Master and Slaves

The day did not end.

Pinned by the two of them, feeling an unfree but pleasant sensation as I moved to fall into deep sleep, Hexa, who had been sleeping on my right, suddenly moved.

For some reason I reflexively moved my right arm with all my strength.

Hexa went flying.

But without worrying about Hexa, I covered Ito to protect her.

Why had I done that?

I knew at once.

Where I had been sleeping, a blade... no, long claws were driven deep.

I had felt strong killing intent, so I seemed to have moved without thinking.

The one scattering that killing intent without hiding it was Hexa, claws raised, who should have become a Dule.

I held Ito, who was vacant without knowing what had happened, rolled across the bed, and fell to the floor so I was underneath.

I rolled further, took distance from Hexa, and stood.

From Hexa, not the air of a house cat until now, a ferocious wildness could be felt.

Even so, had a Dule not been unable to harm her master?

Hexa, glaring this way and licking her lips, dropped her hips once, then closed the distance to me in one go.

Then she moved to drive her unnaturally long claws at my throat.

Quite fast, but a speed I could deal with with plenty of room.

First I would restrain Hexa and ask the reason.

Just as I moved to raise my left arm to grab the right arm Hexa had thrust out...

"Danger!!"

"Uoh!!"

Suddenly I was shoved from the right.

I had not expected it at all, so I staggered before I could stop myself.

Because of that my movement did not make it in time, and I gave up stopping Hexa and tried to evade.

Ito, who had come out in front of me like that, received Hexa’s claws with the short dagger I carried for self-defense, which she had been holding at some point.

"Please run quickly! I will handle this!"

Ito shouted that while glaring at Hexa, then knocked Hexa’s claws aside and readied the short dagger.

"Kill... kill..."

Hexa too landed on the bed, dropped her hips, and readied herself to leap at any moment.

Ito dropped her hips too and took a receiving stance with the short dagger thrust forward.

Right after, Hexa ran at Ito, who stood in front of me.

And then...

"Ow!"

Just before the claws and the short dagger crossed, I smacked both their heads.

"What are you doing!" "What are you doing!"

The two stopped their actions as if they had agreed, and looked at me teary-eyed.

Ito aside, why did Hexa, who had tried to kill me, go teary-eyed?

I grabbed the arm of Hexa, whose movement had stopped, and twisted it up.

"Guaah!"

Hexa fell on the bed.

I stayed holding Hexa’s arm and got on Hexa’s waist.

"You are not Hexa."

The way of speaking and the air were nothing like the Hexa until then.

If that was acting, it was considerable.

A professional killer, even, but for that she was putting out too much killing intent.

"Guh... do not lay a hand on Hexa... on my little sister..."

Even in this overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation she put out killing intent at me... hm? Little sister?

"You really are not Hexa."

Had they switched somewhere?

Or from the start?

"I am Hexa’s elder sister! Do not mess with my little sister!"

The girl I had thought was Hexa shouted that.

Eh?? Twin sisters??

"Your name?"

"My name does not matter!"

Ask the name, and I was threatened with bared teeth.

But she was under me, naked and face down, so there was no force.

"Your name??"

I asked once more, stronger this time.

"...Lily."

The cat girl, the spitting image of Hexa, answered, though hesitating.

"Where is Hexa?"

I had certainly made Hexa a Dule.

I felt the fragment of Hexa’s soul inside me.

Then where had she switched with Lily, whom I was pinning now?

"..."

Lily stayed silent and said nothing.

Anyway, staying deadlocked like this would not do.

"Ito, could you call Muriel... ah, no, Yuki?"

"Ah, y-yes!"

I asked Ito, who had been vacant while holding the head I had smacked.

Ito came back to herself at once, answered, and left the room in a hurry to call Yuki, the only one whose words got through.

...

"A split personality... maybe?"

"No. Even if there is another personality, if the soul is one, the Dule restriction should be imposed."

"But the Dule crest really is gone. Did you really do the Dule ceremony?"

"Do you not trust my lord’s word?"

In order, I, Muriel, Rosina, and Gejia said what we thought.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

In my room, everyone except Lilli had gathered.

Muriel, who had heard the circumstances from Ito, had called them, I was told.

Most should have been asleep, but all had rushed over at once with grim faces.

"Master, done!"

Suddenly Cathy raised a hand and said it.

I looked, and Lily was bound with rope and rolling on the floor.

Both hands behind her back, legs made to sit cross-legged, bound in a posture that bent her body forward.

What was commonly called a shrimp-bend binding.

The oddly elaborate thing seemed to have Cathy’s own invention in it.

Rolled in that form, her crotch was fully visible.

Lily, maybe from shame, or from anger, glared at me with her face bright red.

I had had Birga, Sara, and the others stay alert so Lily would not attack Cathy, but they seemed to have been half amazed at how Cathy frolicked.

Well, it was certain she could not move.

I came beside Lily, crouched, and peered at Lily’s face.

The spitting image of Hexa, but the air was different after all.

And the First Crest of a Dule that should have been on her chest was not there.

"Where is Hexa?"

I asked the same question many times, but what came back was only a hiss, like a cat’s threat.

"...Maybe there are two souls."

Still with a thoughtful face, Muriel said it.

"Two souls?"

"Yes. For example, they were supposed to be born twins, but one died, so she possessed the other’s body, it is said there are cases. If so, even if the Dule ceremony is performed on one, the other has not become a Dule, so no crest is carved."

...Hm. I see.

"Lily, will you become my Dule too?"

"Who would!"

I had said it as a joke, but Lily, who took it seriously, went redder still and shouted.

But as things were, nothing would be resolved.

"...For now, could you let me talk with Hexa?"

"No. If I let you talk, Hexa will get sick."

...Was this one a child?

I was struck dumb at Lily’s reason, which made no sense, but the Dules seemed different.

The air froze in an instant.

Then Gejia, the shortest-tempered, thrust out her right hand and turned her palm toward Lily.

"Stop, Gejia!"

When I stopped her, the mana that had gathered in Gejia’s palm dispersed.

"Phew. Forgive me, my lord."

Gejia, who had lowered her hand, took a breath and apologized to me.

Lily, face that had been red gone pale, was trembling.

"Well, if you refuse, it cannot be helped. Gejia, to Lily..."

Do not injure her.

I had meant to say that and leave the room...

"Wah! I’m sorry! I’ll switch! I’ll switch, so forgive me!"

Suddenly Lily started shouting while half crying.

Then she lost consciousness on the spot with a thud, and next sat up wearing an air entirely different from just now.

"Nn... hm? What? Eh? What is this? What is this???"