Chapter 16 - A Part of the Family

What's up with the comment I got?! I was only telling the truth!

I write up a reply and brace myself, looking at my monitor with a focused stare. Both KaizerYuto and I were chatting back and forth in the comments section.

~~~

Comments:

BenevolentMerchant: I'm serious! I've been fighting in the area with the slimes that were patrolling near the trees, and I've grown a lot from just that!

KaizerYuto: ???...😂

KaizerYuto: Dude, stop trolling, you said you were a noob 😂

BenevolentMerchant: ...but I am?

KaizerYuto: Hahahaha, ain't no way...those slimes there are on another level from beginner-friendly slimes. You must have cleared it with an uncommon-tier wife. 😂

BenevolentMerchant: I cleared it by myself though?

KaizerYuto: LOL. Your lie would have been more believable if you said you were fighting those slimes in the grasslands of the pasture...but yeah, sure dude, you totally took out those strong slimes in the front by yourself. 😂

~~~

...what.

...you mean to tell me that I was fighting stronger slimes after all? I don't...I don't even know where to begin...

So, the slimes closer to the trees were the menaces, and those further out in the fields were the normal-to-hunt ones?!

That's crazy! I don't believe it! Why is the game like that?! The further the enemies, the stronger they are supposed to be! This is too contradictory!

...and thus, what I did was simple: I deleted the forum, letting that KaizerYuto believe that I was a troll. 

After all, it doesn't matter if one person thinks that way...all I needed was information about the Pasture of Mire...and now, I need to know about the guild hall before I proceed going back to the game.

...minutes pass, and I'm finally done reading about the guild hall. It was a typical tavern, that seemed to be connected from all the other continents in the game.

It does not matter where you're currently at...it will stay connected either way. The problem then, is that I need to look like a presentable and experienced player to hide my identity.

It would only be alarming if a noob who played the game for 3 days would already be eligible to enter the guild hall.

So, I return to the game and immediately go up the mountain...oh, and of course, with my beloved egg~!

...a couple of hours later, I finally reach the summit and walk my way to the pagoda. It was as beautiful as ever, but a stark difference I immediately noticed, was the existence of a familiar red flower planted below the cherry blossom tree in her courtyard.

However, that's not the only surprising thing I've noticed...

My wife, Rosalina, was practicing in the open field of her courtyard, below the shade of the tree.

With elegant and swift strikes, she slashes through the falling petals with precision, accurately slashing them in half.

One other thing to note was that she was also moving...in a particular manner. I can't describe it quite well, but she had a particular pattern with the movements of her foot.

Agile, it is, but beyond that...it's more of an elaborate movement. Detailed, hard to follow-- in fact, too much that it does not look like a simple dance.

"Husband," She calls out, a stoic look in her eyes. She immediately retracts her sword and sheathes it back to her scabbard, all while coming close to me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to intrude..." I say, looking away from her as I see her come close to me. Her body was drenched in sweat, but she didn't look fatigued in the slightest. It seemed rather unbelievable...

Her eyes droop down low, to the thing that's on my hands. "Where did you get this?" She asks, looking at me with shock...a look that only describes that I got something I shouldn't have.

...but why is she looking at me like this? Could this egg be something like a taboo?

If it is, then what should I do instead? Cook it and eat a fried egg?

"I...I got it from a dungeon," I answer, a look of perplexity on her face. "You...it's...never mind," She says, at a loss for words, as a pained look on her face is reflected. "Well, what matters is what you intend to do with it," 

I look at her curiously...wondering if I should tell her my initial plans of raising it...or crossing that idea entirely.

I don't know how she'll react, after all.

"...I want to raise this egg," I smile...knowing that it's better to tell the truth and just see what happens afterward. Rosalina should be alright with this, right? She's a fair person.

She moves away from me slightly, a look of awe on her face, but something tells me that there's more to that look than just shock.

"You want to raise this egg? A slime nonetheless? One who cannot help you in battle?" She asks, looking back and forth from the egg to my eyes.

This time, I'm the one to look shocked...so it's a slime egg? But...what type of slime does it grow into? I have no idea.

And no. Even if it's a slime, I'm not changing my answer.

"Yes, I want to raise this egg," I smile warmly at the egg, as I set down my spear to the ground and carry the egg like a baby. "Do you know any way to incubate it?" I ask, but she only stays stunned...and silent.

Her mouth moves slightly, as her eyes lighten into pure curiosity. Another emotion I would never expect her to show.

Especially not when she was infamous for being cold and stoic. "...why do you care for such a creature? A weak and frail creature that serves nothing else aside from fodder," 

I stay silent for a few seconds, before laughing boisterously...but it does not change her reaction in the slightest.

"Do I need a reason? I'm the only family this egg has,"