The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 3 - Chapter 143

Chapter 143:

Sora...and Sword?

WHEN I TRIED to leave for the forest the next morning, I got a different gatekeeper…and boy, did he block my way. I told him I would be okay, but he kept scolding me, saying a child couldn’t go out there alone. It was only after I promised him that I would keep my senses open for strange auras and run at the first sign of danger that he finally let me go. I guess I do look like I’m asking for trouble. Still, it was surprising how overprotective the gatekeepers in Oll were. I guess it was in part because of the gurbar threat, but I hoped I wouldn’t have to go through the same ordeal every time I wanted to visit the forest. That would get old real fast.

Argh… Well, anyway, I headed for the dump. My mission: to collect food for Sora and Flame! At first I was afraid I would need to collect twice the potions to feed two slimes, but my worries were in vain. Sora was eating half of what it usually ate, and Flame would eat the other half. In other words, the two slimes ate about the same amount as Sora did before the split. I guess that meant Sora was eating extra for Flame all that time. It was just one mystery after another.

“Found it! Wow, it’s just as big as I’d hoped, too.”

A giant dump lay spread out before my eyes. Even at a brief glance, I could tell it was filled with many different kinds of trash. I saw an unsheathed, broken sword, and I was extra careful not to cut my feet as I approached it. As I surveyed the area around the dump, I looked for a spot with little to no breeze. Something about scavenging at a dump felt so warm and cozy to me.

I carefully set the bag containing Flame down in a depression in the ground at the base of a lone tree. Then I opened the bag, gently lifted Flame out, and set it down in a spot with no draft.

“Wait here, okay? I’m going to go collect some potions. Make sure you don’t let the breeze carry you away.”

Sora would often get tumbled around by the wind. I wasn’t sure about Flame yet, but I still had to be careful. If I let a strong gust blow on the new slime, who knew where it might end up?

“I’ll be right back, Flame.” I was here for the sole purpose of collecting potions for Sora and Flame. Since I was using my new magic bag, the potions would deteriorate much more slowly, and I would have plenty of time to use them. I entered the dump with Sora bouncing along beside me. The little slime seemed in much higher spirits today.

“Be careful, Sora. You could get hurt.”

Okay. I don’t want to stray too far or it’ll be a pain walking back, so I’ll stay in this area. Wow, there’s a lot of trash here. But, oh dear…the potion quality doesn’t look too good.

“Pu, pu, puuu.”

Sora is sure in a good mood. Did something nice happen? I turned to look at Sora…and found it impaled by a sword.

“Huh?! Whaaat?! Whoa, Sora! Are you okay?”

I ran over to Sora to get the sword out of it, and…hm?

Khee-shuwaaa, khee-shuwawaaa, khee-shuwaaa, khee-shuwawaaa.

An indescribable noise came faintly from Sora’s mouth as the sword got smaller and smaller. Was Sora eating it? Sora kept making the sound, and the sword sank further and further inside. Now Sora was about to swallow the hilt. The slime was definitely eating it.

Um, wait…Sora only ate blue potions at first, right? Then, when Sora ate red potions, it created a red slime. So what will Sora give birth to from eating a sword? Wait, stop that! That’s not the issue here, Ivy. Huh? I watched closely as Sora ate.

Khee-shuwaaa, khee-shuwawaaa, khee-shuwaaa, khee-shuwawaaa.

Sora was now swallowing a second sword with unbelievable energy. I had seen a sword-eating slime once, but its tamer told me it took half a day to eat just one sword.

Khee-shuwaaa, khee-shuwawaaa, khee-shuwaaa, khee-shuwawaaa.

Yet here was Sora, about to swallow two sword hilts at once. It looked pretty satisfied, so I figured there was nothing wrong. And this digestion rate was Sora-specific. I guess it’s okay. Yeah, let’s go with that. Gee, this is really throwing all my conclusions from yesterday out the window.

“Ha ha ha, c’mon, Sora, you’re going outside the normal range of human comprehension.”

Who exactly am I making excuses for here? Argh…I’ll look for more potions. Oh! If Sora eats swords now, does that mean Flame also eats things other than potions? Well, I’ll gather some potions first, then I’ll check on Flame. And wow—there really is a lot of trash.

“Oh, wait! Do I have to start collecting swords now, too?”

I looked at Sora. It was jiggling very contentedly. Just how many swords did it eat? All the swords around it had disappeared before my eyes. Thank goodness I had a magic bag. Otherwise, we’d be in real trouble here.

“Okay, all done.” I stashed the potions in one magic bag, then pulled out a new one and packed some swords into it. I was really glad I’d brought the spare bag. I returned to the tree where I’d left Flame and found it had fallen over, pretty much as I’d anticipated. Flame was just as vulnerable to wind as Sora was, even though there wasn’t much wind today.

“Are you okay, Flame?”

“Teryuuu.”

I hope it expands its vocabulary a little. Flame seems even more disappointing than Sora…

“Puuu!”

I was only asking questions, yet Sora sounded angry. How did it know what I was thinking?

“Flame, is there anything else you want to eat besides red potions?”

“Teryuuu.”

I don’t understand you! Oh well, I’ll just put some different things in front of Flame and see what happens.

I returned to the dump, picked up a variety of items, and lined them up in front of Flame. Some cotton clothes, a bamboo basket, a wooden basket, a sword, and a shield. I also found some arrows, and there were even several pieces of cookware, from pots and pans to dishes and bottles.

“There. Okay, Flame, what are you hungry for?”

Please…at least give me some reaction, or I’ll feel really pathetic. And as for you, Sora, you’d better not eat the swords I brought for Flame. You had one just a few seconds ago, remember?

“Not hungry?”

It’s not moving… Does that mean it’s not interested? Well, when I first met Sora, it only ate potions, too.

“I’ll assume this means you’re not hungry right now.”

“Teryuuu.”

I’ll take that as a “yes.” Well, now I better return all this stuff to the dump.

“Okay, once I’ve brought everything back to the dump, let’s go visit Ciel.”

“Pu! Puuu!”

“Teryuuu.”

You guys sure do tire me out… Flame still couldn’t move on its own, so I had to carry it in the bag. And since I had to handle it so delicately to avoid destroying it, the task was very nerve-racking. Carefully, carefully…gently, gently… Just performing this simple act for the first time in a while was exhausting.

“Okay, Flame, we’re leaving. Sorry in advance for the turbulence.”

We left the dump and headed for the forest. I checked for the auras of monsters and animals but didn’t sense any coming toward us. After a while, I caught Ciel’s aura on a gust of wind. I stopped in my tracks and looked up. I knew it. I locked eyes with Ciel, who was perched up in a tree.

“Good morning, Ciel. Sorry I’m late.”

Mrrrow, Ciel trilled, gracefully leaping down from the tree. It went straight to purring and nuzzling against me.

Things were so hectic yesterday, I never got a chance to thank you. “Ciel, thanks for protecting the slimes and hunting the gurbars yesterday.”

Mrrrow.

“The people of Oll have been on edge because there’s no veteran adventurers here. But I think they feel safer now that you’ve hunted those gurbars. Seriously, thank you.”

Purr, purr, purr.

I slowly petted its head. Ciel closed its eyes and purred euphorically. It was the cutest thing ever.

“Pu! Pu-puuu,” Sora sang, gleefully bouncing around us.

Come to think of it, Sora’s been in a great mood ever since yesterday. I hope it stays content like this for a while.

“Oh, I almost forgot! Ciel, my taming mark changed slightly. Can you come a little closer?”

“Pu! Puuu.” Sora leaped into my arms. Thankfully, I’d anticipated it this time and was prepared. Phew.

“Pu! Pu, puuu, pu.”

“Yes,” I sighed, “I can’t explain it in words. So, Ciel, this is what the symbol looks like now.”

I showed Sora’s symbol to Ciel, who took a good look at it. Then the symbol on its forehead disappeared and a new one appeared. Yep. Every time I see this adandara, it does something extraordinary. I touched the symbol on its forehead softly. I hope I can tame you for real someday.