The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 9 - Chapter 444

Chapter 444:

The Truth About Sol

WE’D DECIDED THAT Zinal would bring Eche over from the captain’s house, so we parted ways with him at the guild master’s front door.

“Will this all be okay, sir? I feel like Eche will draw people’s attention if she comes here.” Since everyone knew she worked at the captain’s house, she would stand out if she was spotted at the guild master’s place.

“It’ll be okay as long as they don’t recognize her. Leave that to me.”

I gave him a curious look. What did he mean by as long as they don’t recognize her?

“Well, see you later.”

We watched Zinal walk away, then unlocked the guild master’s front door.

“Ivy, let’s get our story straight. Turns out we were just under a spell, after all.”

“Okay.”

I’d assumed we were all right now since Sol had broken the spell, but I guess not. The only thing we were sure of was that we wouldn’t fall under the spell again because Sol told us so. We thought about all the possible explanations, but we didn’t have enough information to draw any conclusions. Once we were inside the guild master’s house, we took the creatures out of their bag.

“Sol, could I ask you a few questions?”

“Pefu!”

“Thanks.”

I went into the dining room and heaved a quiet sigh.

“I’ll go make some tea,” my father said. I jumped up to follow him. “Aren’t you tired? Sit down.”

“I’m not tired. It’s more like my brain is a confused mess.”

My father nodded in understanding. He returned to the room with some tea and some sweet snacks. Meanwhile, Ciel had returned to the small version of its true form. I assumed that was okay, now that it had permission to do so.

“Pefu!”

As I sat and took a sip of tea, Sol jumped on top of the table and then looked up at me and my father.

“Thanks for everything you did today, Sol. You freed us from the spell by breaking that stone.” I looked it in the eyes and thanked it, and I meant every word. There was no telling what would have happened to us if Sol hadn’t been there… Just thinking about it terrified me.

“Pefu!”

“Sol, we have a lot of questions we want to ask you…is that okay? If it is, make a sound. If it’s not, then don’t say anything.”

“Pefu!”

“Thanks.” Okay, what should I ask first…? “So, um, did you know what kind of effects that summoning circle had?” I mean, if it didn’t know, it wouldn’t have smashed it up like that.

Silence.

“Huh?” my father and I both gasped. Sol didn’t know? Then why had it destroyed the stone so aggressively?

“Um… That means you didn’t know, right?” I asked, just to make sure.

“Pefu!”

Okay, so Sol didn’t know. Then why did it destroy the stone that way? I asked if it knew “what kind of effects” the summoning circle had, didn’t I?

“So, you didn’t know the summoning circle’s exact effects, but you did know that it was hurting me and Dad?”

“Pefu!”

Aha, that’s why Sol was so mad. I wonder know long it knew? Well, then again, it would have told us as soon as it knew…

“Did you realize that summoning circle was hurting us the moment you saw it?” my father asked.

“Pefu!”

So Sol didn’t know until it saw the summoning circle. Hmm, now would be a good time to ask a question that’s been bothering me for a while.

“Hey, Sol…you’re planning to leave me and my father, aren’t you?”

Sometimes I would catch Sol staring out the window listlessly. Seeing the slime like that always made me feel like we would have to part ways soon… I looked at Sol, who responded with a bewildered expression. Uh-oh, was I wrong? Now I feel embarrassed for all that agonizing I did, and how I psyched myself up to give Sol my full support to make whatever decision it wanted…

Sol kept looking at us without a noise.

No answer… That probably means I was mistaken. But, Sol, you’ve always looked so sad whenever I watched you from behind… Maybe that was just my imagination.

“But why do you always stare outside so intently, then?” I asked. “Is it because you sense magic energy?”

“Pefu!”

Oh, is that why Sol looks outside? Because it senses magic energy?

“Sol…how should I ask this?” my father stammered. “Uhh, do you notice magic energy from far away?”

“Pefu!”

“Oh, okay…” My father looked confused by Sol’s enthusiastic response, and I didn’t understand its feelings, either. I was curious about it, but I decided I’d better ask some other pressing questions.

“Sol, you freed me from the spell in the plaza, right?”

“Pefu!”

“When you did that, didn’t you say I’d never be under the spell again?”

“Pefu!”

“But the summoning circle etched in the stone cursed me again, right?”

“…Pefu!”

Oh no, I’ve upset the poor thing. Does this mean Sol couldn’t have predicted it?

“Were you not expecting the summoning circle to curse the entire village?”

“Pefuuu.”

Oh dear, now it’s really upset. But I had to ask, or else I wouldn’t know.

“I’m sorry, Sol. Please don’t be upset. You saved us all, Sol.”

“Pehhh.”

I gently petted Sol’s head, but it did little to console the poor slime. Its eyes still looked incredibly sorrowful.

“Teryu.”

Just as I heard Flame’s voice, it jumped onto the table and nuzzled maternally up to Sol, who jiggled affectionately against it.

“Hm?”

Do slimes even have sexes? I looked at my father, who gave Sol and Flame a startled look in turn. We had never seen them act like that before. Well, let’s just give them some space.

“Thanks, Flame.”

I decided to let Flame take care of Sol while I went over everything we knew: Sol could sense far-away magic energy, but not even Sol had predicted the summoning circle etched in stone. The stone summoning circle must have been quite the exceptional exception, especially when you consider how it was meant to target people with alien skills and memories. That would mean somebody out there knew about us and wanted us gone. Worst-case scenario, they might be trying to kill us this very minute… 

I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve always been the center of trouble even though I’ve tried to avoid it all these years. That means there’s no point in trying to run.

“Sol, did you know that summoning circles were being used in Hataka before we came here?” my father asked.

Sol just stared up at him blankly.

Sol’s gaze was so icy that my father nervously gave its head some pats. “Sorry, Sol! Er, I wasn’t blaming you! I was just making sure.”

Well, that’s what you get for wording your question in a misleading way, Dad.

“Aww, Sol, please forgive us. We’re just trying to eliminate some theories one by one.”

“Pefu!”

Okay, let’s organize everything we know about Sol. It likes magic energy and can sense it from far away, but it can’t tell what kind of magic energy it is from a distance.

“When you see summoning circles, you can tell if they’re dangerous then, right?”

“……”

Er—silence? Wait, but Sol just said it knew when it saw the summoning circle… If it’s not the summoning circle…then it’s the magic energy? The summoning circle’s magic energy?

“Can you tell whether a summoning circle is good or not from its magic energy?”

“Pefu!”

Okay, that makes sense. So it’s actually the magic energy that Sol can read. You know, the more I learn about Sol, the more of a mystery it becomes. Sol, the slime who sits at the window, sensing magic energy in the distance. Sol, the slime who eats magic ener… Huh?

“Wait a minute… When you sense the magic energy in the distance…does it make you hungry?”

“Pefu!”

My father and I stared in silence.

Now I get it. That definitely would make me feel sad. To sense such delicious magic energy but know it’s so far away… Oh! No…it can’t be…

“Hey, Sol…have you ever thought about leaving us because you sensed some magic energy and wanted to go off and eat it?”

Sol paused for a long time, and then…

“Pefu!”

Ha ha ha ha ha! Well, it looks like Sol’s loyalty to us is stronger than its appetite for now.