Master and Slaves

"Good. Then let’s go."

"Yes."

Cathy nodded.

Cathy and I headed for the front door of the house.

...

"So you know where it is?"

"Yes. I remember."

We were riding in a carriage toward the mansion where Muriel and the others had been captured—I had been captured too.

After we reached the front door, Muriel, Tiria, and Helene appeared.

Muriel was wearing the silver half-plate armor for A-Dules that Helene had loaned her. The exposed breasts were the same size as Helene’s, or perhaps even larger.

"Hmph, if it had been a chest-plate breastplate, I might not have been able to lend it to you."

Helene groaned.

A long sword—Long Sword—loaned by Helene was at her waist.

Tiria was wearing the same things as always: collar and the short dagger strapped to her thigh.

The short dagger was not Laila’s Tear, but an ordinary one.

Cathy had put on the maid outfit she had made herself; the exposed nipples and the blue gems hanging from her rear swayed with every step.

When everyone had gathered, Helene led us to the courtyard and handed us the carriage she had borrowed.

I had never ridden or controlled a carriage in my life, so Muriel became the driver.

The problem was Tiria.

Tiria stubbornly refused to ride in the back and insisted on running alongside.

I forced Tiria into the carriage.

Of course I didn’t want to force her, but we were in a hurry.

The carriage had to match the speed of Tiria running behind.

While riding in the carriage, I listened to the stories of Cathy, Tiria, Muriel, and myself during my unconscious state.

That was how I learned many things.

First, after what Muriel had told us: around last month the woman master of the mansion died.

Then the new successor crushed the stone statues of me, Cathy, and Tiria to pieces.

Muriel had been taken outside with the remains and was about to be killed, but she managed to escape with the remains.

After that, she barely survived, and the passing carriage she happened to ride in belonged to someone who knew Helene, so she was brought all the way here.

After that, Helene’s acquaintance priest restored us from our petrified state.

The god that priest worshipped was Anirof, the god that was popular among slaves in this world—apparently governing submission and obedience.

What a crazy god.

But the magic was real, and we returned to our original forms safely.

First we were restored to our original state with magic, then we used the dispel-magic.

Cathy and Tiria woke up right away, and because the magic succeeded the priest immediately left.

After that we learned I was seriously injured.

Visually there was no wound, but I had internal bleeding in my belly and it was swollen.

It seemed to have reached my organs.

We couldn’t call the priest back after he left, so Tiria nursed me the whole time.

Tiria could heal external wounds, but not internal ones.

She somehow managed to treat me with ingenuity.

But she didn’t tell us what the ingenuity was.

When someone is injured, it’s better not to ask details.

After hearing the story, I thanked her, hugged her, and when I reached climax she twitched uncontrollably.

Next, I learned about Rade Village.

Most of the villagers had been killed.

The village was in ruins; the few survivors had fled to other towns relying on acquaintances.

The village chief Marc, his wife Jill, and the elder Kurt we had helped— their whereabouts were unknown.

When things calmed down, I wanted to visit the village site once.

And...?

"I see... Quono and Thomas...."

I was sitting beside Muriel, listening to her story.

"Yes. Freit-sama said the bodies were confirmed."

Muriel answered while driving the carriage.

"...What about Lilli... what happened to Lilli?"

"There was no body of Lilli."

"Then there’s a chance she’s still alive...."

"Yes, but...."

"But?"

"Ah, no, it’s nothing. Also, the ones who attacked the village—I don’t know the magician and the Dule Master saw. The monster that turned you three into stone was an experiment subject of those who captured me."

"So the attackers that day had two groups?"

"That’s... I don’t know. Maybe I just don’t know."

Muriel answered apologetically.

I hadn’t told anyone about Yuki.

If I did, Muriel and the others would prioritize it.

Still, Muriel’s way of speaking had changed.

She sounded softer somehow.

Come to think of it...?

"Muriel, what happened to your hair?"

"...I’m sorry. I... cut it."

"I see."

It was a beautiful black hair.

"...In the mansion, I had to shave my head or else..."

Muriel’s words left me speechless.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and pulled her close.

"You’ve been through a lot. ...I’m sorry. And thank you."

"..."

I rested my hand on Muriel’s head and hugged her.

Muriel didn’t say anything, but her shoulders were trembling.

...

On the way we stopped twice for the carriage horses, but we had basically been running for almost a full day.

"...It’s almost there. Inside this forest...!!"

Muriel seemed to sense something.

"That’s...."

When I looked in the direction Muriel pointed, black smoke rose from deep inside the forest ahead of the carriage.

"Faster!"

"Yes! Yaah!"

Muriel slapped the reins and urged the horses on.

Then...?

"...Here... yes."

It was a ruin.

It was in a large open space inside the forest.

It really had once been a grand, large mansion, but now it was burned down and only the charred remains remained.

"Anyway, let’s search for anything. Muriel!"

"Yes, yes. ...There is a basement door inside the mansion. Inside it...."

"Understood. Let’s search."

I scolded Muriel, tied the carriage to a fence, and entered the burned ruin with the four of us.

Embers were still glowing and smoke rose from everywhere.

This scale was huge.

It wasn’t a fire that would have died down in a day or two.

"...Master, it’s around here."

When I followed Muriel, she turned back and spoke to me.

"I see."

I removed charred wood and broken bricks.

Muriel and the others helped.

"Ah, there it is."

Cathy pointed at the ground and called us over.

There was a steel door lying on the floor.

Because it had a handle, I pulled it.

It didn’t budge at all.

"There’s a key, so find it and...."

"Hmph!"

I braced with both feet and yanked the handle.

The surrounding bricks came out with it.

"Now... this should... work...."

When I looked around, Muriel and Tiria were stunned.

But.

"Master! That will touch your wounds!"

Cathy shouted, lifted my clothes, and checked my belly.

There was no pain, and even now there were no signs of swelling or internal bleeding.

My body must have abnormal recovery power.

While watching Cathy with teary eyes gently touching my belly, I scratched my head.

At that moment, a killing intent came from the open basement entrance.

"Ugh!"

I instantly scooped up Cathy and Tiria and leaped backward.

Muriel also leaped away from me, with the basement in between.

"Guaaaoooooooouuuuuh!!!"

A beast that roared from the darkness appeared—a giant with a cow’s head.

The famous minotaur.

It swung its huge axe and landed on the ground.

"Master, leave this one to me!"

Muriel drew her sword, held it with both hands, and charged at the minotaur.

"Hey!"

I parried the overhead strike with my huge axe.

"Ugh!"

Muriel was blown away but landed on one hand, quickly regained her balance.

"Hah!"

She swept left and right, feinted, then thrust straight, but the axe blocked all of them.

Not a single scratch appeared on her body.

Moreover, the sword blade was beginning to chip.

And the minotaur raised its axe at Muriel, who had lost balance and knelt.

This is dangerous!

I lowered the two of them to the ground, drew the short dagger from Tiria’s thigh, and threw it toward the minotaur’s right wrist.

It hit perfectly, delaying the axe swing.

Muriel didn’t miss the opening and severed the minotaur’s arm with her Long Sword.

"Guaaaah!!!"

The minotaur roared.

Muriel cut off the minotaur’s head without flinching from the echoing roar.

"Hah, hah, fuh."

Muriel wiped sweat and smiled at me.

Mhm, beautiful.

I walked closer while admiring the adult Muriel.

"Are you hurt?"

"Yes. I’m fine, Master."

"I see. Good. ...But there’s still one more."

"Yes, that’s right."

Two more minotaurs appeared from the basement entrance.

Besides them, five wolf-like creatures.

No, more were still coming.

"Muriel, Tiria, Cathy—leave it to you two."

I pulled the dagger from the fallen minotaur and handed it to Tiria, then charged toward the demonic beasts gushing from the basement.

"Uooooooouuuuuh!!!"

I slipped past the first minotaur and tried to slash sideways with the Bastard Sword I had borrowed from Helene.

But I leaped back before it could hit me.

Wait, this wasn’t Shiranui.

It might break if used too much.

I thought about the weakest point of the enemy.

Then I faced the minotaur again, dodged the falling axe, and thrust the sword grip into its belly with all my strength.

"Guaaaaah!!!"

The minotaur roared.

I stabbed its chin toward its head while it was bent.

"Ga... guh...."

The minotaur rolled its eyes and fell.

But the enemy was still there.

I held the Bastard Sword ready and turned toward the demonic beasts.

The wolf-likes were wandering outside my range, observing me.

The minotaurs moved their eyes and ears restlessly while drooling from their mouths.

The basement was behind them.

If I left them, I would be attacked from behind.

One wolf-like broke away from the range.

That one was heading toward Muriel and the others.

I couldn’t let it go there!

I thrust the Bastard Sword into the ground, poured mana into both hands, and drew a magic circle.

At that moment another one leaped toward me.

I had predicted that.

"Source of life, come forth from the fingertips!"

"Water Jet!"

I easily dodged it and blasted the wolf-like charging toward Muriel with a Water Jet.

The water bullet that pierced metal hit the wolf’s temple and it died instantly.

"Ugh!"

My footing suddenly wavered and I felt dizzy.

Shouldn’t a sick person have rested instead of moving suddenly?

"""Master!"""

Muriel’s voices came from behind.

I drew the Bastard Sword that I had thrust into the ground, slashed sideways as I turned, and severed the neck of the wolf-like that leaped from behind.

More were coming.

This time five charged at once.

I held the Bastard Sword straight ahead, picked out the fastest one, and precisely cut down each of them one by one.

"Hah. Well then...."

The last one.

Minotaur and wolf-likes.

The minotaur was bigger than the two before it.

It must have been nearly 3 meters tall.

The wolf-likes were big too, but what caught my eye was that they had two heads.

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