My Slime Wife: Training and Pampering Her Makes Me Stronger
Chapter 33: Captain Armstrong’s Seal

Chapter 33: Captain Armstrong’s Seal

The conversation had already been going on for several minutes.

The initial tension had long since faded, and Captain Armstrong’s enormous office now felt much warmer.

"...and then the System decided that, instead of summoning a Beast, my wife would become one."

Liam finished explaining while scratching the back of his head with an awkward smile.

"I still don’t know if it was a bug... or a joke."

Lydia raised a hand.

"I can confirm everything he said."

Armstrong rested his elbows on the desk, listening attentively.

Lydia continued.

"Until just a few hours ago, I was a little ball of slime."

She moved her hands as she remembered that time.

"I couldn’t see, hear, or even speak to anyone except Liam through the System chat."

She sighed.

"I depended entirely on him to know what was happening around me."

Armstrong slowly shook his head.

"That must have been incredibly difficult."

Lydia smiled.

"It was. But it was fun too."

She glanced at Liam.

Armstrong leaned back in his large chair once again.

"I have to admit... It’s a very unusual story."

He folded his arms.

"In all my years as a Hunter, I’ve heard stories about some very strange Awakenings. Summoners, Necromancers, weather manipulators... I even met one guy who could talk to plants. But..."

He looked at both of them.

"...I’ve never heard of a married couple where the wife ends up becoming the summoned Beast."

Liam laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah... It does sound pretty weird when you put it that way."

Armstrong chuckled as well.

"But that’s not what’s important."

His expression became serious again.

"Despite losing your jobs... Despite Awakening under completely absurd circumstances... Despite everything that happened... you never gave up."

He pointed at the two of them.

"Good people always find a way to move forward. And you did."

Liam scratched the back of his head again.

"Honestly... If it weren’t for my wife, we wouldn’t be here."

Lydia immediately took Liam’s hand and intertwined her fingers with his before smiling.

"No. You deserve the credit too."

Liam looked at her.

"Huh?"

"You’re the one who suggested we become Hunters. You’re the one who decided to face everything instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. I just followed you."

Liam shook his head with a smile.

"You shouldn’t say ’just.’ I wouldn’t have made it past the first Dungeon without you."

Lydia squeezed his hand a little tighter.

"And without you... I’d still be a lost Slime who didn’t even know where she was."

Armstrong watched the scene in silence.

Then he smiled with satisfaction.

"I like seeing teammates who truly trust each other."

◇◆◇

The Captain opened one of the drawers in his desk.

"Alright. Hand me your Hunter IDs. It’s time to finish the paperwork."

Lydia reacted before Liam did.

"Yes!"

She immediately pulled out her emerald-green card and placed it on the desk.

Armstrong picked it up.

Liam, however, was still holding onto his.

The Captain raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong?"

Liam hesitated for a few seconds.

"Does this mean... we’re officially joining the Guild?"

Armstrong nodded.

"Of course."

Liam frowned.

"I thought you’d ask me a lot more questions. Or that there’d be another test. Or some kind of exam."

The Captain burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! My boy... What more could you possibly want?"

Liam blinked.

Armstrong pointed at the folder containing all of their reports.

"You cleared an E-Rank Dungeon completely on your own. And before that, you helped Vice-Captain Amber and her squad survive an S-Rank Dungeon."

He leaned forward slightly.

"We need Hunters like you."

Liam finally smiled.

"When you put it that way... I guess that makes sense."

He handed over his ID card.

Armstrong placed both cards neatly on the desk.

He opened a small glass vial.

Inside was black ink filled with tiny silver sparkles.

He slowly dipped the tip of his thumb into it.

When he lifted his hand, the ink seemed to emit a faint glow.

"This seal... can only be placed by the Guild Captain."

He pressed his thumb onto the empty space on Lydia’s card.

A current of energy traveled up his entire arm.

The ink began to glow, and a symbol slowly appeared.

The Ace of Spades.

Perfectly engraved onto the card.

Lydia’s eyes widened.

"It’s beautiful..."

Armstrong smiled.

Then he repeated the exact same process with Liam’s Hunter ID.

The symbol appeared once again.

Both cards had now been officially sealed.

The Captain handed them back.

"From this moment on... you belong to the Ace of Spades Guild."

◇◆◇

Armstrong slowly stood from his massive chair.

He was even taller than Liam had imagined.

He walked around the desk, stopped in front of him, and extended his hand.

"Welcome."

Liam immediately returned the handshake.

It was firm.

"Thank you."

"I’ll do everything I can not to disappoint you."

Armstrong smiled.

"I don’t have any doubts."

Then he turned to Lydia.

She shook his hand as well.

"Welcome."

"Thank you very much."

After the greetings, Armstrong pointed at their cards.

"They’re fully activated now. You can use them at the reception desk."

Liam and Lydia exchanged a glance.

They both smiled in exactly the same way.

Lydia had thought of the same thing.

They could finally go show off their Hunter IDs to the receptionist with the glasses.

Both of them struggled to hold back their laughter.

Armstrong looked at them.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

they answered at the same time.

The Captain let out a quiet chuckle.

◇◆◇

Before they left the office, Armstrong opened another drawer and pulled out two black boxes.

Inside were two identical smartphones.

The Ace of Spades emblem was engraved on the back of each one.

"These are Guild-issued phones."

He handed them over.

"Instructor James will call you first thing tomorrow morning."

Liam examined the device.

"What for?"

"You need to buy your equipment and officially begin your training."

Lydia held hers with excitement.

"Thank you very much."

Armstrong nodded.

"Get some rest tonight. Because tomorrow... your new life truly begins."

The two of them gave a small bow.

"Thank you very much, Captain."

Then they left the office.

◇◆◇

The elevator slowly descended.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

They simply kept looking at their new Hunter IDs over and over again.

When the doors opened, they started walking toward the exit.

The building was still full of employees working, even at night.

Then...

Grrr...

Liam’s stomach growled loudly.

Lydia laughed.

"I think someone is hungry."

Liam smiled sheepishly.

"A little."

He slipped his Hunter ID into his wallet.

"How about we stop by the supermarket?"

Lydia nodded immediately.

"Now that I’ve got my body back... I want to cook you something delicious."

Liam smiled.

"That sounds a lot better than eggs and rice."

"Hey!"

Lydia protested with a laugh.

"My eggs and rice were delicious."

"They were. Because you were the one making them."

"Exactly."

The two of them continued walking toward the reception desk.

◇◆◇

The same man with the glasses was still standing behind the counter.

When he saw them approaching, he barely looked up.

"Yes?"

Liam didn’t say a single word.

He simply took out his Hunter ID and gently placed it on the counter.

Lydia did exactly the same.

The receptionist picked up one card...

Then the other.

He slowly adjusted his glasses and looked at the seal.

His expression changed completely.

"..."

Finally, he cleared his throat.

"Congratulations..."

It was obvious those words were very difficult for him to say.

Lydia smiled sweetly.

But she couldn’t resist.

"Please be careful with my card."

She carefully took it back.

"It’s not easy to get one of these."

The man swallowed nervously.

"I’ll... keep that in mind."

Liam barely managed to suppress his laughter.

The two of them put away their Hunter IDs, turned around, and walked toward the exit.

As they stepped through the automatic doors, the cool night breeze greeted them.

The city was illuminated by hundreds of signs and streetlights.

It was nighttime.

Liam took a deep breath.

Lydia walked over and slipped her arm through his.

"Come on. We need to fill the fridge."

Liam smiled.

"And tomorrow... our real adventure as Hunters begins."

The two of them walked down the avenue toward the supermarket, ready to spend part of the money they had earned that morning and, at last, enjoy a proper dinner worthy of the beginning of their new life.