Chapter 241: What If the Master Didn't Exist (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 241: What If the Master Didn't Exist (4)
A pinkish hue filled Mirabelle's lifeless eyes.
The pink fox, who was always bickering with her, floated leisurely with a relaxed smile.
Mirabelle parted her parched lips with difficulty.
“Rin…?”
“My name is indeed Rin, but I'm not the Rin you know.”
Her name was simply the Gumiho.
The fox spirit and queen of yokai, feared by all, needed no other name.
That had been her creed, but one human changed it.
Her new name was Rin.
The title he called her by was ‘Big Rin.’
She was the Gumiho from before Rin.
“How are you here…?”
“Tricks are a fox's specialty,” Rin said with a wink.
Rin’s circumstances were a little different from the other slaves.
Like the others, she had grown stronger with Karami, but the circumstances of her fateful encounters were different.
Rin's fateful opportunity lay in the very fox den where she had been imprisoned her entire life.
Though she only possessed the meager power of a one-tailed fox, she was in a much better position than Mirabelle, whose mana was completely sealed.
She had threatened the Fox Elder into opening a secret door and navigated the maze beyond.
In the underground shrine she reached, she found a golden Fox Orb. It contained the Solar Eye and the power of the previous Gumiho. By taking it in, she had gained strength.
There was no conflict between the two Gumihos. The moment she entered Rin's body, she had glimpsed her memories.
Memories of the master who had warmly caressed the lonely fox.
Of course, it was only half of her full power, but that wasn't a major issue.
She could replenish her spiritual power anytime by absorbing the power of other yokai.
She also knew of the resentment Heukbi harbored. Once she soothed Heukbi's heart and reclaimed the power of the Lunar Eye, she would become the complete Gumiho once more.
The process had taken a long time at first, but not anymore.
All she had to do was follow the path her master had paved for her.
Rin extinguished the flames and freed Mirabelle.
“Does the fact that you came for me mean…”
“That this isn't real. That our master didn't abandon us, and that meeting him wasn't a dream.”
At those words, Mirabelle clutched her chest. Her eyes welled with tears as a wave of immense relief washed over her.
Rin easily shattered the red shackle that had been choking Mirabelle.
Only then did Mirabelle's mana circuits begin to function normally.
Her power wasn't what it used to be, but her knowledge remained, so she had no trouble using magic. She healed her wounds completely.
“Do you know where we are?”
“From what I've gathered, a power that enforces causality is at work throughout this world. If you try to stray from the predetermined path, you're sent back to the beginning.”
“So it's a regression loop…”
“Another rule is that slaves are forbidden from interfering with one another. There's a powerful barrier around this very city.”
She could approach Mirabelle only because she wasn't, strictly speaking, Karami's slave.
She acknowledged him as her master, but they had never formed a soul contract. Theirs was merely a verbal agreement.
And in this business, verbal contracts don't count for much.
“Does that mean we were attacked in the real world?”
“Trapping our entire group would be difficult even for a god. It's more likely we entered this place voluntarily. I suspect it was your magic, Mirabelle.”
“Mine?”
Why would she ever cast such a nightmarish spell? No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't think of a single reason.
“We'll find out the details once we get out of here. The others are probably in similar situations.”
Mirabelle nodded. Her hands felt empty without her staff, but there was nothing to be done.
She rose into the sky with Rin.
“By the way, how did you know I was here?”
“Did you forget you all shared your memories?”
They had shared their memories to get to know one another.
The places where each slave first met Karami. She figured that if Karami didn't exist in this world, the slaves would be found near those locations.
With the barriers preventing them from being approached, pinpointing their locations was easy.
“But you said if we stray from the path, we'll be sent back to the beginning…”
“Right. That's why I came. This is a clone imbued with my consciousness. The real Rin is still in the fox den.”
Big Rin and Little Rin, as they were called, were the same Gumiho and shared a body, but they were distinctly separate personalities.
Since she was Rin and yet not Rin, her leaving the fox den didn't count as deviating from the predetermined path.
A clever trick only Rin could pull off.
“A fox's mischief.”
“Standard practice for a Gumiho.”
It was the same playful smile she always saw on Rin's face, yet this one held a mature grace.
*
After Mirabelle cast her spell, everyone fell asleep. Karami quietly watched over his slaves.
They all looked as if they were trapped in nightmares; none of them seemed at peace.
Cold sweats and furrowed brows were the norm. They trembled and occasionally twitched.
Mirabelle seemed to be in the worst state. Cradled in Karami's arms, she flinched and wept.
He patted her back gently, but it didn't seem to help.
An hour passed like that.
When the spell's duration ended, the slaves opened their eyes in unison. Awakening from the spell and returning to reality, they let out hollow breaths.
First was Elize. She hadn't suffered any particular hardship.
She had simply wandered aimlessly, unable to find a destination, until time ran out and she awoke.
While Elize roamed the world, Azyeth couldn't take a single step out of her ice prison.
She remained trapped there until the spell wore off.
Next was Narsha.
Narsha, realizing that leaving the room or killing the knight would trigger an infinite regression, simply bound the knight and waited.
She didn't have the slightest intention of doing anything shameless with the knight.
She would rather be trapped in that infinite loop forever.
Then there was Alfia.
Of all the slaves, she had suffered the most horrific experience. Though, at a certain point, she had been so drugged she could no longer think clearly.
The Gumiho's clone found Alfia in this state and cast an illusion on her broken mind.
She gave her a happy dream so she wouldn't have to suffer.
Mirabelle, who had escaped to safety with the Gumiho, also woke up as time ran out.
In the outside world, only an hour had passed.
But for the slaves, it had felt like an eternity.
Every one of them looked utterly exhausted.
Alfia, in particular, seemed dazed, her eyes unfocused as if she had just woken from a deep dream.
“How was it? Was your curiosity satisfied?”
“……”
“Rin seems fine.”
That was because Rin had already been through something similar during the Gumiho’s Trial. There was a world of difference between those who had experienced it and those who hadn't.
“It wasn't a pleasant experience, was it? I'm sorry. We shouldn't have gone through with it.”
Even though they had been curious, he felt a heavy responsibility for knowing what could happen and not stopping them.
He should have at least let them retain the knowledge that it was a world of magic.
The others seemed to agree, remaining silent.
“That's not true, Master.”
Just then, Mirabelle, still nestled in Karami's arms, looked up and spoke in a small voice.
“I realized just how precious you are, Master. I truly can't live without you.”
Close enough for her breath to touch him, Mirabelle smiled, her cheeks bunching up softly.
“Thank you for saving me, Master.”
The other slaves were also smiling faintly.
A wave of gratitude flowed directly from their souls, which Karami possessed.
“I see. Thank you for saying that.”
It hadn't been an entirely bad experience, then.
*
It was time for his once-a-week night with one of his slaves.
Today was Mirabelle's turn.
As usual, Karami waited in the bedroom, and before long, Mirabelle arrived in her nightgown.
But Mirabelle didn't enter the room alone. He could hear some sort of scuffle at the door.
‘Something feels off.’
Mirabelle finally entered, dragging Naredi in by the hand.
Naredi was also wearing a one-piece nightgown.
“I was expecting you, Mirabelle, but what brings Naredi here?”
“I felt like you and Mom needed to bond more. I'm sure if we all sleep together, you'll grow closer.”
“I have your father, sweetie. How can I sleep with another man?”
“Dad would understand if it's with Master! Right, Dad?”
She held up the skull in her hand.
Naturally, there was no answer.
Tossing her slippers aside, Mirabelle eagerly scrambled onto the bed and claimed the spot next to Karami.
Beaming, she hugged his arm tightly.
The two of them stared at Naredi, who was still standing there awkwardly.
“Come on, Mom.”
“Sigh…”
Unable to refuse Mirabelle, Naredi finally climbed onto the bed.
“Oh, Master. Here.”
Mirabelle took out a shackle identical in color and shape to the one around her own neck.
“What is this?”
“I want you to put it on Mom. Please give her a gift: proof that she's my mother, and proof that she's your slave.”
“M-Mirabelle?”
Mirabelle squeezed the flustered Naredi's hand.
“I wouldn't want this for anyone else, but I'd be happy for you to wear the same shackle as me, Mom. I think I'd be so happy if we wore matching ones.”
“Mirabelle, even so, this is…”
Mirabelle handed the shackle to Karami and pushed Naredi toward him. Karami glanced between the shackle in his hand and Naredi, then gave a sly grin.
“What would you have me do? Of course, I won't force you.”
“Mom, you'll do it, right?”
Mirabelle pleaded, her eyes filled with earnest, innocent desire.
Naredi was a mother with a total weakness for her daughter. If it was for her daughter's happiness, and at the request of the man who had saved her life, she could endure any trial—both as a mother and as a woman.
“…Do as you please.”
Mirabelle's face lit up.
“She said yes, Master!”
“I see. In that case, Mirabelle, would you do the honors of putting it on Naredi?”
“Me?”
“I think that would be for the best.”
Mirabelle didn't quite understand why, but she was a faithful slave who obeyed her master's wishes.
She took the shackle back from Karami and reached for Naredi.
Naredi hesitated for a moment before closing her eyes in resignation. She lifted the hair from the back of her neck, tilting her head slightly to make it easier.
Mirabelle fastened the black shackle around her neck.
Click.
Seeing Naredi wearing the shackle, Mirabelle gasped in delight.
“Wow! It looks amazing on you, just like I thought! Mom, you're the most beautiful person in the world right now.”
“…Really? You think so?”
“Yes!”
“Well, if you say so, then I'm happy.”
Naredi gave a wry smile.
‘God, they're making me so damn horny.’
A mother and daughter who looked so much alike, coming to his bed. And on top of that, the depraved spectacle of the daughter fastening a slave's shackle onto her own mother.
Karami's sadistic urges went through the roof.
He pulled them both down forcefully. Mirabelle and Naredi landed against his chest.
“Two beautiful witches, now my slaves. As your master, I couldn't be happier.”
“I'm so happy I get to sleep with you and Mom, Master! I love you both so, so much! Right, Mom?”
“Yes… As long as you're happy, Mirabelle, I'm happy too.”
Karami stroked the hair of the mother and daughter resting their heads on his chest. He felt a sense of pride, as if he had taken a great step toward becoming a true master.
I'll just keep living and doing whatever I want, he thought.
And the next morning.
“Good morning, Master!”
“Ah, good morning… M-Master.”
Similar faces.
Identical shackles.
But two maids offering morning greetings with entirely different feelings.
[0]
Naredi
[8]
Mirabelle
Numbers appeared above their heads.