WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Asakusa
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Monster Livestream Star ◈
Chapter 41: Next Saint (3)
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Amelia and Paulen brought Slime to Saint Fresia's room.
It was the room of Fresia, one of the heroes who had saved the continent from the Disaster long ago.
The room was spacious, with many tasteful decorations.
Fresia herself had said something simpler would have been fine, but the high priests had pleaded so earnestly that she ended up using this room.
“Amelia. Paladin Paulen.”
Now that they were in a private space, Fresia addressed Amelia more casually.
“Will you tell me what happened? Ah, but please don't make up a story like the one you told High Priest David.”
“Haha, understood. As for what happened...”
Paulen explained everything to Fresia without leaving anything out.
Why he and Amelia had left the Holy City, what had happened while they were taking a walk through the valley to rest, and why they had brought Slime here.
“What a remarkable thing.”
Having heard the whole story, Fresia was genuinely surprised.
Even a saint who had defeated the Disaster could hardly have expected a Slime riding a Lesser Troll to drift down a river.
And on top of that...
“Is this child's vibration really that pleasant?”
“Yes...”
Explaining the reason again made Amelia want to crawl under the covers in embarrassment.
Even she thought it was a truly ridiculous reason.
Meanwhile.
‘Fresia! Saint! Nellin! Friend!’
Boing!
Slime was thrilled to see Fresia.
Fresia was someone from the biography Jessie had read to it.
A member of a species similar to the humans it had first seen.
Someone who had been friends with the elf hero Nellin.
In a sense, a friend's friend.
It could not help being excited to meet someone it had wanted to see.
‘Jerky!’
There was also a small hope that Fresia might have delicious jerky like Nellin.
Fresia watched Slime bounce energetically in place with a fond smile.
“What a lively Slime.”
“You little pest, won't you stay still?”
“No, let it be. It really does seem not to threaten people.”
“Yes?”
Fresia stopped Paulen as he moved to restrain Slime.
“Ordinary Slimes rarely bounce around like this. Most flee, or crawl when they move. But this Slime is very lively. And seeing it jump in place...”
“I, it looks like it's happy.”
“Yes. That's what it looks like to me too, Amelia.”
Fresia slowly reached out her hand toward Slime.
Seeing that hand, Slime stopped bouncing and remained still. Fresia gently stroked it.
“It seems smarter than I expected. And it isn't afraid of a person's touch. What a very good Slime.”
Brrrrrrr!
Slime trembled happily at Fresia's praise and touch.
“Oh, that tickles. Hehe. But does it feel good when this vibration reaches your head?”
“Um, it was stronger than this when I received it.”
“Really? Shall I try it too?”
“S, Saint Fresia! You don't need to do that!”
Amelia had brought Slime because it felt good, but she felt terribly sorry at the thought of Fresia being made to receive it.
“I'm curious too, you know.”
Fresia did not truly think Slime would understand, but she spoke to it anyway.
“Little one? Will you give me a massage too, like you did those two?”
‘Yes!’
Slime answered inwardly, then leaped onto Fresia's head as soon as she took her hand away.
“Ah!?”
“S, Saint Fresia!”
“Oh my.”
Amelia and Paulen's eyes widened in shock at Slime suddenly climbing onto Fresia's head.
Before either of them could grab it and pull it down.
Brrrrrrr!
Slime immediately began its vibrating massage.
“Oh my, my, my, my~.”
On Fresia's head, Slime performed the vibrating massage that had earned thumbs-up from countless people.
‘This is...!’
Despite always taking care of her health, time had gradually left her body creaking in places.
And fatigue kept accumulating as time passed in that condition.
That old fatigue was melting away.
“Hey! G, get do...!”
“Just a moment, Ameliiiiiaaa~.”
“Saint Fresia?”
Fresia stopped Amelia with a voice shaking from the vibration.
“Thiiiiis is niiice~.”
“I, I'm glad.”
“Did it understand what you said? Or was that just a coincidence?”
A little later.
Fresia set Slime down on her lap after the massage and stroked it with a refreshed smile.
“Ah, that was such a wonderful massage. My shoulders had been a little stiff lately. Even when I used my Blessing, it only eased them for a while, so I had been worried.”
“Even Saint Fresia's Blessing cannot do anything about muscle fatigue... How about exercising together while we're at it? I'm sure that would help!”
“I already exercise enough on my own, Paladin Paulen. If I exercised at your level, I would be at God's side in less than a week.”
“Ahem! I am the type to recommend appropriate exercise suited to the person. Only fools beneath third-rate run people into the ground without thinking!”
“Hehe, I suppose so. I'm sorry. I said something unnecessary.”
“Not at all.”
“More importantly...”
Fresia looked down at Slime.
“This child is truly calm and clever. It is only a feeling, but I think this child understands human speech.”
“It understands human speech? Can a monster do that?”
“Of course. There are monsters that understand human speech.”
‘There are even monsters that can convey their will.’
Saint Fresia recalled the distant past.
Burning earth, ragged breaths, flowing blood.
The monster called the worst Disaster, which had claimed countless lives.
The final battle against the Black Dragon.
After a fierce battle that lasted several hours, they had barely managed to defeat it.
One of its eyes had been pierced by Nellin's arrow. Its claws, which could easily destroy buildings, had been broken by Kachal's axe. Its hard scales, which ordinary attacks could not even scratch, had been stripped away after taking Ventus's high-powered magic several times.
Every companion was exhausted, gasping for breath and barely clinging to consciousness.
And at last, the heroes had defeated the Black Dragon.
No, they thought they had defeated it completely.
Its eyes had entirely lost their light. Anyone would have thought it dead.
Relieved by that sight, her companions lost consciousness one by one.
And just as Fresia's tension eased and her eyes began to close.
[Ah, what a shame. I was going to do a fun noob-stomping stream for once, but who knew there would be guys like UR-tier characters?]
‘...!’
A voice filled with will echoed in Fresia's mind.
Fresia was too exhausted to react properly.
She merely froze at the voice that had suddenly reached her.
[This is a strange world, but becoming a dragon was awesome... Well, I left plenty of quips behind and had a great time, so this isn't so bad either.]
‘Who... who is speaking? Could it be the Black Dragon?’
Was the Black Dragon not dead yet?
Did it still have the strength to move?
That would be an enormous crisis.
Fresia was the only one barely maintaining consciousness.
[Still, I have to leave behind at least these words if I want to look cool...]
In that moment, light returned to the Black Dragon's one remaining eye.
That eye looked directly at Fresia, who was still standing.
“Haa, haa, haa.”
Her body would not move from fear and tension.
She could not even think of waking her companions.
Nor could she think of somehow attacking it herself.
But without moving, the Black Dragon conveyed its will.
[There isn't a single regret in my life... at all...]
With those words, the Black Dragon's eye lost its light once more.
At the time, Fresia could not tell whether what she had experienced was real or false.
Whether fear had made her hear a hallucination.
Or whether the Black Dragon had truly conveyed its will to her.
Just as she thought the Black Dragon's life had finally been completely extinguished.
Fresia's consciousness faded as well.
And time passed, bringing her to the present.
Fresia no longer remembered everything the Black Dragon had said then.
All she remembered was the Black Dragon saying it had no regrets in its life.
And Fresia believed that the Black Dragon had not merely displayed outward signs of intelligence. It had clearly possessed intelligence and a will.
The Black Dragon had remained an evil being until the end, but that did not make Fresia hate all monsters.
Over the course of her life, she had learned well enough that monsters were not the only ones capable of ugliness.
That was why Fresia had come to consider this possibility.
If they possessed intelligence.
If they could think and converse.
Could there not be good beings among monsters as well?
It was only a vague thought.
‘Perhaps this child is one of them.’
Gently stroking Slime, Fresia said,
“Get along well with Amelia, all right?”
‘Yes!’
Brrrrrrr!
‘Hehe, it really does seem to understand.’
Slime's reaction made Fresia feel a little playful.
“Could you grant me one favor?”
“Saint Fresia?”
“Amelia lacks confidence, so she always lets her shoulders droop.”
“Saint Fresia!?”
“So could you massage Amelia's shoulders too?”
‘Yes!’
Brrrrr!
“W, what are you saying?”
“Hehe, why not? Since it feels this good, wouldn't it be better to receive it directly on your shoulders?”
Even though Slime reacted to her words, Fresia did not think it actually understood them.
So she picked up Slime to place it on Amelia's shoulder.
But then.
Boing!
Slime leaped from Fresia's lap and deftly climbed onto Amelia's shoulder.
““Huh?””
“Hmm?”
All three blinked and stared at Slime.
They had just witnessed an action Slime would not have taken if it did not understand human speech.
“Y, you really do understand human...”
Brrrrrrrrr!
“Ahhhh~!”
Before Amelia could ask again, Slime began its vibrating massage.
The bliss of her stiff shoulders loosening kept Amelia from finishing her sentence.
While the current Saint, the next Saint, and the paladin assigned to protect them were in the midst of their confusion.
- Haa... To think it would meet Fresia too.
Alone in the workshop, Kkanjuki felt conflicted at seeing another companion from the past.
With Nellin, the longing had been stronger because, as an elf, she still had the same appearance and personality.
But with Fresia, the passage of time was plain to see. Kkanjuki could not help realizing that becoming a Lich had truly allowed many years to pass.
- You are still kind and broad-minded, Fresia... What would you say if you saw me as I am now?
Would Fresia scold Kkanjuki for becoming a Lich?
Or would she greet Kkanjuki after so long?
Seeing how much that old companion had aged, Kkanjuki could not help having such thoughts.
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