Kays Translations

Chapter 37: The True Strength of My Familiars

Having exhausted all my strength, I collapsed onto the ground.

I had tried everything I could, yet in the end, I wasn’t able to land a single strike on Sheila.

“S-Sato-san, for a beginner, you did quite well, I think.”

“Yes, yes. I-I thought it was good!”

Their forced attempts at encouragement only made me feel worse.

“You don’t have to try so hard to praise me. No one understands how awful I was better than I do.”

“…I-I’m sorry. I wanted to show you the appeal of swordsmanship, but it seems I did the opposite.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Sheila. This is my own lack of ability. It was a terrible result, but I don’t intend to give up on the sword.”

Even though I was terrible at it, I couldn’t just waste the sword I had received.

I would continue practicing swings in secret, just as I always had.

“In that case, I’ll help you get stronger!”

“Thank you, Sheila.”

“I’ll help too! I can even call the teacher who taught me swordsmanship.”

“Ah, no, I’ll pass on that. If you notice anything I should work on, Velvet, please just tell me directly.”

“Sato, you really refuse every offer, don’t you?”

“I’ve already received plenty of kindness from you both.”

A place to live, food to eat…

On top of that, Sheila was training me, and Velvet had been incredibly supportive.

“…Anyway, to change the subject, is the mock battle over?”

“Can’t Mash or Lime fight? If they can, I’d like to see them in action.”

Both Lime and Mash had been watching the battle, clearly enjoying themselves.

I wasn’t sure about Lime, but Mash seemed like it could fight… maybe.

“Mash, Lime, do you two want to have a mock battle? It’s just for fun, but you might get hurt.”

Even with my warning, both of them seemed eager.

Perhaps, being monsters, they didn’t dislike fighting.

“Mash and Lime seem really excited. Though I have no idea how Lime will fight.”

“When I think of wild slimes, all that comes to mind is them being sticky if you touch them… That’s about it. I’m not sure Lime can even fight.”

“For now, let’s start with Mash. I won’t hold back.”

And so, the battle between Mash and Velvet began.

Since Mash seemed the most capable of fighting, I had high hopes for it…

But the sheer difference in size alone prevented it from gaining an advantage. In terms of skill and physical ability, Velvet completely overwhelmed it, and it lost without putting up much of a fight.

Its movements were sharp, but it just wasn’t enough.

“Mash, you did your best. You fought far better than I did.”

I tried to encourage the dejected Mash as it hung its head in disappointment.

Judging from its reaction, it must have been quite confident in itself.

“Next is Lime? You seem eager… but are you sure?”

Even after watching Mash get completely crushed, Lime hopped forward with enthusiasm.

Mash had been thoroughly defeated, so I couldn’t imagine Lime winning at all.

With zero expectations, the battle between Velvet and Lime began.

As usual, Lime bounced around happily.

I started wondering if it even understood this was a mock battle… but then, everyone present began to sense something strange.

To our astonishment—Lime began to disappear.

Or rather, it wasn’t truly vanishing.

It was blending into the darkening surroundings, camouflaging itself.

If I focused hard enough, I could barely make out the core inside its body, but it was incredibly difficult to see.

“Huh?! Lime had an ability like this?”

“Normal slimes don’t have this kind of skill. Maybe it evolved into a Dark Slime and gained it?”

Both Velvet and Sheila were just as shocked as I was.

As everyone reeled in surprise—Lime moved.

Instead of its usual bouncing, it started sliding across the ground smoothly.

If you lost focus for even a moment, you’d lose track of it…

And I had already lost sight of where it was.

Velvet, who was facing it, seemed to still be able to follow its movements, but…

“Ugh! Stop jumping around and moving so fast! I lost it!”

Lime’s movements became unpredictable, and it seemed even Velvet had lost sight of it.

I had expected Lime to go down easily, but now the outcome of the battle was completely uncertain.

Velvet glanced around frantically, trying to locate Lime, but it remained hidden. Time continued to pass with no sign of it reappearing.

Then—just as Velvet let her guard down for a brief moment—Lime struck from behind.

Its attack was simple: it hardened its body and launched itself in a full-body tackle.

It didn’t seem like much of an attack, but since it was a surprise strike, Velvet was sent flying and knocked off her feet.

While she was still down, Lime vanished back into the darkness, waiting for another opening to ambush her.

Unable to react in time, Velvet found herself completely out-maneuvered—and, to everyone’s shock, was ultimately defeated by Lime.

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