Master and Slaves

“I…”

I looked straight at Yuki.

“I want Yuki… to stay at my side. I’m not devoted only to Yuki like before, but…”

I know this is my selfishness, my willfulness.

Something that would never be allowed in the original world.

But…

“Yes… Hiroyuki… please… make me a Dule…”

Yuki said that while still looking into my eyes.

“Since I came to this world I have always been a Dule. But because of that I want to become Hiroyuki’s Dule… I want you to see… all of me…”

Yuki poured out her past, her feelings.

“Understood.”

I tried to raise my right hand…

…

“You mustn’t~, don’t force it~.”

“Thanks, Rosina.”

“Ahn, then make me a Dule too~.”

“Ah, another time.”

Normally if I were asked this much to make someone a Dule I would do it, but with Rosina alone I didn’t feel like it.

Somehow it felt like she was saying it on momentum, or teasing me.

Anyway I felt she wasn’t serious.

In fact even if I ignored her she didn’t get depressed at all.

“Ahn, mean~.”

…Haa.

And now I was having Rosina treat my right hand.

No, I was having her examine it before treating it.

To regenerate a missing part, large-scale ritual magic was apparently necessary.

And ritual magic required multiple users of that magic.

The more magic users the better, they said.

Fortunately, or rather, there were seven priests here as a healing unit.

Having those priests help and applying ritual magic was the plan to regenerate my right hand.

However that was the official story. In fact Sheena, Rosina’s daughter and a Ji-Dule, could apparently do it alone.

That was apparently a synergistic effect of Sheena’s aptitude and effort, and the privilege when she became a Dule.

And so Sheena was here together with Rosina.

I was also having Sheena palpate the affected part of my right hand.

“…Rosina, where are you palpating?”

“Oh my~, this isn’t swollen yet~.”

Saying that, Rosina was groping my crotch.

“Ahem, Master, you’re in the way.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Treated coldly by Sheena, Rosina meekly withdrew behind.

“Master, I want to concentrate, so could you go outside?”

“Ahn~, am I in the way~?”

“Yes.”

Sheena said that firmly to Rosina.

“…Understood~. Then I’ll take a walk~.”

“Please treat the other injured people.”

“Uu, I get it. Buu buu.”

Prompted by Sheena, Rosina went outside wearing a sulky expression.

At this rate you couldn’t tell which one was the Master.

“So, how is it? Does it look like it will heal?”

“I think it will heal, but because the wound is burned I think it will take time until you can move it as before.”

Sheena answered while looking at my right hand and my face in turn.

“But there is one thing I don’t understand.”

“Nn? What?”

“I don’t think this way of burning is from fire…”

I also looked at my own right hand the same as Sheena.

Rather than “burned” by high heat, it felt like it had been chemically “melted” by acid or something.

“Why did it become like this?”

Sheena tilted her head and asked me.

However I also tilted my head the same as Sheena.

“Well, I wonder why?”

“Um, does Hiroyuki-sama not remember when you lost your own right hand?”

“Ah, I don’t remember.”

I also don’t remember why I was there.

Incidentally, I was now inside a tent pitched outside the town.

Inside the town the stench of decay apparently made it impossible for people to stay for long.

Hearing that, I thought it was impressive that all the Dules had come to me.

That was how much I had worried them.

Lately it had been a continuous stretch of making them worry.

I had to properly reflect.

“Yes. Understood. Then I will apply regeneration magic, so please don’t move.”

Sheena straightened her posture and said that to me.

“Ah, understood.”

I also straightened my posture and answered.

“Then…”

O Anirofe, goddess of subordination and protector of us slaves, obedient Anirofe. Hear my wish. I wish to return a part of this person’s lost body, yet that part of him is a thing that does not exist…

Sheena supported the wound of my right hand with both hands, closed her eyes, and began chanting a spell like a sutra.

That was called sacred magic, a prayer to the goddess Anirofe, the goddess of slaves whom Sheena served.

…

Now then, how long would I stay in this state.

Several tens of minutes since Sheena started chanting magic, no, it might even have been more than an hour.

The two of us remained sitting facing each other.

When that happens, as a man your eyes go to exposed breasts…

No, no, she still doesn’t even swell. She’s a child.

There’s no way I’d get aroused.

But she is a woman…

Haa? Are you a brute? No, that’s me.

No, because she’s not that different in years from Ilma and Helma.

No, no, at this age one or two years is quite different.

However…

While I was brooding alone like that…

“Whoa!”

The affected part of my right arm that Sheena had been wrapping with both hands began to glow.

It gradually grew stronger until it was so dazzling I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

Even with my eyes closed it looked pure white through my eyelids, but eventually that thinned and began to darken.

“…Fuu. It’s already fine.”

Because Sheena said that to me I slowly opened my eyes.

My eyes were blurred from seeing the intense light, but the focus gradually came together.

And what entered my eyes was my regenerated right hand, darker than the original skin.

“It has been regenerated for the time being, but I think you still can hardly move it.”

Because Sheena explained that to me I tried to close and open my hand.

However the hand did not so much as twitch.

“A few times a day is fine, so please be conscious of trying to move it while massaging the hand. If you do that I think you will be able to move it little by little.”

Sheena added to the explanation.

“Understood, thanks. …Hey, Sheena. Can you regenerate even if everything from the elbow down or from the knee down is gone?”

After thanking her I asked Sheena something that concerned me.

In other words, about Ilma.

“Yes. If not much time has passed since it was lost, I can heal it alone.”

“How much time?”

“Let’s see. Up to about a month.”

A month?

“Two or three years is…”

“No good. The possibility of regenerating it is quite low. At that level even I would use ritual magic, and other users would be… at minimum fifty people would be necessary. Even then the probability of success is about half.”

Sheena explained in detail.

However then regenerating Ilma’s limbs would be difficult.

“I see. Thanks.”

I started to sigh, hurriedly stopped, and thanked Sheena.

“But Sheena, you’re solid, aren’t you.”

I said a frank impression.

She was just like a veteran nurse.

And she was younger than Ilma and Helma, so I would have to have those girls learn from her more.

“Of course. I’m twenty, after all.”

…Eh?

Seriously?

…Ah, that’s right.

Sheena is a Dule.

…That’s fraud… isn’t it…

“Eh! Then Rosina is?”

If Sheena is twenty, how old is Rosina, her mother?

By appearance she looked like her early twenties.

“I’m sure she should be thirty-three this year.”

Rosina, you too!

“Master is just made to look young.”

Perhaps sensing my question, Sheena answered concisely.

However looking ten years younger is amazing.

With that you wouldn’t know even if she lied about her age.

“Women are scary…”

“Did you say something?”

“Ah, no, nothing.”

Relieved that Sheena had not heard the mutter I had ended up saying, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah, and about Yuki…”

“Healing Lady Yuki’s body is difficult. As I said earlier, as time passes the probability of being able to heal it becomes lower. That is because the body recognizes that state as normal. Also, just as Lady Sophia and Tiria assessed, the crests carved into Lady Yuki’s body and the piercing rings and chains attached to her have adhered to her soul, and life force and magic circulate there. If you take those off the balance of life force and magic will collapse and she will die. Besides her soul will be torn and she will wander this world as a ghost.”

Sheena smoothly gave a frightening explanation.

In other words if limbs were cut off in an accident or something she would die?

However both I and Ilma were living just fine.

There should be others too.

“Then even if you lose limbs does it become the same state?”

Unable to accept Sheena’s talk I ended up asking in a somewhat harsh way of speaking.

“No, normally it does not. If you put magic-charged tattoos or ornaments on the body and intentionally force a flow of life force and magic, you tend to fall into that kind of thing. Even when chanting magic, if part of a magic circle is missing it runs wild, right. It is that kind of thing.”

Without flinching at my harsh wording Sheena explained matter-of-factly.

Seeing Sheena speak without changing her expression at all, I felt guilty instead.

“Ah, sorry. That came out a bit harsh.”

“No, please don’t mind it.”

“…”

“…”

Fumu, it got a little awkward.

“Um, excuse me. Master, may I?”

At that moment a voice suddenly came from outside the tent.

This voice was Muriel.

“Sure, come in.”

“Excuse me.”

The one who entered was Muriel, as I thought.

“Lady Yuki has woken. She says she wishes to see Master. What shall we do?”

When we left the town, Yuki either from tiredness or from relief had lost consciousness.

By Cathy’s assessment she had fallen asleep.

It was fine to show her to Rosina and Sheena, so we had laid her down in another tent.

“Understood. Sheena, can I do the Dule ceremony with this hand?”

“Yes, you can. Because you only draw in the soul. If you like you can do it with your left hand, your foot, or your forehead.”

…Huh?

Then I didn’t need to hurriedly have my right hand regenerated?

Well, but that would be so.

Otherwise people without a right hand couldn’t make Dules, and in the first place there was a possibility the Dules would stop being Dules the moment I lost my right hand.

“So you can do it from now.”

Sheena showed a smile for the first time since meeting today.

It was not a childlike innocent smile, but a smile like a goddess full of compassion.

“Thanks.”

Drawn by Sheena I also thanked her with a smile.

“Then, Muriel, shall we go.”