Consciousness returned slowly, gently. The bed beneath him was soft, the pillow cradling his head exuding an intoxicating scent. He pulled it closer, burying his face in it. That smell... I could breathe this forever.
"Mash?" Mizuki's voice cut through his haze.
He opened his eyes and sat up. The room was simple, calming – old but well-cared-for furniture, shelves lined with books. Red light streamed through the window: dusk. Mizuki and Fam sat in chairs. Between them, Cecily, Ayla, and Beers sat rigidly upright, their wounds visibly healed.
He rubbed his stomach. No trace of Fam's kunai wound. Treated too.
"What about Reid?" Fam asked, her voice tight.
"..." Master hesitated.
"In prison," Mizuki answered for her. "Attacked you after the duel ended." So there's law enforcement here, Master noted. "But if weapons can go in Storage..."
"Magic-sealing tools exist," Mizuki explained. Was Fam's cell like that? Could she even use skills?
"Fam," Master asked, "why are they sitting like that?"
"..." Fam looked away.
"They're your slaves now," Mizuki stated bluntly. "Beers' contract was rewritten. You're his master." Master saw the slave marks etched onto Cecily and Ayla's arms. But why the formal seating?
"Mizuki, is this okay?" Master pressed. Receiving defeated enemies as slaves felt wrong.
"I was against it, but..." Mizuki glanced at Fam, who radiated disapproval.
"It's fine, Beers," Master said, addressing the warrior. "You were Reid's slave; it couldn't be helped. If you wish, I'll free you from slavery entirely."
Beers looked surprised, then hopeful.
"Master!" Fam cried out, frustration clear in her voice.
"What? Should I switch back to dog language?" He tried for levity.
"How can you forgive so easily? I don't understand." Fam ignored his attempt at humor.
"You can forgive Beers, can't you? Or not?" Master kept his tone gentle.
"So what's my punishment for nearly killing my master?" Fam demanded, her voice trembling slightly. "There is none? Why bring this up? I don't understand."
"I wanted to help you, Master. But that wasn't your plan." Fam's eyes locked onto his, intense and hurt.
"I was glad you tried," Master admitted. "So why did I stop?" This should be private, but Fam won't let it drop.
"I didn't want you to kill someone." Is it selfish to want that, to wait until I'm older, more decisive?
"During the duel, I heard you tell Lady Lachchel, 'Don't kill them,'" Fam pressed. "The one who challenged you? Someone you tried to help before the fight. Then he tried to kill you. Killing him is natural justice." Master glanced at Mizuki, hoping for understanding from a fellow world-displaced person. Mizuki remained silent. This is between Fam and me.
"I was raised believing 'thou shalt not kill,'" Master said, choosing his words carefully. "I understand the reasons, but explaining them... it's hard. And I didn't want you to become a killer. Not because of me."
"I understand not killing," Fam countered, her voice gaining strength. "I don't want to either. If I was attacked, and Master told me to forgive them? I could. But he attacked you. I can never forgive that. What you did was wrong. If you didn't want me to kill him, you should have just wrapped me up."
My body moved on instinct. I thought she'd understand... but I hurt her. "If that blade had been aimed at you," Master said softly, "I wouldn't forgive him either. But you refused the wrapping, Fam."
"Yes. And if it happened again? I would do the same." Fam's resolve was absolute. This conversation circles. He finally grasped her core fear: in this world, violence was constant, survival paramount.
"Fam, I love you. You?" Master asked, his voice raw.
"...Yes. Mine is 'I love you,'" Fam whispered, the anger momentarily replaced by vulnerability.
"Then please understand," Master pleaded. "I don't want a relationship where one is master and the other punishes. I believe what you're saying has truth. This isn't solved today or tomorrow. We adventure together. I need to know your heart, and you mine. We close the gap slowly. Can we do that?"
"Master," Fam said, her voice steady but filled with emotion, "I am a free citizen. An adventurer. Things like this will happen again. No one protects me. I know you'd laugh if I said I'd protect you now. I'm just a stray you picked up. But I will grow with you. No matter what, I will protect you. I will deliver your blade to your enemy's throat. But... if you don't want that... then I... I..." Fam's voice cracked. "I care so much... A world without you has no value. I cannot forgive your enemies."
Master was speechless. This is the resolve behind her simple promise to follow me. What had he done, forcing a crying, beaten village girl into this harsh adulthood? I dragged her into that goblin fight. This is the price. Fam was becoming an adult terrifyingly fast. Is this right? What about me?
"I wanted to protect you too, Fam," Master finally managed. "Thought I was. Couldn't bear you becoming a murderer because of me. And... Wind Blade helped me once. Hesitated to kill him."
"If I lose my master, it's over for me," Fam stated simply.
"I can't imagine losing you either," Master admitted.
"You gave me freedom," Fam said, her gaze intense. "I want the freedom to act as I choose towards you. I have many feelings. Contradictory ones. Words fail me often. I think it's the same for you, Master. Know me slowly. Learn my heart. And I yours. Also... let's play a game later." She'll probably want something erotic. Best stay quiet. Fam might be angry, but she'd shown him there was space for forgiveness.
"...Is the lovers' quarrel over?" Mizuki asked dryly. Heat flooded Master's face; Fam's cheeks were crimson too.
"What about Wind Blade, Mizuki?" Master asked, desperate to change the subject.
"Just disliked Reid's methods," Mizuki shrugged. "Honestly? Relieved no one died. And I support freeing Mr. Beers."
"Um, Fam?" Master asked timidly, using the honorific. "Honestly?"
"Yes. I agree." Fam's tone was clipped but accepting.
Master sighed in relief, rubbing his chest. "Great. Then here's money. Stay at Asukatei tonight. Leave tomorrow."
"You're sure?" Beers spoke for the first time, his voice higher than Master expected.
"Ah." Master pulled 10 silver coins from storage. "Enough for dinner?" Beers took them eagerly and left.
"Now, Cecily and Ayla." Master turned to the remaining women. Grateful for a high-level mage and priest, but enslaving them felt wrong. They'd been kind to him. He wanted peace.
He studied Cecily. Straight blonde hair to her shoulders, revealed now without her concealing pointed hat. A strong-willed, cute face. Mizuki's height, perhaps. Curves fuller than Fam's, less than Mizuki's. Black mage's robe to her knees; sitting upright, her white knees showed. Bend down... look inside...? No, Mizuki would kill me.
He looked at Ayla. Black hair to her chest, gentle features like Myra's. Also cute. Shorter than Cecily. And her breasts... voluptuous, larger even than Mizuki's. Monk's robes covered her feet. Same hairstyle and outfit as Myra. Not twins, but uncannily similar. Close? Distinguishing marks: Ayla had a mole under her right eye's corner; Myra under her left. Breast size is the easiest tell.
Both women looked down, enduring the numbness in their legs. Dating Reid, Mizuki had said. The three of them... close.
"I wonder if it's okay to fall for you..." Master gulped, the thought slipping out.
"Mm, you can like me, but you can't make me like you!" Mizuki snapped instantly.
"No, do as you like, Master," Fam countered immediately.
"You're trying to get me to do something naughty!" Mizuki accused. How does she know?
"You saved my life," Ayla said quietly, finally speaking. "You should decide."
"So, Mash," Mizuki pressed, "are you really going to do something naughty? Will Fam be okay?"
"You are a free citizen, my lord," Fam stated, her loyalty unwavering.
"Hmm, I don't agree at all," Mizuki huffed, "but... can't win two against one." She gave in. Fine, Master thought, give her the most disgusting option she'll hate.
"Okay then, Ayla," Master said, aiming for maximum cringe. "Pretend to be Myra. Hold me one night, I free you both."
"HI!" Screeches erupted from all three women. Fam looked horrified too. Why? They weren't looking at him. They were staring past him, eyes wide. Bad feeling.
He slowly turned. The room was larger than he realized. Myra stood on the far side of the bed, a wide, terrifying smile on her face.
"Myra-san... how long...?"
"Here the whole time," Myra said, her voice deceptively sweet. "By the way? This is my room." The scent... Myra's. It's over. Everything.
"It seems my turn has finally come," Myra said, stepping forward. "May I speak?"
"...yes..." Master felt like he was walking on nails.
"I think it's fine for Mash-sama to hold Ayla," Myra began, her smile not wavering, "but releasing her? Inappropriate."
Likes her little sister held by an old man? Master thought, bewildered.
"Why?"
"Mash-sama summoned Lady Lachchel and won," Myra explained, her tone turning serious. "Wind Blade is now God's enemy. Reed was saved, yet attacked Mash-sama. You show generosity, wanting to forgive even that. But what will those who witnessed it think? Seeing Cecily and Ayla freed?" The consequences of summoning Lachchel... I hadn't considered the political fallout.
"I see," Master murmured. "So they need punishment from me. For a time."
Myra nodded. She understood the gravity I missed.
"But that wasn't the goddess Lachchel," Master protested weakly. "Just a slightly crazy cosplay lady deceiving people."
Myra shook her head firmly. "No, Mash-sama. Absolutely true. I've prayed at the temple daily for this day. If it were a lie... you would be judged by the world." Summoning her wasn't just a tactic; it was a declaration with world-shaking repercussions. A mistake.
"Right," Myra said, her gaze shifting. "Please wait. I forgot: when Mash-sama awakens, he must call the priest." She left without waiting for a reply.
The priest who refused to come before now makes a point of it, Master thought, the weight of his actions settling heavily upon him. Summoning Lachchel hadn't just won a duel; it had irrevocably changed his place in this world.