Alchemy Conference (2)
The touch on my head and the words "Good girl" felt just like a master lavishly praising a pet dog for obeying orders. I never treated Terria like this even when I was in my original body. The thought that it demeaned a person below human level made anger surge up inside me.
"Don't talk to me like that. And don't pet my head."
"Praising a well-behaved slave is the master's duty, isn't it? Though the actual master never did much for me."
Terria said it so brazenly, without a hint of shame. I sat up and snapped at him face-to-face.
"Praise? You call that praise? Anyone can see you're just mocking me. You think this is a joke?"
"Who knows. If the one saying it means it as praise, isn't that what matters?"
"What bullshit... Fine, whatever. It's done, right? I did exactly what you told me to."
"Yeah, you followed my orders perfectly, Master. That's it."
Conversation was pointless. No point talking more, I figured, so I shut my mouth. I'd just made a deal with Terria. We offered what the other wanted and complied. The humiliation from it... wasn't a big deal. Thinking back now that it was over, it might even have been a good deal. In the end, it was this simple. Less than ten minutes, no one but us knew. And yet, for some reason, the sense of humiliation lingered in my mind, refusing to leave. I shook my head to chase it away and changed the subject.
"If you're done eating, let's head out. If we leave now, we should make it just before nightfall."
"Should we? But there's one thing we need to settle first, right?"
He'd said it was over. Why was he grinning like that? What else did he want? I'd already noticed myself tensing up at every word from Terria. Feeling deflated, I let out a sigh.
"Haa, what now? What's left?"
"How we address each other."
"Huh? Address each other?"
"Yeah. You can't use casual speech with me in front of others, right? And I need to think about what to call you, Master."
I'd forgotten one key fact. Terria had used the slave brand to swap our bodies and commanded me not to reveal that fact myself. That meant he had no intention of outing himself either. So until someone figured it out—or the truth came out some other way—everyone would see us as a normal master-slave pair. But that didn't mean I had to play the slave, did it? With a sliver of hope, I asked cautiously.
"What if I just keep using casual speech with you?"
"Obviously, you'd have to do what the original master did, right?"
What I used to do. I imagined it reversed: if I were in my original body and Terria spoke casually to me? I'd slap him right across the face... Ugh. The sensation from earlier was still vivid. It hurt. Hurt like hell. I didn't want to feel that pain again. It was different from the occasional pains I'd endured on the battlefield before. Realizing that meant I had no choice but to play the slave, I widened my eyes. Terria spoke up.
"Even I think it'd be tough for you, Master, so let's practice now. Come on, say 'Master.'"
"...I'll do it later. Just in front of people, right?"
"Nah, I don't know. I don't like the idea of getting hit in my face either. Better practice thoroughly before anything happens. Come on, say 'Master' quick."
"I-I'll do it perfectly, no mistakes. I can do it... Uht."
I hadn't done anything wrong, but under his gaze—like I was pleading excuses—I flinched again. Those reddish-brown eyes staring cruelly stirred an indescribable feeling. Terria had already mastered controlling my face, expressions and all. My breath quickened, and my tail twitched irregularly with it. Stammering, I said,
"M-Mas... ter, hngh..."
"See? You can't even do it now. How're you gonna manage outside?"
Something snapped at his dismissive tone. Defiance flared up.
"Master."
"Hehe, good job. Now for the finale: 'I'm the slave Terria.'"
"...What?"
Terria was grinning ear to ear. While I wanted to bite my tongue and die, he clearly enjoyed this. Just you wait till we switch back. You're dead. I swore it to myself dozens of times just to endure.
"Come on, hurry up. We're late already."
Stop rushing me! I squeezed my eyes shut and spat it out.
"Master. I'm the slave... fuck, Terria. Happy now?"
"No, no cursing. Do it again."
"Master. I'm the slave Terria."
Only then did Terria nod, satisfied. As his hand reached to pet my head again, I recoiled and smacked it away. I fled to the bedroom like my life depended on it, hearing Terria start on the dishes behind me. Perched on the bed, I stared blankly into space. There was a vast gap between thinking it in my head and saying it aloud. Hearing "Master" echo back doubled the invasion of my thoughts. In half a day, our positions had flipped completely. I was the slave, Terria the master. Outwardly, nothing had changed. The golden-haired, blue-eyed beastkin slave girl and the reddish-brown-eyed male mage master. Then what am I? The sudden thought hit me. If everyone saw me and Terria as slave and master, wouldn't that make it true? With the red choker and ragged clothes, now I had to act the part too. And people would accept it naturally. So what was I? Mage or slave? If someone asked who I was, I'd have to say Ariel's slave. Even if I claimed to be Ariel, no one would believe me. Overwhelmed by creeping sadness and confusion, I unconsciously twirled my hair around my finger. The golden strands wrapping around it oddly soothed my mind. I sighed, haa. My tail drooped limply too. It mirrored my mood so well I couldn't help a wry chuckle.
Normally, I'd use magic to move heavy luggage. But Terria couldn't use magic. That meant hauling all the conference tools, reagents, clothes—everything—by hand. Luckily, the extradimensional coat with no weight limit still worked fine. I'd have been stuck lugging dozens of kilos like a peddler in this frail body otherwise. We portaled to the city hosting the conference, then took a carriage for a boring ride. Terria struck up a conversation, saying he'd gotten used to it and would drop the "Master" title now. No retort came to mind, so I just told him to do as he pleased.
"So, Ariel. Why were you in such a rush for the conference? We just need to arrive by tonight, right?"
"That's..."
How could I say that, in this state, I planned to slip something into the Red Tower Lord's drink at the evening banquet? Too embarrassing. He'd think I was pathetic. But Terria eyed me with a sour look, like he knew everything.
"Whatever. Knowing you, it was probably some pointless prank. He should be thanking me."
"..."
As I hemmed and hawed, Terria suddenly shifted from across the carriage to my side. His body brushed my shoulder, and I tensed up with a jolt.
"Wh-what now...? Hnnght."
"Just wanted to touch."
He kneaded my fluffy ears roughly with those calloused hands. My face flushed red in an instant, a moan slipping out. This is cheating...
"Hngh... s-suddenly why, stop...!"
"Playing cute now? Honestly, it is cute, hehe."
Being called cute snapped me awake as my whole body went limp, breaths coming in gasps. Cute? To a guy like me, "cute" was as bad as "ugly." That's for little girls. I raised my arms to swat his hand, but he grabbed both wrists.
"Huuht, let go...! Hnngh... Haht!"
Electric pleasure surged from my ears, feeling way too good. What a body full of weaknesses. As I writhed to shake him off, Terria whispered,
"Say 'Please stop, Master,' and I'll quit."
"Hngh, you psycho... bastard. Haahngh!"
But his lewd touches showed no sign of stopping, probing deeper into my ear. Touching the soft insides would be dangerous. Even in the carriage, sound might leak out. Stammering, I rushed the words.
"M-Master... please stop, hehngh... please...! Nnght!"
I'd said it. Even alone in the carriage, I'd played the slave and called him Master. But it didn't carry the same resistance as the first time. Annoyed by that, I cursed.
"Haa, haa, haaa... fuck."
"Ariel, keep using foul language and I'll punish you again? Use pretty words only. Slaves shouldn't curse."
"O-okay..."
I answered hastily as his hand reached again. Glaring at him with narrowed eyes in frustration, but he just grinned like it was the best thing ever. Irritated, I clicked my tongue and turned to the window. We'd nearly arrived. Soon after, we reached the massive hotel hosting the alchemy conference late at night. For this whole week, surrounded by familiar mages everywhere, I'd have to play the slave. How did it come to this...?