Chapter 19 – Food Rations

⌈So, Lime…⌋

⌈*Yes?*⌋

⌈How did you bring me into this ‘dimension’ or whatever?⌋

⌈*I ate you!*⌋

⌈Figures… Why are you so happy about it, though?⌋

⌈*I never thought I’d have the chance to get close and personal with master, y’know? I saw the opportunity and I took it!*⌋

Lime happily bounced about. Somehow I felt extremely disgusted at the thought of being consumed by a ball sentient glowing goo that had the hots for me… This isn’t what I had in mind when I wrote you. You were supposed to be an epic luminescent dragon-type monster or something, goddammit!

⌈*By the way, master. Aren’t you getting hungry? You haven’t eaten anything since morning, y’know!?*⌋

⌈That’s true, I guess… Should we head back to the capital? Now that you mention it, I’m getting really hungry.⌋

⌈*No need for that yet. You could just consume health potions to replenish your hunger, y’know? You have a couple of those lying around, don't you?*⌋

⌈Really? That’s convenient!⌋

Lime started to squiggle towards the pile of potions. I lack the descriptive capabilities to put her movement into words... It bore similarities to how a slug glides across surfaces, yet I could see the viscous liquid that Lime was made of swirl around as if she was rolling. What a peculiar little thing.

I've loved the design of slimes ever since I first found out about them and always thought they were the cutest monsters in existence... But who would've known that they stop being adorable the moment they start acting like thirsty degenerates?

The green glob came back to me carrying a vial containing a red fluid on top of its head. A health potion. If they were any other color this world would be a failure as a fantasy world. Conversely, mana potions were blue. Everything in the world was exactly as it should be. I couldn’t imagine drinking a blue health potion, much less something even more bizarre, like a purple one.

The Lowest Rank potions were tiny simple medicinal glass bottles, that were sealed with a cork. I was expecting an ornamental design akin to a polished crystal, but I guess my expectations were a bit too high for the lowest rank after getting a pair of dapper leather boots... Roughly estimating, the capacity was a little less than two hundred milliliters.

The cork popped off rather easily, and the red fluid began to bubble. It reminded me of a fizzy drink back at home. Interesting… It honestly looks pretty delicious.

⌈Alright.. Bottoms up!⌋

⌈*Wa-wa-waaait! Mas– Oh no…*⌋

I brought the bottle to my lips and took a big gulp. I downed nearly half of the potion at once.

That was a mistake. A big mistake.

I wanted to puke. The taste was both extremely sour, and piercingly bitter, and the sensation of the liquid stung worse than the vilest alcoholic beverages. With every bubble popping on the top of my tongue, I felt a sharp pain piercing through as if my mouth was being assaulted by burning needles coated in poison.

⌈KCHHH…⌋

There was still half a potion left, too… I don’t want to drink a single drop more. I can’t drink a single drop more. The taste it left in my mouth was abysmal…

It felt like I had gulped down a gallon of battery acid and burned the outer layer of the insides of my mouth in progress. Then proceeding to brush my teeth right after and following that up by swishing orange juice around my mouth until I had successfully committed mass genocide on my already ravaged taste buds.

I’d rather drink a hefty pint of molten lead.

⌈*Master, master! Please take a bite of me!*⌋

⌈Wha..? Guh… Uwaah!⌋

I could barely listen to what Lime said, as I was so preoccupied with the godawful taste violating my mouth.

⌈*Please!*⌋

⌈Eh?⌋

Suddenly Lime pounced at me and forced a part of herself into my mouth.

Hasn’t my mouth been violated enough by the potion already? I guess I can’t become a bride anymore…

⌈*Please bite! It will help with the taste! Quickly!*⌋

I could barely talk while the inside my mouth was completely filled with Lime's slimy insides. I definitely wouldn’t want to be a woman. Having my jaw stretched out like this felt... rather unpleasant…

⌈I can’t bite you!⌋

I mumbled with mouth full of mucus.

⌈*You have to! I don’t mind if it’s master!*⌋

I’m not sure if I really want to hear that… Despite that, I took a bite of Lime.

⌈I’m sorry… Hold on, what the hell, Lime? My god! It’s tasty!⌋

⌈*My name isn’t just for show, y’know!?*⌋

The horrid burning taste in my mouth quickly dissipated, as it was overpowered by the sweet sensation of a delicate creamy citrus flavor. The soft feeling of Limes flesh, or whatever the insides of the slime are called, gently enveloped my mouth, saving my taste buds from the hellish onslaught of the crimson poison.

⌈*Any better?*⌋

⌈Yes! Much better! Can I… Have some more?⌋

⌈*Oh my! Aren’t you bold, master! I’m sorry but I’ll need a bit of time to regenerate.*⌋

Oh, right. Lime is a living being after all.

Perhaps…

⌈Oi, Lime! Do slimes have taste buds??⌋

⌈*They do not. Though they can taste through their goo.*⌋

⌈Oh, so that's why the aquatic slimes DID enjoy the berries… Lucky! What about health potions? Can you regenerate by drinking those?⌋

⌈*You’d let me have a health potion!? You’re so generous! Health potions taste like nectar for monsters like me, y'know!?*⌋

I accidentally let out a burst menacing evil laughter befitting of a demon king… My master plan is coming together.

⌈Here you go.⌋

I said as I handed the remaining vial of the health potion to Lime.

⌈*THANK YOU! Wait, master… Do you perhaps plan on–*⌋

⌈Precisely!⌋

As soon as I handed the remaining health potion to Lime, she immediately figured out what was about to go down.

⌈*You plan to eat me, make me drink health potions and then eat me once more after I regenerate? You’re awful, y’know!?*⌋

The corners of my mouth were rising up to my ears as I involuntarily let out a devilish grin. I did have my moments from time to time, but this was nothing short of a stroke of genius!

⌈*Uuu… I didn’t think I’d have to do this kind of stuff… Well, I did promise to serve master back then...*⌋

⌈Is there a problem?⌋

⌈*N-No… Not at all… If anything I’m getting kind of excited*⌋

⌈W-What!?! Oi…⌋

Lime started to happily ingest the demon blood that some people go as far as to call a ‘Health potion’. My ass. It’s supposed to heal me, not make me want to die. To my relief, Lime, however, had no problems drinking it. In fact, Lime seemed to ingest the fluid quite happily.

⌈*Alright! I’ve assimilated the remaining health potion into myself. You can dig in now… But please, be gentle...*⌋

What in oblivion is that supposed to mean!?

⌈Oi, Lime... What are you thinking about right now?⌋

Lime squirmed around in excitement. I’m having second thoughts about the sourcing of my nutrition…

⌈*Master is about to gobble me right up and use me like I was nothing but a tool for him! I can’t help but get excited! Please don’t make me wait any longer! I’m leaking my goo all over the place, y’know!?*⌋

⌈Excuse me, what the fuck?⌋

⌈*Please! No more! Devour me and let us be one!*⌋

What did I do in my previous life to deserve this? My Lime... My friend. My beloved companion. Reduced to this...

The blob jumped me and once again stuck itself into my mouth. As much as I dislike being violated like this, Lime still tasted amazing, so I took a nice big bite.

⌈*Kyaaah!! It feels so goooood!*⌋

⌈Can you please shut up, you’re ruining my appetite.⌋

⌈*Such harsh words too! I can’t take it anymore.*⌋

After a while of Lime’s perverted remarks, I was full, in more ways than one... I had no idea why Slime’s goo tasted so good. Perhaps I should try and take a bite from the other varieties if I happen to come across them on one of the Trails? Maybe they’d be a little less raunchy, too.

⌈*Mm… I’m amazed you still went through with all that, even when I tried to creep you out by acting like a deranged lecher. As expected of master! No tricks will work on you.*⌋

Really? Is this how her 'devilish intelligence' manifested into reality? Where do I send my complaints!?

⌈You…⌋

⌈*Teehee! Though I won’t deny that not all of it was an act…*⌋

⌈Anyhow, are you alright with drinking the health potions and me eating you afterward? I know it’s a bit gruesome but–⌋

⌈*Not a problem at all! In fact, the contents of the health potion mix with my slimy fluids, making you drink a part of the health potion in progress too!*⌋

⌈Oh, really!? No wonder I feel so full!⌋

⌈*Yes indeed! By the way, do you know what Usual-Rank health potions are made of?*⌋

⌈Do I want to?⌋

⌈*For sure you do! They’re a distillate of deceased Water Orc seme–⌋

⌈TOODLE-LOO! I CANT HEAR YOU!⌋

⌈*It’s actually just a liquid concentrate of the life essence of Usual-Rank monsters.*⌋

⌈Of course… Are you ever trustworthy?⌋

⌈*When it matters!*⌋

⌈Figures. Well, we’ve been here long enough, should we get going?⌋

⌈*Yes! We still have plenty of time before sundown!*⌋

But wait a second…

⌈How do I get out of this dimension?⌋

⌈*I’m going to have to swallow you whole to transfer you back into the regular dimension!*⌋

⌈No… Absolutely not.⌋

⌈*Come on. It will be pleasant! My body is quite soft, y’know?*⌋

Lime began to wiggle around… I can only imagine what she tried to imply with that.

⌈Not a way in hell.⌋

⌈*I’ll make sure not to spill my liquids all over you!*⌋

⌈Hearing that makes me want to do it even less..⌋

⌈*Oh.. But we aren’t doing it, are we? We haven’t even been wed yet.*⌋

⌈You really just went there…⌋

⌈*Yes! Indeed I did! Now shut up and let’s go!*⌋

Lime jumped me, stretching her elastic goo into multiple times her original size, completely enveloping my body in the surprisingly pleasant green mass.

*ptyui*

And before I even noticed it, I was spat out of the slime and I fell down on my ass onto the grass covering the forest I first lost consciousness in…

⌈Eh? That fast?⌋

⌈*Would you have rather had a full body slime massage?*⌋

⌈No thank you…⌋

Maybe later though… It was kind of nice.

⌈O-Oi, Lime..⌋

I saw the tree I first shot my 【Origin Flare】at... It was utterly devastated all the way from its roots to its tip.

A massive hole had been formed in the middle of the trunk, causing the entire tree to split in half. Burn marks had covered the thick bark surrounding the point of impact, and the now bare inner layers of the previously pale wood had been scorched pitch black.

⌈*Master! I know you’re experiencing immense pride from ravaging a tree that had done no harm to you, but there are Trails waiting to be conquered, y’know!?*⌋

⌈Alright, lead the way!⌋

Judging by the sun, it was about early afternoon. I felt a faint sense of melancholy, though much unlike I what I felt this morning, as I traversed through the forest. How would've my journey ended up had I chosen to travel with Seth and the others. It might've been fun. Maybe we'll meet someday again, and Seth'll drag me around on another adventure. I didn't mind the times we had at all...

⌈*Master, master! Another Trail is getting really close! Let's pick up the pace!⌋

Time sure flies by when you're lost in thought...

Before long, before me, once more, stood a faintly glowing portal interwoven between two twisting birches. Without even bothering to try and analyze what I was in for, I leaped in without a care in the world...