Chapter 25 – Clean up
The beholders and the gnolls asked to serve Slade. As a result, Violet learnt that he could turn into a talking puppy.
“What’s with this popularity? Slade can’t even talk. Are you trying to take advantage of my slime?” Violet asked.
The matriarch gave a look of confusion.
“Slade can talk,” Shaki said.
“Heh?” Violet blurted.
“Yeah, he turned into a gnoll cub and talked really cutely. His fur felt great to pat,” Milia said.
Oh no, here it comes! Slade thought.
Slade ejected out from the golem, ready to run away.
“Oh my… it’s awesome! I want to see it too!” Violet shouted.
He sighed in relief. At least Violet wasn’t disgusted like Shaki.
“Slade, come here and show me~!” she said.
She crouched to his level as he timidly crawled out of the golem’s feet. On his four limbs, he cutely tilted his oversized head.
“Hewwo Viowet...” a high-pitched voice came out.
She buried Slade in her chest, rubbing her cheek on his fur.
“Your voice is so cute!” She broke into laughter.
“His face is funny too,” Lorely chuckled, bopping his nose.
“What a handsome cub,” Metiva patted him. Her eyes glinted with a predatory spark.
“Blind. Frustration. Despair,” Griscent said.
“Yeah, he’s good at sex too.” Milia scratched his tummy.
“Y-yeah? What do you mean?” Violet asked in a flustered voice.
“We had sex to recharge his mana. He can’t regenerate mana on his own without sex. Didn’t you know?” Milia asked back.
“Really?! Oh my god, thank you Milia for feeding him! I wouldn’t have sent him away if I knew that,” Violet said.
“Yeah, right… You would rather keep him all for yourself. I know you did it together.” Milia wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“What?! That’s wrong! I- I would ask a harpy to do it,” Violet said, her eyes swam.
“No need to hide anything, we can ask someone else instead… Is she saying the truth, birdtits?” Milia asked.
Violet dove into Lorely’s chest, seeking refuge.
“Shhh… Everything is fine,” Lorely whispered into her ear.
“Mistress, you made a really perverted slime. Also, I found bestial rook-sovereign sex books in the medicine shelves back when Milia was injured from fighting your golem. I thought they belonged to Lorely but I’m starting to doubt my judgement,” Shaki said.
“There’s no way I’d read something like tha- oops, sorry mistress,” Lorely said.
“Fuck, I thought we wouldn’t need medicine if we never got out of the cave,” Violet muttered.
“I see that’s where your passion for magic comes from. I guess the longer you stay single, the more degenerate you get. As expected from the century virgin granny!” Milia roared in laughter.
“Noooo, stop looking at me like that!” Violet screamed.
Slade was no longer the scapegoat. Everything degenerate about him was reported on Violet.
“I-I am not just doing weird stuff with magic! Just you wait, I’ll show you the extent of my powers!” Violet said.
“Mistress, don’t push yourself!” Lorely said.
“Let’s go summon the town core, Lorely!” Violet couldn’t take the bullying and initiated a tactical retreat to the ruined palace.
“Slade, eat the dead harpies and clear the rubble covering the casualties! Make sure you don’t move the other corpses from the ground!” she shouted as they flew away.
“So… Uhm… What about us?” Metiva asked.
Milia put her hand on her shoulder.
“You’re going to pay back for that betrayal, remember?” she asked.
“O-of course, we’ll help you lord Slade!” Metiva ran away with the gnolls, to dig out the corpses.
Slade refilled his alchemical reserves by eating the fallen harpies.
[Shapeshift: Harpy form acquired.]
In top condition, he finished healing the injured beholders.
His secondary skill -Basic First Aid- worked in tandem with Regeneration, advising him on prioritizing specific wounds to save his patients.
Eventually, he saved 5 beholders, increasing his army to 48 specimen.
Fortunately, the experience points were not deducted for not finishing them off.
“Incredible! Your healing is flawless!” Griscent said.
“Could you take a step away or two?” Slade asked. The giant eyeball was uncomfortably too close.
“Anyway, let’s try my new form!” Slade said.
[Shapeshift activated: Harpy form.]
He turned into a miniature girl.
“You look cute,” Griscent said, whipping out a hand mirror from a dimension rift.
“What the hell?! I have a normal face!” Slade shouted.
He rubbed his head trying to shapeshift his face with male features. It turned into his usual :3 face.
“Fuck that shapeshift skill!” He threw a tantrum, trashing on the ground.
“Master, our artifacts are under this giant pillar! Can you lift it?” Metiva asked.
Slade returned to Crown, the earth elemental. The gnolls and the beholders worked together to clear the debris.
By the time they finished, Violet and Lorely were back.
“Let’s celebrate the founding of the Holloweye Dungeon!” Violet shouted.
“Awesome! Yaaay~!” Milia clapped her hands.
The beholders gave a weak cheer as they had mixed feelings about their home being invaded.
“Come on, guys! It isn’t as good as the southern plains, but you found a new home without kobolds to bully you!” Milia slapped the back of a gnoll.
The gnoll sniffled, nodding in tears. His family didn’t survive the fight, but the other clan-member could finally rest in a safe place.
“Let’s start by building a warren to make some pawns!” Violet said as she fiddled with the sovereign book.
Small tunnels appeared at the wall of the cave, and 14 troglodyte pawns emerged from the shadows.
“Shaki, you’re in charge of the troglodytes to mine the ore,” Violet said.
“Alright, can I take 5 of them as personal guards?” Shaki asked.
She could link herself to 6 different troglodytes, and it felt uncomfortable to have only one life left.
“Sure. Let’s move on to the main event! I have a mind-blowing spell to show you all!” Violet said.
“Aren’t you pushing yourself too much?” Lorely asked.
“It’s fine… I changed my bracelet only a month ago.”
Violet took the warbanner and flipped her floating spellbook open.
Slade could feel a tremendous amount of mana filling the cave.
“She won’t implode us, right?” Metiva asked, worried by the long cast.
Overlords and Warlocks were infamous for their ruthlessness and show of power.
Knowing Violet’s gentleness, Slade couldn’t imagine that she would intentionally harm them… But intentionally was the keyword.
After a few minutes of spellweaving from Violet and Lorely, the ground brightened.
Butterflies of light fluttered from the glowing floor. The ground cracked open, as blooming vines and flowers climbed the bodies of the fallen gnolls and beholders.
Beads of light appeared over the corpses and slowly descended.