Chapter 6: Too much greed.

　I may have had no morals, but I did have common sense.

　I tilted my head, staring at the bottle of "Legal Slime Solution" ― the secretion from my Perfect Slime ― balanced on the palm of my hand.

　I had tested it on some slaves, but it was too powerful. It was far more potent than most other poisons, and the mere touch of it can leave one a prisoner of pleasure. If used undiluted, a single drop was enough to permanently incapacitate someone. Its use was limited since it was so strong. If it were to appear on the market, it would surely be declared illegal. If it became known that this was a secretion of Slime, an anti-Slime movement would be unavoidable. Though that would be bad enough, if I were unlucky, I might even end up hanged for it.

　At first, I considered dosing the princess with it to make her fall in love with me, but then she would become a mindless lover... and besides, I had already amassed great fortune and fame. The princess probably had a very positive impression of me, so I should be able to achieve my objective with a straightforward approach.

　Next, I thought about dosing the arms dealer I was having trouble with, but I realised it would be very difficult. He was extremely cautious and would not eat anything prepared by me. And he probably had mechanisms in place to take me down with him if anything were to happen to him.

　Although Slime was currently trending, humans were fickle creatures. Someday, they would become bored of Slime. Time was not on my side.

　I stared at the clear liquid as I contemplated the advantages and disadvantages of using it. Finally, I arrived at one conclusion.

　It should probably be okay if I dilute it as much as possible. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, after all.

　Most importantly, this Legal Slime Solution was sure to be a big hit. Unlike other banned narcotics, it would be legal. Not just yet though.

　I made the most of the Slime fluid to produce a new product.

　Slime Liquor.

　It was an alcoholic beverage with an unprecedented Slime-like smooth texture.

§§§

　I outsourced the brewing process to an arms dealer. Of course, it would have been much more profitable for me to make and sell the wine myself, but I wanted an escape route in the event of an emergency.

　I hired a liquor expert to research a recipe. All I needed was a new texture with a minimal taste. Of course, there was no mention of Legal Slime Solution within the recipe.

　The only thing I had to work out was the dilution ratio of the Legal Slime Solution. I mixed in just the right amount of water, which succeeded in leaving the drinker in a calculated state of euphoria and addiction without crippling them with dependency. Later, historical records would state that this marked the completion of the "Wine of the Kingdom".

　The exquisite taste of the liquor was a surprise even to the tasters. It was worthy of being called the taste of happiness, and the experts wondered why the texture made such a difference to the drinker's impression. No one could figure out why. The only ones who knew were me and the Slime. I made slight changes to the composition of Perfect Slime to make it colourless and transparent, and then I placed it in the tank which stored the water used for the brewing of the liquor. I ordered it to produce a certain amount of Legal Slime Solution for every specified portion of water.

　The arms dealer took a very careful sip of the liquor and was delighted. He rejoiced, thinking that he could win the nation with this liquor that offered a taste experience like no other. Though what he thought was true, the reason was not the taste or texture. I said nothing about this, only coming to an agreement on our respective shares in this venture.

　And so, as expected, the liquor immediately became popular nationwide.

　All the previous fads could be attributed to my business acumen, but this time was different. The taste was so good that some people analysed the ingredients, but they were unable to discover the cause of it. A new ingredient was detected, but no one knew what it was.

　I quietly developed a potion to counteract its addictive properties. My instincts about Slime had become very sharp by this time. It was probably a good thing that I had been around Slime for so long. I had reached the point where I could predict what kind of slime I was going to get before I synthesised it.

　I completed the antidote. It was also the secretion of a Slime. I gave the jet-black Slime that produced said secretion the name 'Abyss Slime'.

*********

　The whole nation was in a state of drunken merriment. Any Slime Liquor I produced was sold as soon as I produced it. The arms dealer was also drunk, so the money coming to me was considerable.

　As everyone wallowed in liquor, demand for everything else shrank rapidly. Consequently, the demand and price of magic stones dropped, so I was able to buy up as many magic stones as I wanted.

　I no longer needed a magic stone mine.

　I could summon all day long, and I continued to produce Slimes all day long.

　I almost starved to death from summoning too many Slimes before I came to myself.

**********

　The country was gripped in a strange state of excitement. Everyone noticed the strangeness, but there was nothing they could do about it.

　I spent my time summoning Slimes and then feeding them origami in front of the Third Princess, making the Slimes change colours according to the colour of the origami they ate. The Third Princess' interest in me grew over my frequent visits to the castle.

********

　Eventually, pet Slimes spread to the homes of the common people as well, not just the homes of the nobles.

　Already, I could get as many magic stones as I wanted just from the profits of the liquor. My aim was not to achieve luxury or extravagance, and I was not a fan of conducting business to begin with, so I drastically reduced all my other businesses aside from the liquor trade. In particular, I reduced my pet Slime business to run at a minimum, as pet Slimes had pretty much been sold to everyone already.

　Even though I could keep summoning all day long, all I got was Slime. This was both unfortunate yet fortunate. If I had been summoning other low-ranking creatures instead of Slime, I would have run out of space a long time ago.

　Now I was no longer selling Slimes as pets, I had a huge surplus of Slime. Although it was a hassle, I began fusing Slimes again to save space.　

　The energies mixed and mingled, and before long, my fused Slime had taken on a non-Slime form.

　Yes, it was a new type of Slime and so it wasn't ranked. However, if I had to assign it a rank, it would definitely be an SR+.

　But it wasn't what I wanted. What I wanted was not just any rare creature but a Dragon, and what I wanted to do was not create a new species via synthesis but to summon one!

　Even more than a decade later, my eyelids were still indelibly stained with the golden light from when my cousin brother summoned his Dragon. I sighed as I looked at the synthesized life-form I had created, which was radiating an evil and ominous aura, and I aptly named it 'Dark Matter'.

**********

　In the meantime, I was becoming fed up with the rockslide of magic stones coming in.

　Although my fervour for summoning had not decreased at all and I knew that magic stones were precious, I despaired at the overwhelming amount being delivered. After all, the magic stones were coming faster than I could summon.

　Is this to be my eternity? Boring, I thought, with an enigmatic smile.

　Everything was going well for me, aside from my biggest problem — I could not summon a dragon. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

　One day, I discovered that the arms dealer to whom I had entrusted the production and sale of the liquor had started a foolish business deal.

　Everything had been running so smoothly. Letting my guard down was my mistake.

　Yes, a truly foolish business. He had begun the mass exportation of the liquor.

§§§

　I had a contract with the arms dealer that strictly prohibited the export of the slime liquor. It was a policy that I had upheld till now, a policy of 'knowing my place'.

　I lived in a large country that had been around for a thousand years, but it wasn't particularly advanced in terms of technology. The secret behind the popularity of the Slime Liquor was the Legal Slime Solution. The ingredients were legal for now, but I was painfully aware that if they were analysed in detail they would most likely be classified as illegal.

　It was fine for domestic consumption. I already knew that the country did not have the scientific ability to fully analyse the diluted components. However, it would be a different story outside the country.

　Common sense would suggest that a nation-wide drinking frenzy was very improbable. Export was the prelude to ruin. Moreover, by the time I found out, a lot of the liquor had already been exported.

　The arms dealer was a fool. And greater fool was I to have chosen him as a partner. The arms dealer's greed was beyond my imagination — he already had enough money to live off for tens of lifetimes, but still he had wanted to reach for more.

　I tapped all my contacts and found that it was already impossible to recover the liquor which had been sent out. This signified my downfall.

　This was the exportation of a large quantity of liquor laced with a highly addictive substance. It could not be brushed off as plain ignorance. It could even mean the end of the nation if things turned out for the worst.

　I had very little time left to manoeuvre, and the shock had shockingly dampened my desire to summon.

　I acted quickly.

　I went directly to the King to obtain the right to marry the Third Princess.

　I had wealth. I had a good reputation.

　Dark Matter, which was following behind me, just seemed like a monstrous creature which had no relation to Slime whatsoever, proving my skills as a Mage Summoner. Also, I was given a gentleman's welcome, so the king must have a good impression of me.

　I loved the Third Princess, and by this time, she liked me too.

　The ceremony was a grand affair. It was the marriage of a national hero with a princess — it was a nationwide celebration. The people only drew themselves away from the Slime Liquor at this time to celebrate our union.

　Although I still had not managed to summon a dragon, I thought that this was the peak of my life. Summoning and the princess were the two things that I lived for. On this occasion, even I forgot all about summoning for the moment.

　And then, my blissful life as a newlywed began. I left my business altogether and spent most of my time summoning and being lovey-dovey with my wife.

　However, the happiness did not last. My ruin was already closing in.

　No, I knew it was coming, so I acted swiftly.

********

　The Legal Slime Solution was exposed. It was so easily exposed since it was so unreasonable that a simple product could drive an entire nation into a frenzy.

　No matter how diluted it was, the ingredient itself remained in the liquid. It was obvious that it could be analysed as long as one had the scientific capability and the patience to do so.

　It was an inevitable discovery for me, but for everyone else, the news was a bolt from the blue.

　

　The country I lived in was declared an enemy of humankind.

　Though the exact ingredients were unknown, the country had exported a large amount of alcohol which contained an addictive substance. Without any warning or explanations, the country I lived in was surrounded by armed forces from a coalition of many nations.

　It was all over now. Amidst a national uproar, the arms dealer was hanged as the manufacturer and distributor of the liquor.

　The arms dealer kept bringing up my name and denouncing me, but it was pointless as my recipe had already been widely published and there was nothing unusual in it. Also, I was well known throughout the country as a hero, while the arms dealer was well known for his greed.

　Anyway, the fact that it was pointless was also pointless. As far as the Allied forces were concerned, my country had already been confirmed as a great evil to be eradicated. The surrounding troops included the army my cousin was serving with, and spearheading the troops was his Golden Dragon.

　The gap in power between the two sides was obvious. The country I lived in was a large nation and had a well-equipped army, but it was no match for the allied forces of the coalition of nations of equal or greater strength. My country also had plenty of land and was wealthy due to the Slime trade, but that was just additional fodder for the invasion.

　The last minute attempts at negotiation all failed, and war was upon us.

　I embraced my newly-wedded wife and knelt before my king and father-in-law. Everyone could tell that our defeat was inevitable. At best, we would become slaves, but it was highly unlikely that the royal family would survive the war. The king took pity on us newlyweds and told us that we did not have to fight.

　The most optimistic military estimates indicated that the frontline would last no more than 3 days. And that was if the allied forces challenged them with a battle of attrition. If they decided to push forwards in a full-scale war, the country would be destroyed in an instant.

　I decided to spend the remaining time I had left loving my wife. Running away would be futile. And I don't think the kind-hearted princess would approve of it.

**********

　In my mansion, I hugged my trembling wife.

　It was selfish, but to some extent, I was happy with my life. I had married the princess who was my first love, and though I had yet to summon a Dragon, I had summoned tens of thousands more times than the Mage Summoners who were my peers. Punishment would be warranted if I dared said I still had regrets.

　I kissed my wife and closed my eyes. I was just about to have my way with her when I felt something hard against my finger.

　I grabbed hold of it.

　It was a magic stone. The moment I recognised it, my hands shook as if I were suffering from withdrawal symptoms. My wife burst out laughing when she saw this and told me I could go and summon. The Third Princess was really too good for me. She knows me so well.

　I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and then reached out with a trembling hand to draw a summoning array like I had done innumerable times before. I placed the magic stone in the middle of the array.

　I decided that this would be the final summoning of my life. I would use every last second of the time I had left remaining to love my wife. I vowed that, from this point onwards, even if I stumbled across another magic stone, I would not summon with it.

　After that, I practised the magic of summoning as I had done tens of thousands of times before.

§§§

　The summoned vassal was a small demon. Not a Slime which looked like a small demon — an actual demon.

　It was a Demon of the lowest class, with a rarity rating no different than that of a Slime. But still, it was not a Slime.

　For the first time in my life, it was not a Slime. At that moment, I realised that luck was coming to me.

　I turned to look at my wife with a tense expression.

　My love for her had not changed in the slightest, but I felt summoning fever burning even brighter within me.

　I hugged my wife with trembling arms and said for the first time ever in my life,

　"...I don't want to die."

　Dark Matter, which had been following me around like a shadow, roared as if in agreement.

　The earth shook, the skies trembled, the air echoed. Its roar was monstrous, but as the Slime Master, I knew that the sound originated from the Slime's organs.

　Luck was coming to me. A Dragon was just one step away.

　I wanted to summon.

Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon Summon! I wanted to summon!!

　My wife put her arms around me as I was consumed by a searing passion.

　My vision shook. No, it wasn't my vision that was shaking — the ground was physically shaking.

　All the Slimes that I had scattered around randomly for all sorts of reasons were now waiting for my command. I could almost hear the sickening liquid sound of Jelly Slimes crawling around me. To me, Slimes were nothing more than rubbish, but to them, I was God.

　Something surged up beneath my feet and I was suddenly looking out at the world from a higher position. As solid as a beast, Dark Matter had risen up with me and my wife on its back. Its form resembled the Dragons I was so obsessed with. Yet, I knew better than anyone else that it was no Dragon.

　I licked my lips and found killing intent welling up within me for the first time.

　Complete annihilation. There was no other choice. By whatever means necessary, I needed to wreak complete annihilation.

　Yes... all for the sake of summoning.

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Previous: Chapter 5: The next time. The next time might be it!
Next: Chapter 7: All I have to do is get a hit

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