‘Why does that voice sound a bit familiar?’
Zoe looked at Flora. Without overthinking, he spat out all the accumulated acid.
Acid Bullet Rain!
A rain of acid bullets filled the sky, pouring down among the monsters. Under the intense corrosion, their flesh and skin became riddled with holes, causing the beasts to collapse one after another.
The remaining three Headhunter Cultists could no longer care about the monsters they had painstakingly gathered.
They leaped onto the backs of three giant eagle monsters and prepared to flee.
“Puji!”
Zoe patted Vera. Reacting quickly, she excitedly lunged toward the giant eagles.
“Try the Frost Queen’s Breath!”
Vera unleashed a silver-white frost breath, instantly enveloping the three giant eagles as they took flight.
“A breath attack?! How is that possible?!”
The Headhunter Cultists had not expected a white dragon of this age to have mastered frost breath. Caught off guard, they were frozen solid for an instant.
Zoe seized the opportunity to spit out his steel needles.
Acid: Heart-Piercing Needle!
Coated in acid, the sharp steel needles flew under the effect of the [Precision] skill, piercing the hearts of the three giant eagles one after another.
Having instantly lost their lives, the giant eagles fell rapidly from the sky.
Seeing this, Vera dived down swiftly, catching two of the rapidly falling Headhunter Cultists.
She had not forgotten Zoe's order to capture them alive.
As for the remaining one, they were smashed into meat paste along with their giant eagle.
After having Vera land, Zoe stood on the dragon's back and looked at the two on the ground.
Playing her part perfectly, Vera raised her head elegantly and tossed down the two Headhunter Cultists held in her claws.
One of the cultists drew a dagger from their waist without hesitation, preparing to commit suicide.
Zoe quickly spat out a steel needle, piercing the cultist's palm and pinning it to the ground.
“I will seal their mana.”
Evelyn walked toward the two Headhunter Cultists and raised her longsword.
As two Sacred Circle sealing spells took effect, the mana and evil god power of both Headhunter Cultists were sealed away.
“Are you the High Slime I know?”
Evelyn looked up at Zoe on the dragon's back.
After all, Zoe's current appearance was quite different from before; his body was larger, and his color had shifted from deep blue to deep purple.
“Puji.”
【Yes, Sacred Circle Knight. Long time no see. Are you still pursuing the Headhunter Cultists?】
Zoe popped up a text box and hopped down from the dragon's back to the ground.
“The slime is talking!”
Flora spoke up in shock.
Although she had heard from Evelyn that her monster friend was highly intelligent, she had never heard of one that could actually speak.
Besides, hadn't Evelyn said he was a High Slime living all on his own?
Looking at this High Slime now, he was doing incredibly well for himself.
He even had his own territory, subordinates...
Evelyn was also a bit surprised, but she quickly regained her composure.
“That is correct. According to the clues we have tracked, the Headhunter Cult has been active within the Great Hera Forest, seemingly carrying out some kind of plan.”
“Our purpose in entering the forest was to investigate this plan.”
“Since you reside in this forest, is there any related information you could share with us?”
Evelyn politely adopted a posture of asking for guidance.
“Puji.”
【I indeed do. If you do not mind, you can come to my territory, and I can tell you in detail about the information I have.】
Hearing Zoe's invitation, Evelyn had no doubts and nodded gently, accepting the offer.
“Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Slime.”
“Puji.”
【Follow me.】
Zoe led Evelyn and Flora toward his territory.
By now, the territory had taken shape, featuring a residential area, a smelting and development zone, and an agricultural development zone.
Let alone Flora, even Evelyn looked quite startled.
To think that a mixed territory of intelligent monsters had sprung up in the Great Hera Forest.
And it was actually under the leadership of a High Slime.
“Lord!”
“Lord!”
“Great Lord!”
As they walked through the streets along the way, the monsters on both sides respectfully bowed in greeting.
‘Such immense prestige.’
Flora could feel the genuine respect and esteem these monsters held for the High Slime before them.
When traveling in the Sable family's domain, Flora would also receive greetings from the fief's residents.
However, that was merely fear and subservience, not the respect and heartfelt submission present in these monsters' voices.
Passing through the residential area, they arrived at the cave on the mountain.
“Puji.”
【Before I share my information, could you tell me about the Headhunter Cult intelligence you have uncovered?】
“Of course.”
The cave was relatively simple. Evelyn and Flora chose stone stools covered in animal pelts to sit on.
Zoe hopped onto the stone circular platform covered with a tiger pelt, where he usually stayed when meeting people.
Flora glanced around the cave, noticing the forge at the entrance.
‘Could this slime actually know how to forge? Speaking of which, my little brother also knows how to forge.’
Flora sighed in her heart, suppressing her churning emotions.
Right now, the priority was to thoroughly investigate the Headhunter Cult, find out the cause of her brother's death, and then exact revenge!
No matter what.
While thinking about this, Flora took off her mask.
And then...
“Puji!!”
The High Slime let out a strange sound and fell right off the edge of the circular platform.
Flora looked in confusion at the fallen High Slime.
Evelyn also cast her gaze over, her light blue eyes behind her mask reflecting her bewilderment.
Zoe climbed back onto the circular platform.
“Puji.”
【I am fine, my foot just slipped.】
‘Do you even have feet?’
The exact same thought flashed through both Flora and Evelyn's minds.
Having climbed back onto the circular platform, Zoe stared at Flora in disbelief.
Flora Sable.
Why on earth was this girl here? Wasn't she supposed to be in school? Did she drop out?!
Why did she come all the way here even if she dropped out?
When Zoe first transmigrated into this world, he was still quite young.
Consequently, he had developed rather self-important ideas. Since this girl happened to be inexplicably close to him, he had ended up saying a lot of chuunibyou nonsense in front of her.
Only after being schooled by reality did he realize his own mediocrity, and his mind gradually matured.
Those words were his ultimate dark history.
Zoe wished he could stuff an eraser into Flora's brain and wipe out those embarrassing memories entirely.
“Then I will continue our explanation.”
“We tracked the Headhunter Cult in Hera City and discovered that they are connected to the city's nobility and wealthy elite.”
“Not only that, but they also have connections to the monsters within the Great Hera Forest.”
“People who went missing in Hera City were also secretly transferred to the Great Hera Forest by the Headhunter Cult.”
“The casualty and disappearance rates of adventurers have also increased over the past two years, though they were covered up by the higher-ups of the Guild.”
Listening to Evelyn's words, Zoe's heart gradually calmed as he began to ponder the situation.
“Puji.”
【The significant decrease in the number of monsters in the Great Hera Forest during this Month of Melting Snow should be because they were controlled by the Headhunter Cult.】
【They did not just start this year; their operations began as early as last year. Beyond controlling monsters, they have also attacked and enslaved intelligent monster tribes.】
【Most of the intelligent monsters in my territory fled here after their original tribes were destroyed.】
Evelyn reached up to pinch her chin beneath her mask, contemplating Zoe's words.
“Puji.”
【Regarding those missing persons transferred to the monsters from Hera City, as well as the missing adventurers, were they mostly female?】
Zoe popped up another text box.
“Indeed, that is the case.”
Evelyn's tone turned solemn. She had already thought of an extremely grim possibility.
【In the Great Hera Forest, the goblin population has increased abnormally, and even Mid-tier Monster individuals like goblin high priests have appeared.】
【I suspect that a goblin king has emerged within the Great Hera Forest, and the Headhunter Cult is very likely conducting a human trafficking trade with them.】
Zoe's text box coldly revealed a reality that was difficult to accept.
“Human trafficking with goblins?! That Headhunter Cult is so utterly devoid of conscience! Are they even human?!”
“Do they have any idea what happens to the women traded to goblins?!”
“Those pieces of scum! Absolute trash!”
Flora stood up, her brow furrowed and her eyes filled with utter disgust and rage.
She wanted nothing more than to rush out of the cave immediately and thoroughly torture those two captive scumbags.
Looking at Flora, Zoe felt a bit of relief.
Even though he had been rather chuunibyou back then, he had still raised a good kid.
“A goblin king...”
Evelyn's tone was low and heavy.
Rate on N.U.
