9th Days (2) | Don't 'Waste' Your Time (2)

The three ladies stared at the very thing—the very creature—that rested on the palm of their butler's gloved hand.

The slime was a simple, round-shaped blob of water... almost resembling a clear drop of liquid...

But, of course, it was much larger and quite bouncy. With just a simple movement of the butler's hand, the little thing jiggled uncontrollably.

"Sir... Sebas?" Anastasia hesitated, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Yes, my lady?"

"What is this...?"

"It's a slime," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes... I understand it's a slime, but..." The mistress narrowed her eyes, glancing between the butler and the creature in his hand. "...why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is this slime here?" she questioned further, her confusion deepening. "Is there a purpose to this particular slime of yours?"

"Why, of course, my lady," Sebas answered with a grin, jiggling the tiny creature in his hand to further emphasize its existence. "This little guy here is the one that will be responsible for our waste disposal."

"Huh...?"

The young noblewoman was still confused, not understanding the intention behind her butler nor the real reason why he'd brought this thing...

However, it was a different story for her knight.

Martha blinked for a moment. Then, as if a switch had flipped in her mind, realization finally came upon her—

"Wait... You don't mean to say that this thing is supposed to..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at the smiling butler, searching for confirmation.

"Martha...? Do you know something about... this thing?" Anastasia turned her attention to her knight. "...What exactly is so significant about this slime?"

The brunette knight grumbled for a moment, a bit uncomfortable with the topic.

"Yeah, I know about them, my lady..." She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Slimes... they're often called the forest's cleaners. They have a tendency to consume waste, remains, leftovers... things like that."

Then the knight shifted her gaze to the tiny creature in Sebas' hand, her lips pressing into a thin line. "...And I've even seen one devour the remains of a dead goblin before. Basically, they can consume almost... anything."

"A-Anything...!?" The mistress recoiled slightly, a feeling of disgust creeping up her spine.

The red-haired noble wasn't exactly keen on anything dirty, and seeing this tiny creature that would consume... anything, even corpses and remains, was something that unsettled her deeply.

However, her other female servant had a completely different reaction...!

The maid, Bella, who had been listening closely, suddenly perked up.

A thought seemed to strike her, making her hesitate for a moment... but—

"Miss Martha..." She leaned forward, a strange glint in her eyes as she turned to her fellow aide.

"Y-Yes, Bella...? What's wrong?"

"Forgive me, but I would like to confirm one thing..." The blonde maid spoke slowly, her expression unreadable to the rest. "If this thing can eat anything... does that mean it could even eat... 'that'?"

"That?" It took a moment for Martha, but she realized what her fellow aide meant... and with an awkward, wry smile, the knight simply nodded.

Then, instead of mimicking disgust like her mistress—excitement flashed across Bella's face—!

"That means... we don't have to deal with waste disposal anymore!" She clasped her hands together, looking at the tiny slime like it was some divine gift. "It'll handle everything for us!"

With newfound enthusiasm, she stepped closer, her eyes practically sparkling as she peered at the little blob.

"Sir Sebas..." she began, her voice laced with anticipation, "...can I touch it? Without gloves?"

"Huh-?!" Both Anastasia and Martha exclaimed at the same time, shocked by Bella's request!

The butler himself let out a small chuckle, amused by their contrasting reactions.

"But of course, Miss Bella. Go right ahead~."

His confirmation brought a bright smile to the blonde maid as she eagerly pressed her two palms together, motioning for the butler to hand it over.

Sebas, understanding her request well, gently placed the small blob into her waiting hands.

"So cute~," Bella cooed softly. The maid jiggled the tiny creature in her hands, and in response, it jiggled right back.

Anastasia and Martha stood frozen, their expressions a mix of disbelief and silent bewilderment.

Bella, on the other hand, was completely unfazed—happily poking and jiggling the tiny slime in her hands like it was nothing more than an innocent pet.

The little creature even wobbled in response, as if enjoying the interaction.

The two women exchanged glances.

'Is this... normal?' The thought ran across their minds.

Anastasia herself quickly shook her head, clearing the lingering confusion—there was a more important matter at hand.

She cleared her throat, gathering the attention of everyone once more.

"...Sir Sebas," she began, her voice regaining its usual composed tone, "pardon me, but you still haven't explained specifically how this slime is supposed to be used for waste disposal."

"Oh? Yeah, sorry about that," he said with a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let me show you how."

He turned back toward the toilet that he had built, gesturing for them to follow.

As he stood in front of it, with a smooth motion, he opened the wooden door, revealing the interior...!

Inside stood a seat-based toilet, constructed entirely from wood. Though simple-looking, it appeared to have been carefully crafted—smoothly carved to ensure comfort.

Sebas ran a gloved hand along the surface, a hint of pride in his smile.

"It's all hand-crafted by yours truly," he remarked with a satisfied nod. "Made it and carved it from scratch. Pretty good, right~?"

"I-I see..." The mistress hesitated, conflicted about whether to praise him or not.

"Well, it's not exactly a modern bidet, but it'll do~."

"...A what?" Martha muttered, confused.

"A... bidet?" Anastasia echoed, also equally confused.

Sebas simply chuckled at their confused stares, unfazed by the usual reaction to his 'alien' words. "Either way... this is our toilet."

Anastasia let out a sigh at his usual antics, crossing her arms. "And then what?"

The butler's smile remained unwavering.

"Miss Maid, if you would kindly return the slime?" he asked the maid, who was still caressing the slime in her hands, breaking her out of her daze.

"A-Ah, yes!"

The maid nodded eagerly to his request, bringing the slime to him. She gently placed it back onto Sebas' waiting palm.

He looked down at the tiny creature in his hand, while the three ladies watched with anticipation...

And then—

He threw the slime directly into the hole of the toilet.