Reincarnated as a Princess's Pet: With Trash Stats, but SSS-Rank Skill-Chapter 53: Ashes of the Giant Slime

Thog slowly opened his eyes.

His head hurt.

He tried to move.

He couldn’t.

His arms were tied behind his back.

The ropes were pulled tight.

"...What...?"

It took him a few seconds to remember.

The battle.

The bandits.

Max with the gem that made him fall asleep.

The dwarf lifted his head.

And saw the road.

The place looked like a battlefield.

Bodies of dwarves.

Goblins.

Gray elves.

Everything was covered by a layer of black dust.

The pulverized charcoal from the giant slime had spread everywhere.

Fallen trees.

Shattered rocks.

The ground completely devastated.

Then he saw the group.

They were gathered around Max’s body.

The human was lying on the ground.

Sophie had several sealed papers floating around him.

The runes glowed softly.

Dorian was kneeling beside him.

His hands emitted a green light.

Magic flowed slowly into Max’s body.

A moment later, Max coughed.

"COUGH—!"

He suddenly sat up.

He spat out a bit of smoke.

"Ugh..."

He placed a hand on his chest.

"That... wasn’t pleasant."

Dorian smiled.

"Welcome back, dear friend."

Max took several deep breaths.

Then he looked at the two of them.

"Thanks."

He nodded toward Dorian.

Then toward Sophie.

"Both of you."

Sophie made a small bow.

Dorian smiled.

Max stretched his arms.

"So..."

He looked around.

"Did you already loot the bandits?"

Dorian stared at him for a few seconds.

Then he started laughing.

"Ha..."

He placed a hand on his forehead.

"I can’t believe it."

He shook his head.

"You wake up after almost dying..."

He looked at him with an amused smile.

"...and the first thing you think about is robbing the thieves."

Max shrugged.

"It’s part of the job."

Dorian let out another small laugh.

"You truly have the soul of an adventurer."

Neros stepped forward.

In his hands he held something strange.

A small gelatinous mass.

It trembled slightly.

But it didn’t seem dangerous.

"I found this."

He showed it to Max.

"It seems harmless."

Max looked at it.

His eyes widened.

"That!"

He stood up quickly.

"That’s what’s left of the giant slime!"

Neros raised an eyebrow.

Max pointed at the gelatinous mass.

"It’s the organ it uses to change shape."

He extended his hand.

"Please give it to me. It’s a very rare item in Eldoria."

Neros handed it over without hesitation.

"Of course."

He shrugged lightly.

"To be honest, I wasn’t sure whether to throw it away."

Max took the mass.

At that moment, a window appeared before his eyes.

[Magical item detected.]

[Shapeshifting Slime Core]

[Ability: Allows the object to transform into any form the bearer imagines.]

[Limitation: Single use.]

Max smiled.

"Perfect."

He stored the item inside his Infinite Backpack.

Moonlight tilted her head.

"With that, you could make another sword."

Max shook his head.

"No."

He raised a finger.

"It only works once."

Moon blinked.

"Huh?"

"If we used it for a weapon, it would be a waste."

Moon crossed her arms.

"Well..."

She sighed.

"I guess you’re right."

Then she looked at Max’s neck.

"By the way..."

She tilted her head.

"Where’s your necklace?"

Max touched his neck.

He froze.

"...Uh."

He looked around.

"My necklace..."

Neros lifted something from the ground.

A small broken object.

"This?"

It was the Echo Illusion Necklace.

The gem was split in two.

Max sighed.

"Great..."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"That would’ve been really useful for this mission."

Then he shrugged.

"Well. When we return to the kingdom, I’ll buy another one."

At that moment, Varis frowned.

He looked down the road.

"Hmm."

Everyone followed his gaze.

Thog.

The dwarf was slowly crawling toward the bushes.

Trying to escape.

He barely moved forward.

The ropes held him back.

Varis walked toward him.

He stopped in front of his former friend.

"Don’t even try."

Thog lifted his head.

Varis grabbed the ropes.

He lifted him with ease.

The dwarf avoided looking him in the eyes.

Varis sighed.

"...You really make me feel sorry for you."

Max watched the scene.

Then he turned toward Sophie.

"Hey. Can you notify the guards?"

Sophie looked up. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Max pointed at Thog.

"Tell them to come pick up this guy as the traitor and criminal that he is."

Neros nodded.

"I’ll keep him tied."

He walked toward one of the few trees still standing beside the road.

He firmly tied Thog to the trunk.

Sophie took out a new sealed paper.

She began writing quickly on it.

Then she lifted it.

The seal glowed.

And she threw it into the air.

The paper shot forward like an arrow.

WHOOSH.

It disappeared into the sky.

Moon’s eyes widened.

"What?!"

She looked at Sophie.

"How does that work?"

Dorian crossed his arms.

He smiled.

"I told you Sophie is much more than just a simple maid."

Sophie calmly organized her papers.

"That seal travels toward the coordinates written on it."

She looked at Moon.

"That’s how I communicate over long distances."

She lifted another small bottle of ink.

"On the other side, I have linked magical ink. When I’m expecting a reply, the message returns to me."

Moon’s eyes shone with fascination.

"That’s amazing!"

She stepped closer to Sophie.

"That seal magic is super useful!"

She looked at her with bright eyes.

"Could you teach me someday?"

Sophie smiled softly.

"Of course. I could even teach you the basics."

Max blinked.

He stared at her.

"...I think I’ve never seen Sophie smile before."

Neros let out a laugh.

"Me neither."

He pointed at Sophie.

"And she’s my sister."

***

Varis stood for a few seconds staring at Thog.

The dwarf avoided his gaze.

His shoulders trembled slightly.

Varis sighed.

"...You were always an idiot."

He pulled a piece of cloth from his belt.

He rolled it up.

Thog lifted his head.

"Varis, I—"

The dwarf didn’t let him finish.

He shoved the cloth into his mouth.

Then tied it behind his head.

"Better this way."

He tightened the knot.

"That way you won’t say any more nonsense."

Thog let out a muffled grunt.

Varis looked at him one last time.

Then turned around.

Without saying another word.

Meanwhile, Neros walked among the scattered bodies.

Some bandits were still alive.

The knight dragged them one by one.

He sat them against the few trees still standing.

And tied them up with strong ropes.

"If you try to escape..." he muttered.

He stabbed his sword into the ground in front of one of them.

"...you won’t get very far."

The goblin swallowed nervously.

A few meters away, Max, Dorian, and Sophie inspected the carriage.

Max opened one of the boxes.

Everything was still intact and in place.

"Good."

He knocked on the side of the wood.

"The carriage survived."

Dorian checked the wheels.

"The wheels are intact."

He stood up.

"We’re lucky."

Sophie adjusted some supplies that had shifted during the battle.

"Everything seems to be in order."

Meanwhile, Moonlight was sitting beside the horse.

She had a sandwich in her hand.

She took a bite.

Then she looked at the horse.

The animal was staring at her.

Moon sighed.

"Alright, little buddy..."

She tore off a piece.

She gave it to him.

The horse ate it happily.

Moon smiled.

"But don’t get used to it."

She gave him another piece.

"This was mine."

Max walked toward them.

He stretched.

He looked around the battlefield.

He sighed.

"What a shame."

Dorian raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Max shrugged.

"The bandits."

He looked at the bodies.

"They didn’t have anything interesting to loot."

Dorian laughed.

"You really are something else."

He shook his head.

Neros approached.

"All done."

He sheathed his sword.

"The survivors are tied up."

Varis climbed onto the carriage without saying a word.

Moon finished her sandwich.

Max climbed onto the back seat.

Varis grabbed the reins.

"Well then."

He looked at the road ahead.

Far in the distance lay the Kingdom of Devils.

The dwarf flicked the reins.

"Move out!"

The carriage began to roll.

The wheels turned along the road covered in black dust.

Little by little, the group left the battlefield behind.

And continued their journey toward the Kingdom of Devils.