Master and Slaves

I held the Bastard Sword ready again, intending to finish the two demonic beasts.

"Master, let me help."

"No. Protect Cathy and the others."

"However...."

Ignoring Muriel’s advice, I charged at the two demonic beasts.

I swung the Bastard Sword in a reverse overhead arc toward the minotaur.

The minotaur blocked it with its axe.

At that moment, I sensed killing intent from the right side.

I instantly leaped backward, and the double-headed wolf closed its wide-open mouth where I had been standing.

If I had been even a moment late, it would have bitten me.

I immediately set the sword in an upper stance and swung it at the wolf’s body.

But the double-headed wolf easily dodged, and instead the minotaur, swinging its axe from above, smashed down on me exactly where I had been standing.

I slipped into the minotaur’s flank to avoid it, then stabbed the sword into its neck.

"Guh."

The minotaur only groaned for an instant.

The sword didn’t penetrate—it felt like I had struck a steel shield, and the arm went numb.

Without hesitation, the minotaur punched me in the side with its left hand.

"Guhaaa!"

I flew back and rolled across the ground.

"""Master!!!"""

The three of Muriel’s voices rang out in alarm.

"Stay back!"

I stopped Muriel and the others, placed the sword on the ground with my right hand, and drew a magic circle with both hands while kneeling on one knee.

The previous move had been to get out of the minotaur’s flank.

I had intended to cut off its head, but the blade literally wouldn’t penetrate.

It was a hardness on a completely different level from the minotaur I had been fighting.

If that was the case, there was another plan.

To do that, I had to exit the flank.

By using the minotaur’s swinging arm on the right side, I had created distance.

The power and speed at that moment had been unexpectedly high.

Then I fired my only attack magic at the minotaur.

"Water Jet!"

The second Water Jet of the day hit the minotaur’s head.

Before I could confirm the effect, a double-headed wolf leaped down from the side and pinned me from above like a mounted rider.

I grabbed the sword lying on the ground and pointed its tip toward the wolf.

The wolf, still in momentum, stabbed its body with the blade.

In front of my face, the double-headed wolf drooled and chattered its teeth, trying to bite left and right.

It gradually slowed, and finally went still.

I knocked the wolf sideways and sat down on the spot.

"""Master!!!"""

Muriel and the three others rushed over.

I steadied my ragged breathing and stood to receive them.

"Ugh!"

The ground suddenly became a sandstorm and my footing slipped.

"Master!"

Muriel caught me and supported me.

"Stop being reckless!"

Cathy scolded me.

"I’m fine. The battle itself wasn’t dangerous. Right, Muriel?"

"Yes, but since I’m still recovering, please consider that."

"Yeah. But I never had anemia."

I had lain in bed with a cold all day once, but the next day I could move normally.

"Hah. How many years do you think you’ve been sleeping?"

Muriel looked at me in exasperation.

Heh, a day and fifteen years really were different.

"Moreover, Master’s mana has drastically decreased. Don’t use magic too much."

"Ah, got it. I’ll be careful."

Mmm, but why?

Mateus had said my mana was quite high, hadn’t he?

Perhaps it had bottomed out?

...I’d ask later.

For now, though...?

"So this is where it enters, right?"

"Yes."

What we were looking at was a large, gaping hole in the ground.

It was where the demonic beasts had been coming out.

"...Let’s go in."

When I tried to lead, Muriel blocked me.

"I’ll go in first."

"No, but...."

"I think I should lead at the front. I know this place best."

The hole was only as wide as one person.

So if a fight broke out, I’d have to fight alone.

There was no space to rotate.

"From here, there’s a long flight of stairs going downward."

Muriel turned and looked back.

"It’s fine. I can’t lose to a single minotaur or orthrus."

Smiling Muriel gave me the appeal of an adult woman.

"Ah, ah. Understood. Then I’ll follow. Cathy, you’re behind me. Tiria, you’re in the rear—leave it to you."

"Yes!"

Tiria answered cheerfully.

She had the charm of a cute girl.

"Yes! Master! I’ll light the way!"

Cathy made a show of bravery.

I searched around for a thin, charred stick that hadn’t burned completely, cast a spell on it, and handed it to Muriel.

Muriel’s bare breasts swayed, and the piercings on her nipples swung too.

"Illumination."

When the spell ended, the tip of the stick glowed pale blue.

Cathy handed it to me.

"Ah, ah. Thank you."

While I was startled by Cathy’s bright smile, I thanked her and passed the stick to Muriel.

"Then let’s go."

Muriel entered the hole, and I followed down the stairs.

"There might still be demonic beasts ahead."

"Yes. We have to be careful not to be noticed by them."

"Yeah. We’ll stay quiet. Muriel, be careful with that stick light."

"Yes."

I spoke to Muriel in a very small voice as we advanced.

But the inside was pitch black, and once the light from the entrance no longer reached, it felt like my eyes were closed.

Cathy’s glowing stick was our only light.

I should have prepared one more.

"Watch your step."

I turned my face sideways while looking forward and tried to say it so it would reach Tiria at the very back, but the walls reflected the voice and it came out much louder than I intended.

This would make me hesitant to use magic.

I couldn’t light more lights now.

"...Cathy, do you have anything else that can glow?"

I spoke in an unusually small voice to Cathy.

"Well... I can make my fingertips glow, but if you can hand it to someone... this piercing?"

Piercing?

Ah, the one on the nipple.

"...Then prepare to light it too. When Muriel starts fighting, I want you to light it."

"Eh? Well... why?"

"Because I don’t know what’s out there. More light is better."

"...Um, why do we have to?"

"Hm? You don’t like it?"

"Um, I... no, I understand. I’ll prepare it."

"?"

I tilted my head at Cathy’s reaction, but continued forward.

When we reached the bottom, there was an entrance on the right.

The door that should have been there had been broken and torn apart.

Muriel stopped, avoiding the entrance.

"I’ll check a little ahead. Master, wait here."

She turned and spoke to me.

"No, I’m going too."

"No. It’s dangerous. The area ahead is a lookout for slaves and demonic beasts trying to escape. I’ll return after I confirm there’s no one there. Please wait."

Muriel said that and advanced without waiting for my answer.

Of course the glowing stick was being carried by Muriel, so we were in true darkness.

Someone suddenly grabbed my clothes from behind.

I was startled at first, but immediately realized it was Cathy.

Probably Tiria was grabbing Cathy’s clothes too.

I deeply regretted not having prepared another light.

Looking deeper, the light was at a fairly low position and was moving slowly toward the back while swaying.

After a while, the light came toward us faster than it had been going.

"It’s safe."

Muriel reported shortly to me.

"I see."

When I nodded, Muriel turned and started moving forward again.

We followed Muriel.

The space was narrow enough that only one person could pass at a time and continued as a long corridor.

There were countless holes lined up horizontally on the walls.

And right in the middle of the passage, on both sides, there were open doors.

Muriel walked past without checking inside.

"There were watchers here. They shot arrows or speared slaves and demonic beasts trying to escape from the underground room through the holes in the walls."

Muriel spoke in a calm tone.

I didn’t know what to say.

"The next area is the torture chamber."

At the far end of the passage was a broken door.

Muriel walked into the light.

It was a large space.

Scattered around were broken chairs and tables.

And on the right side was a large iron grille.

...It looked familiar somehow...?

"Wh...o...?"

Just as I tried to remember, a slightly hoarse voice was heard.

"It’s fine. I’m a friend. I came to save you."

Muriel spoke gently toward the iron grille.

The light illuminated the other side.

"!! ...O...ther... ma...ster...?"

"Il...ma... Ilma!!"

The voice came again from deeper inside, and Muriel froze for an instant, then shouted.

"Wait! I’ll save you right away!"

Muriel looked around and searched for the iron-grille door.

Then she dropped the glowing stick onto the floor and began smashing the lock with her sword.

I was stunned by Muriel’s sudden action, but I immediately moved.

Muriel passed me the glowing stick she had dropped.

"There should be a glowing crystal orb in this room. Light it. Tiria, you guard Cathy."

""Yes!""

Cathy and Tiria snapped back and began moving as I had instructed.

Because Muriel was making a loud noise while smashing the lock, any demonic beasts would have sensed us.

If I couldn’t do a surprise attack, fighting in the dark would be disadvantageous.

That was why I had Cathy light the lights in this room.

After a moment the room suddenly became bright.

We were blinded for a while and couldn’t see anything.

Oh no!

If demonic beasts appeared now, we couldn’t handle it.

I hadn’t expected it to get bright so suddenly.

I closed my eyes and blinked.

My vision gradually returned.

Muriel in front of me, Cathy and Tiria in front of the room, and I all blinked at the same time.

There was about the same amount of space on the other side of the iron grille.

In the center of the wall on the opposite side was a girl who looked like the voice we had heard.

She looked to be in her early teens, but her face resembled Muriel’s and was pale, lips dry, and completely exhausted.

Her hair was the same short, messy style as Muriel’s.

Her body was small, and her height was probably lower than Tiria’s.

But looking closely, the girl was far more abnormal than that.

A small body with breasts far too large for her age.

Her breasts were larger than Muriel’s giant breasts.

The dark areola in the center swelled, and her nipple, the size of my thumb, was erect.

Her belly was greatly swollen, with blue veins protruding from her navel.

There were stretch marks on her lower abdomen, making her look like a pregnant woman.

From her secret place a dark-red clitoris long enough to reach my middle finger was erect and pointing straight up toward the sky.

Moreover, her hands and feet were missing from the elbows and knees respectively; instead, chains protruded directly from the tips of her hands and feet and hung from the ceiling.

Seeing this obviously artificial and human-modified appearance, I froze and couldn’t speak.

Suddenly a loud noise rang out, and I snapped back to myself.

When I looked, Muriel had resumed smashing the lock.

"O...ther... ma...ster... let... me... go...."

The hanging girl—Ilma—spoke to Muriel.

Muriel didn’t pay attention and kept hammering the lock with her sword.

But why "let me go"?

At that moment I sensed sudden killing intent.

I immediately grabbed Muriel by the collar and pulled her backward.

Right after, something flew out from between the iron grille.

It was the huge scythe of a giant mantis-like creature that had been on the other side of the grille.

Muriel was pushed back by it but was supported by my arm.

"Ugh! You bastard!!!"