[Squishy] ▶ Why? I want to go back!
The sli tilted its body to the side and asked.
For the sli, an unintentional farewell was both sad and unpleasant.
The sli was pure and innocent.
Because of that, even when it experienced the pain of separation, it could cover up the sadness thanks to new encounters, the joy they brought, and its bubbling curiosity.
However, that didn’t an it had completely forgotten the pain of parting.
The sli still rembered Def’s scream calling out to it when it fell from the cliff.
▷If you go back now, your life will really be in danger. I’ll explain.
Through playful chatting, Troll carefully picked words that the sli could understand and explained the situation.
The human who placed the sli on the magic circle.
That human, Brooks Vessilja, was a very bad human.
[Squishy] ▶ A bad human?
▷ A very bad human. He bullied Gracie and even tried to kill you, Squishy.
[Squishy] ▶ Bad human!
Even a pure sli knew very well that soone trying to kill it was bad.
‘Alright, I planted a strong impression of that Brooks guy.’
▷But that bad human is strong. If you go back like this, Gracie, Alia, and Paulen will all be in danger.
[Squishy] ▶ They can’t be in danger!
▷ That’s why I can’t let you go back right away.
[Squishy] ▶ Then when can I go back?
The sli understood that going back right now would put the three in danger.
So the question beca: "When can I reunite with them?"
Even Troll found this problem difficult.
For the sli’s safety, he brought it to his secret workshop for now.
He expected the Saintess and Paladin to return to the Holy City in a few days.
Originally, they were only scheduled to stay at the Magic Tower for up to a month, and now that a lich had appeared, they’d surely need to report that as well.
If it were up to Troll, he would have liked to personally hand the sli over to the Saintess in a few days.
But since he was a lich, simply handing over the sli could draw suspicion.
People might assu the lich had done sothing to the sli.
That would only put the sli in more danger.
To safely reunite with Alia, Troll estimated it would have to be after news reached the Holy City and at least a month or two had passed.
Of course, the best reunion would be one that seed accidental — the sli having escaped and running into them by chance, not being handed over.
‘But I wonder if Squishy can understand that.’
From what Troll saw, the sli had a pure heart and was very friendly toward people.
But once it fixated on sothing, it was quite stubborn about it.
‘First of all...’
▷I don’t really know either.
[Squishy] ▶ You don’t know?
▷ I need to think about it a bit more and decide when it’s safe to let you out. So please wait.
[Squishy] ▶ I see..................
The sli drooped its body downward.
It understood that Troll wasn’t keeping it inside on purpose, but for its safety.
Still, the unintended parting from Alia and Paulen made the sli feel sad.
Even to Troll, the sli looked pitiful.
If possible, he wanted to send it to the Blue Elven Forest where Nellin was to help the reunion.
But even if he did, the elven elder would likely drive it out again.
And the sa would go for Count Ludendion’s territory.
‘The best option would be sending it to that adventurer party... right?’
But adventurers rarely stayed in one place for long.
‘For now, I’ll have it stay at my workshop for a few days.’
Troll placed his skeletal hand on the sli and used telepathy.
[Squishy, is there anything you want? Tell . I’ll try to prepare it for you.]
He used the sa chat-style speech through telepathy, but it didn’t feel strange.
After all, the chat window worked by automatically inputting what he consciously thought.
[Squishy] ▶ Sothing I want?
[If there’s anything you’re curious about, I’ll tell you too.]
Troll knew the sli was a bundle of curiosity.
His secret workshop was full of things the sli had never seen before.
So he tried to help the sli overco its sadness by satisfying that curiosity.
‘Curious things? Things I want to know.’
To the sli, it was a basic, instinctive question — and it imdiately reacted.
What am I curious about right now?
The question of when it could return couldn’t be solved right now.
So, aside from that, what did it most want to know?
[Squishy] ▶ What is Troll?
[Huh?]
[Squishy] ▶ I want to know about Troll! What’s your race?
The answer was: about Troll.
The one who had given advice, shown amazing things, and even saved its life.
The sli now wanted to know about Troll.
‘I didn’t expect that to be the first question.’
Even though Troll had been alone, his secret workshop was filled with magical tools and magic circles he had drawn while watching broadcasts for inspiration.
He expected the sli to ask about one of the items in the workshop.
[I'm............]
But when it ca ti to introduce himself, Troll went silent.
How should he introduce himself?
It had been 30 years since he beca a lich.
Other than chat ssages, that performance earlier was the first real conversation he had since becoming a lich.
He had prepared the act ahead of ti, so that wasn’t a problem.
But the idea of introducing himself — that was what stopped his words.
‘Should I just say my race? Or go back to when I was human?’
After a brief mont of thought, Troll decided to just answer the sli’s very first question for now.
[I’m a lich.]
[Squishy] ▶ Lich! .......... What’s a lich?
[A lich is a human wizard that turned into a monster.]
[Squishy] ▶ Whoa!
Humans and monsters.
The sli could sense that the two were being perceived differently.
But hearing that a human had beco a monster — that was sothing completely new to the sli.
In other words, it was extrely fascinating.
[Squishy] ▶ What happened?
[Magically speaking, it's very complicated. But to put it simply… I worked really hard.]
[Squishy] ▶ Worked hard!
The sli bounced its body up and down, delighted by Troll’s imdiate response.
[Squishy] ▶ What’s your na, Troll?
[Huh?]
The sli had been introduced to the concept of “nicknas” by the system.
So it knew that nas like Squishy Queen, Noblesse Fire, Gothic Luxury Bone, Thread-Lady, and Just Slam First were all self-chosen nicknas.
It also knew that Troll's nickna was “Free Spirit.”
Even though he was called “Free Spirit,” he’d also earned the additional nickna “Troll.”
And now, with the new info that Troll used to be a human wizard, the sli thought that he must have had a real human na, just like other humans.
[My na is.............]
Was it really okay to share this with the sli?
After a brief hesitation, Troll spoke to the sli.
[Squishy.]
[Squishy] ▶ Yeah!
[Please don’t tell other humans or viewers about my na or identity. And please don’t turn on your broadcast while you're here.]
[Squishy] ▶ Because you're embarrassed?
The sli recalled the reason Troll gave before when he asked for the stream to be turned off.
[Yeah. Embarrassnt.]
[Squishy] ▶ Got it!
Hearing the sli’s enthusiastic response, Troll finally said his human na for the first ti in a long while.
[My na is............... Ventus Frail. I am Ventus Frail, the Sage of Magic.]
[Squishy] ▶ Wooooow!
The sli couldn’t help but be shocked at Troll’s words.
Ventus Frail.
The sli knew that na.
He was soone ntioned in the biographies and fairy tales Jessie read many tis while they were in Count Ludendion’s estate.
And soone that Gracie proudly referred to as her ancestor.
[Squishy] ▶ Amazing! You’re alive! You’re not dead!
Back when the sli lived in the Count’s mansion, Jessie had told it many tis—
Unfortunately, the Sage of Magic Ventus Frail had already died.
But now, the man said to be dead was standing right in front of it.
‘Well, I guess being undead still counts as dead......’
[Yeah. I beca a monster from a human, so I’m still alive.]
[Squishy] ▶ Wow!
The sli didn’t understand the chanism, but the fact that he was alive was incredible enough.
The sli’s pure amazent in front of him made Troll feel a deep warmth in his chest.
‘If I had a grandchild, would it feel like this?’
[Squishy] ▶ Ventus!
[Just call Troll. I’m more used to that now.]
[Squishy] ▶ Troll!
[So, what do you want to ask next?]
[Squishy] ▶ I want to hear it! The Calamity Subjugation! Tell about it!
[Huh? Didn’t Jessie already tell you a lot about it?]
[Squishy] ▶ I want to hear it again! But this ti from you, Troll!
The sli already knew from Jessie that the sa story could feel completely different depending on who told it — whether as a biography or fairy tale.
So now, it wanted to hear it straight from Troll himself.
‘Can’t believe I’m telling this story out loud myself.’
[Alright. But please understand that I can’t tell you everything all at once.]
[Squishy] ▶ Okay!
And so, Troll slowly began recalling the past and started telling the story of the Black Dragon Calamity he had lived through.
He talked about how much people had suffered because of the black dragon, and how he had co to join the subjugation.
His eting with his comrades, the beginning of their journey, and more.
Since he was speaking via telepathy and didn’t even need to drink water, Troll kept talking without pause — and ti flew by quickly.
‘Huh? It’s already this late?’
Before he knew it, it was almost ti for the monster broadcast that Troll watched regularly — even before seeing the sli’s stream.
[Squishy, that’s all the story for today.]
[Squishy] ▶ Okay!
The sli didn’t fuss and accepted Troll’s words.
It was a familiar feeling — like when Jessie used to read thick biographies back at the Count’s mansion.
[Squishy, what do you want to do now?]
[Squishy] ▶ I want to work out!
The sli’s internal clock told it that now would be the ti it usually trained with Paulen.
‘Workout, huh......’
The sli’s exercise routine usually involved sparring with Paulen or lifting custom-made dumbbells and weights.
But there was no Paulen here, and of course, there were no dumbbells or weights in this secret workshop.
[Hold on a mont.]
Troll lifted his skeletal hand off the sli and pointed to the ground.
Wooooooong!
A magic circle suddenly appeared, and then a stone wall rose from the ground.
Then, the mont another magic circle was etched into the rising wall—
Crack! Rumble rumble rumble!
The wall changed shape as if crumpling like paper, and eventually turned into the shape of the dumbbells the sli usually used.
[Squishy] ▶ Dumbbells!
▷Try lifting this.
[Squishy] ▶ Okay!
Boing!
The sli hopped toward the Troll-made dumbbells and extended a tentacle.
Pop!
It wrapped a tentacle around the handle and lifted the dumbbell.
‘Heavy!’
The dumbbell was made by compressing an entire chunk of stone wall.
But the weight was just right — perfectly suited for the sli who had trained under Paulen’s guidance.
Squeeze! Squeeze!
Troll watched the sli lifting dumbbells with joy and pride, then turned his gaze to tune into his regular broadcast.
‘Hm?’
But when he opened the list of broadcasts—
A shocking title caught his eye.
[If you know news of my kin, co join!]
Sli Queen.
It was the title of the Squishy Queen’s broadcast.
‘Ah.’
Troll realized he had overlooked sothing.
Maybe regular viewers wouldn’t notice — but not the Sli Queen.
There’s no way Squishy Queen would sit quietly after suddenly seeing the sli’s broadcast go dark.
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