* * *

If I hadn’t screamed bloody murder and fought him off, Jerome might’ve actually gone through with it.

Begrudgingly, he sheathed his sword, his expression plainly asking, ‘Then what do you want me to do?’

Turning to the slime still stubbornly glued to us, I forced a smile.

“Come on, little one. We’ve made up now. Could you let go?”

The slime blinked at me, uncertain.

I shot Jerome a look, silently urging him to play along. He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“Maybe it thinks you’re still mad at me because of your scowl. Try smiling more.”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“Honestly? You look mean.”

Jerome’s casual insult made me bristle.

“Oh, so that’s why you’re into soft, gentle Karen? Apologies for my savage features. Must’ve been tough leaving me alone to cozy up to her.”

“Why are we back on this? If you have complaints, say them outright instead of sulking like a child.”

“And stop trying to fix me like one of your projects. What’s left of me if I just become whatever you want? Sometimes, it feels like you can’t stand me.”

Our escalating voices only seemed to distress the slime further.

Jerome remained calm, but I was quickly losing my cool, my anger spiraling into futility.

Finally, the slime let out a piercing cry, its high-pitched wail bringing everything to a screeching halt.

I bit my lip, frustration bubbling over.

We didn’t have time for this. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to confront the obvious: all of this could end with one apology.

“Mi…”

The word stuck in my throat.

Swallowing my pride wasn’t easy, but the truth was, I’d been wrong too.

I opened my mouth to try again, but the image of Jerome with Karen flashed before my eyes, and the words came out all wrong.

“You crazy bastard! You’re the one who screwed up first!”

The slap of slime against my shoulder silenced me as Jerome murmured, “Idiot.”

The weight of his quiet insult hit me harder than my earlier outburst.

Rain hammered the ground outside while the slime, now warmed by the fire, peacefully napped.

“If only we weren’t stuck so close together, this would be less awkward.”

Glancing at Jerome, I noticed the split in his lip—a wound I’d inflicted during our fight.

Uneasy, I hesitated before managing, “Hey, about earlier…”

“Jeanne.”

He cut me off mid-apology.

Startled, I looked at him.

He gazed into the fire, a faint, wistful smile on his lips.

“When I was a boy, I didn’t want to be a wizard,” he began. “I wanted to be an artifact.”

“…An artifact?”

“Unlike wizards, artifacts don’t make mistakes. They’re built to be precise.”

This was the first time Jerome had shared anything about his past.

I could picture the younger version of him—stoic even then, a product of harsh upbringing.

“My father encouraged me to train myself to be unfeeling,” he continued.

“To not react, not love. So I’d never make decisions clouded by emotions.”

What kind of parent teaches their child to suppress love?

The memory of Duke Michael’s cold demeanor flickered in my mind, confirming he was a great wizard but a terrible father.

“Before I met you, I didn’t realize how much that training hurt others. I thought it was normal.”

Jerome turned to me, his voice steady.

“I’m sorry.”

The sincerity in his tone left me speechless.

My cheeks burned with shame.

He was owning up to his mistakes while I’d been too stubborn to admit mine.

“N-no, I’m sorry,” I stammered.

“For saying you should die… and for hitting you. I didn’t mean it.”

“Really? You sounded pretty serious.”

“Well, I was half-serious, but still… You shouldn’t hit someone just because you’re angry. And cursing someone to die is definitely not okay either. I regret it now.”

“My wife apologizes as quickly as he makes mistakes, huh?” Jerome muttered in an awed tone.

After fumbling through an awkward apology, a slight sense of relief washed over me.

Resting my head on my arms wrapped around my knees, I let out a sigh.

“Anyway, what makes you happy?”

“Happy?”

“Yeah. People tend to love what brings them happiness—whether it’s music, food, friends, travel… Don’t you have anything like that?”

Jerome tilted his head slightly, pondering deeply.

“Does feeling pure joy when seeing someone in trouble count as happiness?”

“No, that’s just you being a terrible person.”

“Ah, and crushing someone weaker than me with overwhelming power—now that’s fun too.”

“How do you even manage to hide such a nasty personality?” I retorted, exasperated. Then, I took a moment to gather my thoughts.

Humans learn happiness through positive experiences, eventually coming to love those experiences.

But Jerome seemed to lack such experiences entirely, as if he didn’t even know how to love anything at all.

“Alright then, I’ll teach you.”

“Teach me what?”

“How to be happy. I’ll do whatever it takes until you understand love.”

A flicker of light sparked in Jerome’s usually subdued eyes.

He leaned against my shoulder with a small smile, closing his eyes.

The warmth of his touch made my heart pound.

“Alright,” Jerome said gently, “I’ll look forward to it.”

“…”

“Though with your pathetic kissing skills, I won’t get my hopes up too high.”

“You wanna die?”

The tender atmosphere shattered in mere seconds as the culprit burst into laughter.

Just as I was about to push Jerome’s head away, the slime that had been sleeping suddenly opened its eyes wide.

It sparkled as if sensing something, then jumped from my hand and darted toward the depths of the cave.

Jerome and I both scrambled to our feet in confusion.

Watching the slime’s retreating figure, Jerome grumbled.

“Guess we didn’t need to go through that cringey reconciliation after all.”

“Don’t. Even. Start,” I muttered, wiping the sticky slime residue on my pants and staring into the pitch-black depths of the cave.

A chill drifted from within.

“Let’s follow it. What could it have sensed to move so fast without even feet?”

---

Using a magical oil lamp Jerome conjured, we ventured deeper into the cave.

It reminded me of the time we were trapped inside the body of a giant snake.

As we descended the steep incline, I spoke up.

“Hey, if we find a Jewel Slime… we’d have to hunt it, right?”

“If you want to join Valu, you’d have no choice.”

“…”

“You’re not about to start spouting nonsense about feeling sorry for slimes, are you? Remember, we’re here to join that elite social circle and reclaim your tarnished reputation.”

Jerome’s sharp words made me scowl. I knew.

Of course, I knew.

The world was a harsh, survival-of-the-fittest kind of place.

Yet, something about it still felt wrong.

“Jerome, is there really anything worth proving if it requires a sacrifice?”

“…”

“I mean, killing something just to prove my worth… Isn’t that too cruel?”

“This is a critical moment for you.”

Jerome halted abruptly, turning to look at me.

“Right now, people are torn. They don’t know whether to see you as the disaster blessed by the Divine Dragon or the hero who sealed Parak. They’re hoping someone else will decide for them.”

“…”

“If you want a future, you’ll have to let go of the past. If you want to keep your principles, you’ll need to give up your honor. If you don’t want to be a disaster, then you’ll have to become a hero. That’s how this cruel, binary world works.”

There was resignation in his tone. Jerome had likely faced this same brutal logic time and time again.

That must have been how he arrived at such a stark conclusion: ‘You can’t have both.’

I stared at him, then reluctantly nodded.

“You’re right. Guess I was getting caught up in my ideals again.”

Luke often told me that my thoughts were shallow, fragmented, and overly idealistic.

If I wanted to restore my honor, I’d need to be willing to abandon my beliefs.

Still, the sinking feeling in my chest wouldn’t go away.

Trailing after Jerome with a heavy heart, I suddenly felt the ground vanish beneath me.

Jerome grabbed my waist just in time, pulling me back.

“This is… strange,” he murmured, sounding almost impressed.

Under the glowing blue stalactites, we spotted a gathering of hundreds of Diamond Slimes.

My eyes locked with a tiny one whose translucent body gradually turned blue.

Its joyful quivering sent an ominous chill down my spine.

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

Jerome drew his sword, his eyes gleaming like a predator who’d just discovered prey.

“Let’s settle Chloe’s academy tuition today.”

* * *