Chapter 38: The Scroll of Spirit Usurpation (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: The Scroll of Spirit Usurpation (2)
“You'll take away my pain...? What are you talking about?”
The words came out of nowhere.
As the one suffering, Alfia knew the cause of her pain. It was because the various spirits inside her body were mixed up and running rampant.
But Karami couldn't possibly know the details. She'd never spoken of it. His claim to be able to cure her without knowing the cause made no sense.
Did he get his hands on some kind of panacea?
“Those ill-mannered little troublemakers. I'm saying I'll take care of them.”
But that wasn't it.
Troublemakers. There was no doubt he meant the spirits. Karami had pinpointed Alfia’s problem exactly.
The mood around Alfia grew heavy.
“How do you know that? I don't remember ever telling you.”
“You've mentioned it several times in your sleep. That you want to kick all the spirits out.”
“A solution? I couldn't find one in ancient texts, and even the thousand-year-old high elf elders didn't know. But you're telling me you do? Don't lie to me.”
Her voice was sharp as a blade.
Her gaze turned fierce.
This was the most sensitive issue of Alfia's entire life. She had suffered for hundreds of years. She wouldn't forgive anyone for making a joke of it.
Karami's words and actions often lacked sincerity, which made her reaction even more severe.
“Do you still have so little faith in me? I thought I'd given you plenty of reason to trust me.”
“That's not it, but...”
“Then I'll assume you don't want to be cured. Well, you did say you were used to the pain, so I suppose this was just me overstepping.”
Karami clicked his tongue as if disappointed and began to fold the scroll. Alfia's hand shot out unconsciously, stopping him.
“What is it? Is there something you want?”
“W-Well...”
Alfia, who had something to say, fumbled with her words, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to speak and closed her mouth.
But Karami wouldn't let her escape. He spoke in a level voice.
“I think you're mistaken about something. You are my slave, and I am your master. I have the right to know what you're thinking.”
“But...”
“Don't hide it. If you have something to say, say it. This is an order.”
An order.
That overbearing word, one she would normally despise, now sounded like a sweet temptation to Alfia.
It gave her an excuse. She didn't want to say it, but she had to because it was an order. If things went wrong, she could rationalize it was because of the order and escape the blame.
“I... I...”
“Speak. Every last word.”
Alfia was standing right on the edge of the line, and Karami pushed her over.
Alfia began to speak the words she had suppressed for so long. In a thin, cracked voice, as if peeling away the skin of a fruit, one layer at a time.
“The truth is... I was scared.”
Her voice trembled.
“I felt like it would never end. That I would be in pain for the rest of my life... I was so, so scared of that...”
As Alfia spoke, she felt a weight lifting from her. At the same time, more words rose to the tip of her tongue.
“I don't want to be in pain. I never wanted to get used to it. I don't want to drink, and I hate being drunk. I hate being in pain...!”
Alfia poured out her heart. The emotions she had suppressed deep in her chest came out unfiltered in her voice.
The words she had repeated to herself like a mantra for hundreds of years were at first a comfort to endure the pain, but at some point, they became a spell. A spell cast on her own mind, blurring the line between truth and lies. She could no longer distinguish whether it was the true reality or a false sense of security she had created to deceive herself.
The pain she had believed was mere familiarity had wrapped around her like thorny vines, rooting itself so deeply that even she could no longer touch it.
She was afraid someone might touch those thorny vines.
Afraid that if she faced the reality she had so desperately ignored, it would be irreversible.
Worried that it might somehow hurt even more, Alfia had made a habit of saying she was fine.
“I'm not okay. It's so hard. Please... save me.”
But not anymore.
Because she had a master. A master who believed in her unconditionally when even her own kind had ignored her. The master-slave relationship, bound by their souls, could not be easily broken.
She believed, unconsciously, that he would find a way to solve it.
A brief silence fell. Tense breaths rose and fell erratically in her chest.
The spirits were rebelling and running wild, but right now, it felt trivial. Let them rampage. If worse came to worst, she could just die.
“‘Save me.’ When a slave begs like that, a master has no choice but to listen.”
Karami gave a gentle smile and unrolled the scroll he had started to put away. Alfia’s eyes followed it.
“C-Can that really take away my pain?”
“Of course.”
Alfia's gaze seemed to go distant for a moment as if lost in thought, but it quickly returned.
“......Alright. I'll trust you. What do I have to do?”
“First, I should explain this scroll. This is the Scroll of Spirit Usurpation.”
*
The Scroll of Spirit Usurpation.
It was an item obtainable from the Slave Festival, an event one could participate in during Alfia's storyline, and it was essential for her complete liberation.
Using the scroll expands the path between Alfia and the spirits, allowing for direct intervention. She would be able to suppress the rampaging spirits with her own will and forcibly draw upon their power.
However, it wasn't an all-powerful item. In the process of wrestling with the spirits for control, one wrong move could lead to her being devoured by them. This was where the slave’s will stat became crucial.
Alfia's will to be healed.
The will to overcome was necessary.
The problem was, in the game, you could see the stat on the status screen, but not now. He had to make a rough guess, and the hint for that was Alfia's own words.
I don't want to be in pain.
I never wanted to get used to it.
This was the proof that Alfia was revealing her true feelings. A great first step toward facing the reality she had avoided for hundreds of years and moving forward.
Karami had poured his heart and soul into drawing those words out of her, and finally, Alfia had said them.
Karami explained only the necessary parts to Alfia. She nodded gravely.
“...I think I get the gist of it. So I use that to beat down the spirits when they act up?”
“Something like that.”
“Just what I wanted. I've always wanted to smack them around. Let's do it now. What do I do?”
“When I activate the scroll, a brand will be engraved on your body.”
“A brand...?”
Alfia looked slightly taken aback. A brand, once engraved, could never be erased. Even a man would be hesitant, so how much more so for a woman like her?
But there was no other way. Karami had done everything for her. This was something she had to endure.
“Where will it be?”
“Where the spirits are gathered.”
“……”
Alfia lowered her head slightly. The place where the spirits gathered. That was near her heart.
If the brand was placed near her heart, it meant it would be on her chest. Even a woman working in a brothel probably wouldn't get a brand there.
“We don't have much time. We need to do this quickly.”
After a moment of hesitation, Alfia looked up at the ceiling and sighed. A look of resignation settled on her face. Right, he's solving a lifetime of pain. What's a stupid brand compared to that?
Having made her decision, Alfia moved to take off her top.
“...Turn around.”
Karami shrugged and turned his back.
Alfia slowly moved her hands and untied the lace that held her top together. A few soft rustles of fabric were heard, and then the thin cloth slid down her shoulders and fell onto the bed.
Having removed even the cloth covering her chest, Alfia naturally raised her arms to cover herself. Her flushed skin pressed softly against her thin arms.
“...You can look now.”
Karami turned back around. His pupils dilated slightly as if in surprise when he faced Alfia. Alfia blushed and fidgeted.
“W-What are you staring at?”
“No, it's just... why are you like that?”
“What do you mean? You said the brand had to be where the spirits are gathered. That's my heart, so... that's why I'm like this.”
Karami blinked as if he didn't understand, then tilted his head.
“Can't we just do it on your back?”
“Huh...?”
“Branding a woman's chest? What a scandalous thing to say. I have to ask, just in case... you're not into that, are you? As your master, that might be a little... troubling.”
The faint blush on Alfia's cheeks flared into a deep crimson. The redness spread down past her collarbones.
“I-It's not like that! I-I just assumed it had to be on the front...!”
Alfia quickly spun around, showing him her back. The sight of her pale, pink-tinged back was provocative enough, but Alfia was in no state to worry about that.
“J-Just hurry up and do it! You said we don't have time, right?”
“Yes, well...”
Karami replied noncommittally as he unrolled the scroll. Alfia squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the shame, but then pouted, displeased by his bland reaction.
The situation might be urgent, but isn't he being a little too nonchalant? He could have been a little more surprised.
Don't tell me he has a problem down there?
'T-That would be a problem.'
While Alfia, with a serious expression, worried about her future...
'Shit, I'm losing my mind.'
On the outside, Karami was composed, but on the inside, all hell had broken loose. Even for him, who had desperately restrained himself in the game, the sight of a half-naked elf was devastatingly powerful.
If he hadn't synchronized with Karami's soul, he might have forgotten all about liberation and just pounced on her. No wonder people went crazy trying to kidnap elves.
'Hoo, relax.'
A slave is trusting her master completely. I can't betray that trust. Taking a deep breath, Karami barely managed to regain his composure and placed the scroll against her back, over her heart.
“Alright, I'm starting. This might hurt a little.”
Alfia nodded in agreement, and he activated the scroll. An iridescent light poured out from where the scroll touched her back.
“Ngh...”
The branding itself was fine, but the process of forcibly widening the pathway was quite painful. A short cry escaped her lips, and she bit down hard.
“Does it hurt? If it does, you can scream, 'Aaaah, Masteeer!'”
The joke made Alfia burst out laughing despite herself.
“Forget it. This barely even counts as pain.”
He wasn't exactly trustworthy, joking around in a situation like this, but thanks to him, the pain seemed to have vanished. Alfia relaxed and entrusted her body to him.
Shaaa...
The light began to fade.
When he removed the scroll, a fist-sized brand, drawn in glowing green lines, was on Alfia's jade-white back.
It was in the shape of spiraling vines wrapping around four leaves, looking almost like a painting.
“All done.”
“That was faster than I thought.”
Alfia glanced over her shoulder and touched the brand.
“Anything strange? Does it hurt?”
“Hmm? I don't feel anything right now.”
It just felt awkward to have something that wasn't there before, and the thought that it could never be erased left her with a strange, restless feeling.
'It feels kind of... thrilling, too...'
Like a shiver running through her body.
This is basically a stamp that says 'I belong to him.' It was like she was advertising that she was Karami's slave. But was that a bad thing? Not really.
Alfia got dressed, and the brand was hidden behind the fabric. Meanwhile, Karami used a key he had bought with points to unlock her shackles and returned the bow and quiver he had brought with him during the infiltration.
Alfia skillfully strapped the quiver to her waist and took the bow. A sense of stability came over her from its familiar weight.
“How do we get out? Should I break something?”
“If we wait, they'll open it for us eventually. Let's just hang out until then.”
Alfia didn't question him, only nodding.
She had already been colored by Karami's influence.