*Interlude*

*This incident happened 10 minutes before the present time*

At the lake, Guild Master's shout can be heard.

"Mana Shaker!!!"

Guild Master once again punches the brown magic circle in front of him. The invisible impact goes towards the lake once again but it does not affect the Fiend Kraken who keeps regenerating its body from the adventurer's attack.

(As I thought, there is not enough mana in the lake.)

As Guild Master thinks that, Rimikia the elf approaches him and starts talking.

"I'll take over the command. In the meantime, please take a rest."

"Got it. Sorry for the trouble it."

After Guild Master says that, Rimikia quickly goes back to the Fiend Kraken. He agrees to Rimikia's suggestion quickly because Mana Shaker requires large amount of mana.

While watching the fight with Fiend Kraken, Guild Master looks at the direction where Shion party went.

(Once Shion and others bring back the Topologic Mana Denser, I can finally dive underwater to activate it again.)

The Guild Master looks back at the lake before thinking further.

(The deepest center part of that lake is another leyline point where I can use Topologic Mana Denser to create water full of mana. It can create the water way faster than the other leyline point. I can have someone else dive underwater while I prepare my Mana Shaker. But it is still too dangerous with Fiend Kraken inside the lake. That's why I initially chose the second best point, but...)

While Guild Master is still thinking, Griselda is looking at the empty potion bottle after she drank it.

Griselda then remembers seeing the goblin kids staying at Pepprica's place before she went for the raid this morning.

"Can you go on?"

Griselda suddenly hears Guild Master's statement and looks at him who stands not too far from her right side.

Griselda quickly nods and immediately replies.

"Yes. Anytime."

Then the Guild Master replies while focusing his gaze on the raid battle against Fiend Kraken.

"Then I want you to search for Shion's party."

"! But..."

After replying to Guild Master's request, Griselda looks at the adventurers fighting the Fiend Kraken with worried look.

"Don't worry about us. In fact, I am more worried about them. Can I ask you to check on them?"

"... Understood!"

It takes three seconds for Griselda to think and reply.

"Piney!"

Then she shouts at her familiar who is lying near het foot. When a familiar is activated, the mind of its master is usually connected to the familiar itself. Therefore, the master does not need to create a new magic circle nor say any precise command to move their familiar.

Piney the Slime quickly turns into form similar to a surfboard on the ground.

Griselda quickly stands on top of surfboard form Piney. The slime surfboard then starts sliding at high speed on the ground and carries Griselda away from the raid battle zone.

Guild Master takes a glance at Griselda when she is leaving.

"It will prove nothing."

Then Veylene suddenly says that while she is standing not too far from the forest surrounding the raid battle zone.

Upon hearing those words, Guild Master immediately focus his gaze towards Fiend Kraken.

Veylene then takes a small stone from the ground. And then use the power of her right thumb to throw it to separate a pear-like fruit from its branch. Veylene easily catches the falling fruit with her right hand.

"No matter what she does at this point."

Right after saying that, Veylene takes a bite of the fruit.

Guild Master is aware that Veylene is talking about Griselda. Hence, he replies without looking at Veylene.

"Even so... I still want to give chances to people who deserve it."

*Back at present, when Griselda is carrying Ean with both of her hands while her right hand is also holding the slime in whip form.*

With shocked eyes, Ean asks a single question while looking at Griselda's face.

"Why...?"

"..."

Griselda hears Ean's question. But she chooses to focus her gaze on the big plant monster in front her because she knows that Manterlant is a dangerous monster.

Manterlant then turns its face towards Griselda and Ean. It quickly charges to them with its mouth open.

"Piney!"

The water whip jumps out of Gridelda's right hand and turns into a big slime with size similar to the incoming Manterlant.

Piney jumps fast and far enough to clash with Manterlant before it gets near Griselda. Piney stops the Manterlant's momentum and starts squirming at its body to prevent it from moving further.

While Piney is restraining Manterlant, Griselda notices that all of Manterlant's vines are already cut off.

(That's...)

However, before Griseda thinks further, she suddenly hears a girl's shout.

"Griselda! Ean!"

Ean and Griselda then take a look at Griselda's left side to see Shion running towards them.

*End of Interlude*

_________________________________________

"Pant... pant..."

I can't help but to breathe like that after arriving near Griselda and Ean. All this running makes me tired.

I look at Griselda's slime restraining the Manterlant.

"Are you okay?"

Then I hear Griselda saying that while looking at me with worried expression.

"Yeah, just a little bit tired. Anyway... Ean, did you meet Miika? I asked him to chase you."

I say that as I look at Ean.

"! ..."

However, Ean is surprised by my question and avoids eye contact with me.

*crack!*

Griselda and I look at the source of that crack voice. Apparently the restrained Manterlant just crashes into a tree and yet it still maintain its balance while the tree falls down.

Even without the mana, that monster still has that much strength huh... hm?

As I think that, I notice that there are different patterns of astral bodies inside the stomach of that monster. And one of them looks really familiar...

"It's... my fault...!"

Both Griselda and I look at Ean right after Ean says that. Then Ean continuea talking.

"Because of me... Miika... Miika got...!"

While still being carried by Griselda, Ean starts crying before she finishes her sentence. But I already get the gist of it already.

"! Miika..."

After realizing what Ean implies, Griselda looks at Manterlant with sad face.

They probably think that Miika is already dead, but I can sense that Miika's astral body is moving inside that monster's stomach. If that's the case...

"Griselda, can you help me open that monster's mouth for at least a minute?"

Griselda looks at me with surprised expression before replying to me.

"Shion, what are you...?"

_________________________________________

*Interlude*

Inside Manterlant's stomach, Miika is squirming in pain because of the wound on both of his legs.

However, he can still withstand pain to some degree due to his experience of being physically abused.

It is quite a dark place but Miika can still somehow see his surroundings. There are also lots of liquids that makes his surroundings quite slippery.

With the intention of getting out of there, Miika successfully puts himself in a sitting position even if he cannot move his legs at all.

He uses his right hand to touch the stomach wall on his right side. After confirming the location, he decides to take his magic dagger from the back side of his belt. However, he realizes that the magic dagger is no longer there.

He remembers that he let the magic dagger falls to the ground when he rushed towards Ean to save her from that plant monster.

Right after he remembers that, the stomach suddenly moves. Miika gets caught off guard and let his body falls again due to the slippery surroundings.

"... ugh..."

Miika lets that voice out of frustration.

(Even though I resolved myself...)

He thinks that as he remembers Shion who was crying in her sleep yesterday.

He wants to be useful to others.

That is the amnesia boy's only method to get out of feeling of nothingness inside his heart.

Being useful means that other people accept his existence. That is his way of thinking.

Therefore, he wants to be useful for the person who saved him, Shion.

And yet, he can't seem to help her that much lately. Unlike others whom he can help easily by doing them favours, he feels like it is really hard to help Shion.

Or rather, he feels that he becomes a burden to Shion instead.

(Is there anything... I can do...)

He searches through his mind. Anything that can get him out from his current situation.

He can't bother Shion more than this. However, as he searches through his mind, he remembers the image of his former master, Panthos and then people that he met after him including Shion.

(... why did I suddenly... remember all of this...?)

However, before he finds his answer, something approaching him from above.

*thud!*

"Ow!?"

Miika shouts that on reflex when a person's feet steps on Miika's left shoulder.

"Ah, sorry."

Shion says that after realizing that her right leather shoe is on top of Miika's left shoulder.

It turns out that Shion is the one who jumps into the Manterlant's stomach right after Griselda's Piney forces the Manterlant to open its mouth.

On the outside, Piney stops restraining Manterlant's mouth and let it closes its mouth. Ean and Griselda are looking at Manterlant with worried look.

*End of Interlude*

_________________________________________

"Shion!?"

I hear Miika's surprised voice from below. As expected, he's still alive.

However, both of his legs are heavily injured. I need to get him out of here fast.

"W- what are you..."

Miika says that after I pull out Emeraldian. To save time, I point it in front of the stomach wall instead of answering his obvious question.

*woom!*

The Emeraldian's light sabre appears and pierces the stomach wall.

"!"

Miika looks surprised as the monster starts moving around again.

I immediately try to grab the other part of the stomach to maintain my balance while cutting through the stomach wall.

I cut it until there is a hole big enough for both of us.

Then I try my best to lift Miika's body up.

"Grr...!!!"

I shout that out while using my remaining strength to jump out from Manterlant's stomach with Miika.

*thud!*

Both of us fall to the ground. I am already too tired to even lift Emeraldian and Miika's legs are still heavily injured so both of us cannot defend ourselves against the Manterlant which is currently wriggling out of pain.

But at the opposite side of where I and Miika jumps to, Griselda already prepares her water spear. The moment she sees us fall to the ground, she throws the water spear at the Manterlant.

*Chut!*

The water spear easily pierces the Manterlant's stomach.

"Piney!"

Right after hearing Griselda's command, the slime turns from spear form into big thorns stabbing the Manterlant from inside. Manterlant struggle for few seconds before it dies.

Using slime familiar to transform into various objects huh... I never see that method of fighting before.

"S- Shion..."

I look at Miika lying on the ground besides me.

We fell on the ground while I was carrying him so my right hand is still on top of his chest. On top of that, both of us are covered with some slimy liquid from that Manterlant's stomach.

"Pant... pant..."

And then I am panting out of tiredness. Definitely not the best situation I am experiencing right now.

"Are you okay?"

Miika says that while looking at me with worried expression.

"Better than you at least."

I immediately reply with that. I want to take potion from the small bag on the back part of my belt. But I guess I am too tired to even move my right arm.

Then I notice Ean approaches us with guilty look on her face.

"! Ean!"

Miika's shout surprises Ean. Ean then avoids eye contact with Miika. But Miika still talks regardless.

"Are you hurt?!"

Ean is surprised by Miika's question and then answers in low tone.

"N- no..."

Upon hearing Ean's answer, Miika looks relieved and smiles.

"I see. Thank goodness, you're not hurt..."

"!? .... *hic*"

Immediately after hearing Miika's reply, Ean starts crying.

"*crying* I'M... I'M REALLY SORRY!!!"

Ean cries like a kid who just got scolded by her parents. That is probably the most child-like behaviour that I have seen from her. And yet it feels the most natural attitude compared to how she behaved before.

"Eh!? What's wrong!? Are you actually hurt!?"

Miika says that as he is shocked by Ean's sudden cry.

"Don't worry. She's not hurt at all. Rather, you guys are the ones who got hurt."

Griselda says that as she approaches us while carrying her familiar in small slime form on top of her right hand.

... hm? There is a magic circle inside Piney. If I'm not wrong, that magic circle is...

"Liquid Absorption?"

I say the magic name out loud for confirmation.

"Ohh. As expected of Shion, if I use this magic with Piney, I can lessen the mana consumption. Though Piney still needs direct contact with other liquid for this spell to work."

Griselda says that as she approaches both Miika and me while Ean is still crying.

Direct contact... don't tell me...

"W- wait a minute. I don't think you need to do that. I mean... it's better to heal Miika's legs first."

I say that while trying my best to move my tired body.

"Of course I will also heal Miika's legs. But that liquid cannot be left alone either. The effect is quite slow but it's still Manterlant's digestive liquid. It will corrodes not only your clothes but also your skin."

"Guh..."

I say that because I have nothing else to say. If what she says is true, then we have no choice but to quickly get treated.

But... touching the same slime who just pierced that Manterlant monster from its inside is a bit...

"Don't worry, it will feel slimy and weird at first. But you two will get used to it and feel good soon."

Griselda says that with a smile. And that smile is probably the scariest smile I have ever seen ever since I met her.

Miika looks at me with confused expression because he does not really get why I am reluctant about this kind of treatment.

"... please go easy on us."

I say that statement with low tone. And that is my last statement before I have my first experience of being 'treated' by a slime...