WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Asakusa
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◈ Monster Livestream Star ◈
Chapter 22: Count Ludendion's Estate (5)
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‘Bread is delicious! So many people! So many things I don’t know!’
Everything the Slime saw and tasted while accompanying the inspection was delightful and satisfying.
New foods. Humans it had never seen before.
And the new senses it had gained made the Slime happy.
Human food.
Dishes made with various ingredients brought a great change to the Slime, unlike simply eating an entire deer or rabbit.
Just as eating moss had helped it grow and awaken its sight.
The Slime had gained its senses of smell and taste.
It could sense smells through its entire body, and rather than merely distinguishing food as nutrients, it could now experience taste itself.
It had only gained these new senses two days ago.
That made everything even newer, more exciting, and more wonderful.
For the Slime, a creature made entirely of curiosity, learning about things it did not know was thrilling and fun.
And it felt affection for the individual called Jessie, who had brought it such joy.
The Slime was intelligent enough to understand.
Jessie had asked the Count to go on an inspection, and she was still going around the territory for its sake.
‘Jessie! I like her!’
It had developed clear affection for her, and at the same time, it wanted Jessie to feel joy like it did.
“Hehe, Alexander II! Today, I’ll read you a book I just bought at the bookstore!”
After returning from the inspection, Jessie entered her room with the Slime and took out the book she had bought that day.
It was not based on real stories like legends or folktales. It was simply a fairy tale for children.
She had bought it because it had lots of pictures, and she thought the Slime would like it.
The Slime liked the fairy tales Jessie read to it, and it liked her voice as she read them.
More than anything, the very act of doing something for it warmed the Slime’s heart.
It wanted Jessie to be happy too.
What could it do to make Jessie happy?
The Slime fell into thought as it looked at the fairy tale book she was reading.
Then an idea suddenly struck it.
‘...! Shoulders!’
It remembered trembling atop Nina’s shoulder.
Nina had liked it when it trembled on Nina’s shoulder.
Nina had liked it.
Nina was human.
Jessie was human too.
The Slime concluded that since Jessie was human, she would also like what Nina had liked, and it immediately sprang into action.
Boing!
The Slime jumped from the bed and landed on Jessie’s shoulder as she lay on her stomach reading to it.
“Hm? Alexander II? What’s wrong?”
Brrrrrrrr!
“A, ah, ah, aahhh~.”
The Slime’s vibrations released tension perfectly.
Combined with its wish for Jessie to enjoy it, they were even more effective.
“Th, th, this fe, feels so goooood.”
Her voice trembled from the vibrations.
The Slime’s vibrations ended after working on both of Jessie’s shoulders.
“Thank you, Alexander II! That felt amazing!”
‘Amazing! Jessie liked it!’
Boing!
The Slime happily bounced on the bed because Jessie was pleased.
+++
A month had passed since the Slime began staying with Count House Ludendion.
After the inspection, it had been decided that the Slime was reasonably safe.
Jessie was allowed to go out as long as she had an escort, and she sometimes traveled around the territory with the Slime.
At first, the residents had been puzzled and wary whenever they saw it. But as the sightings became more frequent, they began to see Jessie and the Slime as a set, watching them with warm smiles.
It was not only the residents. The estate servants’ opinion of the Slime had improved greatly as well.
The reason was...
“Hehe, Alexander II! Show them what you can do!”
Brrrrrrrr!
“O, ohhh! What wonderfully bewitching vibrations! To think a Slime has such a gift...!”
“Albert! If you say weird things about Alexander II, you don’t get a massage!”
“M, my, my apologies, M, Miss!”
After experiencing the Slime’s vibration massage skills for herself, Jessie had a thought.
She wanted everyone to know about its incredible skills!
So first Nina received one, then Pin, then the cook who prepared the meals. The circle gradually widened until most of the estate servants had received a vibration massage from the Slime.
The reviews were glowing.
The feeling of stiff muscles, knotted from cleaning and various chores, instantly loosening left them with no choice but to think highly of the Slime.
And now, that opportunity had come to Albert, the head butler.
Jessie was proud.
Her plan to make the people of the estate acknowledge Alexander II, whom she adored, was progressing smoothly.
Besides, the Slime’s vibration massage skills had been improving lately.
‘Alexander II is smart, so it must have figured out the trick!’
Jessie’s guess was half right.
It had figured out the trick.
But the reason it had become better at controlling its vibrations so precisely was because it had acquired a new skill while trembling for the massages.
[You have acquired the skill: Vibration.]
The effect of the Vibration skill was simple.
It made its body tremble.
Since it could control the strength of its vibrations depending on how much energy it used, it was far more versatile than simply shaking normally.
Naturally, gaining the skill improved the Slime’s vibration massages.
While the Slime’s reputation within the estate steadily improved through its massages, there was one person who still did not let go of his doubts and wariness.
‘Is that Slime really safe?’
It was Count Rufus Ludendion.
Over the month, he had observed the Slime and thought about it.
The Slime had never shown itself to be a major threat.
Rather, it seemed highly intelligent, followed Jessie well, and appeared friendly toward humans.
More recently, it had even gained a good reputation among the servants for its slime massages.
Albert, the head butler and one of the servants he trusted, had praised it as well.
Judging from the circumstances, it was almost certain that the Slime itself was safe.
But the problem was that this safe Slime appeared highly intelligent.
As a count, he knew a great deal.
And among that knowledge was the fact that some monsters possessed enough intelligence to communicate with people, and every such monster possessed threatening power.
But if he tried to separate the Slime from Jessie based on that information alone, he could imagine what his beloved daughter would say.
“Haah.”
Count Ludendion sighed and asked Albert, who had come to his office to give a regular report.
“Albert, do you think I’m worrying over nothing? That Slime has done no harm so far, but I’m still uneasy.”
“No, not at all. You are the ruler of this territory, Count. It is only natural that you pay attention to anything even slightly concerning. All the more so when it concerns Lady Jessie.”
“But you think well of that Slime too, do you not?”
“I only believe that the Slime’s massages are excellent. If you intend to drive it out, I support that decision.”
“Thank you, Albert. Come to think of it, is there any other information about the Slime?”
“There are two things.”
“Go on.”
“First, the Slime seems to be an exceptionally curious individual.”
“Exceptionally curious... Come to think of it, Jessie said the Slime wanted to see outside.”
“Yes. When it first went on the inspection, the Slime showed a strong reaction and was delighted to see outside. But as it went out more often, Nina and Pin said it still seemed pleased, but not noticeably so.”
“Well, people grow tired of seeing the same things over and over. Monsters would not be any different. What is the other thing?”
“...”
“Albert?”
“Well... Lady Jessie is a picky eater.”
“W, what!”
Rufus Ludendion was horrified by the sudden second report.
“My angel! Our Jessie is a picky eater? Isn’t that bad for her health? Why? Our angel used to eat everything so well!”
Count Ludendion reacted as fiercely as if a critically ill patient had refused medicine.
Albert broke out in a cold sweat at his usual doting behavior and continued.
“It has been witnessed several times that she secretly moves food she dislikes, such as bell peppers and carrots, onto the Slime’s plate.”
“How could this be! You wretched Slime! How dare you threaten the health of our beloved angel!”
“Count, it did not threaten her. Lady Jessie is simply a picky eater. Please calm down.”
“Albert! What if our beloved angel’s health worsens because she is a picky eater? She is still at an age when she should be growing so much! Being a picky eater could be disastrous!”
Jessie had long passed the age where such nutrition needed worrying about, but Albert did not point it out.
Since the Count had paid special attention to her nutrition from childhood, she had instead grown so well that people might mistake her for an adult despite her age, but Albert did not point that out either.
Albert knew.
When the Count’s doting behavior ran wild like this, it was best to let him say everything he wanted to say, then soothe him appropriately.
+++
At Count Ludendion’s summons, Jessie arrived at his office with the Slime and Nina.
“What is it, Father?”
“Jessie, I think it’s time for you to part ways with that Sli... Alexander II.”
“What? W, what do you mean, Father? Part ways with Alexander II?”
Unable to believe Count Ludendion’s words, Jessie hugged the Slime that had been sitting atop her head.
“I heard. You have been making the Slime eat food you dislike.”
“...!”
‘Nobody was supposed to know!’
Jessie knew how much her father hated her being a picky eater.
So she had been careful, secretly giving it away, but someone had actually seen her.
“I’m sorry, Father! I won’t be a picky eater anymore! I won’t make Alexander II eat it for me anymore! So please forgive me!”
“I’m glad to hear you will not be a picky eater anymore. But Jessie, even aside from that, you must part ways with the Slime.”
“Why? Is it because Alexander II is a monster? But Alexander II is really gentle and kind! It even gives everyone massages!”
Jessie looked at Count Ludendion with tears welling in her eyes.
The sight of his beloved daughter’s eyes nearly made his heart soften, but he barely held firm and gave the answer he had considered again and again over the three days before summoning her.
“This is for Alexander II’s sake.”
“For Alexander II’s sake?”
“Yes. You know that child is very curious, do you not?”
“Yes.”
“This estate is far too small for that child. The reason it wanted to go outside must be because it originally lived outside. It wants to be outdoors even more because it lived in the wild. Jessie, my beloved daughter. Continuing to keep that child here would instead be bad for it.”
“Th, that can’t be...!”
The answer Count Ludendion offered was this.
Go back to where you lived!
It was the logic of releasing a wild animal back into the wild.
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