Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly, staring at the clear liquid slowly seeping into the ground.
Is this that eroge cliché… the girl being overly wary of slime just because it can melt clothes.
He shifted his gaze to Charlotte, who was still standing in front of him, her expression serious as if she had just faced a major threat.
"Are slimes really that dangerous? I mean… how can something that soft even threaten someone's life?"
Charlotte glanced at him briefly, then let out a soft breath.
"They are dangerous… but not in the way you're thinking... Slimes rarely harm directly. They don't have fangs or claws." She paused for a moment, as if recalling something.
"But… sometimes they fall from above and cover someone's face. If that happens… that person can have trouble breathing."
Ethan frowned slightly.
"And worse," Charlotte continued softly, her tone more serious now, "they can enter through the mouth or nose… and reach the lungs. If that happens… it's usually very hard to save them."
Silence lingered for a moment.
Ethan stayed quiet, processing what she said. Then his gaze shifted to the hand that had just cast magic.
"By the way… can Miss Charlotte teach me that spell?"
Charlotte shook her head gently.
"I'm sorry… I can't teach you that."
"Why?"
"It's light magic," she replied softly. "That kind of magic is under the church's supervision… so I'm not allowed to teach it to outsiders."
Ethan frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
"It's not just about rules," Charlotte added calmly. "To use the light element… a person also needs the Goddess's blessing."
"A blessing?"
Charlotte gave a small nod.
"Usually through a ritual at the church. Without it… light magic won't respond, no matter how hard you try."
Ethan let out a quiet breath.
So it's not just about learning… it's also about permission.
Charlotte watched his slightly downcast expression. She stayed silent for a moment, then spoke again, her tone softer.
"…If you want, I can teach you other kinds of magic."
"You can teach other magic?" Ethan looked a bit surprised, not expecting a priest to use anything besides light magic.
Charlotte gave a small nod.
"At least the basics. Think of it as a return… for helping me find the Dreamveil."
She gave a faint smile.
"…And so you can protect yourself."
Ethan returned the smile slightly.
"Alright. I won't refuse."
Charlotte stepped back half a step, giving him space.
"Try to calm your mind first," she said gently. "No need to rush. Magic isn't about how strong you are… but how clearly you can picture it."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"First… I'll help you guide your mana into your magic circuits," she continued. "When that happens, imagine fire."
"It doesn't need to be big. Just like a candle flame… small, warm, and steady."
"Then let that image flow out from your hand."
Ethan closed his eyes.
Fire.
However, what he imagined was not a small flame, but a raging fire that was devouring his house.
Heat. Chaos. A red-orange glow burning it all away.
Ethan's breathing shifted slightly.
In the palm of his hand something began to gather.
Charlotte, watching him, slowly frowned.
"…Ethan?"
The next second—
"FWOOSH—"
Flames burst out.
Large. Powerful. Far beyond a simple spark.
Charlotte instinctively stepped back.
"What—?!"
Ethan opened his eyes. The fire danced in his hand, wild yet not burning him.
Charlotte stared at it in awe.
"…That much fire… without a chant, without a magic circle… and without practice…" she murmured.
"…and it's still stable."
She let out a slow breath.
"That… isn't basic magic," she said quietly.
A gentle smile slowly formed on her face.
"It seems… you have a high affinity with the fire element."
Ethan gave a wry smile, not expecting that tragedy to turn into something like a blessing.
"I didn't expect you to do it this quickly either," Charlotte continued warmly. "But… at least now you can feel how mana flows, right?"
"I can feel it."
Ethan looked at his body, recalling the strange sensation from before. As if… a new pathway had opened inside him.
Charlotte clasped her hands in front of her, watching him gently.
"Good…" she said softly.
"But this is still basic magic. Without a magic circle, its power isn't that great… maybe only enough to deal with slimes."
She smiled faintly.
"So… don't push yourself too much, alright. Use it when needed… and stay careful."
Charlotte then straightened up and stepped back again.
"I'll search over there," she said gently, pointing to another direction. "If you find anything… just call me, okay?"
Ethan nodded.
"Alright."
They split up again, searching their respective areas.
But instead of continuing right away, Ethan's gaze slowly returned to the clear liquid on the ground—the remains of the slime that had just been destroyed.
He narrowed his eyes.
That thing… reminds me of a weapon from the game. An ather.
That weapon didn't have a fixed form. Semi-liquid, it could change according to the user's will. It was more of a medium than a weapon—something that stored and channeled mana with high efficiency.
And… it looked very similar to this slime corpse.
Ethan stepped closer. He crouched down, then slowly reached out his hand.
His fingertips touched the liquid.
Cold. Soft. Slightly viscous.
He closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the earlier sensation.
Not fire.
Not heat.
This time… he imagined something different.
Flow.
The mana inside him began to move—drawn from his chest, then guided to his fingertips, flowing into the liquid.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
The liquid trembled slightly.
Ethan opened his eyes.
"Oh?"
The clear liquid began to clump together, then slowly crawled up toward his hand. At first, it was slow.
But as he increased the flow of his mana, its movement became faster and more responsive.
It no longer simply crawled—it started moving according to his will.
Ethan lifted his hand slightly.
And the slime followed.
Like an extension of himself.
The more mana he poured into it—the easier it became to control, and the faster it moved.
His eyes narrowed slightly. He could feel it clearly.
The mana he poured into the slime wasn't dispersing wastefully like when he used fire.
Instead—it stayed. Stored neatly inside.
"Amazing…" he muttered.
A faint smile formed as an idea appeared in his mind.
That day, aside from collecting Dreamveil Grass, Ethan also tried to understand how to use the slime. Unexpectedly, he discovered something—whenever he channeled mana to stimulate the slime's body, it began dissolving anything trapped inside it, like grass… even cloth.
The Dreamveil sack was finally full, and they decided to return to the guild to collect their reward.
Once they arrived, Ethan remained on the carriage like before.
He leaned back, letting his body relax. The sky had begun to turn orange, sunlight slanting across the streets in warm tones.
People passed by. The sound of conversations, footsteps, and occasional laughter drifted faintly through the air.
But before long, the guild doors opened.
Charlotte stepped out first.
Ethan slightly lifted himself, about to greet her—
But his movement stopped when he saw someone else step out after her.
A man.
Red armor covered his chest, sturdy and well-kept. On his back hung a greatsword nearly as tall as his body.
Ethan's eyes widened slightly.
His heart started beating faster.
The man walked forward… right behind Charlotte.
And what made Ethan freeze—
Charlotte didn't step away. Instead, she seemed to be chatting casually with him, even laughing at times.
Something felt off in his chest.
That guy… don't tell me…
Ethan immediately checked the man's information.
[
Name: [[Darius]]Age: 19Gender: MAffiliation: [[Adventurer Guild]]Job: KnightSub Job: PimpStatus: Playboy
Lv: 35Hp: 4,400Mp: 1,210Str: 61Vit: 55Def: 44Dex: 29Int: 20
Masturbation: 43Partner: 189Sex: 1,284]
He had been prepared from the start—prepared for the moment this man would appear. But what he didn't expect was… how quickly the man could grow close to Charlotte.
His fingers tightened.
The feeling rising inside him wasn't just because of what he saw.
He already knew this man.
From the very beginning.
From the prologue of the vanilla harem eroge game he once played.
But the next second, he took a slow breath and calmed himself.
He knew very well.
Jealousy was the worst emotion he could show to a woman.
He loosened his clenched hand, then rebuilt his expression as usual.
Calm. As if nothing had happened.
A poker face was something he had learned while working as an importer, negotiating with cunning Chinese businessmen. He didn't hate them. If anything, he was grateful, and had learned a lot from them.
Not long after, Charlotte finished talking with the man. She turned—and the moment she saw Ethan, her steps changed.
She jogged lightly toward him.
A bright smile on her face.
"Ethan!"
Without hesitation, Charlotte hugged him. Her body was soft, warm—and full.
I can't stay mad after getting a hug like this, can I.
Charlotte pulled back slightly, but her hands still held onto his arm.
"We got ten copper coins," she said, her voice gentle but full of excitement.
She smiled softly, her eyes shining. In their current situation, that would be enough to feed one orphanage for two days.
"This is all thanks to your help."
Ethan smiled faintly in return.
"We got it together. So it's only natural it turned out like this," he replied casually.
Charlotte fell silent for a moment.
Her smile remained, but softened slightly. Her gaze lowered, as if thinking.
"…But," she murmured.
She recalled their journey—how Ethan had done most of the work, how he found the Dreamveil so quickly… while she barely found any unless using the method he showed her.
"Now that I think about it… I didn't really help much," she said softly, a little hesitant. "Most of it… you were the one who found them."
Ethan was about to respond, but Charlotte lifted her head first.
There was sincerity in her eyes.
"So…" she took a small breath, then continued carefully, "is there something you want?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Anything… as long as I can do it, I'll try my best to make it happen," she added gently.
(Note:
100 iron = 1 copper 100 copper = 1 silver 100 silver = 1 gold 100 gold = 1 platinum Meals 2–3 times 15–25 iron)