Chapter 14: The Strongest Onmyoji, Selfish

“Hey, let me do something too.”

When I said that in front of the guild’s bulletin board, everyone looked at me like, “What?　They all looked at me with a look like, “What?”

After delivering the vermillion grass and receiving the reward for the achievement, we decided to accept the next request right away, but when we got to the stage of selecting the request , I had some thoughts and interrupted them.

Amiyu said with a bewildered look,

“You… what happened all of a sudden?”

“I can’t help it”

I answer.

“We have done quite a few requests, but… I’m the only one who hasn’t done anything yet? All I’ve done is carry the corpses of monsters.”

“It’s okay, it doesn’t matter. It’s the same as before.”

“No, no. There were still many things to be aware of when exploring dungeons. Such as securing visibility and making sure there are no monsters lurking… But the request is to go straight to the target, and if you complete it, that’s not the end. I’m really just walking.”

“Eh, hmm…”

Amiyu looks annoyed, but I continue without hesitation.

”You guys have a lot of fun at the bar, but we hardly ever talk because we’re not doing anything ……”

“That’s right, that’s right! Even though Seika-sama looks like this, he’s surprisingly lonely!”

My cheeks twitch as Yuki whispers in my hair, but I keep going.

“Please leave the next request to me.”

“Then Seika should choose.”

When Mabel said it, the people around her also agreed.

“That’s right. We’re the ones who always take orders, so I wonder if it’s okay once in a while…”

“As long as you have our help, we shouldn’t have any complaints.”

“That’s right! Which one would you like? Seika-kun”

I felt like I was being taken care of too much… but I decided not to worry about it.

I say.

“Actually, there was a request that I had my eye on for a long time.”

Laughing fearlessly, I reached out for the parchment that had been pinned in the corner of the bulletin board.

“Let’s do this next time”

*********

That’s how I came to this underground dungeon.

This slightly unusual dungeon, which must be entered from a well in an abandoned village, seems to be the remains of an underground water vein that existed long ago, with a vast cavern continuing on for a long time.

Although not many monsters appear, it’s a place where adventurers from nearby villages can earn coins, and it seems that people used to visit regularly.

However, it seems that this is not the case these days, and the roads leading up to this point have been desolate.

“… Are you really okay with this request?”

Rurumu, who was walking next to me, asked that slowly.

I smile and answer.

“Don’t worry. Don’t worry. The rewards are not very high, but I’ll get it done as quickly as possible so as not to waste time. Thank goodness the dungeon isn’t a lost cause. We’ll try to get back to Keltz tomorrow, if you’ll stick with us for a bit.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Rurumu shakes her head and says.

“The target of the request to defeat …… is a bit of a tricky monster. I don’t know if even I or Nozuro can beat it. I know you’re good at what you do, but ……”

“I see, is it troublesome? Then, I’m getting more and more interested.”

Yes, I answer jokingly.

The content of this request is to subjugate a certain mighty monster that has been living in this dungeon.

The adventurers who have been earning a small fortune here are in trouble because the monster devours other monsters and is so dangerous that no one can take it down.

Even though it is a small dungeon, it is still a source of valuable resources. If the nucleus were to be destroyed, it would not be a cheap loss.

However, I chose this quest not because I wanted to help others, but because I was genuinely interested in the monster.

And, at that moment――――the light emitted by the Hitogata was reflected on a silver surface.

I stop and send the Hitogata around me forward.

What emerged in the light… was a huge, silver sphere.

The height is approximately 4.5 meters.

The sphere has neither limbs nor a face. The ground surface was flat and distorted, just like water droplets on a leaf, but sharp protrusions were lined up in a circle on the top like a crown.

And the silver surface swayed slightly.

“it’s alive.”

“Oh!”

“Oh, that is…”

“Mercury Slime King huh?

A high-ranking slime monster said to have a metal body.

It was one of the monsters I had been interested in since I saw it in the literature.

I look back at the party members who have gathered together and say.

“Then please wait here for a moment.”

I walk over to the gigantic metal slime.

Looking at it up close, I wondered how it even existed, it was like living mercury.

Even among adventurers, Mercury Slime-type monsters are often likened to mercury.

However… its properties are probably closer to those of iron than mercury.

At that moment, the Mercury Slime King’s body stirred.

The body, like a drop of water, slithers and crawls.

Rolling under it was a darkened helmet. Looking at its shape and coloration, it seemed to be the head of a Cursed Mail, a superior species of living mail monsters.

However, it does not exist below the torso. Everything seems to have been eaten, including the sword and shield that are weapons.

I nod and mutter to myself.

I see.

 At that time. A tentacle-like false leg stretched out from the huge slime’s body.

It thickens in the blink of an eye and is swung above my head.

Seeing that, I nodded again.

“Heh, are you going to attack like that?”

While I was muttering, I had already finished making the seal.

 I keep thinking.

“This monster’s body is probably not mercury.”

It must be a liquid that reacts to magnetic force, containing metal particles such as iron and goblin copper nickel.

Bees have minerals that respond to magnetism in their abdomens. There are many other creatures with organs that can sense magnetism, such as migratory birds and whales.

“Isn’t this slime’s body something like that?”

There is also evidence

A crown-like protrusion on the top of the head. That can follow the shape of the magnetic field. When iron sand is attracted to a magnet, something similar to that appears.

No, there is no doubt.

A thick pseudopod swung down at me, as if trying to crush a fly. But no problem at all.

《Yang Phase――――Magnetic Cloud Technique》

The Hitogata that was floating directly above the Mercury Slime King created a powerful magnetic field as its magic was released.

A body that reacts to magnetism cannot resist the magnetic field of the <Magnetic Current Cloud>.

The metal slime was attracted to the hitogata by the magnetic force, creating crown-like protrusions all over the sphere’s entire body and stopping its movement―――― as it was supposed to be.

But.

“…………that?”

Even in the midst of a tremendous magnetic field… the Mercury Slime King didn’t seem to slow down.

The thick false leg is swung down at me.

“Seika-kun!?”

Along with the sound of a mass of water falling, Ifa’s scream echoed through the dungeon.

The Mercury Slime King crawled slowly as if to retake the false leg that had been swung down. However… maybe because the opponent who was supposed to have been crushed is gone, it looks somewhat strange.

I scratched my head on the wall of the dungeon after dodging it with a transfer just before.

“It’s funny…”

It doesn’t react to the magnetic field… so maybe it’s really mercury.

Mercury does not react to magnetic force. The metals that are attracted to magnets are actually limited to some, such as iron and goblin copper nickel.

So… that metal body is just to secure weight, and the crown is just a decoration…?

“It seems that my expectations were completely off.”

“Wait a minute, are you okay!?”

“If you need help, tell me!!”

“Oh, I’m fine. It was just a little miscalculation.”

I shouted back to the two demons who were shouting loudly behind me.

At that time, the metal slime that seemed to find me stretched out its false legs again.

This time, he swung sideways like a whip.

As the strong arms of mercury approached… I made a sign with one hand, then sighed as I pointed at the floating Hitogata.

“Then, is this okay?”

《Gold Phase――――Mixing Congruence Technique》

A silver surge that closely resembled the color of his body attacked the Mercury Slime King.

The silver liquid created with the curse begins to harden while clinging to the giant slime. 《Mixed Confusion》 is originally a technique for restraint.

However, it didn’t seem to make much sense for this slime.

The bathed liquid is absorbed into the body as it is. It doesn’t seem to impede movement at all.

The Mercury Slime King, which eventually absorbed all the liquid around it, suddenly extended many false legs and spread them wide.

I let all of them attack me.

That’s when the change happened.

One of the pseudopods suddenly fell down as if it could not bear its own weight.

One by one, the pseudopods broke off one after another. From its cross section, something like a scab lid rises up and peels off.

The change also extended to Mercury Slime King’s body.

From the surface of the silver sphere, the same color crusty lid rises up and peels off.

The Mercury Slime King writhed his whole body as if in agony, but he couldn’t stop the changes in his own body that were hardening and peeling off.

Gradually, the scab-covering eroded the sphere deeper and deeper—and finally, the entire gigantic silvery body turned into a cracked mass like parched earth. 

The mysterious liquid metal body no longer exists.

I picked up the part of the slime that had fallen off and walked back to my stunned companions.

“The subjugation is complete. I had some trouble due to a miscalculation, but as promised, we will be able to return to Keltz tomorrow.”

“Eh, um… For the time being, I’m glad you’re safe.”

Rurumu said something bewildered.

“But… what is that? Why is Mercury slime like that…”

“It’s hard to explain.”

When powders such as copper and silver are mixed well with metals such as mercury that are liquid at room temperature, they have the property of forming an alloy and hardening in a short time.

《Mixed Confusion》 is a technique that uses this to restrain enemies and repair broken structures… but this time, by mixing in a large amount of metal powder and making it take in, the opponent’s I decided to harden my body.

The Mercury Slime King’s body seemed to be made of either mercury or gallium, and as expected, it solidified.

However, it’s a little confusing to explain.

“I’ll tell you later when we’ve settled down. For now, let’s leave the dungeon. It’s troublesome if you run into unnecessary monsters.”

“Seika-kun… are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

I smiled and answered Ifa with a worried look on her face.

“It’s nothing. There’s no way I’m going to get hurt.”

“yes……”

“Hey, are you okay?”

“That’s why I’m fine. What is it, Amiyu.  you worried about me?”

“No.”

Said Amiyu, frowning at her face.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to handle that level of monster opponent. That’s what I’m worried about.”

“Hmm?”

What Amiyu pointed at was a part of the Mercury Slime King I was holding.

“What’s wrong with this? Certainly it may be creepy, but if you don’t deliver this, you’ll be rewarded…”

“The requirement to complete the request is to bring back a part of the Mercury Slime King, right?”

Amiyu said with a confused expression.

“Even if you sent that lump of metal to the guild… can you believe that it was part of the slime?”

“Eh…? Ah”

 After that.

I tried my best to restore it to its original state, but it didn’t work out… I had no choice but to fill a small bottle with mercury made without a curse and deliver it instead.

Although I received the reward safely, I was afraid that it would be found out when I submitted it.

“From now on, let’s think a little more before defeating him.”

※Mixing confusion

A technique to harden the opponent by amalgam. When metal powders such as silver, copper, zinc and tin are mixed with liquid metal such as mercury, it forms an alloy and hardens in a short time. Originally a technique for restraints and building repairs, this time Seika hardened the liquid metal contained in the enemy’s body by mixing an excessive amount of metal powder.

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