Master and Slaves

"Wh-what... why are you here?! "

That face was familiar.

No, it was more than that.

We had been together the whole time.

There was no forgetting it.

We couldn’t forget it.

"Hiroyuki...."

The woman spoke my name.

Ah, yes.

"Yuki...."

Right, it was her.

Yuki was walking toward me with tears in her eyes.

One step, then another. Closer.

I walked toward Yuki.

One step, then another.

"I missed you... I missed you so much..."

"I missed you too."

Tears streamed down.

My vision blurred.

I walked while staring at Yuki.

Yuki was crying too.

Ah, she’s naked.

I took off my cloak and spread it over her.

"I missed you... but..."

I hugged Yuki.

"But it’s too late now..."

Yuki leaned against me.

The scent of her—familiar—filled my nose.

Then I felt something strange in my belly.

My belly... was hot.

Burning hot.

When Yuki stepped away, her white stomach was red.

And in her hand she gripped a short dagger stained red.

I looked down at my own stomach—it was also red.

I pressed both hands over the bleeding wound.

The burn turned into sharp, unbearable pain.

"W-why...?"

"Because Hiroyuki wasn’t here... because Hiroyuki didn’t save me... that’s why..."

Yuki raised the dagger.

I’m going to die!

I closed my eyes.

"Yuki, pull it up."

"...Yes, Master."

A man’s voice.

Yuki’s voice.

When I opened my eyes, Yuki was running toward the man.

She glanced back once, then went to him and left together.

Only I remained.

What...?

What was that just now?

I... was...

The sudden explosion shattered my ears and brought me back.

When I turned, black smoke rose from the direction of the house where Cathy and Tiria were.

"Cathy! Tiria!"

At this moment, Cathy and Tiria were my most precious people.

I refused to lose them.

I had to run—fast!

I pushed through the pain, staggering, and rushed toward the house.

...

Running made the wound in my belly bleed even more.

The pain was so intense my vision faded.

Still I ran.

And when I finally reached the house, the scene was horrific.

The roof was blown away, walls collapsed, rubble everywhere.

Quono lay there, lifeless.

Thomas lay beside him, a miserable sight.

"Quono... Thomas...."

And...

"Cathy! Tiria...."

Inside the ruined room, Cathy and Tiria stood in each other’s arms.

But it was inorganic.

They looked like stone statues that might have been alive.

Damn it!

Where had Cathy and Tiria gone?

I scanned the room, then realized something.

Only this room had stone floors and walls.

No, there was no such room.

So... the things here had turned to "stone."

That meant Cathy and Tiria had too.

"Cathy! Tiria!"

I ran to the stone statues.

"Master!"

At that moment, Muriel’s voice came from behind.

When I turned, Muriel stood there.

"This...."

"I don’t know. It was like this when I arrived."

I looked at Cathy and Tiria.

They really were perfect stone statues.

"It’s... Cathy! Tiria!"

Muriel shouted and rushed over to the statues.

"Heh heh, what could this be...."

"Probably petrification...."

Heh heh, what do I do, what do I do?

Mentally and physically, I was falling apart.

The pain in my belly grew worse.

"Ugh."

I finally couldn’t hold back. I clutched my belly and collapsed to the ground.

"Master...."

Muriel hugged me from behind.

"Master, it’s dangerous here. We have to leave this place right now. The kids can be rescued later."

Muriel whispered in my ear.

Yes, the one who turned Cathy and Tiria to stone was still nearby.

I couldn’t run with this wound.

So I had to save at least Muriel.

"Follow what Muriel says—the enemy may be nearby. I’ll finish it here. Muriel, go to the city of Lübeck and tell them."

"No, I’ll go with you."

"No. I’ll buy us time here."

"Then I’ll fight too."

"No, no! If the enemy escapes, it will spread. Muriel, go report immediately."

"Master...."

"K, command. Go!"

I kissed Muriel.

It was my apology for giving an order to Muriel, my Dule, who I didn’t want to use.

"...Understood. I’ll take the reinforcements and return right away!"

Muriel stood up and ran toward the entrance of the village leading to Lübeck.

"Ah...."

At that moment I thought of Yuki and the others. If Muriel met them, it might turn into a fight. I tried to call her back.

But I quickly realized there was no point.

Yuki and the others hadn’t gone toward Lübeck or the ruins—they had taken another exit.

I was sure that exit led toward the valley where I and Tiria had come out from the Demon World... wait.

"!!"

A presence—sinister, massive killing intent.

I cut off my thoughts and focused.

Something smashed through the wall and came flying.

I instinctively fell and dodged.

"Guaaa!"

But it changed direction and chased me relentlessly.

As a result, I took the full hit on my back.

Blood spurted from my belly wound.

"Gueh, gueh, gueh—blasphemers, how dare you. Trash, vanish from our sight like trash!"

A grotesque creature appeared—an enormous centipede-like body with a human head, wings like bats, and many writhing tentacles where normal centipede legs should be.

The one that attacked me had been one of its tentacles.

I endured the rising nausea and pain, stood up, and drew Shiranui.

"Gua, gua, gua—the god has descended! My god! Kneel! Worship me!"

The creature claimed to be a god and shrieked nonsense, shooting tentacles at me.

I dodged while slashing with Shiranui.

My body was heavier than it had been under the curse.

But I couldn’t stand still or I would die.

I pushed through the pain, backed off the tentacles, and slowly approached the creature.

During the fight, I heard stone cracking behind me.

The tentacles must have hit something.

But what if it was Cathy and Tiria...?

I turned in panic.

The stone statues remained unchanged.

Cathy and Tiria were safe.

I let out a sigh of relief.

But I had forgotten—

This was still a battle.

Of course the enemy’s attacks didn’t stop.

I took a full hit from the tentacles on my back and rolled toward Cathy and Tiria.

"Guff... hah, hah, hah."

Blood poured from my mouth.

I collapsed.

"This is the end. Guaaa!"

The creature screamed and spat white breath.

I tried to flee for a second, but remembered Cathy and Tiria behind me and hesitated.

Just then, something lay on the ground.

It was the Demon King’s greatsword Destroyer that I had left in this house.

I grabbed it with both hands, desperately raised it, and blocked the breath.

It burned my feet a little, but barely touched my body.

But...

"Guaaaa!!!"

My feet were burning.

I couldn’t move them at all.

Damn it.

I looked down—where the breath had hit was now stone.

This was the cause of Cathy and Tiria’s petrification.

But it was more.

The petrification spread upward.

How could I stop it?

How could I...?

"Guaaaaa!!!"

The creature still exhaled white breath from behind Destroyer.

Damn, I couldn’t do anything right now.

I had to kill it anyway.

Was there anything I could do?

I looked at Shiranui in my right hand.

If I threw it and it hit...

I couldn’t see the target because I was still in the shadow of Destroyer.

But this was the only choice!

I switched Shiranui to my left hand, threw it from the shadow of Destroyer toward the creature.

"Ugh, guaaaa!!!"

The creature shrieked.

The white breath stopped.

When I peeked, Shiranui was buried to the hilt in the creature’s brow.

Heh, what incredible luck.

For now, I’d stopped the breath.

Perhaps because I was relieved, I tried to sit down... but.

"Ugh!"

The petrification had already reached my feet.

I couldn’t move.

My heavy right hand had begun to petrify too.

It seemed I’d been hit by the breath when I threw Shiranui.

Petrification spread from my right arm to my shoulder.

I had no stamina left.

With a loud crash, Destroyer fell.

I had no strength to support it.

My belly wound was petrifying too—the pain was a blessing.

Gradually it spread from neck to head, belly to chest.

Ah, am I going to die?

Will I die miserably with nothing I can do?

I couldn’t chase after Yuki.

I couldn’t protect the people I needed to.

Cathy and Tiria were behind me.

In the end, I hadn’t been able to protect them.

And Quono and Thomas.

I had dragged them down with me.

But there was no corpse of Lilli.

I wanted her to live.

And Muriel had escaped.

Was Muriel safe?

My consciousness was fading.

The creature’s death throes grew quieter.

I saw it fall.

My eyes grew dim.

Yet, somehow, Muriel’s figure was crystal clear.

"Master...!!!"

Even though I could barely hear, Muriel’s voice came through clearly.

Was it a hallucination?

And with that, my consciousness fell into deep darkness.