After I finished my soul - embracing with Penta, Penelope and Theodora were still chatting. So I walked towards them. The slender and tattooed Theodora seemed to be having a passionate discussion about profound magical topics with Penelope. Although she wasn't much older than us, she was truly powerful. In fact, she was even stronger than Penelope, which was evident from the way her soul flickered and throbbed, a clear sign of her extraordinary talent.
"Are you sure? I'd really like to analyze your healing formation, especially if you're planning to return to Sky Hope City later," Theodora said eagerly.
"Well, you don't have a permit to use bio - magic, do you?" Penelope asked. "Since I might be going back to Sky Hope City, I don't want to break the law. However... I have to admit, I'm curious if you know one or more hidden spell formulas."
Theodora raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, hidden spell formulas? You know they're also illegal..."
"But they're quite common. With your talent, I'm sure you've mastered some, right?"
"Well, ah, I think if you're willing to share a few healing spells, I can definitely repay you..."
Penelope showed a predatory smile.
"I'd be happy to, dear Theodora. Oh, and hello, Vita! Do me a favor and pretend you didn't hear what we just said, okay?"
When Penelope greeted me, Theodora let out a scream and turned around. I waved my hand and smiled in response.
"Heard what? How did your conversation go?"
"I think it went quite well," Penelope replied.
"Great!" I answered. "Song is super cool! And Melik also really surprised me. He's pretty great too."
Penelope nodded, understanding my meaning.
"Melik is a good kid," Theodora agreed. "I really hope the new Melik is just as good. When Taryn said she was going to make Melik one of us, I was a bit sad, but I'm glad to see you two getting along so well."
The new Melik, huh? That's an interesting way to put it. The old one is gone, replaced by a parasite.
"Speaking of our new members, I can't believe you're so lucky, Theodora!" Penelope said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "A talent for magic analysis is like a dream come true."
"Penelope, this is a secret!" Theodora complained. "If Sky Hope City discovers my talent, they'll keep an even closer eye on us! And it's not luck. You know we had to fight for control of this body. Father placed nearly a dozen of our kind here, and in the end, I won."
"Oh, congratulations then!" Penelope said with astonishingly false sincerity. "But it should be okay to tell Vita, right? She's one of us too. You should tell her the same things you told me!"
"Oh, right, of course!" Theodora exclaimed cheerfully, clapping her hands. "Vita, when you and Song were in the house, I noticed some incredible magical patterns! Because Penelope kept distracting me, I couldn't take a good look - " At this point, she even glared at Penelope in a feigned anger - "But if that's your ability, I'd love to see more of your talent! I've never seen such magic before!"
She saw me using my soul - pulling ability through a damn wall? Oh my god! I gave Penelope a grateful look, and she seemed even more smug than usual. Well, she did deserve it for helping me out. But what should I say now?
"You'll go to the forest with us, right?" Penelope asked, once again helping me out in time. "There you can study her talent in detail. I think her ability might flash from time to time when she's looking around. I'm still researching how her perception ability works, but my guess is that it's a manifestation of kinetic magic."
"Kinetic magic? Impossible," Theodora commented. "She said her ability is to detect life. How could it be kinetic magic?"
"Have you ever heard of the inclusion theory of kinetic magic and thermal magic?" Penelope asked, wearing an extremely "nerdy" smile.
"The one about powerful light mages often burning things...?"
"Yes, that one! Some light mages cast spells without obvious light, but it's still kinetic magic! It must be some kind of heat wave. It's the overlapping part between different magical schools. What if Vita detects those heat waves in some way? After all, all living beings generate heat..."
They continued to talk about those profound magical theories, and I became more and more confused. I quietly walked away. I had told Penelope what she needed to know and got the information I wanted from her. If Theodora could see the casting of magic through a wall, as long as she was awake, I basically couldn't use the Bottle of Endlessness.
This meant... I basically had nothing to do until nightfall. It seemed it was Penta's turn now.
"What, you mean... we have nothing to do for the rest of today?" She asked in surprise.
Yeah, why not? I had already emerged from my cocoon, and since then, I hadn't felt any strange or potentially self - destructive impulses. I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't need to do something later, but...
Penta hesitated.
"Uh... actually, I was going to say we should practice your cancellation command."
I blinked.
Really?
"Yes, yes. Well, if possible. I've never actually cast a spell in your body before, and if you want... um, to learn your magical discipline more comprehensively, you need to become a knowledgeable mage."
Well, I thought I was already thinking my existence wasn't illegal enough...
Penta laughed.
"Thank you, Vita. I didn't have a chance to say it before, but... thank you. I need something to look forward to, especially considering... our current situation."
Yeah, it must be really tough. Sorry, Penta.
"You know you killed a person," Penta said in a low voice. "You know it in your heart. You know we're also human. But you still killed them."
I'll take good care of those souls, Penta. We'll make them better.
"You can eat the one inside Remus," Penta muttered. "Did you hear what Theodora said? About him putting a dozen of our kind in her body and then making them fight for control of the body."
This seems like a reasonable way to allocate the strongest body.
"By the Watcher above, Vita! Bodies aren't food for orphans. They're all human! And deciding by fighting isn't a good way either!"
I never said it was a good way. I just said it was reasonable. When I lost before, I never thought this system was good, but anyway, this decision is very clear. The one with the most bread is the one you don't dare to rob. From the perspective that no one can argue about it, it's quite fair; the other slimes lost because of their own abilities.
"Just eat him."
Hey, I was planning to do that anyway. No need to tell me twice.
She laughed and shook her head.
"Well, I thought so too. Come on, I'll help you practice."
The two of us went to find Remus to figure out where we would sleep at night. He had prepared a room for us in Taryn's house, so we headed back. Thank goodness, Taryn wasn't ready to prepare the feast tonight. After confirming this, we went to that cozy little guest room, closed the door, and started practicing finger - movements.
I sat on the bed, got ready, tried my best to recall the content of the day when Orville trained me, and tried not to think about how strange it was that I was already used to sleeping in a bed. Let's see, how did I do it back then...
"It's done like this," Penta said while controlling my hand to make the movements.
Oh, right. She could do it directly like this. I tried to imitate her, and she corrected me. She could use my hand to correct my movements, which made it easier for me to feel where I was wrong.
"I'm glad you think so," Penta said with a smile.
We should have done this a long time ago!
"Spear training is also quite useful. You want to be a scholar, and this path is not easy, but considering how fast you're growing and how long you might live, it's not a bad idea."
How long might I live? I asked while continuing to try to perform the commands correctly and chatting with her.
"You're friends with two bio - mages, one of whom is extremely rich and might get even richer. Not to mention you've obtained such a powerful soul so quickly. If you die of old age, I'll be very surprised. And who knows! If you're not torn to pieces by monsters or slapped into a pulp by that damn god, maybe we can figure out the secret of immortality before old age comes."
Is immortality possible?
"Theoretically, it's possible, and there are rumors that mages on other islands have achieved it. But on the Peak of Verdant, at least as far as I know, no one has done it yet."
I frowned and pondered this question.
"Do Navarans age? How long can you live?"
"I have no idea. I can only compare with myself, so... ask me again in a year. Maybe by then we can see if there are any changes in my body."
Oh my, now I'm starting to worry that Penta's lifespan might be as short as a dog's. Or even shorter!
"Keep doing those command movements," she gently reminded me. "You need to be able to do them subconsciously."
Yes, that's right. No matter what the distraction is, you have to perform the movements correctly. Ah, this is going to take a long time! I can't wait to cast spells!
Penta laughed.
"You don't seem like a person who's so impatient. Haven't you been spoiled by this comfortable life, huh?"
What - how dare you say that, madam! I was and will always be from the streets!
I mustered up my spirits and continued practicing, ignoring Penta's laughter. After several hours, we started chatting again, but Penta seemed more interested in magical practice than spear training. She still remembered many tricky tricks and harsh practice methods that Penelope used when learning magic and was especially happy to use those harshest moves on me. I could clearly feel that Penelope might have some deep - seated grudges against the person who taught her magic, and Penta noticed this. Although she undoubtedly heard my thoughts, she didn't make any comments. It seemed that she wanted to steer the conversation in another direction but was struggling to find the right words to express herself. Finally, she still spoke up.
"I... I'm sorry, Vita," Penta said in a low voice. "I've been resenting you all along, but I should have been thanking you."
Oh?
"Yes. Now, after hearing about these things here and looking back at my own actions, I can't help but feel upset. I was always afraid of your instincts, but I should have been afraid of my own instincts."
I gently patted her with a tentacle, and she forced a bitter smile. I had nothing to say and just waited for her to continue.
"Taryn, she also said the same thing as me, remember? 'I can't let go of my host because she'll kill me.' And this... is the truth. The original Taryn would have definitely killed the one tormenting her if she had the chance, just like Penelope would have killed me. But how hard did I try to change all this?"
She spoke in a halting manner, and the girl in my mind was trying her best to hold back her tears.
"Oh, 'she'll kill me,' I thought, 'then I'm afraid I'll have to keep her trapped.' It was so agonizing for me, Vita. Really agonizing. But did I ever try to compromise? Did I ever try harder to find another way? How hard did I try to find a way out? I should have thought of it, Vita. I should have questioned her more and given more for her. But I didn't. Even though I was very scared, I just didn't do it. And now, being with you, I want more and more. I didn't even care how much danger I put you in. Is this... the nature of a slime? Or is it just my nature?"
The slime that was Penta's own body, the mass of mucus in my neck, trembled slightly.
Instincts are very tricky, I told her. We're both very aware of this. And instincts aren't only something that we monsters have. When a person is really pissed off, they might do things they'd never dream of when they're calm.
"What if we were born to prevent the host from escaping? No matter how empathetic we are, we can never let others know this. It's been torturing me in your body while waiting. I hate it, Vita. There were several times when I almost wanted to kill you."
What!?
"I know! I'm sorry. It's so stupid, extremely stupid. Maybe part of it is because your... that aggressive instinct affected me, but it's not fair to put all the blame on you. You're the only one who cares about me, but I... Ah! This is really too hard to bear! Being in your body but unable to control it... It's driving me crazy! It's like having an itch that you can't scratch! It's still like this now! I couldn't tell you before. I'm really, really sorry."
I... Penta, I didn't know the situation was this bad.
"Yes, it's really bad. I'm worried that other slimes might have the same feeling, even if they're not aware of the reason. Biological weapons, this explanation is so reasonable! I don't know what to do with this information! But still..."
Just like a wall collapsing, she burst into tears. I could feel her tears flowing down my cheeks, and for a long time, there was only her rapid, heavy breathing in the room. My body couldn't help but cry, and emotions that didn't belong to me surged in my body. At that moment, I tried my best not to care about how strange and bizarre this feeling was. I did my best not to make my friend more miserable, but I'm not sure how well I did.
"... I still don't want to kill them," Penta finally sobbed.
Well, I don't want to either. But we have to free those hosts. If we don't, everyone on the island will be in trouble. If we mess up this matter, Penelope won't be able to stop Gladra.
"I know! By the Watcher above, I know. So you're the best choice. You've always been the best choice, our only ally, and I've always..."
I interrupted her with a feeling of understanding, so that she wouldn't say those words that she would find hard to utter.
You can be a bit annoying sometimes. But when I decided to save you, I never regretted it, not even after all these things happened, and I still don't regret it now.
"Can I..." She took another shaky breath, although there were fewer tears than before, they were still flowing. "Can I try? At the banquet. I want to try to explain to everyone. To save everyone in a different way. Please? I won't reveal too much. But I need to do this. I need this last chance. Can you promise me this request again, even though I've already asked you so much?"
As long as this won't get us killed or mess up the plan, okay. Also, uh, thank you for finally opening up to me, Penta.
She snorted and shook her head.
"Don't expect Penelope to be that easy - going. And I value my life, and I won't say more than that."
Wait, is that considered easy - going?
Penta just smiled, and although our eyes were still wet, this laughter came from the heart.
"Well, I don't think it is either. Come on, we still have to keep practicing. And tomorrow..."
Tomorrow, we'll finally make a final decision.