n

n

nWhen the sun was near the top.

n“He’s here!” Ryouma

nI waited at a corner of the guild around the time when Jeff was supposed to go home. After one hour of waiting, I spotted him.

nHe was reporting the success of his quest when I called out to him.

n“Jeff-san.” Ryouma

n“Hmm? Oh, Ryouma. What’s up?” Jeff

n“I was hoping to take you up on your offer the other day.” Ryouma

n“Oh, that’s pretty quick. I thought you’d think about it some more, but sure. Shall we go now?” Jeff

n“Sure, but are you sure you’re good today?” Ryouma

n“It’s fine. I’m going to the slum today anyway. My house is in that direction too.” Jeff

n“Thanks.” Ryouma

nI followed Jeff-san and helped him with some shopping he did along the way. Apparently, he was buying some provisions for the slum people. According to him, everyone in the slums of Gimuru help each other out a little bit like this.

n“The income has been bad recently too. We’re almost there.” Jeff

nAs we chatted and walked, the people around us grew sparser by the minute, until eventually, the houses changed into older looking ones. Children dressed in poor clothing could be seen here and there.

nWhenever they would notice us, they would wave at Jeff-san and call out to him. Jeff-san would respond, of course. What a peaceful scene. It seems Jeff-san is really loved. I continued to walk behind Jeff-san, and while gazes gathered on me too, I couldn’t feel any ill will from them. It seems I won’t have to fear being mugged.

nWe continued for a little more, and then eventually, we reached an old building that’s bigger than the other old buildings.

n“Gramps, you there?” Jeff

nJeff-san called out as he knocked on the door. When he did, the door opened.

nI could feel a trace of mana. It’s magic…

n“Seems he’s in. Let’s go.” Jeff

nI followed Jeff-san inside, and what greeted us was a big room.

nPast the door was a simple desk and a 60-years-old man sitting on a large chair.

n“You came again?” Gramps

nThe man brushed his white hair as he leaned back onto his chair and quietly spoke.

n“Jeff. I’m glad you’re always helping me out, but I’m not old enough to be called gramps just yet.” Gramps

n“You’re plenty old enough, gramps.” Jeff

n“My legs and loins are still fine, so I’m not a gramps just yet. So, what’s with the kid? You want me to look after him too?” Gramps

n“This guy here is an exceptional adventurer. He’s good enough to feed himself, at least, so that’s not what I brought him here for. He’s here to talk. And by talk, I mean the kind of talk that might bring money to the slums.” Jeff

n“Ho…” Gramps

nThe man looked at me.

n“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.” Ryouma

n“That sort of well-mannered words is useless here. The name is Revel. I’m the manager of Gimuru’s slums. Jeff’s introducing you, so you’re probably trustworthy, but I’ll warn you so you know. Don’t think you can just do whatever you w ant around here. I’d be grateful if we could keep our relationship harmonious.” Revel

nI felt a strong pressure when he spoke. As expected of the manager of the place.

n“But, of course. I also don’t wish for conflict.” Ryouma

nWhen I said that Revel snorted smiled.

n“Didn’t shirk even a little, eh? …Seems you got some balls, kid.” Revel

n“Duh. He’s someone I acknowledged.” Jeff

n“Right. So, what ‘good stuff’ did he want to talk about?” Revel

n“Let me answer that.” Ryouma

nIt concerns my store, so I should at least be the one to talk.

n“…And that’s the gist of it.” Ryouma

n“…And that’s the gist of it.” Ryouma

n“So, because there’s some strange guy messing with your business, you want people you can trust. And as long as they can fulfill that one condition, you don’t care if it’s someone from the slum, huh.

nThat’s not a bad proposal, indeed. I won’t have any complaints as long as you’re able to provide a decent living to whomever it is you end up employing. So, as long as you pay properly, you can take whoever you want with you. There’ll be one more person providing foods and goods too, so that’s good.” Revel

nNegotiations were a lot simpler than expected. I thought for sure I’d have to pay a referral fee, but it seems that won’t be necessary. Maybe it’s because Jeff introduced me. In any case, from here on out, what I need to do is to earn the trust of my future employee.

nAfter getting permission from the manager, Jeff-san and I left his house and went to the house of a monster tamer that Jeff knew. Along the way, Jeff-san called out to two children and had them call someone.

n“Where did you send those kids?” Ryouma

n“You’ll know later.” Jeff

nWhen we got to a house, Jeff-san violently knocked on the door.

n“Hey! Old man Corkin! You’re here right!? Open up!” Jeff

nIf someone were to see Jeff now, they’d definitely think he was a bill collector.

nSurprisingly, the door suddenly vigorously opened, and a slender middle-aged man jumped out. The atmosphere around him was like that of a salary man who’s been laid off.

n“Shut up! I can hear you perfectly fine without knocking like a madman!” Corkin

n“Well, you usually don’t show up when I call you!” Jeff

n“That’s because I’m in the middle of my research!” Corkin

n“Like hell that’s true!” Jeff

n“What does someone like you who’s never researched anything in his own life know!? Research is like diving into the deep sea of thoughts, and pursuing an idea before it vanishes like one’s breath would under the water. There’s no way I could have the time for anything else while submerged in the deep sea of thoughts!” Corkin

n“And because of that your fruitless research cost you all your fortune! And now, you’re completely bankrupt and living out here in the slums!” Jeff

n“Y-You shouldn’t say that so upfront… Forget it. What do you want?” Corkin

n“A job offer. Monster tamer work.” Jeff

nAs soon as Jeff said that, Corkin’s eyes twinkled.

n“A job? For me? Monster tamer work?” Corkin

n“Yeah. The client is Ryouma over here.” Jeff

nIt was then that he finally noticed me.

n“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Ryouma Takebayashi.” Ryouma

n“Sorry about the unsightly display earlier. You’re the client? What do you mean by monster tamer work?” Corkin

n“For the meantime, how about letting us in? Old man Corkin.” Jeff

nOh, yeah. Corkin scratched his head and let us in, then he closed the door. The house only had one room and was quite dim since it only had one magic stone for lighting. There was also a cloth in the corner of the room that probably served as his futon.

nHe didn’t have any chairs, so we sat down on the floor and talked.

n“So, what is it that you would like me to do? Unfortunately, I am not very skilled in monster taming. If you want me for my monster taming abilities, I’m not so sure I can meet your expectations. If it’s research, however, then I might be of use to you.” Corkin

n“What is your research about?” Ryouma

nWhen I asked that, he answered in a self-mocking manner.

n“It’s the last research theme I was given back at the research institute. It’s slimes…” Corkin

nSlimes!?

n“Really!?” Ryouma

n“Yes, and because I couldn’t get any results, I was fired. It’s been 10 years since then, but I still can’t let go of my research, so I’ve been continuing it until now… Why are your eyes sparkling?” Corkin

nCorkin-san had replied in a self-mocking manner, but when he saw my reaction, he couldn’t help but make an odd face.

n“It’s the sort of research the bigwigs in the institute give to someone when they want to kick them out since it’s a leisurely post with nothing to do. The same was true for me. So, tell me. Why exactly are your eyes sparkling?” Corkin

n“Because I also research slimes, albeit privately.” Ryouma

n“What!?” Corkin

nAfter that Corkin-san and I wordlessly stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds… And then, at the exact same time, we gave each other a firm handshake.

n“Comrade!” Corkin

n“Senpai!” Ryouma

n“What just happened in those few seconds!?” Jeff

n“Nah, we just sort of…” Ryouma

n“Outsiders can’t understand… The joy of meeting someone who researches the same topic.” Corkin

n“You’re damn right I don’t understand…” Jeff

nSuddenly, a knock sounded from the door.

n“Another guest? Today sure is noisy…” Corkin

nCorkin-san stood up and opened the door. Outside were a man and a woman.

n“Corkin-san? We came here because we heard there was a job offer. Is it true?” Woman

n“I didn’t think a job for monster tamers would come, so I came as fast as I could!” Man

n“Huh, so it’s you two. Robelia, Tony, the client looking for a monster tamer is inside. He also happens to be a comrade of ours!” Corkin

n“Comrade?” Robelia

n“Do you mean…” Tony

n“Anyway, go in first!” Corkin

nAs Corkin-san said that, he dragged the two inside and closed the door.

nAfter that I exchanged greetings with the 2 newcomers and we introduced ourselves.

nThe man was Tony-san. He was 23 years-old. In his case, he was an exceptional monster tamer, but his talent earned him the envy of others. He had an honest personality, and in the end, he was tricked by his superiors and coworkers. As a result, an experiment’s failure and the responsibility of a scandal was pushed to him, causing him to be demoted. He was then ordered to research slimes, but without any results, he was fired.

nWhen I asked him why he doesn’t just work as a monster tamer if he’s so good, apparently, a bigwig from the tamers guild of the town he used to live at zeroed in on him and kept him from getting any work. To make things worse, word of him being an ill-mannered monster tamer spread throughout ten tamer guild’s network, so now he can’t get any monster tamer work even if he goes to another town. Presently, he is working at the mines as a day labourer.

n“…Have you gone to the tamer guild of this town?” Ryouma

n“It was horrible back at the other towns, and I couldn’t even get any money to buy food for my monsters, so by the time I got here, I’d already released them…” Tony

nApparently, he came to this town to work at the mines after giving up on the tamer guild.

nI should probably help him meet guild master Taylor.

n“That sort of stuff happens too, huh.” Robelia

nThe woman said that as she consoled Tony-san. She is Robelia-san. A 25 year-old woman, who was sexually harassed by her boss at her research institute. At the time, she was focused on her own research, so coupling that with her lack of immunity toward men, when her boss touched her, she was shocked and accidentally sent her monster against her own boss.

nAlthough it wasn’t a strong monster – the sort that was just good for threatening – her boss still ended up being cut. Her boss played innocent, and she got the short end of stick, as she got demoted. She was assigned slime research, until eventually, she got fired. Presently, she works 3 times a week at a brothel as a servant, doing odd chores here and there. She also makes a living by patching up clothes.

nWith everyone having introduced themselves already, all that was left was my own introduction.

nSo I introduced myself and told them about the job. They immediately showed interest.

n“There’s a slime like that?” Corkin

n“That’s my first time hearing one.” Robelia

n“What a strange ability.” Tony

nI decided to give them a demonstration.

nI always have a cleaner slime with me in my Dimension Home, so I can keep my body clean. I took out that one slime and had it clean a pair of shoes.

n“Wow…” Corkin, Tony, Robelia

n“That’s a slime, alright.” Corkin

n“This pair of shoes was dirty, but the filth just disappeared. Did it melt it?” Robelia

n“But the shoes retain their form.” Tony

n“Hmm… Does it really just eat filth?” Corkin

nTo prove to them that it was safe, I allowed the cleaner slime to clean my body.

n“…” Corkin, Tony, Robelia

nI don’t know if they’re worried or expectant, but they watched me carefully as the cleaner slime cleaned me.

n“Would you like to give it a try?” Ryouma

nAfter showing them it was safe, I offered to let them experience it themselves.

n“Then how about I… huh?” Corkin, Robelia, Tony

nThe three of them spoke at the same time.

nI only have one cleaner slime with me today, so I’ll just have them go in turns.

nIt took us quite a bit of time to finish, but after going through the cleaner slime bath, their shine on their skin and the color of their hair has gotten better.

n“Oh, it’s actually better than soap.” Corkin

n“I feel refreshed!” Tony

n“Since when was it that I last looked like this!?” Robelia

nIt seems all the filth that they couldn’t get rid of due to the living conditions in the slime vanished because of the cleaner slime.

nThey really were dirty, though, considering how long the cleaner slime took, but now, they’re looking pretty good.

n“Very curious. Our job is just this slime and the laundromat, yes? In that case, will it be alright for us to research during our free time?” Corkin

n“With something like this… We could finally get back at those guys who looked down at us in the past!” Robelia

n“The salary is also a lot bigger than any job I’ve worked before… On top of that, it’s monster tamer work… I’ll do it. No. Please let me do it!” Tony

n…I can really feel their zeal. Suddenly, I feel reluctant to hire them, but… It’s not like I can really judge them considering how I’m like… So long as they won’t betray me, then that’s good enough.

nMaybe it’s because our goals are similar, but I feel like it would be okay to hire them. After hiring them, I should leave them under Carla-san’s watch until when I can fully trust them. In that case…

n“What about your current work?” Ryouma

n“I’m unemployed. And the job I took ended yesterday, so I don’t actually know when I’ll get work next.” Corkin

n“I’m a day labourer, so there’s no problem on my end.” Tony

n“I just need to leave a few words at the brothel, then I should be good to go.” Robelia

n“Alright. By the way, can the three of you do math?” Ryouma

n“Yes we can.” Tony, Robelia, Corkin

n“In that case, I would love to have you work at my store. We haven’t decided where to put the second store just yet, but you need to learn the ropes first anyway, so… Ah, by the way, what about your residence? You can choose to live in the slums or at the store.” Ryouma

n“Live in please!” Robelia, Tony, Corkin

n“Alright then. Before going to the store, though… Jeff-san, do you know a good clothes store?” Ryouma

nNo offence, but these guys look seriously shabby. Although the cleaner slime managed to clean them, their clothes are still full of holes… Only high-class stores have uniforms, so most employees work in civilian clothes. My store is the same, but their current outfit is just no good.

nBecause of that I had to ask Jeff-san and Robelia-san to buy some nice clothes at the nearest store. If there were only men in the group, I could’ve just asked Jeff-san, but Robelia-san was a woman, and none of us knew anything about women’s clothing, so I told her to pick out her own clothes.

nWhile they were out buying clothes, I went to the store and told Carm-san that I’d decided to hire some new hands.

n