…Among other things, Sebasu-san would bring me food once a day. There were times when he would be waiting for me by the door too, but regardless, the food would always be brought in a basket.
Once, there was even a letter from the ojousama included, telling me not to worry about the slimes left in the inn as they were taking care of them.
A lot of people were looking after me, not just the 9 guards, so I worked and rested nonstop, and as a result, the scavenger slimes split again, bringing their numbers up to 3,033. With that I was able to make 3 king scavenger slimes, each with 1,011 scavenger slimes, and had them line up to fill the entire latrine pit as they went to work.
Their skill levels also went up.
King Scavenger Slime x3
Skills:
Disease Resist Lv7
Poison Resist Lv7
Lead Belly Lv8
Clean Lv8
Deodorize Lv8
Deodorizing Liquid Lv6
Stench Lv8
Produce Fertilizer Lv7
Physical Attack Resist Lv7
Enlarge Lv5
Shrink Lv6
Jump Lv3
Overeat Lv4
Disease Resist never leveled up again, though. It seems level 7 is enough to deal with the Idake Virus.
Clean, Deodorize, and Overeat have all gone up most likely because of the work we’ve been doing. I don’t quite understand why Physical Attack Resist went up, though. Could it be because their bodies are rubbing against the walls? Or perhaps it’s because their bodies are rubbing against each other? I’m not really sure, but high skill levels never hurt anyone.
I followed after the slimes, disinfecting the walls with a combination of Mist Wash and Range as I went along, until eventually, we were almost done.
When we got to the last latrine pit. The slimes ran through the walls and the ceiling once, then I cleaned them a second time with water and heat. I used identify to ensure that everything was clean, and when I saw that it was, the work that I’ve been continuing these past few days was finally concluded.
“All done?” [Gordon]
“Yep, everything’s clean.” [Ryouma]
“Great! And with that everything’s been taken care of. Good job.” [Gordon]
“You really did manage to do everything in one go.” [Cher]
“The only breaks you ever took was to eat.” [Gordon]
“Now that you mention it… Ah, Raypin-san, please run your checks.” [Ryouma]
“Right… Ok, there are no problems. Everything is clean. All that’s left now is to go back and report to the guild, de aru.” [Raypin]
“Thank you. Shall we go?” [Ryouma]
“Wait. I’ll bring you, de aru. ‘Warp’.” [Raypin]
Apparently, Raypin-san could use dimension magic, so he used the intermediate spell, Warp, to bring us to the guild. He may talk arrogantly, but he’s a good guy.
As soon as we got to the guild, the receptionist girl sent us to the guild master’s office.
“Ryouma, huh. You done?” [Wogan]
“Yes, all 30 latrine pits of the common toilets have been cleaned. It should be ok now.” [Ryouma]
“Great! That’s great! All of you should go home and get plenty of rest today! I’ll contact the others. Tomorrow, you can come back here, and the guild will give you your payment. Ryouma, you took care of most of the work this time, so you can expect a handsome reward.” [Wogan]
“Sure. I’ll be going— Oh, right. Guildmaster.” [Ryouma]
“What?” [Wogan]
“No one’s gotten sick, right? I couldn’t be informed of the goings in town while in the latrine pits, so…” [Ryouma]
“Don’t worry. I called up a well-connected grandma I know to get the medicine, so there should be enough medicine for everyone even if someone does get sick. That being said, no. No one has gotten sick so far… You mentioned it takes 10 hours after entering the body for that Idake Disease to take effect, right?” [Wogan]
“Yes, that’s what appeared when I used Identify.” [Ryouma]
“Then it should be fine. The medicine you mentioned is already underway, so just go home already and sleep. You haven’t had a wink of sleep yet, right? If anyone gets sick, I’ll tell you. Sleepiness and tottering on your feet ain’t helping anyone.” [Wogan]
“…Right. I’ll be on my way then.” [Ryouma]
After saying that, I left the guild and the three people that came with me.
As I walked the road back home alone against the chilly winds, that nostalgic floating sensation after several sleepless nights hit me.
I returned to the lodging with only the pleasant winds for my companion, but when I got back, the members of the ducal family were there to welcome me.
“Welcome home! Ryoumsan!” [Elialia]
“Welcome home, Ryoumkun!” [Elize]
“Welcome home.” [Reinhart]
“You look well. That’s good, that’s good.” [Reinbach]
“Welcome home, Ryoumsama.” [Sebasu]
“Please leave your baggage with me.” [Arone]
“Have you eaten yet?” [Lilian]
All 7 of them welcomed me back home.
What a nostalgic feeling.
How long ago was it that I was last welcomed like this? …Was it back when my mother was still alive? No, Elialia and the others have welcomed me so many times, so why… Why do I feel like this?
“Ryoumkun, is something wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?” [Elize]
“No… My body is fine. I was just reminded of the past a little…” [Ryouma]
Family? Ah, right… It’s that feeling. That’s what they resemble…
When I couldn’t do my job well, when I came back home dead tired, when I was fired, when I couldn’t find work, when I was depressed… Each and every time, the one who was always there to welcome me back home was… my mother.
“Ryoumsan!? What’s wrong!?” [Elialia]
It wasn’t until when the ojousama cried out that I realized it. I was crying. Without knowing it, without my permission, my eyes just started leaking on their own.
“Ahh… I’m sorry… It’s alright… Really… I just remembered my family a little. For some reason, being welcomed like this reminded me of the past… It’s strange. You don’t even look similar.” [Ryouma]
My mother wasn’t bad looking, but she did have a normal face with no remarkable features, completely unlike this family of absurdly good looking people.
While I was thinking something stupid like that, before I knew it, the madam had taken me into her embrace, Elialia was hugging my arms, Reinhart-san had his hand over my shoulder, Reinbach-sama was patting me on the head, and Sebasu-san and the two maids were looking at me with warm eyes.
After that I was taken care of. They fed me, they prepared a bath for me, and then tucked me into a futon.
I don’t know if it’s simply because I haven’t pulled all-nighters in a while that I can’t think well right now, but… It’s not a bad feeling.
The warmth of having someone welcome me and the sense of fulfillment after a day’s hard work that I’m realizing for the first time because someone was actually there to welcome me… All of that filled me with a sense of satisfaction as I allowed the comfort of sleep to take me.