“Last time I checked that was my name, yes,” she answers with a warm smile.

I look at her in surprise. She wears her characteristic purple robes with cut sides to reveal her smooth, long legs, and a triangle cut above her chest to show a little bit of cleavage. She is only a tad shorter than me.

“How did you know I was here?” I ask shocked.

“I asked the King. How else?”

“What? Oh, come on! He swore to keep his mouth shut.” I roll my eyes.

She puts a finger on her lips and winks at me. “A woman has her ways.”

“Note to self, never underestimate women. Especially those which can pry information from kings.”

“Wise decision.” We chuckle together.

“So, is there anything you need from me?” I lean onto the frame and ask.

“Is that all you have to say after running away from me in the library?” She crosses her arms and raises her brows. “And then disappearing from the castle without a word?”

“Ah… Sorry… I was kinda out of it that day. And you see… I was in a bit of a tough spot…” I answer apologetically, rubbing the back of my head.

“Did you really think anything would change after revealing to me that your Class is all about sex?”

My eyes widen a bit. “How much… do you exactly know?”

“Everything. At least everything that Rossberg knows. Am I that untrustworthy? Aren’t we friends?” 

She assumes a quite hurt and betrayed expression. I straighten up, put my hands on her shoulders and speak looking straight at her.

“Listen. I trust myself less than I trust you. I suddenly got bombarded with ridiculous abilities. I had zero ideas about their effects. Would you not do the same if you got a skill that could brainwash other people without your intention? I was not going to take risks. Not with you.”

I try my best to sound confident and convincing. Everything I said was true. I was able to avoid her. If not for Shino coming after me every day, I’d have most likely tried so with her too.

Cornelia breaks the eye contact and looks away. “Fine. You are right. Sorry for jumping at you.” 

She looks back and sighs. Then she blinks a few times and looks at me curiously.

“Don’t be. I’m at fault, but… is something wrong with my face?”

She moves her face closer and starts sniffing the air around me.

「Oh fuck… I forgot...」

“You started using perfumes? I must say they are great. This charming and sweet lilac scent really suits you.” She takes a deep breath and smiles blissfully.

“That’s exactly what I meant earlier. You are sniffing my sweat. Literally.”

She breaks out of her daze. “What?!”

“Just one of my titles’ effects. Get it now?”

“Okay, you are excused. This is just your sweat?” She nods and supports her chin with her hand, staring at me.

“Yeah. So again, how can I help you?”

“That’s my question.”

“Huh?” 

It’s my turn to blink in confusion now.

“I want to join you,” she says.

“Even after knowing what kind of business this will be?”

“Yes.” She nods confidently. “Ah, but I don’t plan on joining… you know… to do that. I just thought you might want someone to help you run this place.” She looks away, slightly embarrassed.

“Hahaha, certainly! But why would you choose that over being a Court Magician?”

“Do you really need to ask?” 

She sighs and shakes her head. I look at her still slightly perturbed.

“You are an unknown. An unpredictable variable. And I am a scholar by heart. Even before you’ve gotten your Class, there was so much stuff I was able to learn from and about you. Even forgetting the knowledge from your world, there’s this aura of mystery all around you.”

She pauses for a moment to gather her thoughts.

“You are an otherworlder. A Hero. A person with a Class with pretty much no information about it. You are affectionate and smart. You treat everyone equally, no matter their title, position or race. There are just so many interesting things to study about you. Besides... the days we spent together in the library… I had so much fun just being around you… You were the first person to not say that I’m an obsessive freak and run away…” She smiles bitterly.

“True. The moment you get into your scientific heat, you can ferociously assault people with questions for countless hours.”

She drops her gaze with an even more bitter expression. I quickly pull her into a hug.

“But did I ever say that I dislike this side of you?”

I speak while taking her into a warm and friendly embrace. She hesitates for a moment, just standing there awkwardly, but in the end, she also places her hands on my back.

“No, you didn’t...” she whispers quietly.

After a moment, I break off the hug and smile at her.

“With you here, it will be immeasurably easier to manage everything. I expect many great things from you, partner!” I plop my hand onto her shoulder.

“Guess I have no choice, but to do my best no—...w.”

She ends her sentence with a weird pause like she was still going to continue and squints her eyes. Her gaze takes the form of someone who is not present with their mind at the spot.

“What this time?” I ask while slowly waving my hand in front of her.

“What are those?” 

She points behind me and I turn around. From the left wing’s corridor, close to the ground, two single-coloured heads peek out. A green one and a blue one. They quickly disappear after I lay my eyes on them, but the fingers holding onto the edge are still visible.

「Oh come on. Give me a rest...」

I turn back to Cornelia and sigh. “That’s Emi and Safi. They are Slimes. I saved their lives by accident.”

“Slimes? You mean the weak jelly monsters?” she asks, puzzled.

“Nah. They are Queen Slimes.”

“Queen Slimes?! Where in hell did you get Queen Slimes a day after leaving the castle?!” she shouts totally bewildered.

“Found them in some random barrels,” I say jokingly.

“Wha—?! How?!  I—?! What?!” 

She frantically moves her gaze between me and the corner of the corridor, flustered. Her mouth gaping like that of a fish out of the water.

“THIS! This is exactly what I was saying!” She points at them with both of her arms extended like a merchant presenting their wares.

I chuckle. “Yes, yes. I get it. I’m a magnet for weird situations. Come in, let’s not stay in the doorway any longer.”

I make space for her to enter and close the door after her. We start walking towards the two curious entities.

“You can come out. I know you are there. It’s okay, she is my friend,” I shout their way.

The slimes take a peek again, and after a while, they step out into the open. Emi is standing slightly behind Safi and peeping our way shyly. When we reach the halfway point, Cornelia stops.

“Hey,” she says.

“Yes?”

“Tell me. Does your smell also cause hallucinations or does one of them have a… vagina?” she asks with her eyes wide open, glancing over the obvious place.

“No, I don’t think so and yes.”

“I need answers. A lot of them.” She moves her gaze onto me; her eyes literally sparkling from curiosity and passion.

“And you will get them. One thing at a time, okay? This morning is quite hectic.”

I signal to the girls to come closer and we all sit down by one of the tables in the main hall. Safi and Emi sit on the sofa on both of my sides, glancing at Cornelia who positions herself on the opposite side. Emi entwines her elbow with mine, visibly uncertain about this situation. I rub her head and smile to reassure her a bit. Safi looks a bit more composed. She sits on my left side with her back straight and hands joined on her thighs.

“So…” Cornelia sweeps her gaze over all of us. “It seems like you are pretty close.”

I pat Emi a bit more. “She is just scared. They went through a lot. Anyway. Cornelia, this is Emi and Safi. Emi, Safi, this is Cornelia. She will help me take care of this place, okay?”

I explain while pointing at each person. They both nod, still a bit uncertain. I briefly go over what she knows with Cornelia and fill her in on the other details about my plan. Then, I tell her about my encounter with the slimes. I promise to tell her all about my Class and abilities sometime later.

“That’s so like you.” She shows a reminiscing smile.

“What do you mean like me?”

“Do you think I’m blind? Do you know with how much disdain and disgust you have looked at people who belittled other races in front of you? I also know you always took scraps from the kitchen before going to the town. Do I even have to guess for what purpose?”

“Are you sure you are a magician and not a spy?” I give her a doubtful look.

She chuckles. “Don’t make light of a scholar’s information network.”

“I’m starting to have second thoughts about who actually runs this kingdom.”

We both laugh.

“Well then. I suggest we split up and each of us handles a different matter,” she says.

“Good idea. We have a lot of areas to cover.”

“I’ll return to the castle and see what I can do about maids and servants. I don’t think posting an announcement is a good way. We need people without any prejudice against other races and willing to work in a brothel too,” she presents her idea and starts pondering over it.

“I’ll try to get someone into the kitchen. I planned to do it just before you arrived.”

We all stand up and move to the middle. Cornelia decides to stay around for a bit to check out the mansion. I prepare to leave.

[Don’t worry, Master. We will wait for you patiently,] Safi’s mouth conveys the words and she bows her head lightly.

“I know you will. If she tries anything funny, you can melt her clothes.” I pat their heads with a mischievous smile.

[We would never hurt Master’s friends.] She tries to keep calm but I can see her slightly wobbling from my hand.

“Wait! You can understand them?! How?!” Cornelia catches onto me speaking like I’m having a conversation.

“Ah right. It turns out my Linguist allows me to read from lips. They have to be fully developed though. I can’t understand Emi.”

“Marvelous! Truly amazing! So much to learn! I can now study not only you but also communicate with Queen Slimes! Ah, I wonder how their cores feel in touch—”

She dives into one of her scientific states and loses all contact with the world. 

“Cornelia. Cornelia! CORNELIA!”

I try to shake her out of it but it's not working. Worried that she might forget herself when I’m not here, I forcefully clap my hands in front of her eyes.

“—nd if I try to—AH! YES?!” 

She jumps back. I raise my finger in a threatening way and look her straight into the eyes.

“Just two hours ago they were being physically abused by Humans. Almost met their ends there. DO. NOT. Force yourself on them. Got it?”

“I’m sorry… I promise I won’t…” She joins her hands and apologizes.

“Good. I’m going. They are friends, not test subjects, so treat them like ones.”

 

※ ※ ※

 

First, I decide to check all the notice boards I’m aware of, but even though they are flooded with job offers and people advertising themselves, there are hardly any cooks. If there are, they usually list requirements that are quite unachievable for me.

I decide to stop by the Adventurer’s Guild and have a nice chat with that cute receptionist girl. Unfortunately, she can’t help me with my problem but instructs me to visit a few offices which fare in recruiting. I follow her advice.

In one of them, I’m able to acquire a decent list of people with cooking skills or Jobs, that are looking for a workplace. I’ll have to contact and audition them first. The president of the locale suggested considering buying a slave if there would be any problem with normal hiring.

At some point in my search, I realize that I not only need to find someone willing to work around other races but also to learn and prepare cuisine for them. I don’t want to feed them the same thing every day and I’m pretty sure not all of the races like the usual Human dishes, even though they would still eat if that was their only option.

I really want to fill my staff with Humans, so that in the future they can spread the word as living alongside non-humans isn’t that bad. And for the visitors to perceive a similar message. But in the end, I might not have that much leeway to do that. Hopefully, Cornelia will be able to come up with something when it comes to maids.

It’s already getting dark when I’m done looking for the day. I eat something on my way back and grab a few apples, pretzels, bread rolls, some cake, and stuff it into my ring.

 

※ ※ ※

 

Barely seconds after I enter the mansion and close the door, something crashes into my back. Something very elastic. Green, jelly arms appear on my chest and I can feel someone’s cold face nuzzling to me from behind.

“Calm down, Emi! I’m glad to see you too, but let me enter!”

I hold my arms up and turn around to face the enthusiastic slime. I give her head a few good rubs. Then, I notice Safi standing a bit further and I’m hit with a surprise. She’s wearing a long, oversized white shirt, from under which black panties peek out. She entwines her hands in front, accentuating her bouncy chest even more.

With Emi in tow, I walk her way. “You look gorgeous in that.”

Her cheeks get a bit more colour and she smiles shyly. 

[Thank you, Master. Your friend found it and told me to cover myself with it.]

We move upstairs to the room I chose for mine. Sitting on the bed, I tell them what I have been up to today. I give them a few fruits and pretzels to try and watch as they slowly disappear inside their bodies. For the whole time, Emi snuggles to me from every possible angle and Safi sits on my left side trying to look calm and collected.

“Did something happen when I was out? You two seem a bit different.” I ask Safi while rubbing the belly of the other girl, lying on her back on my lap.

[We answered some questions from Master’s friend… She also talked to us a bit about Master…]

“Oho, now I’m getting curious what weird ideas she could have given you,” I say more to myself. “And you can call her Cornelia. She’s our friend, not just mine. At the same time, you don’t have to keep calling me Master. You are not my slave.”

[Master doesn’t want to be our Master? I understand...] 

She starts looking down and fiddling with her fingers. A phrase I’ve encountered sometime in the past reappears in my mind. 

‘Are you really thinking of their well-being by setting them free if they do not want to be set free from you?’

I close my eyes and sigh deeply.

「This is not Earth. They are not modern Humans. I should not let my past knowledge cloud my judgement.」

I open my eyes, turn to her with a serious expression and brush her cheek with my right hand. She looks at me slightly surprised.

“Safi. Tell me. What do you wish for? Both of you, actually. And speak honestly. I want to know whatever it is.”

Emi gets up from my lap, sits on my right side and they look at each other for a moment before Safi moves her lips again.

[We want to repay Master’s kindness—]

“Is that really what you want for yourselves?” I interrupt her.

[… We want to stay by Master’s side. We felt warm when around Master for the first time in our lives. It felt really good. We also want Master to feel good and be happy. That’s why for my advancement, I choose to be able to mimic the Human body better. But… we are just Slimes…]

“And I want you to be happy too. If you really want it, I’ll be your Master. What if you are Slimes? You are very cute and charming Slimes. I could spend whole days just hugging and cuddling with both of you.”

Emi jumps at my arm and starts grinding her body against it with an excited expression. Safi smiles enchantingly and also finally leans over my side. I gently caress her head. She uses her hand to slowly unpin the buttons in the shirt and reveals her big bouncy sapphire breasts to me. I don’t know if her nipples can get erect, but they are definitely pointy.

[Can I make Master feel good then?] 

She moves to sit in front of me, between my legs, and presses her chilly chest against mine. I swallow my saliva. Even with all this coldness, a certain part of my body is getting increasingly hotter.

“Are you really sure about that? You don’t have to do all the sexual stuff to make me happy.”

I try to pry for the last time before I cross the point of no return. My mind is already getting filled with lots of indecent thoughts. Safi stares at me pondering over something.

[Is Master a virgin?]

My eyes widen in consternation.

“Where did that come from?” I get embarrassed by her unexpected question but decide to answer honestly. “Yeah...” I’m the one to shyly turn my eyes away this time.

[I see. It’s understandable that Master wouldn’t be willing then…]

“What? What’s the relation here?” I turn my face back to her, now puzzled more than embarrassed.

[The girl whose memories I’ve inherited always considered her first sexual experience as something special. She wanted to offer her body to the person she would fall in love with. It’s natural for Master to not want to waste his precious first time on monsters such as ourselves.]

I open my mouth agape, totally bewildered by her statement.

“You stupid little girl.” I chuckle and shake my head. “You talk about my first time, but wouldn’t it be a first for you too? Didn’t you say it’s reserved for a special person and not just some random Human you met by accident?”

[I’m not a real girl. I’m just a Slime mimicking the form of one. That belief was just from the memories of that person. And, I can’t even replicate a lot of details of a Human body, like having a first time…]

Her shoulders drop down and she assumes a disheartened expression, yet smiles faintly after a moment.

[And Master is not a random Human! Master is kind and doesn’t hate us! Master saved our lives! And! And…] 

Her cheeks grow opaque to the extent where they look practically solid.

[And when Master touched my core, it felt really good… and Master’s hands tasted sweet too… Other Humans always tasted disgustingly bad… Especially that man from before…]

I pull her as close as possible. Our faces are almost touching. We look each other in the eyes.

“I don’t care if you are a Human, Elf, Dragon or Slime. You are very adorable and sexy. I’d love to do it with you, but only if you are okay with it.”

[I am!] she expresses herself with confidence.

Suddenly, she jumps a little and I see a pouting Emi bumping her fists at her from the side.

[Ah! We are!] she quickly corrects herself.

I giggle a bit and ask, “Do both of you want to become my Partners then?” I invoke the Love Contract skill in my mind but decide not to ruin the moment and explain the details later.

[Yes, of course!] Safi nods vigorously.

I cup her chin with my hand and turn her face back to me after she was looking at Emi for confirmation. Then, I plant a gentle kiss on her frosty, charming lips. A slight shiver runs down my spine from the icy pleasure and I can see Safi’s core tremble from the same.

I break off and turn to Emi on my right. Her face is already quite close. Without a moment of hesitation, even though her lips are much less detailed and visible, I place a kiss on them too, while supporting Safi’s back with both my hands.

 

 

I swipe the window that appeared in front of me away to check it later. There are much more important things to focus on right now.