Chapter 215: The World's Strongest Party
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 215: The World's Strongest Party
Clank.
A shackle fastened itself around Morgana’s soul.
Outwardly, nothing had changed.
But the one who had become a slave knew.
She was bound by an indescribable pressure.
Everyone who becomes a slave does the same thing: they check to see if, just maybe, they can break the shackles.
But with every attempt, they are forced to face reality and fall into despair. Morgana was no different.
'I can never break this.'
She knew instantly.
This couldn't be broken.
She couldn't even begin to comprehend the principles behind it.
After despair came acceptance.
She had no choice but to admit that she was now, unequivocally, Karami’s slave.
“Hah…”
Morgana let out a sigh of resignation.
“Did you just sigh?”
“Are you out of your mind?!”
Rin and Alfia approached her. Alfia stood with her arms crossed and her weight on one leg, while Rin had her hands on her hips.
The two of them had been displeased from the moment Karami announced he was making Morgana a slave.
Seeing this woman they already disliked let out a sigh sent their anger gauges shooting to the max.
Of course, Morgana wasn't one to be intimidated.
“What.”
“‘What?’ You should be thanking him for making you a slave, not sighing!”
“What have you been babbling about this whole time? Are you all collectively insane? Do you not know what it means to become a slave?”
“Good fortune?”
“Infinite trust.”
Morgana closed her eyes.
This had to be a dream.
There was no other explanation for this collective madness.
If she closed her eyes and opened them again, everything would go back to normal.
One.
Two.
Three.
Now.
“Hey, junior. You’re in the presence of your senior, Rin! You’re looking a little too high and mighty. Bow your head.”
It didn't work.
Though some were displeased with the outcome, no one raised their voice further, as it was Karami’s decision.
“If her attitude displeases you, Master, please let me know. If need be, I can just use magic to remodel her personality.”
“M-Magic Tower Master?”
Thanks to Mirabelle’s casually chilling remark, Morgana decided not to act so recklessly anymore.
With that, the incident was settled.
It was time to get to the main point.
The reason Karami had come to Vestia was none other than Mirabelle.
“Miss Mirabelle, how did you manage to place a shackle without me? And were you the one who attacked us before?”
It had happened suddenly one day while he was looking after Rin.
Mirabelle’s Reaper had appeared out of nowhere and attacked, and shortly after, a notification had popped up. The number of slaves he had fully liberated had decreased by one.
Mirabelle had shackled herself on her own.
“…Yes. It was me.”
“Why? Was it revenge against me?”
“O-Of course not! Revenge against you, Master? That’s unthinkable! I just… needed your mana…”
“You collected my mana by breaking the shackles on the other slaves?”
“Yes…”
Rin wasn't the only target of the Reaper's attack. The cat people had been attacked as well. Though they had no external injuries, their shackles had vanished and their contracts were broken.
“Hey, Witch! You don’t have to feel guilty! Thanks to you, I came to like Mastah!”
If his contract with Rin had been broken, it would have been a catastrophe, but thankfully, that didn't happen. In fact, it became the catalyst for Rin to open her heart to Karami.
“Is… that so?”
“It is! I’ll never forget it. Mastah held me on that rainy day, petted me, and blew on my wounds to make them better. It’s all thanks to you! So stand tall!”
“I knew I should have done whatever it took to keep you away from the Master back then…”
“Too late, I’m never leaving~”
Rin stuck her tongue out and clung tightly to Karami.
Mirabelle berated herself for her past naivete, but it was far too late.
“So you used my mana to create the shackle?”
“Yes. I’ve been analyzing it carefully ever since we were together. My magic skills improved immensely at the Magic Tower, so I was able to do it.”
“Is it identical to the ones I make? Can I remove it if I want to?”
“It is… but…”
Mirabelle shrank back.
She radiated an aura of pure anxiety.
“Why…? Are you going to remove it?”
“I don’t know what you were thinking when you put the shackle back on, but becoming my slave without my consent doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
“That’s…”
“And you should take off that shackle around your neck. It’s not a pleasant thing to look at, so why are you still wearing it?”
“…”
Mirabelle hung her head low.
Her staff trembled anxiously.
Soon, the sound of sniffling could be heard.
“Hic. I… I just wanted to be with you, Master…”
“We can be together. Do we have to be master and slave? We could be friends, or like a brother and sister, or even…”
“Stop it. You’re making the kid cry.”
Alfia stepped in to shield Mirabelle.
She began to comfort the sniffling girl.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. We all know how you feel. The shackle is gorgeous. The Master gave it to you, right?”
“Sob… Yes…”
“That man just doesn’t understand a slave’s heart.”
“That’s right!”
'Who in the world knows more about slaves than I do?'
You could go to any city in the kingdom and easily find slaves being beaten and starved.
They’re all desperate to be freed.
'You guys are the weird ones for constantly trying to become slaves.'
“If you really want to remain my slave… fine. Let’s just terminate the contract. We can maintain the master-servant relationship without it, can’t we?”
He didn't know why they were so obsessed with the master-servant dynamic, but if it was just in name, Karami was fine with it.
It was Karami’s compromise.
But Mirabelle shook her head vigorously.
“N-No.”
“You call yourself my slave, yet you refuse to listen to me?”
“I’m sorry… But I can’t do this one thing.”
“Even if it’s my command?”
“…”
This was an act of defiance from Mirabelle, who would listen to Karami even when she wouldn't listen to her own mother. She knew her actions were wrong, yet she refused to yield.
“…I understand for now.”
“I’m sorry.”
It was an issue that needed to be resolved eventually, but he felt bad pushing her any further, and for now, Elize was the priority. He decided to let it go.
“Then can you place that shackle on someone else?”
“Yes. As long as I have your mana, I can do it.”
The reason Karami had sought out Mirabelle was because of the shackles of subjugation.
Karami couldn't re-contract with a slave he had already liberated. But Mirabelle had managed to re-establish the contract herself, and even the system had acknowledged it.
Karami’s idea was that if Mirabelle could place a shackle on Elize, he might get another chance.
“Really? You can do it? Then can you do it for me?”
“Rin too! Do it for Rin too!”
Alfia and Rin desperately wanted the soul shackles as well.
The sense of security and comfort that came from being connected as one with their master. It even increased their power.
The two of them were already unhappy that they didn't have shackles while the newcomer, Morgana, did.
“No. Absolutely not.”
But there was no way Karami would allow it. If he did, the number he had painstakingly raised to [3/5] would plummet to [1/5].
“In any case, it’s possible. Good. Miss Mirabelle, you will come with me to the Holy Kingdom.”
“Yes!”
Mirabelle replied energetically, thrilled at having been chosen.
In contrast, Rin tugged on Karami’s pants with a gloomy expression.
“Mastah, Rin wants to go too.”
“Hmm…”
“Why are you only taking Mirabelle? Rin wants to be with Mastah too. Don’t leave Rin behind. I won’t cause any trouble, and I’ll be good. Rin has reflected a lot.”
Rin pleaded earnestly, her eyes sparkling.
Her ears drooped, anxious at the thought of being rejected.
Karami hesitated for a moment.
The reason he didn't travel with liberated slaves was that they were impossible to control. If they went berserk, he wouldn't be able to handle the aftermath.
Worse, Rin had a history of imprisoning him the moment she was freed. She was more of a risk than any of the others.
“You’ll really be good?”
“I’ll be good.”
“You won’t try to imprison me like last time?”
“I’ll never do it again.”
But she hadn't caused any major problems so far today, and it seemed that with Mirabelle around, he could control her even if she acted up.
In that case, there was room to give her a chance.
“If Mastah can’t trust Rin, then I’ll give this to Mastah.”
What Rin created was a fox orb, a mystical harmony of pink, gold, and the pale blue of a dawn sky.
Contained within it was the gumiho’s power and her memories with her master.
The essence of a yokai, Rin’s very everything.
And she was offering it to Karami.
For a human, it was no different from offering up one’s soul, but if it meant regaining his trust, Rin would gladly hand over her fox orb.
Karami stared at the orb.
It was the fox orb he had helped her nurture ever since she became a three-tailed fox. It had once been the size of a fist, but now it was as large as a person’s head.
He had given her a name and raised her from a young age. She was a unique troublemaker, but he could never bring himself to hate her.
“Alright. Rin, you can come with us.”
“Yay! I’ll do my best, Mastah!”
Rin’s expression brightened instantly.
Her nine tails danced joyfully.
'Is she really that happy?'
Karami smiled wryly.
“Darling, I’m obviously going too, right? You know without me having to say it.”
“I gave up on that a long time ago.”
In any case.
The party was formed.
One master, three slaves.
A pathetically weak master.
But with the combined might of his three slaves, it was the birth of a party that could truly be called the strongest in the world.