episode_0230
by fnovelpiaShadow Duke Victor.
He was once the leader of a famous assassin’s guild, and after retirement he ran a tavern called ‘The Duke of the Night’ in Noktar.
Days were spent in anxiety as his only blood relative, his granddaughter Emily, was diagnosed with an incurable disease.
Ironically, it was not a priest or a doctor who saved Emily, but a slave trader.
Karami, the slave messenger.
Victor can’t forget him.
He was Emily’s lifesaver, and the combination of an assassin and a slave trader was a good fit. He was a friend who transcended age.
It’s been a little over a year since Karami left Noktar.
Looking at his actions, I thought he might not come back alive, but miraculously, he came back alive with all his limbs still intact.
I was planning to close the shop early and have a cozy drink with Karami to talk about the aftermath of my trip.
“Ughhh… .”
“Well, why on earth are you doing that?”
His limbs and life are intact, but his head seems to have been damaged, unfortunately.
It was Karami who seemed crazy from the first time I saw her.
I thought it was the aftereffects of my trip, not long after I returned.
I brought him here with the intention of letting him loose while drinking, but he was just blankly staring at the bar. He kept making strange noises.
It’s been several days since that situation persisted.
“I’m the master… I worked very hard… … The slave is the master… … .”
If we were to guess from what they were saying or muttering, it seemed like the slaves had done something.
Victor did not challenge all of them, but he passed by the women who came with Karami.
‘Why a slave?’
It was the first thought that came to mind.
Has the definition of the word slave changed? Or have I just forgotten it as I’ve gotten older?
Even Victor, who was proud of his skills, was confident that he would die in front of them without being able to say a word.
It was simply unbelievable that all of those gigantic beings were slaves of Karami.
Well, Karami is a person who treats slave children well. I think there must be some circumstances between them that others don’t know about.
Looking at Karami’s current state, it seems like there’s a problem in that relationship.
“Huh. Finally paying off your karma, slave god. I’ve been waiting for this day to come.”
Dark Elf Leonard sips arsenic as if tempting her.
“You’re the one who spread false rumors about the Elf Queen, right? This is your punishment for wagging your tongue. Take it sweetly.”
“Ugh… … .”
Leonard’s sarcasm was meaningless. He poured himself a drink and slumped down on the table like slime.
Daughter~
The door opens and the paper rings.
Arphia came in, keeping an eye on things.
After confirming that Karami was lying face down, he signaled to Victor and Leonard with his eyes.
It roughly means, what is the condition?
Leonard left to get ready for work, saying he wasn’t interested, and Victor shook his head as if he was wrong.
Arphia sighed and approached Karami.
“Honey, everyone’s waiting, should I go back?”
“… … .”
Karami, who had been lying down, stood up and left the bar without saying a word.
There was no response when Arphia spoke to him. He didn’t even make eye contact.
Go straight to the room in that condition.
A tightly closed door.
A boundary that a slave cannot cross.
Arphia couldn’t bring herself to open the door and turned around.
***
Late at night.
A perfect time to have a secret conversation.
Six slaves gathered in one room.
Without needing to call anyone, everyone had an obviously anxious look on their face.
“What is the master’s status?”
“I don’t know. It’s the same as yesterday. I didn’t even see the snow.”
Arpia answers bluntly.
Several sighs were heard at that.
Karami became like that because the slaves entered into a contract of servitude without permission. Since then, he has not spoken to anyone.
It’s a living hell for slaves.
It is more heartbreaking to be treated as if you don’t exist when you are right next to me than to be far away.
“Mirabelle, why don’t you try finding a solution in that book?”
The idea presented by Arpia is to find the answer to the question of omnipotence.
If it contains knowledge that transcends common sense, then it will probably also contain instructions on how to overcome the current situation.
But Mirabelle firmly refused.
“That’s no different from insulting the master.”
Mirabelle knows how to draw the line precisely on these things.
For a maid, housework is essential.
Since solving problems with magic is not something she is qualified to do as a maid, Mirabelle never uses magic for housework.
Of course, I used the Book of Omnipotence to uncover Karami’s secrets, but it was an inevitable choice because there was no other way.
But this time, it shouldn’t be like that.
Because using magic to read the opponent’s mind and respond to it is no different from toying with the opponent.
Moreover, it is a basic quality that a gunmaid must have to understand the psychology of the person following them.
“And if you rely on magic this time, you’ll rely on it every time something happens in the future.”
Ultimately, this is something that the slaves will have to resolve among themselves.
“Scary Rami… I don’t know.”
“Me too.”
“I’ve seen Lin.”
“I have one too. I’m sorry, Master.”
“How did you see it?”
Arphia’s question brought back unpleasant memories for Mirabelle and Rin.
“Rin got in trouble for skipping regular meals without telling her master.”
“I was drunk on power and going wild… . The angry master was the scariest thing in the world.”
“How were you forgiven?”
“I kept nagging you not to hate me.”
“Me too… .”
‘No matter what, crying and explaining your situation is a bit much…’ Lin read the minds of those who thought this.
“If you were in that situation, you would hang on and cry too.”
I assert.
Anyway, it wasn’t a worthwhile conversation. It wasn’t something the six of us should have cried and begged for as a group.
“In the end, I guess I have no choice but to change the Master’s mind.”
“That’s why I’m doing this, because I don’t know that.”
When I was just racking my brain without finding a proper way, Narsha opened her mouth.
“There is something the master once said. Even if you can’t trust people, you can trust slaves.”
“Because there are chains?”
“That’s right. As long as there are chains, a slave has no choice but to follow. But this incident is an act that overturns that absoluteness.”
A slave who cannot be controlled is someone who can be stabbed in the back at any time. Therefore, slaves are the objects of absolute management and supervision.
However, he unilaterally entered into a contract and even refused to follow the owner’s orders.
It is not strange for Karami to feel betrayed and afraid.
“Then we must find a way to allay the Master’s concerns while maintaining the contract.”
Time to think again.
Mirabelle’s mind sparkled.
“I remember something… .”
“What is it? Don’t be afraid to tell me. I don’t think anyone has any ideas anyway.”
Mirabelle cautiously brought up the subject, thanks to Arphia’s consideration.
“Can you give everything to the master?”
***
Karami has never been more helpless since the Ice Age.
The goal is to return.
The goal is to free the poor slaves.
Two goals led to one path, and I kept walking along that path.
But it fell through at the last minute.
By slaves who firmly believed in it.
The shock of being betrayed is indescribable.
My goal is gone, what should I do now?
The master-slave relationship has been reversed.
A being no different from a puppet king.
Karami quietly drank his glass in a dark room with no lights on.
Knock knock.
“I’m sorry to bother you so late at night, Master. I have something urgent to tell you. May I come in?”
It was Mirabelle’s voice.
Karami did not answer.
“I know it’s rude, but… excuse me for a moment.”
A door that was tightly closed opens.
The ones who came in were six slaves.
Mirabelle, Rin, and Arphia.
Narsha, Assis, Elise.
They stood in front of Karami in this order.
Even those who usually grumbled were quiet at this moment.
Karami didn’t even glance at them and just shook his glass. He watched the wine sloshing around on the verge of overflowing.
“I don’t think I remember asking you to come in… .”
“I have something I really want to tell you, Master.”
“If you want to put your own desires ahead of your master’s orders, then don’t call yourself my slave and leave.”
“… I’m sorry, but as I said repeatedly, we can’t do without you, Master.”
“Do whatever you want. I can’t stop you from doing whatever you want.”
Karami let out a self-deprecating laugh. He took another sip of his drink as if he had decided not to talk any further.
The slaves exchanged glances and gave signals, then began to move slowly.
Kneel down and lie flat on the floor. Bend your head so that your forehead touches the floor, and expose your back to the gaze of your master.
A humiliating posture of submission.
However, they did not hesitate or feel ashamed. Rather, they gave a strange sense of stability, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Karami’s gaze fell upon them.
“What are you doing?”
“We are your slaves, your property. If you don’t like us, you can modify our bodies and personalities to whatever you want. So please, just let us stay by your side.”
“Please… do it.”
Slaves speaking with one voice.
Any form is fine.
It’s okay to not be yourself.
Even if my body dies and only my soul remains, I will do so if only I can remain his slave.
So, what I meant was that I wanted to leave at least the contract.
“Your actions of becoming a slave mean that all my efforts so far will be in vain. Do you understand that?”
“I’m sorry.”
“And you’re still going to insist, is that what you’re saying?”
“I’m sorry.”
Everyone just repeats the words “I’m sorry” like a machine.
A long silence flows.
They had the power to make the world tremble, but they cowered like mice.
A heavier pressure than anything I’ve ever felt before.
The silence is suffocating, and each moment feels like an eternity.
Then, Karami broke the quiet and began to speak.
“I am proud to say that I have treated my slaves with the utmost respect. I have treated them as individuals, not as slaves.”
“That’s right.”
“You are the ones who have tarnished my good intentions. Don’t think that just because I accept you, I will treat you like I did before.”
“… … .”
“So this is the last mercy and opportunity I can give you. Think carefully and answer.”
I’ll give you a choice.
The first one.
“If you want to be free, cancel the contract right now and leave. Then we will remain in good relationship and live with good memories.”
It was quiet.
No one moved.
Because that’s not what they wanted. They never even considered that option in the first place.
I waited with bated breath.
Until his next words came out.
And then.
The air becomes cold and settles.
A chilling gaze pierced the back of their heads.
A cold voice filled with disgust and contempt rang out, as if dealing with something unclean.
“If you wish to give up being human and end up as a lowly being, domesticated like cattle, then show your loyalty.”
Sacrificing oneself is something that a human being should not do.
Disqualified from being human.
You can’t escape it even after death.
But an irresistible attraction.
I can’t resist the soul-crushing submission.
There is no need for petty pride or reason.
A blessing that only beautiful women can receive.
They are the chosen ones.
Because if you give up your dignity as a human being, you can live your best life as a slave.
My heart was pounding.
A joy that blooms brightly.
On the one hand, relief.
Six spirits rose above them.
A blue spirit wearing a cone-shaped hat.
The soul of a pink nine-tailed fox.
The spirit of a fairy wearing a crown.
The soul of a frozen heart.
The soul of a bat covered in blood.
Even the soul of a sparkling gold coin.
All souls were bound in black chains.
“We hereby swear that we will dedicate our bodies, minds, and souls to you, Master, and live as your slaves even after death.”
Souls that pass over to Karami.
Karami twisted the corners of his mouth as he looked at the souls in his hands.
“You guys are really… helpless slaves.”
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