"Oh no, Eldew. I can almost guarantee that when the next magitek cannon finishes charging, it will hit my handsome face accurately."

I'm sure my face must be turning blue at this moment, but even if it turns blue, I believe I will still be as handsome as ever.

"Oh? Receiving a challenge three days in advance, and the enemy's mobile fortress almost crashing into the city gate, with a large portion of the city wall being destroyed, has the master finally understood that this hero party is here to hunt you down?"

Eldew spoke as calmly and contemptuously as always.

Unconsciously, Eldew had already integrated the white cloth and pole together. What is she planning to do with it?

"What should we do? That redhead woman with a seemingly high status seems like a lunatic. She actually said that my vibrant and lively eyes are dead fish eyes."

I anxiously sought Eldew's opinion.

It's so scary, lunatics are so scary.

"According to the master's logic, over 90% of the creatures in the world are in a state of madness, aren't they?"

"Huh? Why is that?"

I asked, confused and bewildered. It makes no sense.

Then, Eldew gave me a deep, pitiful look for quite a while.

So that's why?

"Cough, what we need to do now is to stop or simply destroy that magitek cannon before they finish loading it. After all, we are not equipped with any anti-magic armor. Once we get hit by a shot, we will disappear from this world."

Eldew averted her gaze, changing the subject.

Although I really want to know why, the main thing now is here, so I will endure it for the time being.

"Oh, I really miss the days when I used a wooden sword to spar with the hero party..."

I couldn't help but sigh.

"But don't worry, it's really a simple task to just destroy the magitek cannon."

I said confidently.

"Huh?"

Eldew questioned briefly, looking at me in disbelief.

Although our Lord's family is indeed in an economic crisis, to the extent that we can't even afford skeleton soldiers, being questioned so simply and straightforwardly still hurts me as the Lord.

"Hehehe, today, I have invited a helper. My soul companion will win this war for me!"

I said passionately.

"Oh... after all, it has been some time since the last war, and during the whole summer vacation, even the master has done a lot of preparation. However, I thought the master would personally go and destroy the magitek cannon. But it seems I was overthinking."

Eldew murmured softly with a relieved expression.

It's strange, what is this maid talking about as if it's something natural? Isn't a Lord supposed to just wait for their subordinates to charge into battle, while they command from behind, pretending to be in charge?

"Minions, open the city gate! Play the war drums and send our knights to battle!"

I shouted loudly in high spirits.

For a long time,

I suddenly remembered that besides me, the only two maids I could command were not very obedient.

What a pity.

Sighing, I can only open the city gate myself, feeling regretful.

With a rumbling sound and me exhausted, the city gate of Moria slowly opened. Standing behind the gate was my soul companion, one of the strongest beings in the city of Moria.

It squirmed, or rather, leaped, or perhaps crawled, rushing towards the enemy's heroes with great momentum.

Seeing its appearance, the expressions on the faces of the girl hero and the dark-skinned hero underwent an obvious change. It can be said that even if they saw the end of the world right in front of them, the despair they showed was only to that extent.

Not to mention the heroes, even Eldew standing next to me slightly opened her mouth, in a state of disbelief.

Honestly, no wonder they're like this. Even I am somewhat afraid of my soul companion, so it's probably scared of itself too.

It is an oval-shaped demon.

"Excuse me, is that slime your soul companion, our knight, Master?"

Looking at me with a strange expression, Eldew asked.

I suppose Eldew never expected that I would have such reliable support, so she rekindled her admiration for me and showed this expression."Nonsense, where are your eyes looking? That's clearly not a slime, it's the Slime King! Can't you see the noble crown? Yes, it's the ruler of the slime clan, Paul."

Look, its slightly sandy-colored body, it will definitely turn into a dazzling golden color soon.

I firmly believe.

"Huh? Where is the crown..."

Eldew questioned, but she quickly realized something was wrong, then squinted her eyes.

"The crown you mentioned...is it that grass ring?"

"How about it? It's quite trendy, right? I handcrafted it myself."

I proudly said.

Eldew tilted her head slightly, gazing at me for a while, then sighed, showing signs of exhaustion.

Huh, what's with her attitude?

After thinking for a while, I came up with an answer.

Eldew must be jealous. Jealous of the crown that my dear friend Paul handcrafted, after all, she likes me, her master, the most. But there's nothing I can do, Eldew. I am destined not to be able to put this crown on you because the most suitable headwear for you will always be the maid headband. It's hard to imagine you wearing anything else!

"Look, Eldew, the imposing presence of my dear friend completely scared those two heroes. Confusion filled their faces, whispering to each other in bewilderment."

"Yeah...if I, as a hero, attacked the city of the Four Heavenly Kings and found out that the gatekeeper is actually a slime, I would be at a loss too."

Eldew seemed even more exhausted.

"Paul, don't hold back! Show them the advanced techniques we've been practicing for three months!"

Seeing the majestic figure of my dear friend, I shouted loudly.

Upon hearing my voice, Paul turned around and revealed a gentle and naive smile.

Truly worthy of being my soul companion, this calm smile has never changed since the day I met it.

Wheeled around, facing the two heroes, Paul began to concentrate.

I could even see Paul's aura materialize and envelop its body.

Even though it was a sunny day, an imaginary lightning bolt struck across the sky (imagined). After the preparations were complete, Paul unleashed its terrifying advanced technique.

I saw Paul's oval-shaped body wriggle violently, and then...

It grew two legs.

Although it couldn't compare to those of a human, they looked like slightly enlarged carrots. But, those were indeed two real legs.

The slime stood up.

"Ah, Paul, you've finally succeeded!"

Excitement overwhelmed me, and I couldn't help but shed tears. I remembered just a week ago when Paul couldn't stand steadily because one leg grew longer than the other. What great progress this was for the entire slime species in just one week!

I only regretted that I couldn't jump off the castle immediately and celebrate this moment with my dear friend.

No, it's not over yet.

I saw Paul tremble again, and from its round body, two arms emerged.

Turning around, the now-standing slime extended its big thumb towards me.

I responded by extending my own big thumb.

Our eyes met.

At this moment, it felt like an instant, yet also eternal.

"What kind of monkey business are you playing?"

With a kicking sound, the red-haired hero kicked Paul into the moat surrounding the castle gates.

"Paulaaaaaa!"

My frantic scream echoed in the endlessly towering autumn sky.