It was an ordinary day when a voice called out to Okarin in the streets of Scribel.
"
Hey! You! Stop right there! I was looking for you!"
The slime person turned around, and unexpectedly, it was a familiar face.
Sica the Leprechaun.
"
You ditched me!" She flat out accused. "
As soon as we got back to the city, you ditched me and disappeared! You were supposed to be my tour guide!"
Okarin backpedaled a few feet.
Ahh... right.
A few weeks ago, when Okarin had returned from the Halfwing Federation, they had been unwilling to step inside Scribel City. Okarin had given a lackluster excuse, dumped the task on someone else, and disappeared into the surrounding forest. Of course, the circumstances had changed since then — Vicious had come back — and Okarin overcame their anxieties about the city through the power of
love determination. The present Okarin no longer squrimed when adventurer splat'd another innocent little slime in the city streets.
Was it apathy? Desensitization?
Did Okarin no longer care when slimes were beaten to death in front of their eyes?
Perhaps it was numbness.
Pure numbness.
Getting abandoned by Vicious had done quite an amount on Okarin's mental state.
For the better or worse, Okarin was apathetic walking through the streets of Scribel, the murderous city where hundreds of slimes died every day.
Numb to it.
Mhm. Ah, right. It was a Tuesday.
On Tuesdays, there was a sale at marketplace.
Can't forget about the discount sale, right?
Buy one get one free?
+ + +
"
I've finally decided." The leprechaun had a frown on her face. "
Take me to your king! I need to speak with him!"
"
But we don't have a king?"
"
Then take me to your almighty ruler of grassy-stuff, slime rocks, and shoddy counterfeit products in this middle-of-nowhere place!"
"
Are you talking about the Guild Master? Or perhaps the City Council?"
"
It doesn't matter! I must speak to someone important! They must be very important person, you hear me?!"
"
Didn't Adsall show you around the City Hall when he gave you your tour?"
"
Dunno. All I remember is that he took me out of the city to see pretty stuff and pirates. Arrggg, matey! It was kinda awesome. Oh, and he flirted with me all day. Is that allowed? Technically, I'm a diplomat. I'm an important person, y'know? If you flirt with me, you might drag five whole kingdoms into war!"
"
Did you have fun?"
"
Yup! I'd like to do it again too! Especially if he pays for dinner!"
"
I think that guy might be dead though."
"
Wait, what?!"
"
Anyway, should I show you to the Guild?"
"
Wait! Wait! But that guy~?! What happened to that guy?!"
+ + +
"...
And this is the receptionist's desk~" Okarin's unenthusiastic voice droned on.
"
*sniff sniff*"
"
This is where all those evil bad murderer adventurers dump all their slime cores."
"
Oh, and here's the bin for all the goblin ears. Smells kind of bad, right? Makes you wonder when they last cleaned it."
"
...This is where Konoha sits... By the way, you should never make her angry..."
"
But what about the Guild Master? I need to see your leader so we can discuss something very important!"
Okarin paused for a moment,
They turned around slowly to face the Leprechaun.
"
I can't take you to the Guild Master," Okarin spoke flatly.
The girl's eyes widened.
"
But I thought you said —"
"
It's impossible to find the Guild Master. The Guild Master finds you."
"
Then how do I —"
Okarin pulled out a sheet of paper from one of the receptionist desks with a flourish. They immediately slammed the blank sheet onto an empty table with a slight '
Bam!'
Sica, the Leprechaun, jumped slightly at the sudden noise.
"
Fill out a form," Okarin spoke dully.
The Slime person seemed impatient. Was there somewhere else that Okarin wanted to be?
"
—?!?!!!!!"
"
Just write it down. The Guild Master reads everything. He'll respond to you... eventually."
Okarin shoved a quill in the exasperated Leprechaun's hands.
"
Have a nice day. I need to go now. There's a certain bird I need to catch."
"
Um? Um? Excuse me???"
The girl sighed and then sat down at an empty writing desk.
The leprechaun was beginning to feel a headache come on...
However, her eyes narrowed. It was time to get serious.
Play time was over.
+ + +
Dear Mister Guild Master -
My name is Sica and I am a representative of the Halfwing Federation.
I humbly request a meeting with Your Excellency.
As you may know, the Halfwing Federation was invaded by the Holy Human Empire earlier this year.
They have occupied most of our towns and villages with one of their armies. If nothing is done, they will annex the entire foothills as part of their empire. Once they have passed the Black Mountains, they will threaten your city as well as all other the kingdoms East of the mountains. The hunger of the Holy Human Empire knows no limit, and they will burn your farms and your villages to the ground.
They will come for you next.
Stand with us now.
Help us fight the Holy Human Empire. We can block them at the Black Mountains. The Passes through the Black Mountains can only be accessed by large armies in the Summer. It is impassible in the Winter, Spring, and Fall. If you help us eliminate the army that is currently occupying our villages, there will be no reinforcements until next Summer.
Together, our forces can block the Holy Human Empire at the narrow mountain passes.
Alone, we are crushed.
Once the Holy Human Empire passes the mountains, their armies, cavalry, siege engines, and archmages are unstoppable in the open fields. You do not stand a chance in conventional warfare. You have not seen the rain of meteor showers summoned by the Imperial Mages, or the Blight that poisons cities and causes the air itself to become unbreathable for miles around.
The Emperor of Destruction is not an ordinary enemy. You underestimate them at your greatest peril.
Let us meet. We need to talk.
And please, for all of our sakes, think carefully about this.
I pray that you do not make the wrong choice.
Sincerely,
Sica Lalufloute
Diplomat, Halfwing Federation
