WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Asakusa
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Monster Livestream Star ◈
Chapter 18: Count Ludendion's Estate (1)
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“It's so soft.”
“Miss, let me have a turn too...”
“No! Nina, you kept touching it the whole time we were in the carriage, didn't you?”
Jessie gently stroked the Slime sitting on her hand.
The Slime was so soft that she never got tired of petting it, no matter how many times she did.
Feeling its texture against her hand, the corners of Jessie's mouth kept twitching upward.
The Slime did not dislike Jessie's touch either.
Unlike the Goblin that had struck it with malice, Jessie's gentle touch was full of kindness.
Instinctively, the Slime found that gentle touch pleasant.
[Threadwork Madam]▶I want to pet Malangi too~.
▶They just keep petting it.
[Jiggly Queen]▶Grrrgh! Do not lay your hands on my kin so carelessly, human!
[Free Spirit]▶???? What? Why is Malangi at a noble estate?
[Just Slam Into It]▶What kind of nest is this? How did it go from a forest to a human nest?
As time passed, other regular viewers such as Kkanjuki and Fenrir began to join as well.
[Jiggly Queen]▶Where the hell have you all been looking?! Some human took my kin away, saying they would raise it!
[Free Spirit]▶For real?
[Just Slam Into It]▶Why are you blaming me for that?
‘No, it came into contact with humans so suddenly.’
Kkanjuki had never imagined this would happen in the brief moment they looked away, and hurriedly began thinking.
‘If it went from the Elf Forest to a noble estate, there is only one possibility. Count Ludendion's territory is closest to the Blue Elf Forest. Could it be... Count Ludendion's daughter?’
Kkanjuki's guess was correct, but they could not be certain.
After becoming a Lich, Kkanjuki had never once gone outside, too busy studying the streaming system.
Kkanjuki had memories from their days as a human mage, but even those memories became uncertain after about thirty years.
‘Still, I am glad they did not react aggressively. I am still uneasy, though...’
In the past, Kkanjuki had been betrayed by a mage from the same Mage Tower who had been obsessed with vain glory.
It left Kkanjuki with a hatred and distrust of humans, but good memories from their days as a hero barely kept that hatred in check.
Of course, whenever Kkanjuki saw a human with obvious ulterior motives, that hatred immediately showed itself.
Still, Kkanjuki was not about to direct hostility at a girl happily smiling as she petted Malangi.
“Ahhh, it's really so soft! What should we name it?”
“Isn't it a little early to give it a name?”
“Why?”
“Well... the Count has not given his permission yet. You should name it after he does, all right?”
Nina worried that Jessie would grow even more attached if she named it.
If Count Ludendion said no, Jessie would surely cry her heart out while calling the Slime by the name she had chosen herself.
Creak.
Just then, the door opened, and a servant entered Jessie's room.
“Miss, I have brought your snack.”
“Perfect timing!”
The tray carried by the servant held a teapot, teacups, cookies, and what appeared to be the main snack, a cake.
‘Woooow!’
The Slime's gaze turned to the food on the tray the new human had brought in.
Instinctively, the Slime knew that the things on the tray were food.
▶What is that?
▶You don't know? Ahh, that is called “food.”
▶Hold on! What is food? It is nourishment made by those human bastards who cannot even eat raw meat properly, to suit their own stomachs! But humans went beyond merely filling their bellies and researched and combined all kinds of food in pursuit of “flavor,” which led to...
▶Shut up, know-it-all!
▶I'm learning a lot.
▶Ahh, I understand perfectly now.
‘Food!’
“Put it here and leave us.”
“Understood.”
Looking at the snacks set on the desk, Jessie grinned.
“Hehe.”
“Miss, if you start snacking already, will you be able to eat dinner later?”
“It's fine because we went on a picnic. Besides, there's always room for snacks.”
“That is true.”
Jessie set the Slime down on her lap, picked up a fork, and cut off a piece of cake.
She speared the piece with her fork and brought it to her mouth.
“Mmm~ As expected, our chef's cake is the best~.”
A happy smile spread across Jessie's face at the sweetness filling her mouth.
Even the Slime could tell from her smile that she was eating something very delicious.
‘She ate it! It looks good! Want some!’
Brrrrrr!
The Slime's body began shaking harder with its desire to eat.
“Hm? What's wrong?”
The Slime had suddenly begun trembling as she enjoyed her cake.
Jessie removed the fork from her mouth and looked back and forth between it and the Slime.
“Do you want some?”
‘Yes!’
As if answering Jessie's question, the Slime gave a small boing! on her lap.
“Nina! Look! I think the Slime wants cake too! Can I give it some?”
“Shouldn't that be all right? I hear Slimes absorb almost anything.”
“Hehe, wait a moment. I'll give you a bite too.”
Jessie cut off a piece of cake, firmly speared it with her fork, and lifted it.
Then she faced a problem.
“...Where do I feed it?”
That was right.
The Slime was round and adorable.
Since it was round all over, people seeing a Slime for the first time had no way of knowing how one ate food.
“If you bring it close, won't it eat on its own?”
“Is that so?”
Jessie carefully brought the piece of cake on her fork closer to the Slime.
First, she brought it toward the front, where she assumed its mouth was.
“Can you eat this? It's cake.”
‘Cake! Food!’
The Slime usually absorbed nutrients through its underside, but Slimes could absorb food from any direction.
The Slime slowly began taking in the cake touching its body.
“Nina! The cake is getting sucked into the Slime! Ah, don't eat the fork.”
Once the cake had fully gone inside, Jessie pulled the fork back.
Pop!
The fork came out of the Slime's body.
Jessie and Nina watched as the piece of cake disappeared inside the Slime as quickly as snow melting away.
“Nina! The Slime ate the cake!”
“How fascinating.”
Meanwhile, the Slime that had absorbed the cake was struck by an intense shock.
‘...!!!’
It was a powerful feast of seasonings unlike anything it had ever tasted.
It was even easier to absorb than jerky, while the many flavors within it made its nonexistent eyes seem to crackle, crackle!
There was only one emotion the Slime felt upon tasting the cake.
‘Delicious!’
▷Cake! Delicious!
The Slime immediately left its thoughts in the chat.
It shuddered, then gave a light boing! on Jessie's lap.
“Look, Nina! It loves it! I think it likes the cake so much that it's jumping.”
“Can a Slime even understand the taste of cake?”
“It definitely can! Look how happy it is!”
▶Is it really that good?
▶No idea?
▶Doesn't Malangi find everything delicious anyway?
[Just Slam Into It]▶Hmph! It cannot compare to raw meat dripping with blood!
▶Nobody asked.
[Jiggly Queen]▶Ahhh, my kin is eating strange human food again...!
[Threadwork Madam]▶Well, what does it matter~? It's cute when it's happy~.
Jessie smiled at the Slime's delighted reaction and picked up a cookie, bringing it toward the Slime.
“Try this too, Slime. It's a cookie!”
‘Cookie!’
As it accepted the cookie, the Slime enveloped Jessie's finger along with it.
“Wow! It's going inside the Slime!”
“Ah, Miss! Pull your finger out quickly!”
“Ehehe! The inside of the Slime feels a little sticky! But it's soft!”
“Miss! Quickly!”
At Nina's urging, Jessie pulled her finger out of the Slime.
“It was a little sticky, but nothing got on me?”
The Slime possessed enough intelligence to distinguish what it should and should not absorb.
“Whew, Miss. Please don't startle me like that.”
“You try giving it one too, Nina!”
“Me?”
“Here!”
Jessie held out a cookie with a bright smile.
Cold sweat ran down Nina's back at Jessie's request.
She wanted to refuse.
But Jessie had already proved that it was safe.
As a maid, Nina had no grounds to refuse.
Taking the cookie from Jessie, Nina squeezed her eyes shut and brought it toward the Slime.
‘Cookie!’
The Slime immediately enveloped Nina's hand along with the cookie.
“Eek! It really is sticky!”
Nina let go of the cookie and quickly pulled her hand back.
“See? I told you.”
“Yes. Um... nothing really got on my hand.”
Having absorbed the cookie Nina gave it, the Slime happily began bouncing again.
Boing! Boing!
“I think it's happy because Nina gave it a cookie.”
“Is that it?”
Creak!
Just as Nina tilted her head, Count Rufus Ludendion entered with Pin.
“Jessie! My angel!”
“Father!”
The moment Jessie saw her father enter, she picked up the Slime with both hands, put on the brightest smile she could, and approached Rufus.
“Look! It's a cute Slime! It's so gentle, and it listens really well!”
Jessie was usually innocent, but she knew very well that she had to use her charm when pleading with her father, Count Rufus Ludendion.
“Your smile is as warm as the morning sun today as well, my angel.”
“Hehe.”
“So this is the Slime.”
Count Ludendion rubbed his chin between his index finger and thumb as he looked at the Slime.
‘Wow! New human!’
Brrrrrr!
“It's trembling?”
“It is happy to meet you, Father! When it is happy, it trembles or jumps in place!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! I'll show you!”
As though she were showing off a pet's hidden trick, Jessie placed the Slime on her bed, cut off another piece of cake with her fork, and brought it to the Slime.
“Here, cake!”
‘Cake!’
The Slime immediately absorbed the cake.
Then, just as it had shown Jessie and Nina before, the Slime shuddered at the deliciousness it tasted again and bounced atop the bed.
Boing! Boing!
“See? I was right, wasn't I?”
“Oh? It really does. ...Pin, can Slimes eat cake too?”
“They can eat most things.”
“I see.”
“Father! I want to raise this Slime! I'll take good care of it! Please? Can't I, Father?”
Jessie pleaded with sparkling eyes.
Rufus nearly clutched his heart at his daughter's adorable smile.
‘I must resist. I am a count and my beloved angel's father! No matter how much my daughter wants it, I must confirm that it is safe!’
“Nina.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Come out for a moment. I have something to discuss with you. Pin, wait here for now. Stay in the room with Jessie.”
“Understood.”
Before the Count left, Jessie sent Nina a desperate look.
‘Say the right things, Nina!’
Count Ludendion immediately questioned Nina once she followed him from the room.
“Nina, what do you think? Does that Slime seem safe?”
“For now, it does not appear to pose any great danger.”
“Hmm, but keeping a monster beside Jessie...”
“My lord, if I may, I do not think it would be good to drive the Slime out immediately.”
“Why not?”
“Well...”
Nina explained the circumstances of how Jessie had come to meet the Slime.
They had found the Slime after Nina had somehow talked Jessie out of wanting to enter the Elf Forest to see Nellin.
Thanks to it, Jessie had immediately cheered up. But if they drove it out right away, Jessie would soon start insisting that she wanted to see Nellin again.
“For now, I believe that if the Slime stays beside her, Miss's attention will remain focused on it.”
“So that is what happened... Haah, my angel truly takes after me.”
With a sigh, Count Ludendion looked out the window.
‘To think she even shares my admiration for Lady Nellin.’
The Starlight Archer.
Count Ludendion understood Jessie's desire to see Lady Nellin.
After all, he had felt the same way when he was young.
No, perhaps he had held even stronger feelings for Nellin than his daughter did.
But that was precisely why he could not let her meet Nellin.
‘Shattering that tender-hearted child's fantasy would be too cruel.’
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