Monster’s Streamer Star

As evening fell, Nellin’s party and Squishy attended the banquet hosted by the Magic Tower.

The banquet was held at a restaurant near the tower.

Normally, a commemorative banquet like this would be held inside the Magic Tower, but unfortunately, the tower didn’t have a hall large enough to accommodate such a massive crowd at once.

Of course, it could handle a certain number, but this time, every mage of the Magic Tower was attending.

Usually, most of them cared only about their research and wouldn’t even leave their labs for a festival.

But this banquet was different—it was a chance to hear stories about a lich whose very existence was in doubt.

Just hearing about the kind of magic a lich used might spark new inspiration, so every mage was eager.

And naturally, the master of the Magic Tower, Brooks Vesilja, was present as well.

(So it really exists. That detestable slime!)

Brooks Vesilja clearly saw Nellin’s group bring the slime into the banquet hall.

Staring at the slime, Brooks organized his plan.

First, when the banquet reached its climax, he would—though he hated to say it—apologize for failing to properly deal with the lich.

Then, in a humble tone, he would ask if he might touch the slime just once.

If he humbled himself, surely the other side wouldn’t refuse.

Once he got his hands on the slime, he’d immediately use teleportation magic, move to another location, and destroy it.

Of course, the plan was incredibly crude.

It didn’t account for what would come afterward at all.

What after destroying the slime?

Nellin’s group wouldn’t leave him be, and even the mages of the tower who followed him wouldn’t be able to defend him easily.

But Brooks Vesilja didn’t care about that now.

He was consumed by revenge, unable to think of anything else.

It was just like when he schemed to get rid of Ventus Frail without caring about the tower’s future, simply because he wanted to become Tower Master.

While Brooks plotted revenge, the mage serving as the host raised his voice as soon as he saw Nellin’s group arrive.

“Our guests of honor have arrived! The heroes who defeated the lich!”

All eyes turned toward Nellin’s party.

“Oh! It really is Lord Nellin. I never thought I’d see you again in my lifetime.”

“The Saint and Paladin who came last time actually defeated the lich themselves?”

“Wait—isn’t that slime the one the lich kidnapped?”

“I heard Gracie fought too… but how could a mere magic tool mage have played a part?”

Voices of awe, cheers, and doubt erupted throughout the banquet hall.

“Ah, Lord Nellin! It is an honor to meet you! My name is Anans, and I will be hosting tonight’s banquet.”

“Oh, right. Nice to meet you.”

“To think I’d get to see a legendary hero so close! I’m truly overwhelmed!”

“Enough of that—just get things started already. I’m starving.”

“Oh! Of course, of course! Then everyone, please enjoy the banquet! Lord Nellin, if it’s all right, would you later tell us about your battle with the lich?”

“As much as you like.”

“Thank you!”

The banquet began.

As the guests ate the prepared food, their gazes never left Nellin’s group.

At first, most attention was on Nellin, Amelia, Paulen, and Gracie, but soon it spread to Godrick’s party and even Claire.

“Who are those bandit-looking fellows?”

“Careful with your words. I hear they’re Lord Nellin’s disciples.”

“I meant they’ve got a wild charm, like bandits.”

“Sure, if you say so.”

“And that girl… isn’t she from the rare White Wolf tribe? Legend says they carry the blood of Fenrir and monsters…”

“Did you hear? The village of Chilture was attacked by a horde of orcs.”

“And why bring that up now?”

“Well, they say it was a slime that made a great contribution in stopping the attack. Could that slime be…”

“Nonsense. That slime was kidnapped by the lich and later rescued by Lord Nellin. How could it have been in Chilture?”

“Hm. Maybe I was overthinking it.”

The murmurs of the humans could be heard clearly through the slime, reaching the viewers as well.

▶ It’s been ages since Squishy and Troll split, lol.

▶ Then why’s everyone talking like Troll’s dead? Did they really think that was still Troll?

▶ Kyaaaaaa!

[Free Spirit] ▶ I just told them to play along like I was dead, so don’t flip out.

▶ And what’s with that furry having wolf blood?

▶ Was he a wolf furry all along? Did he really just go for it?

[Just Slam First] ▶ Are you kidding me! I’ve never touched anyone but my wife! And my fur is silver, not white like that!

▶ Then why are people saying that?

[Just Slam First] ▶ How should I know!

▶ Ooooh~ prove it~.

When the banquet atmosphere reached its peak, Nellin finished his meal and walked over to Anans.

“Hey, you said you wanted me to tell the story, right?”

“Yes! Finally, the moment has come! Here’s a sound-amplifying magic device—please speak into this.”

“Ah. Ah. Ah~.”

Holding the device, Nellin began to speak to the assembled mages.

Of course, the story was altered to hide Troll’s true identity.

She spoke of hearing rumors of the lich, joining the Saintess’s group, even the tale of hearing the lich’s voice echoing over the Holy City’s skies.

She summarized the events leading up to the fight, then recounted the battle with the lich itself—exactly the part the mages most wanted to hear—without much embellishment.

Paulen fighting the giant golem, Godrick’s party holding off the reinforcements, Presia and Amelia supporting allies with blessings and striking with sacred magic.

And she spoke at length about her own attacks on the lich, and about Gracie’s role in neutralizing the lich’s magic.

In fact, she especially emphasized Gracie’s contribution.

“No matter how sharp my arrows may be, you know, it’s not easy to completely dispel a massive spell like that. But this kid Gracie, huh? She cast a spell right away and canceled out that skeleton bastard’s magic!”

“Ohhh, really?”

“Why would I lie about that?”

“But didn’t Gracie use magic tools? Even with magic tools, is that really possible?”

“I saw it with my own eyes. Are you doubting what I saw?”

“N-no! Of course not!”

“Watching Gracie use those tools left even me speechless. Using multiple tools at once to wipe out the lich’s spells? That’s something I could never manage—just thinking about it gives me a headache.”

When the words came from a legendary hero like Nellin, they carried immense weight.

If it had been anyone else, pride alone would have had the mages scoff and dismiss it.

“Did she really cancel out the lich’s spells?”

“All the magic Lord Nellin mentioned were high-tier spells. And if the lich was the one casting them, then they’d be near the very top.”

“So she combined a bunch of tools strung all over her body to fight? What kind of tools did she use, and how?”

The mages didn’t deny Nellin’s words. Instead, they brimmed with curiosity about whether they were true.

Reflecting the thoughts of the others, Anans stepped closer to Gracie.

“Ah~ I’m dying to know! How exactly did you make use of the tools, Gracie?”

“M-me!? Oh, uh…”

Gracie flinched, unable to answer right away. She hadn’t expected to be asked directly.

At that moment, Amelia placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and smiled.

“Gracie, there’s no need to be nervous. Just explain to everyone here how you used magic that day.”

“Y-yes.”

Encouraged by Amelia’s words, Gracie began to speak.

“Well, the way I used the tools back then was like this…”

Gracie’s explanation of the magic tools went on.

She described what effects each tool had, how she combined them, the number of tools, and the order in which she used them.

And that explanation alone was enough to astonish the mages gathered in the banquet hall.

“In theory, it’s possible. But still…”

“She used seven tools simultaneously?”

“Half of them were ones you could buy at a common tool shop. But to produce effects strong enough to block the lich’s spells?”

Even the tower’s mages used magic tools.

But only as support for their spells, and only one at a time.

They were too proud of their own skills to ever think of making magic tools the foundation of their combat.

That was why they looked down on Gracie the magic-tool mage as pathetic.

And because they despised her, they never bothered to look closely.

Even when Gracie walked around with all those tools dangling off her, none of them believed she actually used them all.

Yet when it came to criticizing her flaws, those same mages paid plenty of attention—so much so that even the ones who scorned her knew Gracie’s natural skill without tools was at least decent.

“To think that Gracie neutralized the lich’s magic just by using magic tools?”

“Impossible.”

“Could simply using multiple tools at once really bring such dramatic results?”

At best, Gracie’s personal skill allowed her to use mid-tier magic on her own.

But to claim she had blocked the lich’s spells by using tools—that bordered on the unbelievable.

“Could it really be true? But Lord Nellin herself swore to it…”

“If Gracie can achieve that level with her skill, then what if I were to use them myself…?”

Some still had doubts.

But others, who had scorned and dismissed magic tools in the past, suddenly began reconsidering their usefulness.

“Incredible! It’s hard to believe, I’m still not sure I do… Gracie, would you mind explaining in more detail how exactly you used those tools?”

“O-oh, yes. Well, to explain a little more clearly…”

As Gracie elaborated further, the tower mages grew even more shocked.

“No matter how many tools you use, to manage them all at once?”

“And to link them together so smoothly!?”

Just hearing about it was enough to realize the difficulty.

Magic tools, after all, were only instruments.

They weren’t the same as wielding and shaping magic directly with one’s body.

Even with their assistance, there was always a sense of awkwardness, a disconnect.

That was why mages instinctively avoided using too many at once.

But Gracie was different.

She had spent years using and studying magic tools, until she could wield them as naturally as her own limbs.

The mages who understood how difficult that was began to look at her differently.

“Amazing.”

“It’s not something you can accomplish by relying on tools alone.”

“She must have worked tirelessly, to the point of being able to stop the lich’s magic.”

Gracie’s efforts were finally being recognized.

Of course, not everyone cared for her story.

“Hmph. Enough of this useless talk! Hurry it up! That damned slime has to be eliminated!”

The one consumed by blind vengeance, ignoring his own actions and seething with anger, was none other than Brooks Vesilja.