Master and Slaves

“And when I came to, I was on a simple bed.”

Helene closed her eyes.

“By that time already… I was no longer a Dule.”

“That means…”

Didn’t that mean Mateus was dead?

“…I don’t know. I only know what Lord Mateus said: that the only ways to dissolve a contract with a Dule are the death of the Dule or the death of the Master. At least, that is all I know.”

“…”

I fell silent.

If there had been another method, I should have been able to return to my original world without killing Tiria and without dying myself.

“If Lord Mateus has passed away, then the one who is now king of the Tres Kingdom is…”

“It would be better to think of him as someone impersonating Lord Mateus.”

Baldo finished my sentence.

Yes—if Mateus was gone, then who was the Tres king pretending to be Mateus?

“We have confirmed that many times, but no matter how many times we looked, it was Lord Mateus’s face.”

“Eh? Helene went to the royal capital several times?”

Surprised, I asked Helene.

Even though she had just said she barely escaped with her life.

“Yes, several times. However, even when I, who had been allowed to stay with him all that time, looked directly, the one who stood on the castle balcony was Lord Mateus.”

“I have heard that many times as well. Then he must be disguising himself as Lord Mateus with magic or something.”

Baldo answered Helene while folding his arms.

“Excuse me.”

At that moment there was a knock and the maids entered.

Food was placed in front of Baldo and the others.

“Hoh. So you would have us eat at the same table as Dules.”

Marcel, sitting across from Rina, opened his narrow eyes slightly and spoke harsh words with a mild expression.

“Lord Marcel, please forgive it this time.”

“No, it is fine. We are no longer nobles, after all. Kukuku.”

Baldo modestly admonished Marcel, but Marcel raised his voice even more, muttered self-mockingly, and laughed.

This man called Marcel was an unpleasant guy.

“That’s right. We are no longer nobles. However, we cannot stand by and watch the people suffer like this.”

Bernfried, sitting to Marcel’s right, said that while touching his beard.

“Indeed. That is why we must resist them.”

Baldo took over from Bernfried and said that while turning toward me.

…The picture was coming into view.

In other words, Baldo and the others were planning to invade the Tres Kingdom.

And they wanted me to help as well.

However, of course I had never been in a war.

Was there some benefit to drawing me in as an ally?

“And so, Lord Hiroyuki…”

“Please wait a moment.”

Helene was about to say the words I had expected, but Muriel stopped her.

“Hoh. A mere Dule would interrupt her masters’ conversation?”

Marcel glared at Muriel quietly, yet with intimidation.

“I am sorry. However, there is something I wish to tell Lady Helene…”

“Is it about Hiroyuki-sama?”

Helene also asked while glaring at Muriel.

“Yes. Would it be possible to have Master not participate in this battle?”

“What… you were the one who said it. That Hiroyuki-sama would give a favorable reply.”

“Yes… I am sorry.”

Helene raised her voice for an instant, then immediately lowered it and addressed Muriel.

Muriel stood up and bowed her head toward Helene.

“What? What’s going on?”

I did not understand what was happening… no, I understood the general idea, but I still wanted to hear it from their own mouths, so I asked while looking back and forth between Helene and Muriel.

“Then I’ll have to have that money returned.”

Ignoring me, Helene glared at Muriel.

“That… has already been used.”

Money… did she mean that money I had received from Helene?

“…I know. What do you intend to do?”

“I will go to war in his place…”

“You won’t do at all!”

Hearing Muriel’s reply, Helene finally shouted and threw the napkin she had been using at Muriel.

It hit Muriel’s head and fell onto Muriel’s plate, which was piled with food.

“Helene, this is a place for a meal. Calm yourself.”

“You won’t do! You can’t defeat a Demon King! You can’t bring everyone together! You…”

Ignoring Baldo’s words as well, Helene continued showering Muriel with angry shouts.

“Wait a moment, Helene. The person in question—me—hasn’t said anything, and I don’t know anything.”

“Haa, haa, haa, fuu… I had intended to have Hiroyuki-sama help with this war. I entrusted that to this girl, but she…”

“Muriel, what’s going on?”

Helene, who had tried to calm down, was starting to raise her voice again, so I cut her off and asked Muriel.

“…I am sorry. I… heard that Master had defeated a Demon King and arbitrarily assumed he would cooperate in this war… However, after hearing Master’s words yesterday…”

My words?

…Ah, come to think of it, I did say something.

That I hated war, or something like that.

“…That’s right. …Helene, why me in the first place?”

“…Lord Mateus said that the rebel army that attacked the royal capital had the backing of one Demon King or another. And now we have found a just cause in that and have united with the people of the Cardilia Kingdom as well.”

When Helene said that, the men on the other side, starting with Baldo, nodded.

“Both the Tres Kingdom and the Cardilia Kingdom have surely suffered at the hands of those from the Demon World. We have risen up in order to free them from that.”

Bernfried muttered while stroking his chin beard.

“However, it has already been proven that we cannot defeat a Demon King. That is why we want Hiroyuki-sama to take the lead, raise morale, and defeat the Demon King.”

“And the official stance is to make Lord Julius the head, have him defeat Lord Mateus—his father who was in league with the Demon King—and become king of the Tres Kingdom.”

Baldo continued after Helene.

At that time Helene hung her head as if enduring something.

“This was also Lord Mateus’s own words. If something should happen to him, he said to suppress the rebel army together with Lord Hiroyuki. I asked him not to say such ominous things, but it has turned out exactly as Lord Mateus said. Though Hiroyuki-sama going missing was unexpected, and Lord Mateus’s plan was delayed by fifteen years.”

Helene began speaking toward me again.

Toward the end she wore a self-mocking smile, and a faint reproach toward me showed through.

“…”

I lightly tapped Muriel’s back and had her sit.

“I understand the story. I can’t return the money. Because it’s already been used. So that means I should work for that amount, right?”

I said that toward Helene, but Helene was silent.

She neither affirmed nor denied it.

“…”

I waited in silence for a while, but no one opened their mouth.

I closed my eyes, thought for a while, then answered Helene.

“Understood. However, I want these girls placed somewhere safe.”

“””Master!”””

Muriel, Sara, and Cathy stood up.

At my feet Tiria clung to my leg.

“Master, please take us with you as well. Please let us protect Master.”

“That’s right. Hiroyuki-sama alone is unreliable. At the very least, please take Muriel with you.”

Unexpectedly, Helene agreed with Muriel’s words.

“Why is that? Is Lord Hiroyuki alone not enough?”

Giacomo, who had been silently looking at the Dules the whole time, finally opened his mouth.

“When Hiroyuki-sama was asleep I spoke with Muriel, and Muriel has quite a tactical eye.”

“Humu. I had wanted to leave an army to Lord Hiroyuki, but you want Muriel to serve as adjutant, is that it?”

“Yes.”

Helene nodded toward Baldo.

Then Helene opened her mouth toward me again.

“Let us create a place in the rear of the battlefield where they can wait safely. How is that?”

“Humu, is there a need to be that attached to that man? Even splitting off soldiers for the rear.”

Marcel cut into Helene’s talk.

“Yes. Hiroyuki-sama is worth ten thousand soldiers.”

“Hoh. That is reliable. Kukuku.”

At Helene’s answer Marcel let out a pleasant-sounding laugh.

Somehow… it felt disgusting.

“So, how is it? Hiroyuki-sama.”

“…Understood. That’s fine.”

I nodded to Helene.

“Thank you very much. With this, at last…”

Helene looked into the distance, lost in emotion.

“Then we must immediately organize the army.”

Baldo said that happily.

However, the other men looked displeased.

No—only Marcel was wearing his usual smiling mask.

“Master, was that really all right?”

Muriel whispered to me so the others would not understand.

“Yeah. It’s fine like that. I can’t return the money anyway.”

I answered Muriel with a bitter smile.

“I am sorry.”

Muriel apologized to me with a face that looked truly sorry from the bottom of her heart.

“Ahaha. More than that, thank you.”

“…”

I thanked Muriel and gently patted her shoulder.

Muriel returned a smile that looked a little frustrated, yet still happy.

…

Breakfast ended, and for the time being it was decided we would disperse.

“Then tomorrow, let us meet to discuss future policy.”