Master and Slaves

[A/N: I need some feedbacks on whether you guys are liking this story or not, depending on the feedback I’ll either discontinue it or continue it to the end :D]

With those words, the door opened and we left the audience chamber.

Behind me, Tiria was hanging her head.

Probably because of what happened with Lloyd and Dale.

I pulled Tiria close and hugged her shoulders.

"Master?"

I didn’t say anything and simply stroked her head.

"...Master, I’m okay now."

She rested her head against my chest — or rather around my solar plexus — for a little while, then looked up at my face and smiled.

"Yeah."

I gave a short reply and released her.

"Sorry."

I apologized to Johan, who was smiling at us for some reason, for making him wait.

"Ah, about the weapons..."

"They have already been delivered to your room."

I remembered handing over the weapons. As I was about to speak to the guard in front of the closed door, Johan spoke up.

...They work fast.

First of all, what does he mean by "your room"? Are we staying here tonight?

"More importantly, allow me to carry your luggage."

"No, it’s fine. I’ve got it."

...

After leaving the main tower through the hall, it was completely dark outside.

"Please wait a moment."

Johan took a short baton-like rod from his waist with his right hand, held up the tip with his left, and chanted what sounded like a spell.

"Illuminate all directions with light."

"Illuminate."

Once Johan finished chanting, the tip of the rod began to glow.

It was about as bright as a flashlight.

"Then let us go."

...Magic really is convenient.

And Johan is amazing.

Johan led us across the plaza and through the first castle gate. We stopped in front of a large door that appeared to be the entrance to a massive building on the right.

The building was three stories tall.

I hadn’t noticed earlier because I was deep in thought on the way to the main tower, but it was quite large.

Was this a residence for the royal family?

Johan knocked on an ornate ring-shaped knocker attached to the door.

"We have been waiting for you."

After a short while, the door opened and an older woman bowed deeply.

"This way, please."

Following behind Johan through the door, we entered a hall that was just as spacious as the one in the main tower.

The carpet on the floor and the chandelier on the ceiling were every bit as magnificent as those in the audience chamber.

"""""We have been waiting for you."""""

From the door where we stood all the way to the staircase ahead, dozens of women in maid uniforms lined both sides like a pathway, bowing their heads to us.

It was exactly like the grand maid welcome scenes I had seen on TV before.

I never thought I’d experience it in person.

"This way, please."

One of the lined-up maids stepped forward and began guiding us.

It seemed Johan’s role ended here.

I followed the woman with Tiria, walking down the path created by the maids.

We went up the stairs, turned right at the landing, and climbed another flight.

We walked down the second-floor corridor and stopped in front of one of the doors.

"Please wait here."

The woman opened the door and bowed, urging us to enter.

The room was around 20 tatami mats in size.

In the center of the spacious area was a sturdy table and sofa. Against the walls were heavy shelves displaying ornaments.

Further inside was a dining table with chairs — basically a living-dining room.

Of course, the floor was covered with a plush carpet, and glowing orbs floated near the ceiling.

Those... are probably magic?

The large windows reflected the darkness outside, mirroring the wide room like a mirror.

Our luggage had been neatly placed on a cloth against the wall.

Naturally, my blade was leaning against the wall too.

Once we entered the room, the maid followed and closed the door.

"I have been assigned as the personal maid for this room. My name is Cathy. Please let me know anything you need."

The maid introduced herself and bowed.

Personal maid?

Oh, right. "侍女" means maid.

Cathy, the personal maid, began showing us around the room.

"This is the bedroom. Sir Hiroyuki will be staying here for a while, so please use it freely."

She opened one of the two doors.

Where did she learn my name?

Inside was a large double bed placed prominently in the center.

"Then please relax until your clothes arrive."

With that, Cathy bowed and stood beside the window.

Hm? She’s not leaving the room?

"Um, Cathy, are you going to stay there the whole time?"

"Yes, as I am the room-assigned maid."

"Then what about at night?"

She’s not going to sleep standing up, right?

"Yes. Once Sir Hiroyuki is asleep, I will rest in the other room."

She pointed to the second door.

Ah, I see.

So there’s a room for that too.

Hmm... She’s probably here to monitor us.

"Phew. Then I’ll take you up on that and relax."

"Yes. And please call me Cathy."

She’s a maid, after all.

"Got it."

I leaned the Demon Lord’s greatsword Destroyer against the wall and started removing my armor.

First, the upper body.

I removed the gauntlet on my left hand and the glove on my right.

Then the shoulder pads, the chest and back plates — with Tiria’s help, piece by piece.

When I looked at the back plate after removing it, the area from my shoulder blades downward was spectacularly melted.

Next, I removed the waist plate and greaves.

While I removed the right one, Tiria took off the left.

Once all the armor was off and placed against the wall, I took Tiria with me and sat on the sofa.

It was soft and comfortable.

"Tiria, you sit here too."

I patted the spot next to me.

"No, I will stay here..."

Tiria knelt formally at my feet, facing me.

I see... because she’s a slave.

I stroked Tiria’s head.

She narrowed her eyes in pleasure and looked up at me.

She really is like a dog.

After just one day, my sense of ethics had completely collapsed.

...Sigh. I’m tired.

"Cathy, do you have anything to drink? I’m thirsty. Tiria, you want some too?"

"Yes."

Of course. We hadn’t drunk anything since yesterday.

When I asked Tiria, she nodded.

"Understood."

Cathy poured water from a pitcher on the shelf into a glass cup and placed it on the table.

"Here you are."

"Thank you."

I drank the water in one gulp.

It was good.

Really good.

"Another cup!"

I held the cup out to Cathy.

Cathy smiled wryly, placed a dish with water on the floor, then took the cup and refilled it.

She set it back on the table.

I picked up the cup from the table and brought it to my lips.

...Hm? Why did she put a dish of water on the floor?

When I looked down, Tiria was drinking from the dish with her mouth.

Legs spread, kneeling, butt pushed out, hands clasped behind her back, drinking from the dish on the floor.

I nearly spat out the water in my mouth.

...

Right. She did mention that.

She has to eat on the floor.

So drinks are the same.

...

I placed the empty cup on the table and leaned back on the sofa.

Watching Tiria drink like a dog, I asked something I had wanted to ask for a while.

"Hey, Tiria. Are you a princess of this country?"

Tiria’s body jumped.

She looked up at me timidly.

"...Yes. I was the First Princess of the Kingdom of Torres."

There were so many things to point out.

Where should I even start?

"Hmm, the king we met today... is your father?"

"...Yes."

Tiria answered while looking down but glancing up at me.

"So when you said ’was,’ that means you’re not anymore?"

"Yes. Now I am Master’s To-Dule."

This time she answered without hesitation.

"Hmm, so you’re no longer royalty?"

"...Yes."

"Why?"

"...Because royalty must not produce a Dule."

"I see."

In other words, it was a matter of saving face.

Of course. A royal falling to slave status would only happen in cases like losing a war.

"...So if I asked King Rudolf if Tiria is his daughter, what do you think he would say?"

A malicious question.

I was tired, so it slipped out.

I regretted it immediately.

"He would say... she is not... I think."

Before I could take it back, Tiria answered with a trembling voice.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I see. Sorry."

I pulled Tiria close and held her head.

I’ve made her cry constantly since yesterday.

"Then let’s talk about something else. How old are you, Tiria?"

"Um... I’m 13."

I stepped on another landmine.

I really am tired.

Let me change the subject — not the topic, but the person.

"What about you, Cathy?"

"Yes?"

She seemed flustered by the sudden question.

"Ah, no. I was wondering how old you are."

As soon as I said it, I realized asking a woman her age was taboo.

"Ah, yes. I am 18."

But she answered right away.

I looked at Cathy.

She had dark brown hair tied in a bun at the back of her head, with gently wavy bangs.

She wore a white lace headdress that made her hair color stand out even more.

Her face was small, with brown droopy eyes and a small nose.

Her mouth was rather large with thin lips.

Overall, she gave the impression of a friendly, pretty country girl.

Her height was average.

She wore a modest navy dress with a white apron.

The outfit was loose, so I couldn’t see her figure clearly, but her arms looked quite slender.

"Um, is something wrong?"

Noticing my gaze, Cathy tilted her head.

"You’re cute."

"!!...... Th-Thank you very much."

I had meant the overall impression, including her face, but it slipped out.

Cathy turned bright red and bowed her head.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"!! Y-Yes!"

Cathy hurriedly ran to the door and opened it.

She spoke briefly with the person outside, received a bag, and closed the door.

"Sir Hiroyuki. The clothes are ready. Would you like to change?"

She asked me in a much calmer tone than before.

"Yeah, got it."

I gently pried the sulking Tiria off me and approached Cathy, reaching out my hand.

"Let me have that. I’ll change in the other room."

"I will assist you."

"Huh? ...Ah, right. Um, I can change by myself, so it’s fine."

"No. His Majesty has ordered me to attend to Sir Hiroyuki."

Ah, so this kind of thing exists in this world too.

"...I understand, but... are there underwear?"

"Ah, yes. Here."

What she took out of the bag was a fundoshi (loincloth).

Not great.

"...Do you have scissors?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then lend them to me for a bit."

I took the scissors from Cathy and started cutting the hem of my pants.

The pants were made of cotton. Since I was currently going commando, they felt good to wear.

I planned to turn them into underwear.

"Do you have needle and thread?"

After completely cutting the hem into shorts, I tried to sew the edges so they wouldn’t fray.

"Y-Yes. Here."

I received needle and thread from the bewildered Cathy and...

Wait, this needle doesn’t have an eye for the thread.

After thinking for a moment, I tied the thread to the needle and started sewing the hem while still wearing the pants.

"I-I’ll do it!"

Cathy, who had been watching in a daze, came to her senses and took the needle from me.

"Hahaha, then I’ll leave it to you."

I placed the bag of clothes on the table. Cathy knelt at my feet and began sewing the pants.

I lifted my leg onto the table to make it easier for her.

Cathy’s sewing skills were excellent. She finished both legs in the blink of an eye.

The result looked neat too.

"Thank you."

"N-No problem. Then please take these off."

She tried to remove the pants I had turned into shorts.

"No, these are the underwear. I’ll wear the new pants over them."

It seemed Cathy hadn’t understood.

"I-I’m sorry."

Cathy turned red and apologized.

Maybe she has a clumsy girl trait.

"I will wipe your body."

Once I took off my top, Cathy pressed a damp cloth against my back.

It felt good on my tired body.

I wish she had done this earlier....

Oh, right. There was no wiping cloth ready.

The preparations were slow....

It must have been sudden.

Can’t be helped, I guess.

In the meantime, I wiped my face with the other cloth.

"Is the scar on your back from defeating the Demon Lord Geizer?"

Probably trying to hide her earlier embarrassment, she asked me.

It would be hard not to notice while wiping my back.

"Yeah. The Demon Lord shot flames at me and I couldn’t dodge. It’s a badge of honor."

I stroked the head of Tiria, who was hanging her head at my feet.

Cathy helped me put on a shirt-like garment from behind.

I slipped my arms through the sleeves.

Once I finished buttoning the shirt, Cathy, holding the pants and the cloth she used to wipe my back, knelt in front of me.

When I stood up, she began wiping my legs.

"W-Wait, that’s enough."

"Ah, yes."

She was about to reach inside the makeshift underwear, so I declined.

Cathy held the pants open on the floor in front of me.

I stepped into each leg. She lifted the pants and tied the waist string.

Next was the jacket.

She helped me put on a striking blue jacket.

Finally, Cathy attached an accessory to my chest, adjusted my clothes, and I was ready.

"...Tiria, will you stay here?"

I asked both Cathy and Tiria.

"Either is fine with me."

"...Yes, Master."

Cathy answered first, followed by Tiria.

"Cathy, will you stay in this room?"

"Yes."

"Then please take care of Tiria."

"Understood."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Yes, coming."

Cathy opened the door and exchanged a few words with the person outside.

"Sir Hiroyuki. Preparations are complete. You are requested to attend."

"Got it."

A banquet, huh... I’m hungry. Maybe I can get something to eat?

...Oh, right.

"Cathy, could you give Tiria something to eat?"

"I will prepare it."

"Tiria, make sure you eat properly."

"Yes, Master."

"Also, Cathy, could you wipe Tiria’s body too?"

"Understood."

"One more thing. Tiria has been barefoot the whole time, so please check her feet. If there are any injuries, treat them. And if possible, could you give her a massage? She’s been walking non-stop."

I had been worried about Tiria’s feet.

She had walked barefoot through that wasteland the entire time.

She was also barefoot when running through the city.

"Massage...?"

"Um... how should I put it? Just rub her feet. You understand that, right?"

"...Ah, you mean anma (therapeutic massage). Understood."

I gave instructions one after another.

I’ve really become important.

Or maybe I just have high adaptability?

"I’m counting on you. Then I’m off."

I nodded at Cathy’s response, stroked Tiria’s head, and left the room.

A maid — probably the one who had knocked earlier — was waiting outside with her head bowed.

"Please show me the way."