The High Priestess's Small Regret
The affairs of the world are governed by justification. If one violates the principles that guide its flow, no matter how great their power, everything is bound to shake violently. And in that regard, the Elf Theocracy—which had seized the so-called “justification” in this matter—had sent an envoy to the Magic Kingdom to begin publicly denouncing the Empire.
“As it stands, the Empire is worshiping the evil god Amun and attempting to lead the world to ruin. We have obtained information that their next target, after failing to destroy the World Tree, is none other than the heart that sustains the Magic Kingdom itself.”
“Hoo…”
The Magic King, Overseer, reacted with apparent interest to the words of the envoy from the Theocracy. Seated upon his throne, his entire form concealed beneath a black robe, he gazed at the elf envoy before him and spoke in a calm voice.
“If what you say is true, then vigilance is certainly warranted. That object is a treasure that supports the entirety of our Magic Kingdom. Anyone who would threaten it must be considered an enemy of the kingdom by definition.”
“Precisely, Your Majesty the Magic King.”
“I thank you for bringing such important information. As for the matter of alliance, I shall discuss it with my ministers before reaching a decision. Please wait until then.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
The envoy departed, visibly satisfied with what seemed like a rather positive response. As he watched the man’s retreating back, a cold smile slowly spread across the Magic King’s lips.
‘I don’t know which little rat is behind this… but thanks to them, things are becoming far more entertaining.’
*
Aileen, the High Priestess of the Falcon Empire, could not help but feel a deep melancholy at the continuous stream of news reaching her lately. The Elf Theocracy, which had avoided destruction at the Empire’s hands, had now officially joined forces with the Demon Kingdom. Moreover, using the black flames that had caused such massive damage as a pretext, rumors were spreading everywhere that the Falcon Empire was an evil faction colluding with a malevolent deity.
From Aileen’s perspective as a devout follower of Neltarion, this was nothing short of an unbearable insult. Yet even setting aside such external issues, at this moment Aileen was living each day having lost all joy in life, trapped in an utterly hollow routine.
The man who had occupied more than half of her life—Torare. Ever since he disappeared, she had been forced to endure a profound emptiness while living alone in a house that now felt completely vacant.
‘Torare… He’s probably living happily with that bitch Shude right now, isn’t he? Leaving me behind… just the two of them…’
It had already been several months since Torare had been taken away by Shude and vanished from her side. If she could, Aileen wanted to storm into Shude’s home right this instant and drag him back. However, following a series of terrorist incidents, the Falcon Empire and the Magic Kingdom now stood on the brink of war—an extremely tense situation where conflict could erupt at any moment.
For the Empire’s High Priestess to travel to the Magic Kingdom under such circumstances would be exceedingly dangerous. In the worst case, rather than retrieving Torare, she might find her neck on the chopping block of Shude’s blade, which had long been waiting for any opportunity to eliminate her.
“There’s no way… In the current situation… Unless the Empire somehow miraculously conquers the Magic Kingdom, there’s simply no method to bring Torare back.”
Of course, it wasn’t entirely impossible, but for the Falcon Empire—which had failed to even swallow the Elf Theocracy—to conquer the Magic Kingdom, which was far stronger and effectively the second-greatest power on the continent, was nearly impossible.
Moreover, Shude was one of the 4 Arch-witches, among the most powerful figures in the Magic Kingdom. Even if the Magic Kingdom were somehow destroyed in the war, someone of her caliber would have no trouble fleeing abroad with Torare.
In the end, at this point in time, there were virtually no realistic ways for Aileen to retrieve Torare. As she felt a deep despair toward the man she truly loved but could no longer meet, another figure suddenly rose in her mind—one who was no longer even a person of this world.
‘That guy… He always looked only at me, staying by my side. If only I had been with him instead… If I hadn’t been consumed by pointless greed and abandoned the hero party to simply be with him, wouldn’t I have been happier than I am now?’
Only now, far too late, did Aileen begin to feel a faint sense of regret as she entertained these utterly futile thoughts that held no remaining possibility. However, she did not yet know.
At this very moment while she harbored such thoughts, both men occupying her mind were in situations completely different from what she imagined.
*
People strive with all their might to find happiness, and he was no exception. He had done everything possible to obtain what he desired, even if it threatened the peace of the world, relentlessly pursuing his own interests to the very end. And at this moment, he was sincerely regretting every single effort he had ever made.
“U-um… Shude?… No matter what, this is…”
“Oh my? What are you saying right now? Since when did the law change to allow a slave to talk back to his master?”
“Ugh…”
“Now, eat. Torare is my beloved dog, after all. Naturally, a dog should eat from a dog bowl, right? Still, ordering you to bark like a dog would be a bit too inconvenient, so I’ll let you off with this much.”
Shude spoke with a chilling smile on her lips. Torare, feeling an overwhelming sense of humiliation, had no choice but to slowly reach out toward the dog food placed before him.
But then—
“Wait. Dogs don’t use their hands, do they?”
“Huh?”
“Obviously you should eat only with your mouth. Come on, eat before it gets cold. You’ve been starving for two days, so your stomach must be quite empty. Chew thoroughly and eat slowly.”
“…”
Her tone was light, yet it carried a thick killing intent. Torare realized that any further resistance would only lead to the same “terrible punishment” he had experienced before. He lowered his head and buried his face directly into the bowl.
And then—
“Hrrp… hrrp… hrrp…”
“Hehe, you’re eating so well. As expected, Torare only behaves when you force him, don’t you? I should have done this from the beginning. It was my mistake. If I had, you wouldn’t have grown impatient and played around with my friend like that.”
“…”
Shude spoke in a voice filled with terrifying rage. Torare could say nothing in response. Enduring the humiliation, he could only swallow the dog food to fill his starving stomach.
‘Damn it… I should have played with my dick in moderation. I never imagined things would turn out like this…’
Even after arriving here, Torare had been unable to suppress his boiling lust and had gone around seducing woman after woman. Although not to the same extent as with Aileen, Shude was often away from home due to work, so he had taken advantage of those gaps to seduce several witches of the Magic Kingdom and enjoy himself.
However, unlike the naïve Aileen, Shude was not someone to be trifled with so easily. Having already been cheated on once before, she had been wary of such a situation from the very beginning. As a result, Torare was caught in the act at the decisive moment.
From that day onward, under the pretext of ensuring he would never do such a thing again, Shude had fastened a dog collar around his neck and began treating him exactly like a dog who also served as a sex slave. If she was even slightly displeased, she would starve him. She would swing her whip at the slightest provocation, abusing him as if training a beast.
What was even more horrifying was that all of this stemmed from Shude’s genuine love for him. Her obsession had reached the point where she had engraved a magical brand upon his body, ensuring he could not even attempt to escape.
And so, collared and completely at the mercy of this witch, Torare was forced to live this utterly miserable life. However.
Even in this worst possible situation, Torare had not yet fallen into complete despair. Although the current circumstances were among the most hellish of his entire life, a single thread of hope still remained in his heart—the expectation that he could escape this hellish place.
‘I will definitely get out of here… There’s no way this Torare will crumble like this… After I even swallowed the hero party whole, am I supposed to fall here? I will absolutely break free from this crazy bitch’s grasp and create the harem of my dreams!’