My peace had been threatened for a few days after my first contact with Laika, but the waters had calmed again.
In other words, I'd gotten used to sharing my home.
There was plenty of room in the house, so we could both have some time and space to ourselves. We also took turns doing the cooking, cleaning, and shopping, which made things easier on both of us.
Because we were teacher and apprentice, our relationship wasn't equal, but for joint living, it was ideal.
Long ago, when I'd lived in Japan, room sharing had been fairly popular.
If you included friends of friends, I'd known several people with roommates.
The bottom line, though, was that I frequently heard about how hard it was.
The primary challenge was it was exhausting living with someone whose values were too different from your own. The sense of distance was difficult as well.
I'd heard about someone with a roommate who sent them texts and Line messages over every little thing, and when the messages were ignored for a short while, the roommate ripped the person a new one and left.
Life with someone lacking in common sense or public decency can be a trial, too.
It's tough when your roommate always skips the cleaning when it's their turn. Even if doing someone else's chores isn't actually that bad, wondering why you're doing it takes a hefty psychological toll.
I'd heard many other reports of trouble, so for a long time—more than three hundred years, at least—I'd believed that having my own place couldn't be beat.
But if your roommate is considerate, things work out. I could tell, living with Laika.
She also said things like "There's much I can learn from you, Lady Azusa" practically every day, so I guess the arrangement was worthwhile.
What I was actually doing for Laika was anyone's guess, but excellent apprentices have the ability to find their teachers' good points without any help.
On top of that, she'd rescued me a bit.
I hadn't confirmed this directly, but apparently, news that the Witch of the Highlands had defeated a dragon had spread over all of Nanterre, at the very least. The story that the dragon had become my apprentice was traveling, too.
I'd thought that might provoke a big spike in attempts to take my dojo, but by all appearances, it had done the opposite.
Adventurers who already knew they were no match for a dragon had decided not to bother trying at all.
Thanks to that, I was enjoying a pretty peaceful life.
On days when Laika did the cleaning, I could use that time to relax and read grimoires.
It reminded me of certain memories from my previous life.
To be precise, it reminded me of lying in my room reading comics and magazines while my mother cleaned.
Yes, that indolent time when even corporate slaves were released from their servitude: visiting home.
Now that I had a roommate, those blissful spells—or something like them—became an almost-everyday reality!
Since I'd lived alone for so long, I'd forgotten this pleasure.
Well, things truly didn't get better than this. Long live room sharing!
Of course, on days when it was my turn, I cleaned. I wouldn't throw my weight around just because I was the teacher.
As a matter of fact, I was well aware I wasn't big and important enough to do that.
I wanted Laika to experience what it was like to have your mom do everything during a trip home, too.
At any rate, despite the public revelation that I was level 99, I was managing to maintain my idyllic life.
I wish this peace would last forever…
Oh. That was a flag, wasn't it? One of those thoughts you just shouldn't think.
Bam-bam, bam-bam.
Someone knocked on the door.
Who could it be? This house doesn't often get visitors.
"Shall I answer it?"
"No, you go ahead and clean, Laika. I'll get it."
I closed my grimoire and headed for the entryway.
When I opened the door, the individual standing there was a girl with blue hair. She looked to be about ten years old.
Even in this world, I didn't remember seeing many people with blue hair.
Her expression was cheerful, and her eyes were sparkling as they fixed on me.
At the very least, she didn't seem to be lost.
"Hello. Did you need something?"
Since the visitor hadn't been an adventurer about to say "Fight me!" my expression softened.
The highlands around here were peaceful, and children probably played nearby sometimes.
"I finally got to see you! I'm so happy!"
What's this? Am I popular with children now, too?
"I'm so glad to meet you, Mommy!"
I turned to stone.
Just so you know, I don't mean that someone hit me with a Petrification spell. It was a figure of speech.
Mommy? Did this girl say mommy?
"Um…I'm not your mommy, dear. I'm pretty sure you're looking for somebody else."
"Huh? No, that can't be. You're Falfa's mommy, Mommy. Falfa knows for sure."
A girl I'd just met was calling me her mother.
Good thing she hadn't said it in the village. That would have been sure to start unwanted rumors. Not only that, but the village being what it was, those rumors would have spread fast.
For the record, in my three hundred years in this world, I'd never had a real romantic relationship.
There was a good reason.
I was an immortal witch, and even if I fell in love with somebody, they'd get old and die without me.
It was hard enough watching the villagers die. A lover would have been too painful.
For that reason, I'd consciously steered clear of romance.
Definitely not because I wasn't popular or anything. Seriously.
On top of that, the only people I had much contact with were the villagers.
As far as they were concerned, I was a witch who'd been there since long before they were born, like the village's guardian deity. They might feel awe and respect for me, but romantic love probably didn't seem like an option.
…And so, that sort of love had never been a part of my life.
Naturally, I had no children.
"Your name is Falfa?"
"Uh-huh. Falfa."
"Falfa, 'Mommy' is what you call the lady who gave birth to you and raised you. You don't call other women 'Mommy.'"
She probably just defined the word mommy differently than the rest of the world.
"That's not true. You made me, Mommy."
...
Well, this is strange…
I can't possibly have forgotten going through childbirth.
"Lady Azusa, who in the world is it?"
Apparently of the opinion that I was taking a long time to deal with this, Laika had left off cleaning and come over.
"I'm Falfa. I came to meet Mommy."
"Lady Azusa, you have a child?!"
"No, I don't. This girl has the wrong idea."
"Falfa doesn't have the wrong idea."
"Lady Azusa, is it possible you're a stepmother?"
This had become so complicated that I was getting confused.
I'd been prepared for adventurers trying to best me, but this ordeal was too new.
"I even know you're called the Witch of the Highlands. My little sister looked it up."
"You have a little sister?!"
So now I'm the mother of at least two daughters. What's going on here?
"And you see, Mommy, my little sister's trying to kill you, so I thought I should let you know, and that's why I'm here."
"She wants to kill me?!"
And now we're suddenly in a thriller…
"I don't want you to die, Mommy. That's why I came here before she did. To warn you."
Falfa's expression had hardened. She didn't appear to be joking, and she didn't seem mature enough to pull a prank like this anyway.
"Lady Azusa, for now, let's invite the child in and listen to what she has to say."
Laika was right. This was way too creepy.
"Falfa, I'll give you some sweets. Come on in."
"Sure! Falfa wants sweets!"
"In exchange, would you explain more about what you just told me?"
"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!"
Falfa nodded energetically.
Did she resemble me as a child, just a little…? —Nope. Not really.
I'd baked cookies two days earlier, so I had Laika retrieve them.
While we waited, the girl and I continued our conversation in the living room.
"What is your little sister's name, Falfa?"
"Shalsha."
"And Shalsha is my child, too?"
"Mm-hmm, that's right."
I felt like I was grilling a witness. Still, my life was on the line, so…
Here's what I knew at this point:
I had another daughter named Shalsha, and she was gunning for me.
In other words, almost nothing. I'd have to get a lot more information out of her.
"Do you know why Shalsha is after me?"
"I think it's because she resents you, Mommy. I bet she's mad because you killed her."
This is weird.
My laid-back fantasy life had taken a sharp turn for the sci-fi.
I had daughters I didn't remember giving birth to, and on top of that, one of them was trying to get revenge on me for killing her.
Was there even a logical explanation for this bizarre twist of events?
Just then, Laika came in, carrying a plate of cookies.
Falfa squealed, "Yaaaay, cookies!" and innocently began chowing down.
"I could hear the two of you back there. In any case, we will need to protect you from this Shalsha individual, won't we?"
"That would be a top priority, yes."
Finding out who the enemy really was would come later.
"Falfa, do you know how she will attack?"
"Shalsha spent a long, loooong time training with the Smiting Evil spell."
Smiting Evil was a spell that exercised great power against a specific race, and only that race.
For example, one could negate attacks from humans, orcs, or elves and inflict damage on them.
People who acquired such magic often ended up as expert race-specific assassins known by aliases like "Cyclops Killer" or "Specter Slayer."
The narrower its focus, the more powerful Smiting Evil's effect, and the thinner it was spread, the weaker it got. For example, a spell like Smiting Evil (Living Creature) would do almost nothing. Not that anyone was likely to try learning that.
"A Smiting Evil spell, hmm? They say even high-level casters have to spend decades on it before it's worth anything."
I knew what Laika meant. It was why people became expert race-specific assassins.
The spell took so long to acquire that it wasn't a sought-after skill.
For that reason, if Shalsha'd only lived as long as her elder sister's apparent age suggested, her Smiting Evil spell would probably be limited in power… But both Laika and I had been alive for three centuries, so I couldn't bank on that.
"How old is Shalsha?"
"Um, maybe fifty?"
Falfa tilted her head as she spoke. Maybe she wasn't very confident in her answer.
Still, working from that, I could guess.
The enemy was either immortal or something like it.
In that case, there was a risk she'd be a caster to watch out for.
But what iteration of Smiting Evil would work against me? Smiting Evil (Human)? Or would it be Smiting Evil (Immortal)?
"I bet Shalsha's gonna be here soon. Be careful, Mommy."
Falfa was eating a cookie as she spoke, and right after that, it happened.
Clatter, clatter, clatter… The window glass trembled.
I had a bad feeling about whatever was out there!
"I'm going to check outside."
Growing uneasy, I left the house.
Laika and Falfa followed me.
Standing far off in the highlands was a little girl who looked a lot like Falfa.
Her hair was light green, though, and it was floating slightly.
"Shalsha finally found you, Witch of the Highlands…," the girl called in a resounding voice.
"Shalsha! Don't pick on Mommy!"
Falfa calling this girl by name positively identified her as Shalsha.
"Be quiet, Sister. I am going to avenge my murder."
Yep, she was talking like she'd been killed.
"Shalsha, wasn't it? I don't think I can possibly have killed you. What is this about?"
Shalsha snorted. "Hey, just how many slimes do you think you've killed?"
Huh? Why are we talking about slimes now?
"My sister and I were born from the assembled souls of slaughtered slimes. We're slime spirits!"
"Slime spirits!!!!!!!"
I would understand flame spirits or water spirits, but are slime spirits even a thing?!
"That's right. You destroyed an astronomical number of slimes in this area, and their minuscule souls accumulated until they created slime spirits, beings without precedent—my sister and I!"
Shalsha sounded bitter.
"As a result, the anger of the countless lives you stole dwells in Shalsha, too. I've come to balance the scales."
I'd assumed it was impossible for the slimes to take revenge, but apparently, I'd been incorrect.
I'd created an enemy…
"All right. Fight me. I'll kill you and offer you to the souls of the slimes to ensure their repose."
"'Ensure their repose'? But didn't those souls get together and turn into you?"
It was kinda like they'd been recycled (?), in a way…
"Shut up, shut up! Come at me."
She looked more miffed than enraged, but she was definitely planning togo through with this.
"Lady Azusa, why not hit her with a whirlwind and see what happens?"
Laika suggested.
"Well, she is a spirit. I doubt I would have to worry about it killing her… You're right. Maybe I'll do that."
I thrust a hand out in front of me.
Then I unleashed a tempest at Shalsha.
However—
"Vanish, whirlwind."
—at the girl's command, the attack did indeed disappear.
"You see, I trained for many, many years and obtained the spell Smiting Evil (Witch of the Highlands). That means I'll never lose to you."
"Y-y-y-you what?!"
I—I see… The narrower the range of Smiting Evil, the more powerful it was. If the spell was limited to me specifically, it would be a force to be reckoned with.
But was it even possible to learn a spell targeting someone you'd only just met?
"As slime spirits, the two of us understood why we were born. For that reason, my sister Shalsha investigated places where many slimes had been killed, tracked you down, then gathered fallen hairs and other materials she needed for Smiting Evil," Falfa told me.
So the same premise as putting hair inside a doll to curse somebody…
"I wanted to meet you sooner, Mommy, but Shalsha said we mustn't meet our enemy… When her Smiting Evil spell was complete, though, I couldn't just leave things this way, so I came here."
"You're such a good girl, Falfa!"
"Well, you're my mommy, Mommy."
It was complicated, but they had been born because of me, so you could probably say I was their mother.
Was this the result of my abnormal focus on killing slimes?
"By the way, Falfa, don't you hate me?"
"I'm a spirit born from the assembled souls of slimes, but I want to be friends with you, Mommy, because I got to be born at all."
She was this close to triggering my maternal instincts. Such an incredibly good girl…
However, this wasn't the time for that.
Little by little, Shalsha was approaching.
"How strange. My sister and I were born at the same time, so why are our personalities so very different? I can't forgive the Witch of the Highlands."
That sinister atmosphere was spreading.
"To be frank, Smiting Evil (Witch of the Highlands) is an extremely unique spell, and the amount of mana it consumes is vast. Even if I invest fifty years' worth of mana, it will last only a few hours. And it was all for this day…"
Talk about lousy mileage!
"There must have been a more normal way for you to live! Did you really just sit around and wait all that time without taking revenge?"
"When I was born fifty years ago, you were already one of the most powerful witches in existence. I could tell from how fast you were exterminating slimes. That was why I decided to develop an exclusive spell and store up mana."
She'd clearly poured her passion into the wrong thing.
"Use any spell you like. Every one of them will be rendered powerless!"
This time, I tried hitting her with fire.
"Red flames, blue flames, black flames! Serve as my strength!"
Fire blazed up, bright and crimson, and hit Shalsha with a merciless blast.
…But she was completely unscathed. The inferno seemed to fly apart before reaching her.
"Now do you see the power of Smiting Evil (Witch of the Highlands)?"
Shalsha didn't strike me as the expressive type, but now she wore a fearless smile.
"This is bad…"
If none of my attacks had any effect, I had no way to fight.
In that case—was running my only option?
When something's hurting you, get out of there.
In my previous life, my work had killed me because I couldn't escape my corporate servitude.
This time, I was going to run for it!
I had a Levitation spell.
I'd heard this spell would last only for a few hours, so if I managed to keep running until then, I could deal with it!
I rose into the air.
However, when I was about ten meters off the ground—
"O spell, vanish," Shalsha murmured, and I dropped to the ground with a thud.
My feet throbbed.
"That's not safe… If I weren't a level-99 witch, I could have broken something."
"I won't let you get away. I'm going to kill you like all the slimes you've killed."
Shalsha was slowly coming closer.
Was it… Was it time to pay the piper?
Even if I was level 99, how could I win when my opponent was like an ultimate weapon designed to defeat me? Besides, I'd already lived for three centuries.
"Falfa, sweetheart, I'm glad I met you before the end."
Falfa was nearby, and I hugged her tightly.
Embracing my daughter before my imminent death—poignant, don't you think?
"Mommy! Don't say things like that! Help Falfa think of a way out!"
Falfa was shouting. I'm sorry. It looks like there's nothing I can do, though.
"Lady Azusa! Leave this to me!"
Laika was desperate, too.
"Thank you, Laika. I was proud to have you as my apprentice. Also, your omelets were delicious."
"It's all right! We can win!"
"Stop it… There's no way we can beat that. You'll get hurt, Laika!"
"It's just as she says. I only intend to kill the Witch of the Highlands. I don't plan to go after anyone else, so hurry and run away."
I remembered a horror movie I'd seen a long time ago. A machinelike assassin creeping ever closer. Just like this…
Still, she sure was taking her time. She wasn't trying to end this fight in one go.
"My little sister is a slow runner," little Falfa suggested.
"Doesn't that mean we could get away if we ran…?"
Laika seemed to have heard.
She'd transformed from girl to dragon and planted herself before Shalsha in confrontation.
"I won't allow you to take a single step beyond this point!"
"Out of my way, dragon." Shalsha's voice was cold.
"I refuse! I have a duty to protect my teacher!"
"Don't! Laika, that's dangerous!"
Laika turned her head toward me slightly and smiled. "It's all right, Lady Azusa. I'll catch up with you right away, so please run!"
"That's like guaranteeing you'll die!"
I'm telling you, don't even go there! I know you won't actually catch up!
"You see, my elder sister is getting married next month. I must attend her wedding."
"Why are you making this worse?!"
"I'll protect you, Lady Azusa! Eat this! Dragon Kick!"
Laika's foot lashed out at Shalsha.
It was hopeless… I knew how it would go. Her target would win with a counterattack.
But it never came.
"Uu… Ow… It hurts…"
Shalsha had fallen.
Huh? This isn't what I was expecting.
Laika was cautiously examining her opponent.
"Lady Azusa, she's unconscious. I won."
"Huh?! You can win with a twist like that?!"
She had derailed the cliché.
"My sister, Shalsha, overspecialized in magic that would kill you, Mommy, so I guess she's really weak against everybody else."
Falfa spoke the truth.
Ah. Laika was a dragon, so Shalsha's spell hadn't affected her.
Now that the matter was settled, I mused:
"Shalsha's kind of an…awkward child…"
***
After Laika's attack knocked Shalsha out, my crisis was over for the time being.
We couldn't just leave her lying on the ground, so I put her to bed in an empty room in my house.
We'd furnished the rooms with guest beds for times like this.
An hour later, Shalsha woke up.
"Uhhh… Uuuhn… Where am I?"
"Oh, Shalsha's awake!"
Falfa rushed over to her.
"Oh, Sister… Agh! The Witch of the Highlands is here!"
Laika and I were in the room, too.
"Laika beat you, and you collapsed, so we put you to bed."
"Your unwarranted mercy will be your doom. I have the spell Smiting Evil (Witch of the Highlands), and— Huh? My power…"
"You burned through all your mana, so you won't be able to use that for another several decades."
Shalsha's face blanched. She must have realized she couldn't activate her spell.
We'd heard about that from her sister Falfa and had already made sure.
After all, if she'd been able to use it for another hour, we'd have had problems.
"N-no… What was the point of my life up until now?"
"I really couldn't tell you. That's what happens when you live a tragic life of revenge. Honestly, I'd say you're lucky I'm alive."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"If I'd died, your life really would have been meaningless. As long as I'm around, you can work toward your payback."
I thought that optimistic remark might have been laying it on a little thick, but Shalsha took it quite seriously.
"You could put it that way…"
"Yes, you see?"
Apparently, I'd managed to persuade her.
Shalsha glanced at her arm. It had medicinal herbs bound to it in lieu of a poultice.
"Mommy knows a whole lot about medicines!"
"You got hurt fighting Laika, you know. You should heal twice as fast this way… Though I don't know much about slime spirit recuperation."
"Witch of the Highlands, you'd go so far…?"
"Working with medicinal herbs is my job as a witch. If you're injured, I'll treat you."
"B-but can there be anything in it for you, Witch?"
The child certainly did ask a lot of questions.
"Well, I am your mother, aren't I? In that case, I can't very well leave you in that state."
Actually, if any child collapsed, I'd help them even if I weren't their parent. We're ignoring her actual age in this case.
Right now, though, I should probably admit I was doing it because I was her mother.
For some reason, Shalsha's eyes had filled with tears.
"Y-you could make the case that you are my parent. But… E-even so, you are the slimes' enemy, and…"
Falfa took Shalsha's hand.
"Shalsha, stop putting up a front, okay?"
"Sister…"
"Slimes and humans fight; that's just how it is. Even now, slimes are being killed all over the world. Mommy disappearing wouldn't change that."
True. On a global scale, the number of slimes I'd eradicated was probably infinitesimal.
"Never mind that. Let's think of a way to live happily. That's more fun, isn't it?"
Shalsha nodded in response.
Despite her childish bearing, Falfa was being a proper big sister.
"Lady Azusa, it looks as though this matter is settled."
Having watched the whole business from start to finish, Laika seemed relieved.
"You're right. I really wasn't sure how things were going to turn out this time, but…"
"Oh! Lady Azusa, if we split them into fourths, I think my omelets and other meals would be the perfect size for a typical appetite."
Her words were clearly intended to suggest the four of us have dinner together.
"But, Laika, a quarter wouldn't be enough for you…"
"I-I'll make extra for myself."
All right, I'd accept those good intentions.
I approached my daughters.
"We still have empty rooms, so if you'd like, you can live here. In fact, just c'mon and move in."
Where and how these two had been living was a mystery, but I could ask about that later.
"Sure! Falfa wants to live with you, Mommy!"
The older sister wouldn't be a problem.
Now, what about the younger one?
Shalsha seemed conflicted, but…
"Witch of the Highlands…"
"No calling me 'Witch of the Highlands.' Find something a little more familial."
After a moment, Shalsha averted her eyes and said—
"...M-Mom." She sounded as if she was going through her rebellious phase. "Shalsha…wouldn't mind living with you, either."
"Okay, then that settles it. Why don't we have a party today?!"
When you want to deepen a relationship, parties are a good place to start.
This would be nothing like the drinking parties I'd reluctantly attended ages ago.
"Maybe I'll make a tart."
"Yaaaay! I love tarts!" Falfa cheered.
"In that case, I'll make an omelet again."
"Yaaaay! I love omelets, too!"
It didn't take much to make this girl happy.
On the other hand, Shalsha looked sulky, but…
"Mom… I'll help with the cooking," she said without smiling.
"Yes, thank you. I believe I'll take you up on that."
Frankly, I didn't feel remotely guilty about killing slimes.
Besides, if you took that logic to the extreme, you wouldn't be able to killany living things at all.
Humans eat living creatures for the most part, so if you wanted to avoid taking lives, you'd have to die.
Nevertheless, it was probably true that my slime slaying had led to the birth of these girls. In which case, I might be able to bring peace to the souls of the departed by acting as their mother.
Plus, I simply thought the girls needed one.
They'd probably managed to make do on their own, but it would be better for them to have a place to call home.
I'd spent an easygoing three hundred years as a witch in another world.
I'd killed slime after slime and acquired twin daughters as a result.
When you're long-lived, all sorts of things happen to you, don't they…?
A laid-back existence with a large family might be good in its own way.
"By the way, do slime spirits eat regular food?"
"We don't need to eat, but we can," Shalsha responded, still looking down.
We were gradually beginning to communicate.
"Oh…"
Laika's expression said she'd just noticed a problem. She spoke to Falfa, sounding apologetic.
"Um…is it all right if I kill slimes, in the future?"
"Sure! It's part of the laws of nature!"
"Don't trouble yourself about it."
Both sisters had okayed it, so it looked as though Laika would be able to continue her training.
After that, we set out the food, and I asked my daughters all kinds of questions about themselves.
Even though I was calling them my daughters, there was much I didn't know about them. If I was going to understand them, I had to ask.
First, where had they lived?
"In a hut in the forest," Shalsha answered. "My big sister and I were born in the woods, so we lived in a little place no one was using."
"And then we went to a nearby town? The director of an orphanage gave us money, and we used that to buy clothes and shoes and stuff."
"Since we were strong enough to work as adventurers, we did that to earn money."
"We lived for a month on one gold coin, didn't we?"
A humble but honest life, it seemed.
Next, what exactly was a slime spirit?
"We can stretch our hair out like tentacles. My hair is light green because of its slime-like properties."
"Mine is blue and my little sister's is green because we're spirits."
"We don't really have any other distinctive traits. Although, as spirits, we don't seem to have natural life spans."
"Uh-huh. We both just stay like this."
I'd gotten a general idea of what exactly they were.
"By the way, what sort of work did you do when you were adventurers?"
They didn't strike me as very strong. Had they been full-fledged adventurers and defeated monsters?
"We vanquished evil slimes."
Say what?
"You see, there are two types of slimes, good ones and bad ones."
Meaning slimes are subject to the dichotomy of good and evil?
"We killed the bad ones and sold them for two hundred gold each."
That's the same as me!
"We didn't kill any good slimes, of course. As far as Shalsha is concerned, there's no problem."
I see. Apparently, you can't fight your blood heritage.
Though, these girls were made of slimes, so we definitely weren't blood relations.
And so I figured I'd learned the essentials. I'd discover the rest in the course of our days together.
"All right, we have a few house rules. Make sure to follow them, you two!"
"Okaaay!"
Instead of speaking aloud, Shalsha simply nodded.
"First, when it's your turn to do chores, do them properly. I mean things like cleaning or working in the field."
"Okaaay!"
As before, Shalsha just nodded.
It would have felt odd coming up with a nickname or something for the enthusiastic Falfa but not Shalsha, so I decided I'd just call my daughters by their names.
"We'll get the chore chart figured out later. Other than that…was there anything else?"
I'd never had children before, so I didn't really know.
"Oh, right. If you haven't been to school at all, do you want me to teach you? Do you know how to write?"
"My big sister sneaked into the house of the town's scholar to read mathematics essays and stuff. The two of them really hit it off after that."
I apologize for treating you like children.
"My sister, Shalsha, is really good at history, theology, and geometry."
I might be the one getting educated here…
At this rate, my dignity as a mother wouldn't last. I had to do something, or my daughters would start underestimating me.
All right, I'll let them see people respecting me.
"There's a village called Flatta nearby. I'll show you around tomorrow. I owe them a lot, so make sure you're on your best behavior, you two."
This time, they both nodded.
***
Laika, my two daughters, and I walked to the village of Flatta.
On the way, slimes blocked our path again, so I brushed them away.
At my current level, though, that was enough to dispose of them.
"Um, just to make sure, it really is okay to kill these guys…?"
To be on the safe side, I checked with my daughters.
"Sure. I never minded at all, and my little sister already seems used to it."
"Yes...Mom."
I was relieved to have permission.
Since we were a four-person family now, we needed to earn more magic stones and money than before.
"The slimes here are evil."
"Yes, I think so, too! Get rid of the bad slimes and purify the world!"
With these proclamations, my two daughters slaughtered some slimes themselves.
"So…you can tell if they're wicked? What do you look for?"
"If you see it, you'll understand."
With that, Shalsha abruptly dived into a thicket.
I could hear some scrambling around in the brush, and then she returned with a slime in hand.
"I noticed it lurking in there."
Apparently, she had expert slime-catching skills. I'd expect no less of a slime spirit.
"Look. As a rule, Nanterre slimes are a deeper color. But this one is pretty pale."
"I'd never heard that distinction before."
I'd never once paid attention to the color of slimes.
"They're pale because they're tainted by their evil hearts, so it's better to exterminate them."
"I-is that right…? That's very informative…"
"Slimes have a 'hole.' That's their weak point. Poke them there, and they'll die instantly."
"A hole? But slimes don't have anything like that."
Falfa lightly jabbed the one Shalsha was holding.
"This slime is already deaaad!"
The creature blinked out of existence.
"See?"
I get the feeling it's precisely because they're former slimes that they show their kind no mercy.
"That's incredible. I must learn to kill slimes like that myself…"
"Laika, you're welcome to be impressed, but there's nothing wrong with just taking care of them the regular way, all right?"
It's not like you get more experience points for style.
As we chatted, we reached Flatta.
Today's objective was the public presentation of my daughters.
Just so you know, I did plan to tell people they were slime spirits.
The two of them seemed to have a few unique powers, and I thought it best to let people know ahead of time.
However, things kept getting complicated again.
The first time was when we were passing by the greengrocer's at the village entrance.
"Oh, Mommy, there's all kinds of fruit for sale!" Falfa called cheerfully.
The lady who ran the shop heard her.
"What?! Great Witch, you have children?! Not only that, but…are they twins?!"
Mm-hmm, that's about the reaction I was expecting…
"Yes, they're both my daughters. They were born in a slightly unusual way, though."
I explained that they were slime spirits. I also wanted to head off the rumor that I had a husband before it got started.
I walked through the village, introducing my daughters to everyone.
"My, my! What adorable children."
"Are they ten or so?"
Actually, they were probably about fifty, but that would probably confuse everyone further.
Still, keeping quiet about it wouldn't have been good, either, so I explained.
At first, people looked startled, but they seemed to convince themselves.
"If the great Witch is three hundred, it isn't too strange for her children to be fifty."
Since I'd walked Falfa and Shalsha through the village, they were now familiar faces. The villagers were already calling their names and greeting them.
Although the majority had trouble telling them apart.
The one with blue hair is the older sister, Falfa, and the one with light-green hair is the younger, Shalsha.
Incidentally, as I introduced the two of them to the villagers, I also did the reverse.
I was teaching my daughters about town. Since we were going to be living together, this would be our family's home territory.
"That's the bakery. Next to it is the clothing shop. They deal in secondhand clothing, too. Remember them so you don't get lost when you run errands."
"Okay, Mommy! I've already memorized them really good!"
"All right then, how many of the shops on the main road can you name?"
"Starting from the village's southern gate, there's Noelis the shoemaker and then the Meitz Dairy Products shop on the sixth block. On the fifth block, there's an abandoned building that was a general store until it closed down eight years ago, then the Kant Trading Company, which sells vegetable seeds and farming tools. The shop owner strained his back the other day."
"You know way too much!"
So the shop that sells cheese and milk and things is called Meitz Dairy Products, hmm? In three hundred years, I'd never bothered to notice its official name. I think the villagers would probably have gotten confused if someone had asked them where Meitz Dairy Products was, too.
"Did you memorize them, Shalsha?"
"…Uh-huh."
Shalsha seemed to be generally reserved, and I could still sense a little distance between us.
She had come to attack me, and as we'd done nothing as parent and child before this, in a way, it was inevitable.
I guess we can just warm up to each other as time goes by.
I was also a total beginner when it came to motherhood. It would have been stranger if I'd suddenly managed to be perfect at it.
"In that case, Shalsha, could you tell me how much you've learned about the village, too?"
"That slightly wider road is an old highway, and so if you look carefully, you can see traces of its past as a state road. Over there are the ruins of an Old Kingdom period checkpoint."
"I didn't tell you a single thing about any of that."
What is she, a travel-show host?
At any rate, I'd learned the two of them were extremely bright.
Spirits are special beings, aren't they? After fifty years, I guess you aren't just simple and innocent anymore.
"They certainly are your daughters, Lady Azusa. They're both clever."
Laika complimented them, but I thought they were long past "clever."
Just then, I heard a grumbly sound.
It was Laika's stomach.
"I-I'm sorry… I've walked more than usual today, so…"
Flustered, Laika blushed.
Were dragons well-behaved as a rule, or was this just Laika's personality? Maybe it was both.
"All right, well, that's the end of the tour. Why don't we go eat now?"
"Yaaay!"
"I'd like that."
It was good to see them so excited at the prospect, just like ordinary kids.
After that, the four of us ate together at the Savvy Eagle.
"Mommy, do I have to eat the celery, too?"
"Mom, I don't really like celery…"
Their attitudes relieved me a bit. Oh, now they sound like actual children.
"Well, if you eat it, you can order the chiffon cake afterward."
They seemed torn but took the plunge and scarfed down the celery.
"Very good. You mustn't be picky eaters."
One soup plate, however still retained its celery.
It was Laika's.
"You see, in my tribe, there is a rule that we must not eat it. We can eat other medicinal herbs, even if they're bitter, but…"
"Laika, if it's true, I don't mind, but don't lie to your teacher, all right?"
I pressed her gently.
"I-I'm terribly sorry! I'll eat it!"
So it had been a lie.
Laika squeezed her eyes shut and put the celery in her mouth.
"Oh, you're so gooood!"
Falfa patted Laika in the space between her horns.
It was like I'd picked up a third daughter.
I giggled in spite of myself.
I'd always enjoyed eating out, but this might have been the most fun I'd had yet.
At the very least, it was four times as much fun as being alone.
"I wonder why celery tastes like this…?"
Laika had "ugh" written all over her face, so I finished the rest of it for her.