Syl: Chapter 302

Chapter 302: Heal Slime

After everyone calmed down, Loreleia, with the help of Paeris, began to explain the actual plan. I was still surprised that they didn't want me entirely stripped of the Sylthaeryn identity anymore.

While having me "killed off" was an option, it was one they wanted to avoid. I'd garnered quite a name for myself and my accomplishments in the dungeon, and even the relationship established with the Carren branch was fruitful.

There was also the situation to deal with that the Feirelle branch needed to be managed, and I, fulfilling the role of Sylthaeryn, was the only successful heir.

Paeris might have also been an option, but he refused to leave Loreleia's side and wanted to be an intermediary between her and the branch. He would remain her right-hand man while also aiding whoever was in charge of the Feirelle branch.

Llewel, on the other hand, had many accomplishments and his status as a Chronomancer was highly coveted; however, he lacked the supposed "purity" of being closely related to the origin families of the elves. So while he could be fully adopted into the family and eventually nominated to lead, it was a process that would take years to accomplish.

The shortcut would be for him to marry the current heir, me, at least on paper, anyway. I was heavily against it for obvious reasons, and so was Llewel. After all, who would want to marry a slime? But Loreleia stressed that it could be boiled down to announcing the engagement at a party, and claiming to have a "private wedding" that doesn't actually occur.

Of course, Llewel made frequent mention of his dislike of politics and his reluctance to be in such a prime position. But, despite his protests, it was evident he would accept the duty if ordered to.

Wow, I'm so glad I don't have such social obligations. I'm perfectly happy to stay a free agent doing whatever I want, whenever I want. Not going to be planting any roots for the foreseeable future, nope!

To Llewel's relief, Paeris offered to provide ample support in all his duties and also guidance. He'd been Loreleia's faithful advisor for decades and was more than capable of fulfilling the role himself, and he had been during mine and Loreleia's absence.

After our "marriage," Loreleia would take her claims to the high elven court, where she would fully announce her triumphant ascension as well as lay the claims against the Dornhallows. The evidence of their attacks against me would also be front and center. As a result, "Sylthaeryn" would be taking a leave of absence for safety concerns and delegating the management of the Feirelle branch to Llewel.

Since Vee and I wanted to go to the Vaelyssan Sea, Loreleia would ask the Nyrelis elves for safe passage to their grove for me. It would require some diplomatic favors on her part, but she was more than willing to, especially since I'd hardly used any of my privileges as the Feirelle heir.

"Admittedly, I feel we owe you a lot," Loreleia said with a sigh. "I thought I'd finally get to pay back some of your goodwill with your trade agreement with the Carren family, but then you went and arranged all of that on your own without even using a single one of our resources."

"I wouldn't say no to more slime cores," I admitted while greedily staring at the rose-gold core.

"I genuinely tried to obtain a second, but they are truly rarities of the highest order. This one was assigned to create a lifesaving elixir for myself, should the need arise."

"What about a black, grey, or gold slime core?" I asked.

"The first two don't spawn in any of our dungeons. You'd need to find a labyrinth if you want to encounter them," Llewel said. "As for a gold slime, I can't say I've ever even heard of one."

"Apparently, they are catalysts for alchemy and enchanting," I explained.

"Truly? No wonder I've never heard of them then, they must be craved even more so than the pink slimes," he replied, a look of wanting in his eyes not dissimilar to my own.

"Wow, you two are already acting like a couple," Vee teased. "Only you two would drool so greedily longingly over slime cores."

Llewel was slightly flustered by her remark, while I just rolled my eyes. My levels in [Vee Resistance] were growing by the day.

"If it's just a party announcing it, and that's all, then I think I'm okay with that," I admitted.

"Plus, it means we could, in theory, return here," Vee replied.

Loreleia nodded. "Although I'd advise against making any returns as Sylthaeryn until the Dornhallows are completely dealt with. But that shouldn't be a problem for you."

"Yeah, I could even disguise myself as a plantsprite now if I wanted. Also, I will say that Vee and I could potentially teleport directly to the Feirelle hometree if need be."

"You two must have made considerable progress in [Dimension Magic] since we last spoke…" Llewel murmured.

"That's good to know," Loreleia replied. "I'd like to keep an amicable relationship with you two in the future. Who knows what other [Experiments] might be discovered or other common enemies between us, and I'm sure both of us would appreciate having powerful allies if need be."

"Sounds good to me," I replied cheerfully.

"Yeah, I'm still not a fan of the Outeatus Kingdom, so I'd love to settle the score," Vee added.

With not much more to discuss at present, Loreleia handed over the pink slime core to me. I cradled it in my hands like a fragile egg, gazing at the luster of the rose-gold sheen in the light.

"I don't know why you're making such a fuss about it when you're just going to eat it," Vee interrupted.

"It's my first one since becoming a prismatic slime! I have no idea what it will do," I replied, trying to get Vee to share in my bubbling excitement.

"Eh… I guess I've seen you eat so many cores at this point that it's lost its charm."

I waved dismissively at her harsh attitude and returned my attention to the beautiful core before me. The brown slime was a massive disappointment, except for unlocking vegetarian meal options for me. However, I hoped it would open up many new doors for me!

I placed the core in my mouth and swallowed it, noticing Llewel failing to hide his apprehension. After all, I'd effectively just eaten what could be considered an alchemist's treasure.

<Compatible core detected. Integrate new core?>

Yes!

<Slime (Pink) Core absorbed. Trait [Heal Slime LV 2] gained.>

<Trait [Heal Slime LV 2] has been automatically merged into [Primordial Slime LV 17].>

Other than the notifications mentioning my success, I didn't really notice a change. Presumably, if I looked at my core in its natural colors, I'd have a new stripe added, with my slime now having a pink sheen to its amalgamation of shifting colors.

"Huh… only level two? I guess the pink slime was not at a high level."

"How could they? They can't even attack, and even feeding them is a nightmare," Llewel replied.

"The ultimate in pacifism," Vee commented.

I shrugged and dug into my [Primordial Slime] trait. Right at the bottom of my list was the newly acquired [Heal Slime]. I pulled up the description and began to read through it eagerly.

<[Heal Slime]
This slime contains healing and regenerative properties with efficacy based on its trait level.
A gentle and almost nurturing slime that feeds only on dead, decaying, or rotting matter, while displaying effects similar to [Acid Slime] against the undead. This anti-undead effect scales in direct proportion to its healing capabilities.
Heal Slime is known to have many alchemical applications due to its almost entirely neutral behavior, except in poisons and caustics.
In its raw form, it can be ingested and will act like an impromptu healing potion, although the effects are greater if applied more like a salve to the wounded area. It can also act as an impromptu antidote, although it mostly stifles the spread and prevents exacerbation.
Compatible with other slime traits.>

"Oh wow… That's quite a lot."

"A lot of good, I hope?" Vee asked.

"Right off the bat, apparently my slime is like a super salve that can close wounds. Also, it hurts the undead, and apparently I can eat them now."

"That's oddly convenient considering who we are up against," Vee replied.

"Healing is in direct opposition to death and undeath alike, so I wouldn't say it's that uncommon. If you've ever encountered a vampire, they cannot be healed and instead are burnt from even basic healing spells," Loreleia replied.

"Still, that's interesting… so pink slimes can eat undead? This is very valuable information to have," Llewel said excitedly, going as far as to write it down in a small notebook he had.

"If you didn't know about the undead, then what were you feeding them before?" Vee asked.

"Blight mushrooms were the most common thing we found… although considering they spread deathblight, perhaps we should have clued in on the pink slimes eating dead things," Llewel murmured.

"Who would dare risk a living pink slime against an undead to even test that theory?" Loreleia pointed out. "Considering how fragile their cores can be, even a basic skeleton with a rusty dagger would likely kill them."

"Well, I'm more than happy to test against any undead," I said happily. "Also, I can probably learn healing magic now."

As if prompted, Loreleia held out her hand and displayed the skill for me. I'd already seen it thanks to Evan, but I appreciated the gesture.

<[Healing Magic].>

"Oh no… another kind of magic in the ever-growing pile of Syl's forgotten skills," Vee snickered.

"I'll get to them eventually…" I defended myself.

Naturally, I bought it on the spot, as I didn't see any reason not to at this stage, even with Vee's teasing.

<Skill [Healing Magic LV 1] obtained. Skill Points remaining: 14.>

<[Healing Magic LV 1] spell [Vital Surge] learned.>

While the spell had a spectacular name, as a first-level spell, it left a lot to be desired, as I had its knowledge installed directly into my core.

Despite being in a category literally called healing magic, this particular spell did not do that. Instead, this spell caused the recipient's body to swell with energy and promote a swift recovery using its natural healing factors.

The one benefit of this was that it was a long-lasting buff, which meant upkeep of it was extremely easy to do. I'd never seen a spell with a default duration already in the hours, so it was a bit of a surprise.

"I suggest you dedicate some time towards this, if Vee is correct about you forgetting to train your skills. While they start off a little lackluster, they do become quite potent after the first few spells," Loreleia commented.

"Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely keep it in mind."

I could almost sense a "sure you will" about to come from Vee, but it didn't, which might have actually frustrated me more than her saying it outright.

"Although I will say at the moment I'm more likely to use [Heal Slime], since it's at level seventeen already."

The three elves in the room all broke their composure, even Loreleia, who was always like a perfect picture frozen in time, failed to hide her genuine shock and surprise.

"H-how!?" Llewel asked, almost demanding.

"It merged with my [Primordial Slime] trait."

"Which is at level seventeen?" he asked again, a little calmer.

I nodded. "I honestly thought it would be higher after merging ten traits. Hell, I didn't even get a level up from my eleventh trait being added to it."

"Ten traits?" Paeris muttered.

"I did say I was collecting slime traits."

"I don't think any of us truly comprehended how many you were collecting," Loreleia responded, her mask of composure already fully repaired.

"Gods, my only uncapped trait is level eleven," Llewel stammered, still appearing stupefied. "And you're telling me you've got one at level seventeen!"

I better not tell him I've got a second trait already at level twelve then…

"The true power of the cheating slime is revealed," Vee chimed in.

I glared at her.

"You've got to give me a sample of some pink slime," Llewel asked, almost begging. "I need to see what it can do for my potions."

"Sure, I don't mind. I already gave you a sample of blue slime."

"Hey, if it's good, you might be able to start selling it. Make a fortune!" Vee excitedly suggested.

"You might genuinely be able to make an empire of slime," Loreleia replied, and while her words might have sounded humorous, her tone was entirely serious.

Paeris cleared his throat, "Might I suggest a potential trading agreement in the future?"

"Hey, that's a brilliant idea!" Llewel quickly agreed.

"I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement," Vee interjected, as if she were taking the role of my agent or spokesperson.

I couldn't help rolling my eyes at the silly spider, although this interaction did spur a random thought.

Now that I'm effectively a pink slime, could I get diplomatic immunity from the other kingdoms?