Theorad Dreaming (3)
A heavy silence blanketed the area.
I could see the woman and the Elf exchanging loaded glances, but their auras were far too vicious for me to step in and try to calm things down.
"Hey."
The arms wrapped around me loosened and slipped away. The woman rose from her seat, fixing the Elf with a gaze laced with contempt and disdain. Perhaps because of the woman's imposing height, the Elf had no choice but to tilt her head up slightly.
"You're wearing a maid uniform. And you called him 'Master,' right?"
"That's right."
"Then that means... you're a servant in this mansion?"
"No. I'm Master's slave."
"Slave?"
One of the woman's eyes twitched. She made no effort to hide her disgust.
"A mere slave trying to restrict her master's actions?"
"As if."
The Elf replied with her usual smiling face.
"I was just speaking up because I'm worried about Master. It'd be a problem to bring a woman of unclear status into the mansion, wouldn't it?"
"Sorry, but that's unavoidable. I lost my memories because of a drug from slave hunters."
"Ah. So you know your own name, recognized a maid uniform at a glance, and understand the concepts of slaves and servants... but conveniently forgot where you lived. Slave hunters must use some really handy drugs."
The woman twitched her eyebrows wordlessly. Caught off guard and at a loss for words, she said nothing, and the Elf pressed on with a grin.
"No matter how I look at it, you seem to have come to the wrong place for help. Why not try a brothel instead? I don't know the full details, but from what you just said about offering your body to Master... it seems you have no sense of chastity at all..."
"Hey."
"Oh, if I misspoke, I apologize. But generally speaking, isn't someone who offers their body to repay a favor a prostitute? Even if it's not your profession, if your mindset is that of one, wouldn't it be best to just go work at a brothel?"
The woman clenched her fists, grinding her teeth. Humiliation. The relentless barbs must have felt like unbearable insults.
It seemed like it was time for me to intervene, so I stood and brushed the dirt from my knees. But before I could speak, the woman scoffed.
"A slave lecturing me on chastity? If you're going to talk about virtue, shouldn't you start with yourself? With a pretty face like that, you must have been sold as a sex slave. How many times have you already been taken?"
"That's rude. I'm still a virgin who hasn't had relations with Master yet."
Seizing on the admission of no relations, the woman dramatically covered her mouth.
"Oh my. That's a problem in its own way. How little feminine charm must you have for your master not to lay a hand on you even after buying you as a sex slave? In a sense, it's quite pitiful."
The smile vanished from the Elf's face. She shot me a cold glare before turning back to the woman.
"Wrong. Master cherishes me so much that he hasn't touched me. He even said we'd have relations in three days. If I truly lacked feminine appeal, he wouldn't have suggested it at all."
"Is that so? But it's a bit odd. People don't usually schedule relations like that. And in a master-slave relationship, one-sided sex is possible anyway, so why bother?"
"That's..."
Not giving her room to defend herself, the woman smirked slyly.
"I get it! Your master pities you so much he's offering to sleep with you once. He bought a sex slave, but she has no appeal, and leaving her untouched feels too cruel out of sympathy, so he's suggesting it out of compassion, right?"
"You..."
"Sorry if it's a misunderstanding. But it's not wrong, is it? Unless he's some doddering old man, any man would want to pounce on a woman. The fact that he hasn't touched the sex slave in his possession can only mean she has no appeal."
The Elf's expression hardened. Her breathing grew noticeably ragged, even to me.
If this kept up, the sparks might fly my way...!
"Ahem!"
I cleared my throat to draw their attention, then approached the Elf from behind and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"She has appeal. If my slave lacked feminine charm, I wouldn't have suggested relations in the first place."
But contrary to my expectations, the Elf didn't look up at me with a lisp or feign being deeply moved. She just kept glaring at the woman with clear displeasure.
"Take your hand off."
She's really angry...
I obediently lowered my hand.
"Looks like you've only ever met that sort of man. Right?"
The woman, who had been so triumphant, responded warily.
"What do you mean by that?"
"The examples you gave are all wrong. Men who pounce on women the moment they see them—either you've only met those kinds, or you've lived such a promiscuous life that your examples come out like that."
"No, what are you..."
"Don't project the image of men from your vulgar experiences onto my Master. He operates on a completely different level from the lowly types in your head."
"Are you done talking?"
"No. Not yet. I'm holding back because Master's here."
As the Elf refused to yield an inch, the woman let out a frustrated breath, seemingly speechless. The atmosphere chilled noticeably.
I wanted to defuse the overheated tension between the two women, but no good ideas came to mind. Then Habid strode toward the Elf and thwacked her on the head.
I gasped in shock, but Habid ignored me, veins bulging in his neck as he bellowed.
"You wench! How dare you bicker with someone the family head has offered to help! Since the family head has promised aid, this lady is practically a guest of the mansion!"
"Butler."
"Heed me! How many times have I told you not to make that venomous face! Your attitude warrants punishment, but I'll let it slide just this once. Escort the guest inside, show her to the bath, and prepare a change of clothes."
Tsk tsk. Habid clicked his tongue in disapproval before turning to the woman.
"I ask that the guest refrain from needlessly insulting the mansion's staff. They are people first, slaves and servants second. Even the family head respects us—it's improper for an outsider of unknown status to treat us with contempt."
"...I'm sorry."
"Thank you for understanding. Please follow the Elf inside, wash up, and make yourself presentable. We'll prepare a meal once your bath is done."
The woman nodded as Habid spoke with a smile. The Elf looked reluctant but sighed deeply, resigned.
"Follow me."
The Elf headed into the mansion, and the woman trailed behind grudgingly. Watching the scene, I turned to Habid with a touch of admiration.
This is what experience looks like...
His skill at defusing the situation was impressive. Without Habid, those two would still be at each other's throats with me in the middle.
Thinking that, Habid's presence felt especially weighty today.
"Thank you, butler."
Habid blinked at my words, then let out a hearty laugh.
"Hoho. Save your thanks. I merely did my duty."
* * *
A short while later. Deharm Mansion, guest bathroom.
"What a pain."
Shake shake shake. Serredi, fresh from her bath, irritably towel-dried her hair in the changing room. The silver-haired, red-eyed Elf who had insulted her still rankled.
Calling me a whore?
Born a succubus—known as a dream demon—she had no choice but to seduce men and drain their essence. But was it something she wanted? It was just an unavoidable task to survive and grow stronger.
The fate of my kind.
Yet some ignorant wench—a mere slave Elf, no less—had demeaned her as a whore, igniting her fury. Of course, the woman didn't know her true nature, but it still soured her mood.
She wanted to rip the Elf apart and leave the mansion, but she held back for now.
—Can you find out which demon Theorad has contracted with? If you succeed, I'll share my power with you.
A direct request from Lerazie, Grand Duke of the Sexual Hell and Queen of Dream Demons. She'd come here risking danger to fulfill it.
So personal feelings had to be set aside.
I don't plan to stay long anyway.
She figured she'd resolve Lerazie's curiosity by tonight. Serredi planned to plumb the secrets of Theorad's dreams.
Generally speaking, no matter how vigilant someone was, their dreams were full of vulnerabilities. Even the iron-mouthed frontier count of Igella Kingdom spilled all his secrets in his dreams.
The human subconscious was that defenseless.
Theorad won't be any different.
Not just the demon contract, but any other useful info she could glean. With Lerazie as backup, she had nothing to fear—she'd wring him dry.
Knock knock—
As Serredi sat on a stool drying her hair in front of the mirror, a knock sounded. A mansion servant? She slicked back her lustrous locks and said flatly,
"Come in."
The door opened, and a maid entered with a change of clothes, a towel for drying, and an ornate comb. The problem was that the maid was the Elf.
Serredi's face soured instantly.
"You again."
But unexpectedly, the Elf bowed politely.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I was flustered and spoke rudely."
"Huh?"
It was absurd, but not incomprehensible. The butler must have chewed her out while she bathed. No intention of forgiving her, but she wouldn't complain about the service.
Serredi beckoned the Elf with a thin smile.
"If you're sorry, come here and brush my hair. Isn't that why you're here?"
"Ah. Y-yes..."
The Elf approached meekly, stood behind her, and began brushing. The gentle, skilled strokes felt pleasant as they glided through her hair.
"By the way, guest. Do you have any foods you dislike?"
Dislikes? Wondering why she asked, Serredi soon realized it was mealtime and understood. Probably asking about allergies.
After a moment's thought, she replied casually.
"Nothing I can't eat, but I hate garlic. The taste, and it lingers in your breath. Avoid it if possible."
"Ah... You dislike different things than I do."
"Pardon? What do you hate then?"
It was an idle question, but the Elf answered with utmost seriousness.
"I hate people who secretly eat the pudding I worked hard to bring. I hate the noble daughter who tricks me so cleverly, like a fox or a bear. Sometimes it's hard to bear."
"Uh, wait...?"
"I hate most humans who betray my goodwill despite my sincerity. You'd feel the same, guest. Right? No one likes when kindness turns to malice."
The mood shifted abruptly. Sensing something wrong, Serredi flinched, but the Elf's slender hands clamped her shoulders, pinning her in place.
"And."
In the mirror, the Elf no longer looked like a slave. Like a predator toying with helpless prey, her playful yet arrogant eyes stared down Serredi through the reflection.
"...I especially hate demons pretending to be human."
As if telling her to sit and listen, the Elf leisurely leaned down and whispered serpent-like into Serredi's ear.
"With every fiber of my being."