Sally

Sally

Smack!

An arrow landed crookedly in the grass about a meter from Lu Minghao. A furious, embarrassed shout immediately rang out from the watchtower. Clearly, the youth's previously brimming confidence had taken quite a hit.

"Damn it! I'll definitely hit it with the next arrow. That was just an accident!"

On the watchtower, the youth said this as he drew his bow again and aimed at the slime below. Just as the arrowhead aligned perfectly with the slime's round body, a dark figure suddenly charged out of the vegetable garden beside it and blocked the slime.

"Damn it, why is it this monster again?!"

The youth looked at the figure below, who had spread his arms wide and was staring at him with a tense, determined expression on his small face. After hesitating for a few seconds, he still lowered the bow in his hands. Oster, lying nearby, looked completely unfazed, as if he had expected this result all along.

"Honestly, why would Grandma Oran take in a monster like this? It's obviously—"

As he spoke, the youth handed his bow to Oster, then kicked the wooden fence in front of him several times, venting his frustration.

Meanwhile, not far from the village entrance, Lu Minghao was curiously examining the little one blocking his path. The slender body wore a nearly faded dress covered in all kinds of patches. Even so, its owner had washed it spotlessly clean. It was clear she cherished the dress dearly.

"Are you all right, slime?"

Just then, a voice filled with childlike innocence rang beside Lu Minghao's ear. A little girl with long black hair and a slightly sallow complexion, apparently not yet ten years old, crouched in front of Lu Minghao. Her large purple eyes were filled with concern as she looked at him.

Immediately afterward, Lu Minghao's field of vision began to rise. The little girl with black hair and purple eyes had picked him up and was walking toward the woods not far outside the village. As she walked, her small hands carefully checked Lu Minghao's body, apparently wanting to see whether he was hurt.

Before long, the little girl reached the woods and gently placed Lu Minghao on the ground. With reluctance and concern on her face, she pointed toward the depths of the forest.

"Slime, don't go near the village anymore. It's very dangerous there."

After saying that, the little girl slowly backed away several steps, intending to watch the slime leave as she had before. But a minute later, she realized that the slime she had saved had not left like the other slimes she had rescued. Instead, he remained where he was, staring motionlessly at her.

"Slime, aren't you leaving?"

The little girl looked at the slime who had stayed behind. A happy smile appeared on her slightly sallow face, and she hurried over, crouching down as she spoke softly.

"Slime, do you want to come with me?"

A few seconds later, the little girl guiltily glanced back toward the village. When she saw that the two people on the watchtower had not noticed them, she quickly hugged the slime to her chest and ran in the opposite direction. From her bouncing steps and slightly excited voice, it was clear that she was very happy.

Hey, hey! I haven't agreed yet!

Watching the little girl brazenly hug him to her chest, Lu Minghao couldn't help complaining inwardly. However, despite saying that, he did not resist. He simply let the little girl carry him away.

The reason Lu Minghao did this was simple. Compared with the adults in the village, children had more innocent thoughts and would be easier to get information from. Besides, Lu Minghao had noticed that the little girl carrying him seemed to have a small horn on top of her head.

Before long, the little girl carrying Lu Minghao skillfully passed through the woods and arrived beneath a stone cliff not far outside the village. Beside the cliff stood a rickety little wooden hut that looked as if a strong wind could blow it down. It was the little girl's home.

"I'm back!"

The little girl pushed open the dilapidated wooden door and carried Lu Minghao inside. The drafty room contained only a small bed made from wooden planks, covered by a thin blanket. On a stone table beside the bed sat several wild fruits.

This was everything the little girl owned. It was also her home.

"Slime, this will be your home from now on. Oh, right, my name is Sally. Grandma Oran, who passed away, gave me that name."

The little girl named Sally lifted Lu Minghao high into the air and began introducing herself with the childlike smile unique to children. But when she mentioned her deceased Grandma Oran, a trace of sadness still appeared in her purple eyes.

The next second, Sally vigorously shook her little head and forced a smile onto her face. She didn't want to cry. Grandma Oran had said that Sally's smile was the cutest.

"Oh, right, Slime, you don't have a name yet. Grandma Oran said everyone must have their own name. How about I give you one, Sally?"

As she spoke, Sally placed Lu Minghao on her bed. Her large purple eyes stared at him excitedly, while her small face was filled with intense concentration as she thought about what pleasant name to give her new friend.

"Ugh... Sally can't think of one."

A few seconds later, Sally clutched her little head and let out a mournful cry. She had never thought about naming anything before, from childhood until now, and had no idea how to name the slime in front of her.

"Oh, right! I'll call you Slime—the slime who belongs only to Sally!"

The next second, Sally's eyes lit up. Happily, she lifted Lu Minghao and spun around in place, deciding on the name of her first friend. Then Sally placed Lu Minghao on her table, set several wild fruits in front of him, picked one up herself, and began eating it happily.

These were the wild fruits she had picked that morning. Every one of them had been obtained through her hard work. They would also be Sally's only food for today and tomorrow, but she had not hesitated to share half of them with Lu Minghao.

Because he was her first friend. Although Sally was not yet ten, she was not an ignorant child. The life she had experienced was even richer than that of many adults. Her father had been an adventurer who left the nearby village, and during his adventures, he met her mother, a member of the Oni Clan.

The two of them had Sally a few years after getting together. But when Sally was five, they died during a mission. After her parents' deaths, their companions drove Sally out of her home, claiming that her parents had made a mistake during the mission and caused losses for the party.

And so, five-year-old Sally began a life of wandering and begging. Because she possessed half Oni Clan blood, everyone treated her as a monster and a half-breed. During the years she wandered through the towns, Sally grew up listening to such words. She survived by scavenging food from garbage heaps and gathering wild fruits outside the towns.

Then, when Sally was nearly eight, she was encountered by Grandma Oran, who had left the village and entered the town. Sally's father had taken her back to the village when she was young. At the time, Grandma Oran had spotted Sally searching for food in a garbage heap and recognized her at once from her black hair and the small horn atop her head.