Yano carefully shielded the Slime in his hands, utterly confused by the little girl's words.
"What do you mean? We Belmonts are pure-blooded nobles of the White Horse Kingdom."
"Looks like those old fogies never told you."
The little girl curled her lip, planted her hands on her hips, and said, "Nili Belmont. That is my name. Going by seniority, I'm probably one of your ancestors."
"But that is not important. What matters is that Gore is dangerous. Come back with me first. This isn't a place for chatting."
Nili beckoned to them, then clasped her hands behind her back with an old-fashioned air and headed deeper into the ruins.
After the others followed, Ella lagged a few steps behind and looked at the wilted Slime in Yano's hands. She asked guiltily, "Is the little guy all right?"
"He's fine. The boss just needs to eat and recover." Yano looked perfectly calm. He knew this was only a clone.
Still, this place was far from the territory, and the signal was getting worse and worse. Once they reached the ancient castle, he did not know whether they would still be able to contact the boss.
"Thank you for your help, Lord Slime. I hope you recover soon." Lyon offered a blessing and prayer.
"Let me see."
For some reason, Nili also leaned over. Looking at the drooping little Slime, she even curiously wanted to poke it with a finger.
Yano hurriedly stopped her from committing such a grave act of disrespect.
"Uh, ma'am... he doesn't really like people getting that close."
"Cheapskate. And call me Auntie."
Nili muttered that, but immediately leaned closer again with curiosity. "So this little guy saved you?"
Lyon nodded. "That's right. We have Lord Slime to thank for holding out until you arrived."
"Oh, I