I Don't Go Where My Master Doesn't
I hesitated. The moment I actually thought about seeing Annette naked, I’d followed without thinking—but I’d have to get naked too, wouldn’t I? Ugh… that felt kind of embarrassing. In all my twenty-five years of life, I’d never once undressed in front of a woman. This body of mine had been bathing alone since before I turned ten…
The instant we entered the room, Annette closed the door and took a deep breath. True to her golden-haired beauty, she had broad shoulders and impressive height. Of course she was the glamorous type.
“Right. Then let’s begin.”
Annette turned her back to me and immediately began unbuttoning her top, one button at a time. Huh? She’s really doing it?
She glanced back while still undoing the buttons and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Don’t just stand there. You need to undress too. The Acolyte Ritual cannot be performed with even a single thread on the body.”
Ugh… guess I don’t have a choice. That’s right. I wanted to become stronger. Lately I’d been feeling a pathetic sense of inferiority as a man, only ever watching Charlene handle everything. Let’s just do it. Taking off my clothes once in exchange for real power wasn’t that big a deal.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bit my lip hard, then snapped them open again. And I stripped.
Good. I’m not doing anything perverted here. I’m forming a sacred bond between an active Grim Reaper and her acolyte. That’s all.
Once I’d thrown off every last piece of clothing, I stood tall with the most dignified expression I could manage.
Annette’s back, now completely bare as well, was…
…Gulp.
It was art. Like perfectly sculpted porcelain. Flawless white skin, an incredible curve to her hips, and a perfectly shaped backside. Haa… certain parts of my body were not supposed to react right now.
Annette spun around, looked me up and down, and let out a small laugh.
“You’re surprisingly well-endowed for how you look.”
My face burned crimson.
“S-stop saying unnecessary things and just get on with the ritual already!”
I desperately avoided looking at Annette. Even though I’d happily followed her here, actually seeing a woman completely naked right in front of me left me completely flustered. Damn it. If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve gotten some experience with women beforehand.
“Kneel.”
I quickly obeyed and dropped to my knees. Annette summoned her Grim Reaper’s Scythe from behind me, rested the blade on my shoulder, and began to speak.
“Now, repeat after me. I am human.”
“…I am human.”
Oh. It was starting to feel like a proper ritual now.
“I shall become the acolyte of the Grim Reaper Annette.”
“…I shall become the acolyte of the Grim Reaper Annette.”
“I shall endure all suffering.”
“…I shall endure all suffering.”
Something strange began to stir inside my body. It felt lighter. Like my weight had vanished… as if my entire body might float up into the air.
“In the name of Hades, God of the Underworld, I ask you. Will you become the acolyte of a Grim Reaper?”
The final question of the ritual? For the first time, I looked directly up at Annette’s naked form and answered with complete sincerity.
“I will.”
“I will ask you one last time. Is this your true will?”
“It is.”
“Human Kailon Bladehart. I hereby approve your becoming an acolyte of the Grim Reaper.”
At that moment, dizziness crashed over me. It felt like I’d drunk an entire barrel of liquor… like I’d suddenly gulped down pure spirits. The vertigo was so intense I couldn’t endure it and collapsed backward with a heavy thud.
The last thing I felt was Annette’s lips pressing gently against my forehead. And her voice, faint and soft, reached my ears.
“I’ll be counting on you to take good care of both me and Charlene from now on, Kailon.”
When I opened my eyes, I let out a groan. Where… am I?
I sat up without thinking and looked around.
“How does your body feel, Master?”
Huh? Charlene had apparently just finished bathing. She emerged from the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped precariously around her body.
Whoa. Seeing her like this, Charlene’s figure was every bit as impressive as Annette’s. Ah, no. Wait. What am I even thinking? Ahem.
“C-Charlene! Put your clothes on properly! What do you think you’re doing?”
“Master should be the one putting his clothes on properly. You’re hardly in any position to lecture me.”
What was she talking about? I lifted the blanket covering me and nearly jumped out of my skin. Oh crap, I was still completely naked? Damn it all.
I scrambled to grab my clothes that had been tossed aside and hurriedly dressed. Once I was more or less decent, I tried to change the mood by turning my back to her and asking,
“Where did Annette go?”
“Big sis Annette? She returned to the Divine Realm for work. She’s a very busy person.”
After getting dressed, I patted myself down here and there. So I was officially Annette’s acolyte now? I didn’t feel all that different, though.
Charlene, who had turned away to dry her wet hair, spoke as if she’d read my thoughts.
“You probably won’t feel any dramatic change in your body. It’s not that your body itself has changed—it’s simply become linked to Big Sis Annette.”
“Huh?”
“It means you can now borrow and use Annette’s divine magic. It’s not that you suddenly gained enormous power on your own. So you won’t feel any immediate physical transformation. I’ll teach you how to use the magic properly, step by step.”
I see. That’s a relief. But there was one thing I was most curious about.
“Why do you think that old man Hades made me Annette’s acolyte?”
“Who knows? Who could possibly understand what that old man is thinking? Anyway, since Big Sis Annette has left, shall we go watch the festival—”
Right at that moment—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Someone was pounding on the first-floor door.
Who could that be? While I turned my gaze toward the sound, Charlene—still barely covered by her towel—headed downstairs.
“We’re closed for the day! Please come back tomorrow!”
Even in this situation, she immediately went to answer the door. As expected of a professional maid like Charlene… Wait. Is it really okay for her to go down dressed like that?
Soon I heard heavy footsteps climbing the stairs again. Charlene poked her head in and said,
“Master? The prince and princess are here.”
“W-what??”
Prince Cassian and Princess Mage? I hurried downstairs. Oh no. In the meantime, Charlene had already opened the door.
Prince Cassian and Princess Mage took one look at Charlene—wrapped in nothing but a towel—and their faces flushed bright red in shock.
“C-Charlene! Your attire is…”
Prince Cassian quickly averted his eyes. Princess Mage, on the other hand, turned her sharp gaze directly toward me. W-what? Why is she glaring at me?
“Oh dear. My apologies. I’ll go put on proper clothes. Please wait just a moment.”
Charlene switched back into perfect maid mode and went upstairs again. As soon as she disappeared, Prince Cassian turned to me with eyes practically blazing.
What the—? This prince guy? His glare felt completely different from the princess’s. Was he… jealous?
This wasn’t good. I needed to change the atmosphere fast.
“Your Highness, Princess. Please, have a seat. I’ll prepare some tea. Haha.”
I hastily put on my apron and headed for the kitchen. Princess Mage spoke in a mocking tone.
“Did we perhaps interrupt a good time between you and Charlene?”
“N-not at all! How could I possibly be doing something like that with Charlene… Haha. You’ve misunderstood. Completely misunderstood.”
While I was frantically brewing tea, Prince Cassian looked around and asked,
“Where did the blonde woman who defeated the Demon King Apocryon go?”
Ah. So the prince was looking for Annette. Hmm. Telling the truth would probably be bad.
“She’s quite a busy person, so she left right away. By the way, what brings Your Highness and the Princess here today…”
I was still busy with the tea when I absentmindedly turned around. I nearly jumped. Princess Mage was standing right in front of me, staring at me with burning eyes.
“We need to know now. Kailon, Charlene, and that blonde woman. Just who exactly are you people?”
…The princess was serious. When I instinctively took a step back from her intense gaze—
Charlene, now properly dressed and coming down from the second floor, shouted,
“Get away from my master, Princess.”
Princess Mage turned to glare at Charlene. That was far too rude a tone to use with royalty.
“Charlene! How dare you speak to the princess that way? Where are your manners?”
“Well… if Master says so… Princess? Please wait over there for a moment.”
Killing intent radiated powerfully from Charlene’s crimson eyes. Perhaps slightly intimidated, Princess Mage let out a huff and went to sit at the table.
While placing the tea I’d brewed onto a tray, Charlene asked coldly,
“You weren’t ogling the princess, were you?”
“Of course not. Why do you always doubt me like this?”
“Because Master likes women too much. Isn’t that right?”
“Every man likes women.”
“As expected, you’re unnecessarily honest. Hmph.”
And so we carried the tea over to the table where the prince and princess were waiting and sat down.
“First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your tremendous help in this recent incident.”
Prince Cassian suddenly bowed his head while still seated. A prince bowing to me? I waved my hands in a fluster.
“I-it’s quite all right, Your Highness. There’s no need to bow like that…”
But his gaze was fixed solely on Charlene. What the hell? Was he ignoring me?
“Charlene. May I ask you about the blonde woman who saved our empire this time?”
At Prince Cassian’s polite question, Charlene simply shrugged and answered,
“She’s just a close older sister of mine.”
Whew—thank goodness. It seemed Charlene had properly remembered what I’d told her last time. Not to speak about Grim Reapers.
“Where has she gone?”
“She’s such a busy sister that I don’t know where she went. Why do you ask?”
The prince cleared his throat and continued.
“His Majesty wishes to express his gratitude to both that blonde woman and to you, Charlene. Would you be willing to visit the imperial capital of Aurelium?”
“Huh? But I have to work.”
Charlene’s innocent reply. The prince, growing impatient, took a sip of tea before speaking again.
“Charlene, you no longer need to continue working as a maid. If you were to serve as the Chief Court Mage in our imperial palace, you could earn an enormous salary. There’s no need to keep serving as a maid under such a shabby man—”
Excuse me? Shabby man?
Suddenly Charlene slammed her palm down on the table with a loud bang and spoke in an icy voice.
“…Do not speak carelessly about my master.”
A heavy silence fell over the room. Whoa. I broke out in a cold sweat. The murderous aura was so intense it felt like the teacups might crack. I could genuinely feel how angry Charlene was. I’d never seen her like this before.
Apparently overwhelmed by the killing intent radiating from Charlene, Prince Cassian gave me a slight bow and said,
“I-I’m sorry, Kailon. I spoke out of turn—”
“N-not at all, Your Highness. Please don’t mention it. Haha.”
Whew. Charlene really didn’t care whether someone was a prince or a princess. She looked at both of them with cold eyes and declared,
“I don’t go where my master doesn’t go. Because I am my master’s maid.”
W-what? Was she really allowed to say something that embarrassing out loud?
Suddenly embarrassed, I scratched my cheek awkwardly and laughed. Both the prince and princess shot me sharp glares. What now? They seemed to be glaring at me for completely different reasons. Ahem. What should I do?