Master and Slaves

"Um, thank you for saving us."

The man thanked me and bowed his head, and the woman bowed her head with him.

"No. More than that, is she all right?"

I looked, and the woman was trembling, whether something hurt or she was still dragging the fear.

"That... is right."

The man looked at the woman and drew her shoulder close.

Lovers, maybe.

"Thank you... Um, is that one all right?"

This time the woman thanked me, then asked with a trembling voice.

"You... saved me... so..."

"Hexa did it. I have nothing to do with it."

Lily turned away in my arms, then grimaced again.

"For now, let us leave here. At the house there are those skilled in healing magic, so will you not come with us?"

No one would want to stay in a place like this.

We would hear the situation slowly on the way back.

"No, on top of saving us, that far... We will go home with this."

The man moved to leave taking the woman.

But in that getup, would they not be attacked again?

"Then let us see you near your house."

"!"

I princess-carried the reluctant Lily and stood.

"That... is right. Then please."

The man looked at the woman and bowed his head as if sorry.

With a woman dressed like this, it was as good as asking to be attacked.

He had thought he could not deal with it himself. That was it.

"Yes. Understood."

I answered the man, and with Lily held, Lilli, Ito, and the victim man and woman, we walked toward the main street.

...

"Sorry, I had not given my name yet. I am Utz. I run a medicine shop on the other side of this alley. This girl is Iris, my Dule."

"Is that so. Then this side too. I am Hiroyuki. Beside me is Lilli, and beyond that is Ito. Both are my Dules. And this one is Lily. Not a Dule, but... well, a somewhat complicated relation."

I introduced myself, Lilli, Ito, and Lily.

At the end I looked at Lily, but she turned away as if uncomfortable.

This time she did not grimace, so the pain had probably eased.

"Is that so. If Hiroyuki is that strong, those two are strong too, I suppose. This girl is fairly strong, so I brought her as escort..."

Utz smiled wryly and looked at Iris.

Iris gripped the sheath that held a one-hand sword with her right hand, bit her lip, and lowered her face.

"No, you are not at fault. I became a hostage. You could not do anything, could you?"

"Even so... I had to save you..."

Iris, who had muttered softly, in time spilled the large tears that had gathered in her eyes.

Utz stopped, and held Iris.

"You had it hard too, did you not?"

Then he tapped her back lightly.

"Uuu..."

Iris cried, pressing down her voice.

We stopped too.

Nothing to do but watch.

This was already the main street.

If Lilli, Ito, and I stayed alert around us, at least we would not be attacked by surprise.

"I am sorry."

A little later, Iris left Utz, and Utz bowed his head to me.

"No, it is fine. Then let us go."

Care of the heart was important.

"There is one thing that bothers me. Why were you in a place like that?"

While walking, I asked Utz.

Even as flattery, Utz did not look very strong in the arm.

Was there a need to go to a place like that in the middle of the night like this?

"As I closed the shop and moved to go home, I was suddenly told they wanted medicine made. A regular customer, so I could not refuse... It took until a time like this..."

"Is the shop around there?"

"Yes, a little further toward the main street from there. Just as I left the shop and locked it, we were attacked..."

I see.

Lily happened to pass there.

"So Lily tried to help?"

I looked down and asked Lily, whom I was holding.

"No. Hexa said she would help. I said do not get involved, but Hexa came out..."

Right. That was why Cathy could tell Hexa’s whereabouts.

"But if it was Lily, could you not have escaped men of that level?"

That quickness of Lily was no ordinary thing.

"Hexa did not move. Then a man caught her... I switched at once, but I could not move anymore..."

Lily bit her lip in frustration.

At the same time, her body was trembling.

"Um, what are you talking about? I think only this person was there..."

Utz seemed to have been listening to my talk with Lily, and twisted his head and asked me, unable to understand the content.

Well, true. If one did not know this girl was the holder of a split personality (split soul?), one could not understand.

"No, our talk. And this girl entered to help, but was of no use."

"Guh..."

I averted my eyes from Utz, whom I had been talking with, and looked at Lily, but Lily grimaced in frustration.

"No, you bought us time until you came to help. The worst seems to have been avoided."

Utz smiled at us even while his face twitched.

What was the worst?

True, Iris had been pinned by a man, and that Ivo had said something about still in the middle of the fun, had he not?

Or if they did not go all the way, was it no problem?

And apparently Utz had misunderstood that Lily had been buying time until I came to help.

I had been searching for Lily, but Lily had not wanted to be caught, and Lily had only become a victim of Hexa’s recklessness.

Well, no need to say that much to Utz, who did not know the circumstances.

"Ah, here is fine. That is my house."

I looked, and it was a three-story building, the first floor a shop, the second floor and above a residence.

"Um, thank you."

"Thank you."

Utz and Iris bowed their heads to us in thanks, and Utz, still holding Iris’s shoulder, entered the building.

Now then, should we go home too.

Luckily, here was close to the gate that led to the Central District.

"Lily, do not run."

"...I will not run."

I drove the point into Lily, took Lilli and Ito, and returned to Freit’s house.