The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 8 - Chapter 391

Chapter 391:

Because Sora’s Special

“OH, NO PROBLEM. It was fun… Er, I mean, I’m glad you’re free of the spell, sir.”

Oops. My true colors came out there… Well, it was just so funny to watch how everyone moved like they were doing a coordinated dance… Nope, it’s wrong to even have that thought. Everyone cooperated like that because there was no other way to break the spell.

My father patted my head with a smile. “Ivy, you’d better keep that thought to yourself.”

I had made Zinal stare, so I awkwardly avoided his gaze. “Anyway, how are we going to deal with the other members of your party, sir?”

“Either punch them out or drug them…”

Those were terrifying things coming from Zinal’s mouth just now… Um, sir, don’t you think that’s a bit extreme?

“Um, couldn’t we just bring Sol over to them while they’re asleep?”

“Hey! Why the normal suggestion after the abuse I just went through?”

Just what did you want me to do, Zinal?! I sighed out loud without meaning to. “We had no time to think, so we just had to wing it, sir.”

“Yeah, I figured as much…but I’m still kinda sore about it.” Zinal looked a little disgruntled.

“Zinal, has your personality changed?”

Zinal smiled sheepishly. “It probably has. I must’ve made a fool of myself under that spell. You’re probably sick of the inspector side of me by now.”

Aha, so he really was in inspector mode the whole time. Maybe that’s why there was always something about his personality that I couldn’t quite grasp.

“You’re good at winning people over. Is that something you learned with practice?”

“Oh, no. I’ve always been good at building a rapport with others; that’s probably why they picked me to be an investigator.”

Ah, so he leaned into the personality he was born with. Yes, all three men in Zinal’s party are good at figuring out how friendly or how distant to act with people.

“You know, Ivy…how should I put this…you’re kind of mysterious in a lot of ways.”

“I am, sir?”

How am I mysterious? I can’t think of anything. Is it because I have memories of my past life?

“You are. And that mysteriousness really pulls people in and makes them want to take care of you.”

What is he talking about? I looked up at Zinal in confusion. He smiled and gave my head a pat.

“So, what are we going to do with your friends?” my father asked.

“That’s a good question. We need to get them back to reality, and fast.”

Zinal sighed deeply, and stern creases appeared on his face. Huh… Why is he acting so much grimmer about the situation than I am?

“I’ll be frank: I want to borrow your slime Sol to help my friends. If that worries you, you can come with me back to the inn. I’m sure they’ll get drunk, come back to the room, and sleep until morning.”

I looked at my dad, and he gave me a nod. That meant it was my decision to make. We needed more people on our side, so I was on board with the idea of freeing Garitt and Fische from the spell. And Zinal was right: Catching them when they were asleep after an evening of drinking was ideal. If they woke up while we were curing them, things could get dicey. But I was worried about sending Sol off alone, so that was out of the question.

“It’s okay if my father and I join you, right, sir?”

“Of course.”

Then I had no problems with the plan. “All right, we’ll help.”

“Thanks, I mean it. Oh, and can I add one more person to the list? My son?”

“Your son, sir? The one who just got promoted?”

“Yeah, there’s no telling how long he’s been under the spell’s influence, so I’m worried he won’t be able to return to normal. But if there’s a chance to save him, I want to try.”

Of course he would want to save his son. Any father would. “Could we, Dad?”

“Yeah… Just brace yourself, Zinal.”

“I know.”

He knows what? Brace himself for what? Oh, that’s right, he said he wasn’t sure his son could be saved. Maybe if you were under the spell for too long, you could never return to normal?

“Hey, Dad, does something happen if someone’s under a summoning circle’s spell for a long time?”

“The magic of a summoning circle sometimes changes a person. After all, it meddles with a person’s magic energy—something that should never be touched. I’ve never seen it myself, but there’ve been documented cases of people becoming empty shells of themselves or violent beyond help… Some reports have even talked about people getting so aggressive that they had to be killed.”

Oh my God… I looked at Zinal. His eyes met mine, and he smiled faintly. He had come here to celebrate his son’s promotion, but now…

“What happens if we don’t break the spell?”

If breaking the spell would break a person’s mind, what if we just left them alone?

“They wouldn’t last long. Their forcibly warped magic energy takes a toll on their body.”

It had been naive of me to think that simply breaking the spell would solve everything. I’d had no idea a summoning spell’s magic was that serious.

“It was smart of you to break the spell on me. Didn’t you worry things might go south?”

Zinal’s question made me gasp softly. That’s right. We might’ve been in grave danger.

“We figured we were early enough to save you, since your party got here only a few days before we did.”

Wow, my father’s amazing. He always thinks everything over before he acts, unlike me. It’s embarrassing that I just do stuff on impulse.

“Hey, Dad? Thanks for everything.”

“Huh? Hey, don’t sweat it, Ivy. If you weren’t so impulsive, Zinal would probably still be under that spell.”

Well, I’m pretty sure you would have managed some other way, Dad…

“For the record, I couldn’t have handled this alone.”

“Really? Huh, wait… Why?!”

“I overthink things, and sometimes that stops me from doing what I need to.”

Really? I don’t think it’s like that at all.

“What a sweet family you are.”

Oh no! Poor Zinal is about to face what might be the worst tragedy imaginable, so why am I acting like this? Isn’t there anything I can do to help?

“Sol?”

“Pefu?”

“I want to break the spell on three men. Can you help? Also, one of them might’ve been under it for a very long time. Will he be okay?”

“Pefu!”

“Pu! Pu, puuu!”

Hm? Sora?

“Pu! Pu?”

What’s going on? I feel like Sora’s trying to tell me something.

“Do you want to come with us?”

“Pu! Pu, puuu!”

I was right.

“Pu! Pu?”

It’s still trying to tell me something. Why does it want to join us in the first place?

“Is there something you need to do at the inn?”

“Pu! Pu, puuu!”

I asked the question on a whim, but it turned out I was right. Sora has business at the inn? With Garitt and Fische?

“Do you need to see Mr. Garitt? Or Mr. Fische?”

No reaction… Maybe Zinal’s son? But why would Sora need to see him? I’m gonna backtrack a little… Let’s see, what were we talking about before Sora spoke up? I think I’d just asked Sol if somebody who was under the spell for a long time would still be okay. Then Sol and Sora both answered… Huh? In other words, both of the slimes said he would be all right. It makes sense Sol wants to come because it can break the spell, but Sora? What did Sora realize it could do to help?

“Sora, can you save Mr. Zinal’s son?”

“Huh?!”

“Pu! Pu, puuu!”

My father and I stared at each other.

“Hey, what do you mean? Can my son be saved…?”

Oops, I need to explain things to him! But can we really save his son? What if we can’t?

“Druid, Ivy, don’t look at me like that. The day I heard my son would be an elite adventurer, I made peace with what that might mean someday.”

My heart ached hearing him say those words.

“Pu, puuu,” Sora’s sad voice reached my ear. I looked at it, and it stared back at me.

Oh no! I just hurt Sora’s feelings. Sora knows it can save Zinal’s son, and I doubted it. And I’m underestimating Zinal’s grit, too.

“I don’t know what condition your son is in, Mr. Zinal, but Sora will save him. I know Sora can save him.”

“Pu! Pu, puuu.”

It’s okay. I’m sure Sora can do it.

“Um, Ivy? I know what slimes can do…” Zinal’s voice sounded doubtful.

I looked at Sora again, and it looked back at me and jiggled. Yes, everything will be fine. Sora’s special!

“Everything will be okay, sir, because Sora’s special.”

“That’s right. If Sora says he can be saved, then he can be saved,” my father said.

Zinal looked conflicted.

“Zinal, Sora isn’t an ordinary slime,” my father said.

“I can tell by looking at it. You communicate flawlessly with it, and it seems to have a good read on me, too. But, you know, slimes are monsters that clean up trash. Just how is a slime supposed to save my son’s wounded magic energy?!” Zinal howled grimly.

My father opened our magic box and took something out of it. Then he set it in front of Zinal.

“What’s this…a potion? Wait, why is it sparkling blue?”

“This is a wound-curing potion Sora made. It can even bring someone back from the brink of death.”

“What?!”