Master and Slaves

“Well then, shall we go?”

I called out to Muriel and the others and walked to the door while still holding the two chains.

Muriel opened the door.

The room where Helma and Ilma had been hanging had been cleaned and restored to its original state.

When I stepped through the door, the Dules gathered in front of me.

“”Good morning, Master.””

Sara and Cathy gave their morning greeting.

Tiria also knelt and bowed her head.

“Morning.”

I returned the greeting to the three of them.

…Nn? Three?

Rina and the others aren’t here?

Looking around the room, I saw Rina standing in the corner, shielding Rine from me.

Her gaze stabbed into me like a glare.

“Rina?”

“Don’t come near me!”

When I tried to approach, Rina shouted.

“R-Rina, you mustn’t say that. I-I’m terribly sorry, Master. Rina saw Hera-chan’s appearance and, well…”

Sara scolded Rina rather timidly in a flustered manner and apologized to me.

Well, that was only natural.

If a younger girl you used to play with ended up like that, of course you’d react that way.

Haa.

I looked back.

Helma was looking up at me with an apologetic upward glance.

Helma’s appearance was definitely not something a normal girl would wear.

It was true that I had allowed it, so there was no room for excuses.

While I was thinking about what to do, Muriel walked toward Rina.

Then she slapped Rina’s cheek.

“!”

“Stop it! Don’t hit Onee-chan!”

Startled by the sudden action, Rine clung to Muriel while crying.

“You! Didn’t you have the resolve to become a Dule?!”

Muriel raised her voice in a shout.

Overwhelmed by the intensity, both Rina and Rine flinched.

“Every one of Master’s Dules here is prepared to become anything for Master’s sake. I am the same. For Master’s sake I would not mind being violated by men or impregnated by monsters. If Master had nothing to eat, I would gladly offer my own body.”

The Dules other than Rina nodded at Muriel’s words.

Because it was Muriel who said it, the words carried weight.

“Sara.”

“Y-yes!”

Startled by Muriel suddenly calling on her, Sara hurriedly answered.

“What about you?”

“I…”

After looking at Rina, Sara let her gaze wander a little before looking at me.

Her eyes wavered, but the moment she looked at me they became firm.

“If it is Master’s order, I will do anything.”

“Sara Onee-chan…”

“Because I am Master’s Dule.”

Sara added that.

It was different from Muriel and the others’ feelings, but the conclusion was the same.

“I…”

Rina hung her head.

“Onee-chan…”

Rine pressed close to her, looking worried.

“…Haa. Master, let’s discard this girl. I actually want to kill her, but there is no need to dirty Master’s hands.”

Muriel sighed and said something terrifying in a matter-of-fact tone.

Rina’s shoulders jerked.

“No, even if we discard her… what happens if she’s discarded?”

At first I intended to reject Muriel’s idea, but there was something I was curious about, so I asked her.

For Rina, as long as her time stopped and she did not grow, there was no real need for her to stay with me.

“The fate of a discarded Dule is almost always decided. If she comes into contact with even a little magic, the mark will shine through her clothes, so hiding it is difficult. If officials find her, they will first search for her Master. If they are told that the Master discarded her, or even if the Master cannot be found, at best the Dule will become a plaything for the soldiers, and at worst she will be used in human experiments involving magic and the like. Even if she is injured a little she recovers immediately. If she is found by villains she will also be used as a plaything or sold. In either case, even after the Master dies and she is no longer a Dule, that situation will probably continue. Also, if ordinary people find her, she will be reported to the authorities.”

Muriel explained that.

Sara hugged her own body and trembled.

Had she experienced something like that?

“Of course, there are also Dules who flee thinking that would still be better. Now then, Rina. What about you?”

After finishing the explanation, Muriel asked Rina.

Well, looking at Helma’s appearance, both options were about the same.

In a sense, this was also a human experiment.

“I… I…”

For some reason Rina hung her head and struggled to give an answer.

“…Fufufu. Master is very kind. Almost too kind for us. Isn’t that right, Sara?”

“Yes!”

This time Sara immediately nodded at Muriel’s sudden prompt.

“These girls were left entirely in my hands. I am the one who did this. And these girls also wished for it.”

Muriel looked at Helma and the others.

“Master did exactly what you wished for. He made you a Dule without leaving a single wound on your body. It is absolutely unforgivable, but even if you became a Dule against your will, do you still not trust a Master like that?”

At Muriel’s words, Rina slowly shook her head while still looking down.

“Then that’s fine. And one more thing. As I said earlier, Master is precious to us. …Never do anything that would wound Master’s body or heart.”

Muriel cupped Rina’s face with both hands, made her look up, and brought her own face close.

Then she spoke to Rina with a smile so frightening it was terrifying.

Rina’s lips trembled; her eyes filled with tears as she nodded over and over.

“Good.”

Muriel looked satisfied, nodded with a smile, then turned toward me. This time she put on a solemn expression and prostrated herself on the floor in front of me.

“I acted on my own. I am sorry.”

While pressing her forehead to the floor, she asked for my forgiveness.

Tiria remained as she was, while Cathy, Sara, and Helma and Ilma behind me also knelt and bowed their heads.

Seeing the others, Rina hurriedly knelt as well.

Rine seemed to have imitated Rina after watching her.

…Haa.

There was no need to make it so formal.

Well, whatever.

“No. I understand Muriel and the others’ feelings again, and it seems Rina has accepted it as well.”

I squatted in front of Muriel’s head and lightly tapped it.

Then I gently took her arm and made her stand.

“This is your reward.”

I kissed Muriel’s lips.

“Ah”

“””””Ah!!”””””

Muriel let out a small sound, and the other Dules also cried out in surprise.

It was a short kiss, but it seemed enough to send Muriel into ecstasy and make the other Dules jealous.

“Now then, shall we prepare to depart?”

I called out that way to the happy-looking Muriel, the frustrated-looking other Dules, the solemn-faced Rina, and Rine who was worried about Rina.

…

“Hey, is this really all right?”

“Yes. I am a Te-Dule.”

Helma answered with a red face.

“It’s fine.”

Ilma nodded with a serious expression.

“Helma is also prepared for this. Ilma should have no problem just walking.”

Muriel, who was loading luggage onto the carriage, said that to me.

This was the garden of the mansion belonging to the lord Gertrude-Caterilli, the area that served as a garage.

The carriage we had used when coming to this town had been left here.

Muriel had driven the carriage that had been left at the town entrance all the way here in order to bring the tools used for Helma and Ilma’s ritual.

I had tied Tiria, Helma, and Ilma’s leads to the handle at the back of the carriage.

When we first went to the royal capital of the Tres Kingdom—Torrestia—I had also pulled Tiria around the capital with the carriage in the same way.

Even though this was the second time, it was not something one got used to.

“It’s all right. I’ll drive slowly so as not to burden Ilma, and Tiria will watch over the two of them.”

Perhaps a worried expression had appeared on my face, because Muriel said that to me.

Just as Muriel said, she would be the driver on the way back as well, and Tiria, who had done the same thing once before, would be between Helma and Ilma.

But that was not the point. Fundamentally I still thought it was questionable.

Well, this was something Helma, Ilma, and Tiria themselves had suggested.

I should not show too much worry.

“Master, we’re finished.”

Sara poked her head out from the back of the carriage and reported to me.

It seemed the luggage had been loaded.

That said, the only luggage was the box we had picked up at that ruined mansion.

Rina and Rine were already riding in the carriage.

Cathy was boarding the carriage while carrying the lunch boxes Tzecilia had prepared so we could eat on the road at noon.

After tying the leads of Tiria and the other two, I stroked their heads one after another.

All three of them twisted their bodies in the same way and wore melting smiles.

After that I greeted Tzecilia and Gertrude, who had come to see us off.

“Thank you very much for even preparing lunch for us.”

“That’s nothing at all. I even got to see Hera-chan’s splendid appearance.”

Gertrude said that to me with a cheerful smile and waved at Helma.

Helma bowed with a bright-red face.

“Nn”

At that moment the crystal attached to her nipple piercing swayed and stimulated her nipple, so Helma let out a pitiful sound from the back of her throat.

“Aah, how nice. I want a Dule like that too.”

Gertrude muttered with a dreamy expression.

I gave a bitter smile and looked at Tzecilia; she was also wearing a bitter smile.

“Hiroyuki-san. Please take care of Helma. Ah, it’s fine. You don’t need to answer. You probably wouldn’t know what to say anyway.”

“…I’ll treasure Helma.”

“You say that so easily after dressing her like that.”

A sharp jab came from Tzecilia.

But right afterward she started laughing.

“Fufufu, but if that girl is happy like that, then it’s fine. Besides, I’m no longer anything to Helma.”

Tzecilia muttered lonely.

“I’ll come again. I’ll bring Helma with me.”

“Yes. Next time I’ll have a proper guest room prepared.”

“That’s right. I’ll have one prepared. Ah, by the way. Are you really not going? Matilde said there would be a featured item.”

Gertrude cut into the conversation with Tzecilia.

Once again Tzecilia and I exchanged bitter smiles.

What Gertrude was talking about was the auction her daughter Matilde was holding.

Apparently they were dealing in relics from the Cardilia Kingdom that had fallen a few months ago.

“Yes, we can’t stay too long.”

I said that to Gertrude, but it was just an excuse.

There was also the matter of Rina, but more than that I was concerned about Tiria.

Apparently it was the Tres Kingdom that had destroyed the Cardilia Kingdom.

Before becoming my Dule, Tiria had been a princess of the Tres Kingdom.

“I see, what a shame.”

Gertrude’s shoulders drooped.

Then she waved her palm vertically and called me over.

I approached Gertrude and stretched a little to match her eye level.

Gertrude pulled my ear and whispered in a low, small voice that was completely different from her previous tone.

“I think you already know, but be careful in the Tres Kingdom. King Mateus there is terribly cruel.”