Master and Slaves

"Wh-what is this!?"

"This is what a Dule becomes at the end."

Gejia grabbed her mother and elder sister by the scruff, the way one handles a cat, lifted them, and took them out.

"Gyu, gegeh..." "Gyau, gigi..."

The two spoke words with no meaning, and left their bodies to whatever Gejia did.

At that form, some turned their eyes away, some covered their faces with their hands, and some vomited into a chamber pot.

"You... did something like this...??"

Sophia threw the question at Gejia, as if groaning.

"Yes. I did it."

Gejia answered in a mutter, one line.

But that alone would of course invite a misunderstanding.

"Gejia, say the reason too."

"U-understood."

Prompted by me, Gejia explained how her mother and elder sister had come to this.

"I am a demonkin, as you see, and I take after my father’s blood, but this mother of mine is a human who lived in the demon realm. Because of that, I had a chronic mana deficiency. A demonkin weakens if the mana runs out. My mana too began to vanish from the time I was born, and by the time I was aware, I was on the verge of death. To be saved, I needed a means to recover mana. As a solution, having a Te-Dule and replenishing mana from her would have been the fastest and surest, but I was young then. I could not make another person a Te-Dule. Then my mother said she would become my Dule. If it was my mother, even I, lacking as I was, could make her a Dule. And I could make her a Pe-Dule, a rank further below a Te-Dule. A Pe-Dule can replenish mana more efficiently than a Te-Dule. My father opposed it, but my mother pushed through, to save me, and chose to become a Pe-Dule herself. My elder sister became a Pe-Dule as well, as if following after my mother. So the reason I am alive like this now is thanks to my mother and my elder sister."

Even after hearing that, some did not look convinced, but most of them, especially Muriel and Rosina, mothers who had children, felt for what Gejia’s mother had done.

"I see. That must have been hard."

"N-not really. We are always together. More than that, let us finish this quickly!"

Told that by Rosina, she went red in the face and started moving in a strange, hurried way. Hiding her embarrassment, no doubt.

Gejia took off her robe and stood naked, then grabbed the elder sister of the two Pe-Dules under the arms with both hands and lifted her so they faced each other.

Both arms were gone from the root, so she held her firmly so she would not slip free.

Then she walked like that to the center of the magic circle and sat on the floor.

"All right. I do not mind, my lord. Whip my elder sister."

"..."

I raised the whip and took aim.

But I could not bring it down.

Of course.

The other party was Gejia’s elder sister.

A small body. Who could bring a whip down on that?

"What is it, my lord? Will you not strike quickly?"

Gejia looked at me over her elder sister’s shoulder and urged me.

Hmm. If I whipped her, I felt I would lose something important...

"Master, I will..."

Unable to watch, Muriel reached both hands toward me.

No. I did not want to show my cowardice here.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Every Dule but Birga was here.

And this was for Gejia.

"No. It’s fine."

I pressed down the conflict in my heart and brought down the raised whip.

"Gyaaa!"

She raised a scream unsuited to a woman.

And on the back of Gejia’s elder sister, one whip mark was left.

Red and swollen, blood seeping.

"Hm. Continue."

Gejia nodded, satisfied.

Receiving Gejia’s second urging, this time I raised it and brought it down at once.

"Giiii!"

A beast’s scream... no, a monster’s.

On the back she arched, a second whip mark ran.

Something in me broke through, and I struck a third time, a fourth.

Many whip marks were left on her back.

Blood seeped from them, dripped, and scattered with the whip.

Seeing that, I was not excited... I should not have been.

Calmly, I laid the whip on her back.

Without putting strength in, lightly, but surely.

Do that, and my hand would stop.

Suddenly, Gejia’s smile entered my sight.

Gejia was kissing her elder sister.

She made wet sounds, and just when I thought it was a deep kiss, her cheeks hollowed, as if sucking something out.

There was a slurping sound, and she swallowed with a gulp in her throat.

In that moment, life came into Gejia’s body and face.

Her dry skin grew moist, and the light in her eyes grew strong.

The torn wings on her back were repaired too, and took on a black sheen.

"My lord, that is enough soon."

"Hm? Ah, yeah."

I had been staring at Gejia’s recovery and swinging the whip without thinking. Told by Gejia, I stopped my hand.

"Elder sister, you have done well too."

Contrary to those words, Gejia handled her elder sister roughly and threw her outside the magic circle.

"Hey!"

I caught her.

"More than that, my lord, will you pull my chain?"

I was about to complain, but Gejia said that first.

Not Sophia, but she worked people hard.

I sat Gejia’s elder sister, who bared her fangs and growled at me after I caught her, by the wall, set down the whip, and went near Gejia.

When I came close, I could tell Gejia’s breathing was disordered, and color had risen in her face.

I thought it was the lingering feeling from before, but I could also see her body trembling.

"Forgive me. It is frightening after all. I am a Dule, so I will not die, but I may break."

Maybe she sensed that I had noticed. She lowered her face, hugged her own body, and muttered.

"...Want to stop?"

I thought there was no need to force herself that far. On the other hand, I also wanted to take off the thing that shamed a body like that.

But of course, what Gejia wanted was the most important.

If she wanted to stop, she should stop.

If it was inconvenient, we would support her.

That was what I thought.

But...

"No. Let us continue."

Maybe something broke through. Gejia answered at once.

"Only, I want to change the plan a little. My lord, pin me from behind,"