Trinitas Mundus

When Ray and Ashley returned to the inn, the Morkley branch manager of the Deodard Chamber of Commerce was giving instructions to Tekipaki and his men.

When Morkley finds the two of them, he confirms about the will with a slightly nervous face.

"Did the Big Master's will...... take it?

Ray nods quietly and declares in a firm tone, "Mr. Stella will take it from me".

Morkley exhaled, "Really? That's the one who was expected to have a big husband," he said with a soothing look.

"I heard that slave liberation is a commercial guild. I want to free myself from slavery immediately, but where is the guild?

Morkley grinned bitterly at its acute,

"Good is a hurry, but aren't you sure you want to go to the commercial guild after your eldest husband's funeral?"

"Right," he nodded, grinning bitterly at himself, who was also ahead of him.

Looking around, Deoddard's body had already been cleansed and a coffin had been prepared.

(That's an amazing hand-wrestle. Not really by the looks of it, he's a great guy, Mr. Morkley is)

When the two of them heard about their plans for this aftermath, they were once told that the body would be transported to the Chamber of Commerce and that a funeral would be held tomorrow at the Temple of Darkness.

Ray was curious if the Temple of Light would say anything because Deodard was a follower of the Light Divinity, and he checked with Morkley about it.

"Don't worry about that. There is also the will of the Big Master, and I will do everything in my power to comply with his wishes. I will not disturb the funeral of the Bishop of the Light Divine Church in this city."

Powerfully to that kind of mockley, Ray felt a strange dependability, "Okay. Tell me if anything happens," I said, leaving everything to me.

Next to Deoddard's body, they found Stella sitting with Potun and tried to tell them a story about what was to come.

"Mr. Stella, I'd like to talk to you, okay?

When Ray reluctantly says so, Stella slowly looks up and answers "yes," small.

(How shall we talk? It's weird to say I inherited you. I think it's a little different to say that we're going to be together...)

Ray started talking, with no decision attached.

"You will be with us from now on. Of course, if Stella wants to..."

Stella said smallly, "Um..." And then Ray noticed it, "What's up? You got something to say?," he asked, staring at him with a full eye of anticipation.

"Does that mean Master Ray has become my new husband?

(Your husband... will he? Sure could happen...... I don't mean to and I'll let you go tomorrow...... no problem......)

"It's not your husband... I'm going to go through the release process tomorrow..."

He was in a hurry for unexpected inquiries, wandering his gaze, rubbing his voice up.

To Ray's words, Stella drops her gaze.

In Ray's eyes, Stella's wolf ears seemed to shake in small pieces.

Stella has a frightening little voice.

"Liberation? Am I... am I an unnecessary slave?

Ray doesn't know what Stella's talking about.

"What? What do you mean, no need?

"Don't you want it anymore, so you can throw it away? Because I'm worthless..."

Stella doesn't take her gaze off his eyes and complains that way with a desperate look.

(Maybe what happened when I was auctioned off is traumatic. “You are an unwanted slave. That's why they're selling it off." Or maybe they said... I never thought of that...)

"No. No, not because you don't want it, but because you don't have to be a slave to be with me, and, uh, Ash, what am I supposed to say?

Ray turns to Ashley for help.

"You decided to take it. Shouldn't I be honest with you? Be honest with your feelings."

Ray nodded at the words and took a deep breath before starting to speak to Stella again.

"Mr. Stella, I want you to listen to me until the end because I'm going to tell you what I think. I've decided to take you back. And tomorrow, I decided to let you go. But I'm not going to throw you out there... for the time being, I'm going to have you act with us and find something like that in the meantime, whether it's my worth living or my purpose to live. We're headed to Fonce after Deodard's funeral. Fonce has Ash's home, and there are plenty of mercenaries there. I think if we live in it, we might find something..."

Stella listens quietly to Ray. Occasionally, his gaze wandered or his ears moved pickly, but he listened to him until the end.

And when all his stories were over, he started talking in a firm tone.

"I'd rather remain a slave, as I am. I can only do what I am commanded to do. No, you may not even be able to do what you are commanded to do"

I'm surprised at Stella's rap sometime, but Ray doesn't understand her idea of wanting to be a slave.

"Why do you want to be a slave? You don't have to be a slave..."

"It's not" Stella the Slave, "it's just” Stella "I'm anxious... I don't know how to say it... I can't say it well"

(Because I've lived as a slave ever since I was born? So if you're afraid of anything else... but I think it's gonna have to change. We need to change......)

"I think I figured out somehow what I was trying to say"

Stella's expression only brightens a little on Ray's words. But it turns into a look similar to despair in the words that follow.

"But I have to change. As it is now...... I think this is what Mr. Deoddard wanted too. Tomorrow, we'll go through the liberation process. I've already made up my mind."

Stella drops her shoulders disappointingly and is trembling with both arms.

Ashley, who saw that,

(Is it something that gets imprinted on my mind so far? A born slave is. Or because of your teaching at Luke's... seeing this look would make anyone hesitate to let go... maybe Lord Deoddard was the same...)

Stella looks up and stares at Ashley. And like asking for help,

"Please ask your wife as well. Tell your husband... not to abandon me..."

"Oh, ma'am! Lord Stella, why does that happen?!

"Isn't Master Ashley your husband's wife?

"Yes, no, not yet, not yet my wife... ma'am..."

Ashley's thoughts have stopped at Stella's unexpected words.

Stella asks Ashley for help.

"Please, do your husband a favor... please..."

Troubled Ashley stares at Ray but

"Because it's already a decided story. I want to take Mr. Deoddard's will seriously."

Stella was powerless and sat up.

(Maybe it's tough all of a sudden. Should I talk to Ash......)

He said, "Can I have a minute?," he says, taking Ashley out to where he left off.

"It may be a little difficult all of a sudden. But I don't want to change the story about letting you go. So..."

Ray mumbles a little, but he keeps talking soon.

"In the meantime, I think I'll say I'm just going to take the collar off. Even without a collar, it's mine... it's mine."

Ashley frowned at the words,

"Making it your own isn't a very praiseworthy way of saying it. Is there any better way to put it?"

"Oh yeah... how about because I don't like being seen collars. And then you want us to work for you? That doesn't make any sense..."

Ashley glanced at Ray and said, "Weird was that what you meant? After,"

"Fair enough. That's better. I hope that convinces you..."

They went back to Stella,

"Tomorrow, I'm going to take my collar off. But that's because I don't like it when they think we have slaves... uh, would you work for us?

"For both of you...... working? So you're saying I'm not an unwanted slave?

"That's right. I want you to help us with our work, our work as escorts, our work hunting demons. Stella's stronger than me, and she's definitely gonna help."

"Am I useful? Am I useful? Really, really am I wanted?

With her eyes full of something, Stella appeals to Ray with a small voice, but with a voice full of anticipation as if she had found hope of living.

"Oh, it definitely helps. But if you work with us, there's always something you have to decide for yourself. I want you to judge for yourself, not by order then. I'm not telling you to do it right away, but I want you to try. What do you say?

"Judge for yourself...... I can't. To me..."

Stella doesn't know what to do, she's looking down and squealing.

Ray put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Let's do it slowly. Little by little," he says.

Stella looked up at him and nodded small.

"But please call me Stella. I am to your husband, a man who serves his wife. Please, Stella and..."

"Okay. Then I want you to call us Ray and Ashley. Not your husband or wife. Is that all right, Ash?

Ashley, suddenly told the story, after only a little hesitation,

"Right. I want you to call me by name because you're one of them."

(It's not bad to be called your wife. Well, it tickles a little...)

"Yes, then, Master Ray, Master Ashley. Best regards,"

Although Stella doesn't show it because she smiles, her expression was pretty loose from the cut off look she had just had.

Although Ray said "hello, Stella," he was concerned that it was still ”Dear".

(Not yet, but I can't be a normal girl at once. Little by little, get used to it......)

And watching Deoddard,

(Mr. Deoddard, was this a good idea?

Yes, I spoke in my heart and went to help Morkley, who seemed busy working.

The body of Deoddard is put in a coffin and transported to the Chamber of Commerce building.

Stella was quite calm or escorted to protect the coffin with her usual faceless face.

The Chamber of Commerce building was located about a mile from the inn and only hung enough while carrying the coffin.

The building was in a first class commercial district, in a painting facing the boulevard, and was a splendid three-story building.

(Mr. Deoddard was a really big merchant. This is just a branch. If I saw this building, I'd think I could donate hundreds of millions of yen to Pong... but I wasn't such a great guy)

Enter the Chamber of Commerce building and carry the coffin in the back. When the coffin is rested, the employees visit one another for their condolences.

And I'm going to show my condolences to the Rays.

(We're not kin or anything... why are we being treated so respectfully?

Questionable, Ray caught a busy working Morkley,

"Hi there. Something's wrong with your reaction? We're not related or anything. [M] It's just an escort...... why?

Morkley smiled,

"Ladies and gentlemen Ray are heirs to the Great Husband. Namely, it's the same for us as the Deodards. So the employees offer their condolences to you."

(Is that what Mr. Morkley has been doing to us since yesterday?... I'm not convinced, but does that mean that the Morkleys, too, want to share their grief?

All the steps were taken by the Chamber of Commerce, so the Rays had nothing to do and just waited in the reception room.

It was evening and Morkley came back to them to see if all the steps had finally been taken.

"What are you all going to do tonight? Is it possible to stay here?

Ray and Ashley wanted Stella to do their last goodbye and decided to let them stay at the Chamber of Commerce.

Tell Morkley about it.

Deoddard's baggage has already been collected by the Chamber of Commerce, so the two decided to go get their baggage.

On that road, the two of them were talking about Stella, and the future.

"Mr. Stella, no, it's about Stella, really good? Wouldn't it have been better just the two of us?

To that question, he said, "What about Ray?" and vice versa is returned with a question.

"Right. Maybe it was more fun for both of us. If it's the three of us, we can stay in the inn..."

As I turn red, after I say that, I keep on saying the words to delude me.

"But I don't think it's that long of a story to be with the three of us, and it's up to Fonce,"

"Right. Until Fonce. With that said, we haven't decided on anything from Fonce yet."

Originally planned to go as far as Aurelia while escorting Deoddard. And in Periclittle, Doctus, along the way, I was trying to figure out why Ray had been flown into this world and how I could get back.

That was the sudden death of Deoddard, who changed plans and made the itinerary ahead free from Fonce.

"What am I going to do? In the meantime, I think it would be nice to head to the nearest Periclitle."

"Periclitle... depends on the situation. Around Periclitle, there have been many demonic raids. It's pretty dangerous to go down the street alone. This time, from Fonce to Periclitle, we were going to split into a massive merchant squad."

"Well, after we gather the information on Fonce... well, it's not a quick journey, and I want to do it in the safest way possible"

Talking about that, we went back to the inn, retrieved our own luggage, the horses, and returned to the Deodard Chamber of Commerce.