Master and Slaves

"Um, I-I am inexperienced, b-but p-please take care of me!!"

Then she greeted me haltingly, but in a loud voice, and bowed her head.

It was Japanese as always, so no one seemed to understand what she was saying, and the Dules, startled by Ito’s voice, turned this way all at once.

"Yeah. Likewise."

I answered in Japanese, with a wry smile.

"Ah! Me too! Please take care of me too!"

Then Hexa flew over and bowed her head beside Ito.

She should not have understood the words, but she seemed to have caught what Ito had done.

When she raised her head she growled and glared at Ito.

Her hair stood a little, and her cat ears stood stiff.

Had she thought she was beaten to it?

"I understand, but if you cannot get along with the other Dules, I do not want to be taken care of."

For form, I drove the point in.

Hearing that, Hexa twisted her face and forced a smile.

I tapped that Hexa’s head lightly.

"Likewise."

"Yes!"

Hexa wore a full smile clearly different from until just now.

"Ito, likewise."

"Yes!"

This one answered with a smile too.

Hexa hoped to become an A-Dule.

That was because doing so was an ordinary thing for Hexa, I was told.

She feared living free, and felt peace in being ruled.

Sara had said it too, but this seemed to be the nature of one born a slave and fated to live as a slave.

Ito had resolved to become an A-Dule to return the debt of having her life saved.

I had said she need not go that far, but she would not listen, saying a debt of a saved life was returned with a life.

I meant to make Hexa, who wanted to be ruled, and Ito, who was dutiful, into A-Dules, but since it was the first time, I wanted to do it in a room apart from this large room where the other Dules were.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

So Freit... was not here, so I would ask Lotte or someone.

"Muriel, I want to borrow another room..."

"Yes. I borrowed another room from Lord Freit, so please use that."

Even without me saying all of it, Muriel was considerate.

"Thank you."

"No."

When I thanked her, she answered short, as if it were natural.

Then I would take her at her word.

"Hexa, let’s go." "Ito, let’s go."

"Yes!" "Yes!"

The two answered alike, energetic, in different words, then looked at each other’s faces and soon turned away.

There was a saying about being like dogs and monkeys, but were dogs and cats on bad terms too?

Muriel and I looked at each other and sighed together.

...

We entered the room Muriel had borrowed.

Inside, a large canopied bed, big enough for five to sleep, was set in the middle.

And... that was all.

Look around the room, and there was no chair or table, no furnishings.

Only a large bed...

It would be inconvenient for lodging a guest, and one would have one’s own room.

Even for housing a servant it would be inconvenient, and a bed this large was not needed.

I could not imagine when it would be used, and was amazed at the waste, but these girls seemed to have a different impression from me.

"Wow, it’s big!"

Hexa ran for the bed.

Then she dove onto the bed.

"It’s fluffy."

"..."

Ito watched Hexa, who swayed her tail happily and enjoyed the feel of the futon, fidgeting.

"You can go."

I tapped her back lightly, and Ito stepped forward and looked at my face.

When I nodded, Ito ran and dove in beside Hexa.

"Wow, it’s fluffy."

Hexa and Ito lay face down side by side, and both swayed their tails happily.

Once I had let them enjoy the feel of the bed and futon enough, I called to the two.

"Then, soon..."

"Ah, me first, please!"

Before I finished, Hexa stood from the bed and started taking off her clothes.

Ito watched that in a daze.

Hexa, who had taken everything off and stood without a thread on her, ran up in front of me.

Then she took my hand and set it on her own chest.

"Master, please."

Hexa looked up at me with moist eyes.

"Is it really all right?"

As always, I made the last confirmation.

"Yes..."

Hexa floated tears about to spill even now, and nodded with a happy face.

I glanced at the bed. Ito was looking this way in a daze.

I turned back to Hexa and performed the Dule ceremony standing.

"Your name?"

"Hexa."

"Will you become my Dule?"

"Yes!"

The moment Hexa answered, a shining fragment of soul entered my hand from Hexa’s chest.

"Aaaah!!!"

Hexa wore an ecstatic face.

She arched her body, and her black tail stretched stiff.

But even so, the reaction being thinner than with the other Dules was because she was used to it, maybe.

Once I judged Hexa had settled and took my hand from her chest, there the crest that proved she was my Dule had certainly risen.

"Master, thank you!"

Hexa thanked me, happy.

I answered with a smile too, but the problem was from here.

I had to resolve what the slave merchant Enrico, who had sold Hexa, had said, that Hexa’s masters died.

My guess was a grudge or a curse tied to Hexa.

I had not told anyone yet, but I would tell them tomorrow.

And then...

"Ito, are you all right?"

I called to Ito, who had frozen in surprise after seeing Hexa’s A-Dule ceremony.

"Eh? Ah! Uh, what did you... do??"

She seemed quite thrown. She noticed at my voice.

"The A-Dule ceremony. Have you never seen it?"

She had come from a country far enough that words did not get through, so she might not know what an A-Dule was.

"N-no, I know of it, but this is the first time I have seen it... And, that, d-do I have to be naked...??"

Face red, she tried to hide her body with her hands even though she was wearing clothes.

"No, you don’t need to be stark naked. Just bare your chest."

"Eh!? My chest!?"

Ignoring Hexa, who should not have understood the words and still puffed out her ample chest with a smug face as if she had won, Ito, looking shyer still, this time hid her chest.

Being seen must have been that embarrassing.

Ah, no. Ito’s reaction should be the normal one.

Around me there were nothing but half-naked and fully naked girls, so I had gone numb to embarrassment.

"Then let’s do it another time. You can go back to Muriel."

Right after meeting, that was an odd talk too.

She was a Ze-Dule, so forcing it would be fine, but I wanted to avoid forcing it... or so I had thought.

Hexa hugged my arm as if showing off and pressed her body close.

I had been ignoring it, but Ito seemed unable to ignore it.

"I-I will too, please!"