Master and Slaves

...What is it?

What is this.

"Ooh... amazing."

I put my hand on Sophia’s chest and was drawing out her soul.

"Aaaah!!!"

Sophia raised a moan while arching her body.

Even so, the size of this soul was amazing.

Until now Ilma’s and Helma’s souls had been large.

No, that was because there were four of them, and each one was no different from the other Dules.

However Sophia’s was not on the order of ten times or twenty times.

Freit and Helene had said before that elves could not be made into Dules, but I had not thought there would be this much of a difference.

Even so I still had plenty of room—or rather, I had no sensation at all that the contents of my soul vessel had increased.

Was the vessel that large, or was I insensitive.

If I was insensitive... it would be quite dangerous.

But well, it should be fine.

While thinking various things I finally took Sophia’s soul into myself.

Because there was only one, Sophia became my A-Dule.

"Haa, haa, haa, haa..."

"Sorry for doing it right after waking."

"No. I should apologize for fainting and being unable to do the important part."

When Sophia caught her breath she said that and apologized.

"Well, I also fell asleep. After all, Sophia was intense."

"..."

When I teased Sophia, Sophia turned red and hung her head bashfully.

After that both Sophia and I had fallen asleep, and when we noticed it had become the next morning.

Woken by Cathy’s knock we realized we still had not done the important thing of making Sophia a Dule.

Then we sent Cathy outside the room again and performed the Dule ceremony.

"Now then, Sophia. How is it? Can you get up?"

"Yes, I’m fine."

Right after the ceremony her breathing was still a little rough, but when she regulated her breath she got down from the bed.

"How is it?"

"Yes, somehow it doesn’t feel real. No, it does feel real, but how should I put it..."

Sophia closed her eyes and pressed the crest on her left chest with both hands.

"...I am already Hiroyuki’s, aren’t I."

"That’s right."

Looking at me as I nodded, Sophia happily held out both hands.

"Ma-ster. Ufufu."

Then she took my hands and pulled me up to stand.

Well, how happy she looked.

When she let go of my hands she began dancing around the room with light steps.

"Ufufu!"

Well, if she was this happy, it was worth making her a Dule.

"Now then, shall we join up with Muriel and the others soon."

After this we had to have a meeting with Julius, Helene, and the others.

Cathy had told us that when she woke us.

"Understood. I’ll put on my clothes so wait, Ma-ster."

...Haa.

Cathy was like this at first too, right.

When Sophia finished changing we left the room.

"!..."

At that instant I stood stock still on the spot.

This place... have I been here?

No, I shouldn’t have.

I have never come to a castle like this even once since I was born.

I shouldn’t have, but...

I understood as if holding it in my hand where Julius and Helene were now and how to walk to arrive there.

"What’s wrong, Hiroyuki."

"...No. ...Shall we go."

I prompted Sophia, who was peering in looking worried, and started walking down the corridor.

...

"So, can you persuade them?"

"Yes, if I show this, probably."

"’Probably’ is not good enough. Failure is not allowed."

"There is no such thing as absolute in this world. But at least we shouldn’t be shot with arrows."

Helene and Sophia were arguing about future plans.

Sophia seemed to have a fair amount of confidence, but to Helene it seemed unreliable.

"I’m about the only elf wearing this. That’s how much making an elf a Dule is not a simple thing. So I think Hiroyuki, who became my Master, will be acknowledged."

Sophia explained to Helene while flashing her chest.

What she was wearing was the green short tunic and hemp-colored long trousers she had been wearing until now.

It was not clothing as an A-Dule.

That was apparently to show respect to the elf tribe of the Forest of Wandering we were going to negotiate with from now on.

Though Muriel had reluctantly accepted it.

"...Understood. But promise me just this. ...Don’t betray us."

"Of course. Hiroyuki is here."

She made a face as if wondering why we would say that now.

Beside her Muriel was glaring at Sophia.

"Sophia, can’t you do something about that way of speaking. Calling Master without an honorific..."

"Oh my. I’m sorry, Ma-ster."

At Sophia’s revised way of speaking Muriel sighed, and this time Cathy glared fixedly.

"Hey, Sophia. Could you stop picking fights with these girls."

"I’m not doing that. I only rephrased it because I thought what these girls said was correct."

"...Haa. We’re going to be together from now on, so get along."

"Ye~s!"

...Sophia, I’m seriously begging you.

"...Is that enough?"

Looking toward the voice, Helene’s cheek was twitching.

"Ah, sorry. For now, Sophia and I go negotiate with the elf tribe, is that all right?"

"Yes. Let us go with that."

Helene nodded at my words.

"Nice, just the two of them..."

"""""!"""""

At Ilma’s mutter all the Dules reacted.

Then...

"I’ll go too." "Me too." "I’ll follow." "I’ll go~."

The Dules raised their hands saying me too, me too.

...Girls shouldn’t fire off "iku" that much in public.

"You mustn’t. If we go in a large group we will be suspected. Here we will have Hiroyuki-sama and Sophia go."

Helene suppressed the Dules’ words and said that.

"Then I’ll go for a bit, so I’m counting on you to keep watch."

"Um... please be careful."

Muriel spoke to me looking worried.

"You all too."

""""""Yes.""""""

All the Dules answered.

"Sophia. Master, please take care of him."

"Understood."

Muriel whispered in Sophia’s ear.

Sophia also nodded firmly.

...

We walked quite a while through the forest.

I could only tell by sensation, but we had been walking for about two or three hours.

"Not yet?"

I ended up asking without thinking.

It wasn’t that I was tired; I had just gotten bored of walking in silence.

"Shh! ...Be quiet."

Sophia admonished me in a small voice.

While watching the surroundings she walked carefully.

"...They’re there. Two over there, four over here. And over that way about five, I guess."

For the time being I also lowered my voice and quietly whispered in Sophia’s ear.

First, they were definitely elves.

After all, all of them had long ears.

Besides that, distinctive green hair.

They seemed to be hiding well, but I could find them immediately with just that.

"! You noticed well."

Sophia stopped, turned toward me, and was surprised in a loud voice.

"Hey now, the other side will notice."

"...That’s right. Sorry."

She faced forward again and started walking.

"One of the group of five over there is probably the leader. The other one is swapping in and out frequently so maybe a messenger."

"..."

Even when I whispered that to Sophia, Sophia walked facing forward silently.

However her ears were moving busily piko piko.

I see, these ears express emotion.

"So how long do you intend to circle the same place? Isn’t the village that way?"

I pointed to the right.

Sophia’s steps stopped.

"...Since when did you notice?"

She turned toward me and asked with a stern face.

"Hmm, maybe when we walked in a direction different from the village? At first I thought there might be a path this way, but for that we were going in a strange direction."

I explained to Sophia.

"...Then why did you think the village was in that direction?"

"Hmm, somehow? No, I’m not teasing you, how should I put it, I ’see’ it... unn, it’s hard to explain."

I myself didn’t really understand.

Around after I fainted when I saved Rina and woke up, things around me suddenly started to "see."

At first I had only thought of it as memories until now, or things I saw in dreams.

However when I left the room to have a meeting with Julius and the others, I understood the structure of the castle as if holding it in my hand, as if I had come many times.

And now I understood this forest as if holding it in my hand.

"But this should be the domain of Maze Woods."

"Maze Woods?"

"Yes. It’s a high-level magic, one of the spirit magics, activated by requesting it of the Forest Spirit King—the Erlking. If you enter the domain of this magic you wander through the forest forever."

"Ah, so that’s why it’s the Forest of Wandering."

"That’s right. It’s a forest protected by the Forest Spirit King, the Erlking."

Sophia proudly arched her chest.

"So why are we taking a detour?"

"That is..."

"That is to test you."