Is that my "Name"?

- Chapter translated using my poor knowledge and DeepL

A new day began, and I found myself outside, watching as the snow covered my head while I reflected on everything that had happened.

The Elf had spent the night crying until she fell asleep. I felt helpless, unable to console her properly. Although in the past, I had witnessed so many stories and written about so many characters, I realized that being the protagonist of a real situation was completely different.

My thoughts became somewhat absurd, influenced by the very nature of the situation I found myself in.

Until now, I hadn't thought much about this world beyond it seeming like an RPG game, at least from my perspective...

Everyone has their own problems, and I don't have a clear purpose or a defined problem. Why am I here?

As the snow continued to fall on me, I continued to be immersed in my thoughts, searching for answers that still seemed elusive.

"A god is the representation of a supreme, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient being; creator, judge, protector, and, in some religions, provider and savior of the universe and humanity..."

Could it be that something like that has placed me in this world without a defined purpose, leaving me to find my own?

It sounds completely absurd. However, considering the abilities I possess, it doesn't seem so unreasonable to think that maybe I am on my way to becoming something similar to a god.

Is this what they call delusions of grandeur? I can't blame myself for having such thoughts, universe...

Right now, I have the power to do so much, and here I am, spending my time with an Elf and a group of frozen elves. Interestingly, I don't feel bad for not being constantly useful.

Before, I felt the need to be productive to consider myself useful in this world, but now I feel liberated from that pressure.

If I wanted to, I could waste my time sleeping and not feel any regrets for not doing something else... Although I'm not considering doing that right now.

I think it's better if I find something to do before I get even more immersed in my meaningless philosophical reflections.

I set out to get going once again, but then I heard a call in the distance.

"Slime-san!" The Elf's voice resonated energetically.

"'San'? Do they use honorifics here too?"

The door of the treehouse swung open, revealing a young Elf with tears in her eyes.

"Here I am!" I responded somewhat awkwardly.

The Elf jumped, propelling herself at least five meters into the air, then landed in front of me.

Bending down, she took me in her arms and hugged me. I did my best to maintain my form and not disperse from the force of her embrace.

"I'm glad you're still here," she said through sobs.

"Why would I leave?" I asked, confused.

"After what happened yesterday... I-I thought you would leave. But I'm grateful that you don't know much about the world and decided to stay with someone they call a witch," she added, squeezing me tighter as she spoke.

"Is this emotional attachment? This relationship is moving too fast!" I thought while experiencing that warm and comforting feeling in the hug.

Actually, this is dangerous. What if this girl turns out to be a Yandere or something like that?

Wait, why am I even thinking about that?

"I-if you keep hugging me like this, I'm going to explode," I stammered, trying to maintain composure.

"Oh, sorry," the Elf replied, releasing me and letting me down on the ground.

"Besides, if we talk about a lack of understanding of the world, I think you and I are more or less in the same situation," I commented with a pout.

The Elf chuckled at my words and sat down beside me.

Poor girl.

Poor me.

"I think I'm feeling a bit nostalgic," I whispered, and the Elf seemed to hear me.

"Are you referring to your past?" she innocently asked.

"My past is irrelevant. It's just a feeling that I don't like, but if I'm accompanied, I guess it's less bothersome."

"I guess you mean that pain in your chest when it feels like there's no one by your side, right?"

I nodded.

She seemed to reflect for a moment. Her expression turned somber, as if she were recalling her own life.

"I-if you don't stop accompanying me, I won't stop accompanying you," she whispered, though I could hear it clearly.

I reflected inwardly for a moment.

"Although I don't know the future, I'll try to always be with you," I responded. She seemed happy to hear my answer.

"AH! I can't handle so much cheesiness, we'd better do something productive today," I said, avoiding the conversation becoming too sentimental.

* * *

The morning passed without much trouble. The Elf went about her daily routine, cleaning the elves and then proceeding to clean her room.

For the first time, she allowed me to assist in the cleaning process of the elves, though with strict supervision. All I did was engulf some elf statues without swallowing them, using my body like a kind of vacuum cleaner and finishing the job in seconds.

Once again, this ability proved very convenient for the Elf, but it was clear that it would only be that one time, as she enjoyed cleaning the elves with her own hands.

In the afternoon, we set out to collect the minerals embedded in the trees. I couldn't resist and took a large amount of them, though I decided to store some inside me in case I wanted to experiment or use them for something someday.

The material looked more like a precious stone than anything else, but I supposed it would have some purpose or utility in the future.

Without thinking any further, the Elf led me to an unknown place.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"We're going to a small village. It's on the outskirts of Elior, so we're not far," the Elf replied.

"Oh, is this where you restock your supplies?" I asked curiously.

The Elf simply nodded repeatedly. As we approached the village, she covered her face with a hood to avoid drawing too much attention.

We exited the forest and entered the village, where three children turned to us and began whispering among themselves. Although I could hear them, I decided not to pay them much attention. The Elf continued walking, and we noticed how doors were locked as we passed by.

Finally, we arrived at a small shop where an elderly man was inside.

"Oh, it's you," was what the man said, showing no fear in his voice.

I hopped onto the counter, which surprised the man. However, when I bounced back with a considerable amount of strange minerals, he regained his composure.

Then, I hopped back onto the Elf's shoulder.

"The usual, please," she said.

"I-I understand," the man replied, still slightly taken aback but managing it well.

He stepped away to grab a bag and fill it with what seemed to be nuts or something similar. Then, the man turned his gaze to the Elf's shoes and asked, "What will you do with your shoes?"

The Elf was startled by the question, but amidst her clumsy words, she managed to ask for a new pair of shoes.

And just as quickly as it had begun, the sky darkened.

We were both back in the treehouse, getting ready to sleep.

"Today I was able to talk more than before!" exclaimed the young Elf with a radiant smile.

"But you talk to me all the time. What's different about your interaction with the vendor?" I asked, surprised by her lack of social skills.

The Elf thought for a moment before answering, "You wouldn't understand."

I supposed her response had to do with the family's reaction in the forest, and probably most humans reacted in the same way. I sighed inwardly, understanding the Elf's thoughts.

"Maybe next time I can even talk about the weather with him!" she continued excitedly.

I chuckled at her enthusiasm but kept it to myself as I drifted off to sleep.

"Good night," said the Elf.

"Good night," I replied.

A new sparkle reflected in her violet eyes. I could sense the Elf's feelings, hearing that there was now someone who could wish her goodnight.

It's comforting for me too, girl.

* * *

A new day began, and the Elf was already busy with her daily tasks.

And I was by her side, inadvertently camouflaged among the snow.

I thought this day would be like any other, and truthfully, I didn't care much. But something different happened at that moment.

"Wow, how you've grown every day," a voice echoed out of nowhere.

It was as if I had headphones on. Startled, I could feel the prana gathering at a specific point, although I couldn't physically see anything there.

"You've even made friends," the voice continued.

The Elf turned around and sighed before responding.

"Again with those strange expressions, spirit-san?"

The prana began to condense and transformed into a small animal.

I could only describe it as an adorable pink-cheeked cat. Its fur was mostly gray with silver touches, and it wore a golden earring on one of its ears.

"I am a spirit, that's true. But I don't think you should call me that when I'm with you. And I suppose your friend would appreciate us being introduced, wouldn't he?" the spirit said with a smile.

The Elf smiled and turned to look at me.

"He's a spirit. His name is Puck."

I extended a protrusion that resembled a stylized hand to look cute and greeted the spirit in front of me.

"Hello!"

"Hello! Nice to meet you, you've heard my name, but still, I'm Puck!" Puck responded, approaching to shake my hand.

I reciprocated the greeting, and in that moment, Puck and I analyzed each other.

I could see his expression and understood what he was thinking.

'Wow, he seems much stronger than the creatures that inhabit here. He doesn't seem like a common spirit, but there's some connection. Definitely, he is someone powerful.' His thoughts should be something like that.

Internally, I felt a chill as I perceived the latent power of Puck. On the outside, he seemed weaker than me, but if you looked inside his prana gate, far beyond what eyes should be able to see, you would discover an overwhelming amount of pure power.

It felt as if the abyss were looking at me. A beast confined within Puck.

He is at least 100 times stronger than me...

I read his expression again.

'Interesting.'

Puck released my hand and looked at the Elf.

"Hohoho. Finally, I'm glad you're calling me by my name, Emilia," Puck said with a smile.

"Eh, what!?"

Both of them turned to look at me, surprised by my shocked reaction.

"Do you have a name?"

"Everyone has a name, don't they?" Emilia, the Elf, replied as she held me in her arms.

"I-I don't have one."

I have one, but I think it doesn't even matter in this world, and it probably doesn't hold any meaning in this world.

"Ah, I thought you didn't want to tell me. That's why I hadn't told you mine until now," Emilia said, laughing as she caressed the slime.

I could see that Puck felt a slight twinge of jealousy, but he understood the situation.

"Do you want me to give you a name?" I was paralyzed by the question.

For her to give me a name?

I guess it's not a bad idea. Besides, I'm curious about what she might call me.

"If you didn't have a name, how did Emilia refer to you?" Puck asked.

"There aren't many people here, so with just pointing or looking at me, I can understand that she's talking to me, but sometimes she calls me by my species name. I'm a Slime!"

"S-Slimu?" Puck couldn't pronounce the name correctly on the first try either.

"Uh... close."

"Well, and what can you do, Mr. Slimu? I see that you're not a common entity. Beyond being able to speak, you emit a great amount of power," Puck commented.

"I'm a glutton, literally. I consume the beasts that bother me, and that increases my power and abilities." At that moment, the slime unfolded a pair of wings and began floating around Emilia and Puck.

It was a concise answer, without much explanation, allowing Puck to draw his own conclusions.

Puck certainly marveled at my abilities.

"Daphne?" Puck whispered.

"Who is Daphne?" I asked incredulously.

"Uh, never mind." Before I could say anything else, Emilia shouted.

"I've got it!"

We both turned to look at Emilia.

"Your name will be Vesta!"

We were dumbfounded.

"And what does that name mean? I mean, it sounds great, but..." My voice trailed off, and I fell to the ground, spilling my slime body all over the floor.

"Ah!" Emilia exclaimed in alarm and rushed to gather the scattered slime fragments from the floor.