Chapter 235: The Master Game (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 235: The Master Game (1)
“Let's set a schedule. From now on, only one person comes to my bedroom at night.”
Ever since the slaves had swarmed my room as a group, they had continued to show up for several nights in a row.
As a man, it was a… gratifying situation, but if this kept up, I felt like I was going to die. I couldn't get any proper sleep.
“Actually, we thought about that too. But there was someone who refused to yield even a single day,” Alfia said, giving Rin a pointed look.
“What? Everyone thinks the same way I do,” Rin replied, her expression unchanging, as if she’d done nothing wrong. “Is there anyone here who doesn’t want to be with the Master every day? I didn’t think so.”
“See? But if you were the one to set the schedule, we'd have no choice but to follow.”
“So you all came to my room every night as a group protest?”
“Yep. We figured if Rin and Mirabelle opened the floodgates, the rest of us wouldn't be able to refuse. For the record, this was Elize's idea.”
Elize shot me a wink.
“A cute girl is invincible, you know.”
So it was all planned, from start to finish. It was terrifying to see what happened when you put a bunch of clever schemers together.
“There are six of you, so we'll do one person per day, and I'll take one day a week for myself. I need some time alone, too.”
The slaves held a serious discussion among themselves to decide the order.
Elize, whose time to drink blood was approaching, would be first. She was followed by Mirabelle, Azyeth, Narsha, Alfia, and finally, Rin. I was surprised; I’d expected Rin to throw a tantrum, demanding to be first.
“Because I feel like the taste of his essence will drop after she drinks his blood,” Rin said.
Even her smallest actions had their reasons. When it came to cunning, she was probably number one.
It seemed Rin’s strategy had struck a nerve with Elize.
“What do you mean, the taste of his essence will drop? It's not like I'm carrying a disease. I'm simply drinking the Master's blood.”
“Did I say you were? I just said it feels like it will.”
“I see you don't understand that casual words can hurt others. Is that something you failed to learn while growing up?”
“The Master has been raising me since I was little. Should I take your words as an insult to him?”
Rin turned the tables with a classic comeback. But Elize, who had been through thick and thin, brushed it off with ease.
“Is that so? Seeing as the other slaves are fine and you're the only one acting this way, shouldn't I interpret this as your problem? To blame your own ignorance on the Master… You haven't even learned the basics of being a slave. Tsk.”
“…”
Sparks flew between the two. It was as if invisible lasers were shooting from their eyes and clashing in mid-air.
It seemed there wasn't a single day they didn't fight.
“Alright, alright, no fighting. It seems you all have a lot of complaints about each other, so let's take this opportunity to clear the air for good.”
For the sake of my own peaceful life, I had to intervene. But since words didn't seem to work, I decided to try a different method.
“How about we play the Master Game?”
*
When you enter a university or join a company, you go through an orientation. Just as taking time to get to know one another helps improve efficiency later on, Karami had come up with a similar method. Under the guise of a game, he intended to break down the invisible barriers between the slaves.
Karami and the slaves sat in a circle on the floor. A small squabble broke out over who would sit next to him, but Karami quickly put a stop to it. The spots beside the Master were taken by Elize and Narsha, who hadn't participated in the fight. Azyeth, claiming to be sleepy, was already sound asleep on the bed.
“The Master Game? I've never heard of such a thing. What kind of game is it, Master?”
“This container holds six sticks. The end of each stick is marked with a number, and only one stick has the word ‘Master’ written on it.”
The King Game. He had just changed the name to the Master Game. After all, they wouldn't listen to a king's command, but they would listen to their master's.
“The rules are simple. The person who draws the stick that says ‘Master’ becomes the Master for that round. The other five are slaves. The one who draws the Master stick earns the right to give a command to another slave.”
“A command to a slave? Does that include you?”
“Of course. If I draw a slave's stick, then for that moment, I too am a slave who must obey the Master's command. All slaves must obey the Master's command.”
At those words, the five slaves stirred.
‘A chance to give an order to the Master?’
The thought flashed through every slave's mind.
“Master, can we order anything?” Rin asked, her expression both serious and suggestive.
“Excessive violence and overly suggestive acts. Those two are forbidden.”
“What's the line?”
An excellent question. She was finally pulling her weight. The slaves focused intently, as if this was the most important issue in the world.
Karami thought for a moment.
“Skin contact is allowed. Touching private parts is forbidden. That should be clear enough.”
Some looked disappointed, but they soon nodded in agreement, deciding the terms weren't so bad.
“Master, what if someone refuses?”
“Refusal to follow an order will result in a penalty. Anyone who refuses will be removed from the nightly rotation for a number of times equal to their refusals. To be fair, if I refuse, I will give a personal reward to the Master of that round.”
Removed from the rotation. They couldn't possibly lose their one chance a week. In other words, they had to obey any command given.
“What happens in the game, stays in the game. Let's agree not to seek revenge later.”
This way, they could all play together and become closer without holding back. Karami marveled at his own insight.
“Shall we begin?”
*
Five slaves stared intently at the container of sticks.
The rule was simple.
You absolutely had to draw the ‘Master stick.’
If you drew that stick, you could give any command you wanted to Karami.
A golden opportunity to treat the Master as a slave!
They couldn't let it pass.
“Alright, everyone draw one.”
The first turn.
Each of them took one of the six sticks. Those who checked their sticks sighed in disappointment. There was only one person smiling, the corners of her lips turned up.
“Wow. Rin is the Master.”
Rin showed everyone the stick with ‘Master’ written on it.
Of all people, why her? A sense of dread washed over them, wondering what kind of command she would issue. As everyone watched Rin and swallowed nervously, she gave the first order of the Master Game.
“Number 5. Kiss the Master's navel for five seconds.”
In this case, ‘the Master’ wasn't Karami, but Rin, who had drawn the Master stick. In other words, the order was to kiss Rin's navel.
A rather risqué command right from the start.
Who would have to perform such a terrible task?
Poor Number 5.
They all looked at each other, searching for the sacrificial lamb.
“Um… that's me. Number 5.”
It was Karami.
In that instant, a flurry of mixed emotions crossed their faces.
Why did it have to be the Master?
I want a kiss on my navel, too.
Things like that.
Karami stood up and approached Rin. She lifted her top, baring her stomach. Her fair skin had a faint peachy glow. A gentle curve that looked soft to the touch, and a deep-set navel. A captivating stomach, even to a rational eye.
Karami pressed his lips against it.
Five seconds.
A long enough time to savor the rich sensation of his lips.
For some, an eternity passed in those five seconds before Karami pulled away.
Rin couldn't stop her lips from twitching into a grin.
“Urk…”
To be forced to helplessly watch Karami kiss someone else. What a cruel game.
But if they drew the Master stick, they could receive the same treatment.
The heat in the room intensified.
The sticks were returned to the container and shaken.
The second turn.
One by one, they drew their sticks. Each person let out a sigh of, “Haa…” as they looked at their own. The sighs overlapped as the sticks disappeared.
Rin, the Master of the previous round, drew last. She gave her stick a cursory glance.
“Wow~ Rin is the Master again?”
Again?
Rin was the Master twice in a row?
“Hmm… who should I pick this time? Okay, Number 1. Will you come sit in front of the Master and close your eyes?”
Who was Number 1…?
“That's… me again.”
Karami raised his hand.
Enduring the stares, Karami came and sat before Rin. What was she planning this time? As if to taunt the anxious slaves, Rin flashed a mischievous smile.
Then, in a flash, she lifted her skirt and covered Karami with it, pulling his head, now enveloped in fabric, into a tight hug.
“Wait a minute!”
“Whyyy? I didn't break any rules. Besides, if he really hated it, the Master would refuse~ But he's not resisting at all, is he? Ooh… Master, your breath is so hot.”
“Ugh…! Enough time has passed! Let him go!” Elize snapped.
Rin laughed and released her hold.
Karami emerged from under the skirt. The sweet, alluring scent unique to a gumiho wafted from him. His face was flushed as if he were drunk.
Alfia glared at Rin.
“You…!”
“What, you got a problem? Then draw the Master stick yourself.”
Rin just shrugged.
Just you wait.
The slaves ground their teeth in frustration.
The third turn.
Once again, Rin was the last to draw. Everyone prayed, channeling all the energy in the universe as they picked their sticks.
Another bust.
Which meant this round's Master was…
“Oh my, Rin is the Master again?”
“Time out!”
“Hey! You cheated! How can you be the Master three times in a row?! You didn't even check your stick just now!”
Protests erupted immediately.
Thinking back, it had been strange from the start. This Master Game wasn't just about drawing the ‘Master stick.’ Since you didn't know the other players' numbers, you couldn't just issue any command you wanted. That was why Karami had chosen the King Game in the first place. The randomness prevented anyone from acting on a personal grudge.
But Rin had singled out Karami with uncanny precision. She had executed actions that benefited only her. Twice in a row.
It was something that could never happen unless she knew exactly which stick Karami held.
Rin was unfazed by the protests. She toyed with her stick, her attitude brazen.
“Do you have any proof that I cheated? If I had openly used my powers, Mirabelle would have caught me. Right?”
Alfia looked at Mirabelle, but Mirabelle's expression was grim. It meant she hadn't detected anything.
“Don't be so pathetic just because I'm lucky. Haven't you learned that it's not a crime if you don't get caught?”
Not a crime if you don't get caught.
It was one of Karami's own mottos.
With nothing she could do, Alfia could only grind her teeth.
Karami, who had been dazed by Rin's pheromones, finally came to his senses and spoke.
“Rin, you manipulated luck, didn't you?”
“Mmm~ I didn't manipulate it. I just bestowed a little bit of luck.”
Luck that the Master stick would go to Rin.
Luck that a specific numbered stick would go to Karami.
A gumiho and fate were inextricably linked. It was as natural as breathing. Directing something as trivial as a stick required no effort at all. Not even Mirabelle could have noticed.
“That is cheating! You cheated, so you get a penalty!”
“Why should I take responsibility for something that's already passed? You should have said something sooner, or turned back time. Then I'll take responsibility.”
“Is that a promise?”
Mirabelle gripped her staff and began to gather her mana. Seeing her looking ready to actually turn back time, Karami stopped her.
“A game has to be fair. It's no fun if even one person cheats. We'll let this round slide, but as a penalty, even if you draw the Master stick for the next two rounds, it will be void.”
“Tch. Fine,” Rin said, deflated. She tossed her stick back into the container. It was a shame, but she was satisfied with the fun she’d had.
The sticks were mixed.
From now on, it would be a true game of luck, with no interference.
The fourth turn arrived.