible.

And also…

"Each of their magic stones sells for 500 gil."

500 gil? What did that amount to?

"That’s enough to buy five loaves of bread."

Shou frowned, remembering how hard the bread was.

"Food is important. Also, four of those magic stones will cover one night at a guild inn, including breakfast and dinner."

An inn!

Shou’s eyes sparkled.

"So, you could live off 90,000 gil a month?"

"Yeah, at the bare minimum."

"That’s 3,000 gil per day… meaning six slimes a day? No way!"

"You’re quick at math. But six slimes is easy. I’ll teach you how kids make pocket money later, like collecting medicinal herbs."

"Medicinal herbs!"

That was exactly what she wanted to do!

But right now, she only knew how to fight slimes.

Oh well, first she’d observe them.

Shou found a long stick, longer than her own height, and went looking for slimes.

The cabin had a powerful barrier stone at each of its four corners, preventing strong monsters from entering.

However, weak creatures like slimes and lizards could still get in.

That meant slimes were fairly common.

Shou used the stick to prod at them, observing how they reacted.

Slimes only spit acid under two conditions:

• When they were touched directly.
• When they were already on high alert and someone got too close.

Their acid had a range of about two large steps.

They could spit acid twice at full power, but the third time, they would be empty. After a while, they’d regain the ability to spit.

On the first day, Shou spent all her time poking slimes and observing them.

At the end of the day, Falco was exasperated that she hadn’t defeated a single one.

On the second day, she tested her findings and confirmed they were consistent.

Which meant—

If she provoked them from a distance and made them spit acid twice, she could strike safely.

Falco had told her to clean the magic stones with water magic, but since she couldn't use magic yet, she shaved down some sticks to make chopsticks and rinsed the stones in a bucket of water.

That evening, Falco looked at Shou with slightly amused eyes when she returned empty-handed again.

That irritated her more than she cared to admit.

Falco was happy that she was struggling.

Because if she couldn’t do it, he could teach her step by step.

"Starting next week, we’ll begin sword training, too."

Falco was practically gleeful.

Shou considered her options.

Maybe she should stop sleeping next to him?

On the first night, she had tried to sleep in a separate room.

Falco had fiercely protested.

Though small, the cabin had multiple rooms to accommodate multiple hunters.

Shou argued about the importance of independence.

Falco countered with the importance of emotional stability for children.

In the end, he dramatically lamented, "Why did I even take you in, then?"

And she lost.

Well… it was warm.

Falco, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.

The blankets were warm.

Meals were enjoyable.

He kept giving Shou large loaves of bread just to watch her spin them around in her hands.

But recently, she had learned to slice them thinly herself, which was deeply disappointing.

Shou might say she didn’t want to use a sword, but she still took the one he gave her, wrinkling her nose as she held it.

She had brightened at the sight of slimes, only to be disappointed when she learned they were pests.

She poked at them from a distance, testing their reactions.

And she absolutely glowed at the mention of staying in an inn.

Living with a child was hilarious.

Even at fifty, he had never had this much fun.

But on the second night, Shou said:

"Leon’s soup is running out. What do we do now?"

"Ah, just eat bread and dried meat. That’s what I usually do."

"For four more days?"

"Yeah, more or less."

Did that upset her? Hunters lived like this all the time.

Oh, right—Shou probably came from a well-off background.

Next week, Leon would bring more food, but for now, what was he supposed to do?

Could he really take care of a kid like this?

While Falco was panicking, Shou rummaged through the pantry and gathered supplies.

Stored root vegetables.
Green onions.
Long-lasting fruits.
Dried mushrooms.
Dried fruit.
Flour.
Lots of dried meat.

The next morning, Falco woke with a start—Shou wasn’t in his arms.

He scrambled up, only to find her at the stove, making soup.

She had even sliced the bread thin and warmed it up.

Warm bread… was easy to eat.

She wasn’t spinning it in her hands anymore.

She was quietly munching on it with her small mouth.

It was adorable.

He found himself watching absentmindedly—until Shou snapped at him to hurry up and get ready.

Being scolded wasn’t bad either.

He smirked, only for Shou to give him an icy stare.

That, too, wasn’t bad.

In fact, it was kind of great.