The women I set free are obsessed with me

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The bow practice continued until the sky was painted the colors of twilight.

To sum it up, the arrows never even came close to the target.

They seemed to have a will of their own, either not flying at all, falling shortly after release, or soaring into the sky. They moved completely erratically.

Even if Alfia was an elf and my slave, it was too much to expect her to become a bow master in just half a day.

However, despite the dismal results, Alfia's face didn't look too bad as we returned to the castle. Perhaps because she had finally gotten to shoot a bow to her heart's content after so long, she even looked somewhat refreshed.

"Hmm…"

"What's wrong?"

Alfia stared blankly at her hand.

"I've got blisters."

"That's because you shot so much in such a short time. Let's apply some medicine when we get back."

"It's fine. I'm used to the pain. If I'm really going to use a bow, calluses will form anyway."

"If you say so."

We returned directly to the Peacock's Night Gathering. By then, the sun had completely set, and business was in full swing. We went down to the basement, avoiding the crowds.

There were four familiar faces in the basement.

Victor's granddaughter Emily.

Matthew.

The twin sisters Lili and Lala.

"R-Really? If I come here, they'll feed me…?"

"That's what I'm saying! They give us breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and they even buy us clothes and toys!"

"But I heard they beat slaves and make them do hard work…"

"Don't worry! 'Cause Big Brother Karami doesn't do that kinda thing."

And one unfamiliar child.

Blonde hair and brown skin. The dirty appearance clearly indicated a child who had been living on the streets. But the face visible between the short golden hair was quite pretty.

With such a delicate build, she looked like she'd grow up to be quite a beauty.

"How's this, big bro! I brought a girl like you asked! This should be good enough, right?"

"You didn't forcibly drag her to come, did you?"

"What do you take me for! I even made sure she wanted to be a slave."

I mean, I did tell him to do it, but I couldn't believe there was actually a kid who wanted to be a slave. Well, I guess it was better than starving to death.

"You pass. Good job, Matthew. As promised, I'll buy you that sword."

"Let's go!"

I pushed aside Matthew who was dancing with joy, and then crouched down in front of the girl.

"Nice to meet you. I hear you want to become my slave?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes, it's fine…"

"Alright then. Before we form the contract, let's introduce ourselves. What's your name?"

"H-Hanni."

Hanni.

Sounds like a name that could run fast.1

Not bad.

"Very well, Miss Hanni. I look forward to working with you."

I had no intention of wasting the points that had fallen into my lap. I was about to place the shackles on Hanni's soul──

"I-I look forward to working with you too, Big Brother Karami… oops."

──at least, that was the plan.

"…Brother?"

Why brother?2

Well, maybe it's a tomboy thing?

Or a Japanese boku girl?3

The baby sister who grew up surrounded by brothers?

Something feels off here…

"Miss Hanni… No, Hanni. What's your gender?"

"…I-I'm a boy…"

Oh fuck.

It's not a pretty girl, but a femboy?

Instead of a beautiful blonde tanned beauty, it was a future blond yankee!4

"I clearly said I'd take only girls, did Matthew not explain that to you?"

"H-He did, but… he said you would fall for it if I said I was a girl…"

Right. I almost fell for it.

I was moments away from making a soul contract with a man.

"Ah, I'm so tired after playing all day. Guess, I'll go to bed?"

Matthew suddenly turned his back, trying to sneak off to his room.

"Matthew?"

"What?"

"Look at me for a second."

"I'm sleepy."

"Hmm, it's getting a bit cramped down here. Maybe it's time for some out with the old, new with the in…"

Only then did Matthew turn back to me.

Except his eyes were looking up at the sky.

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Uh, well… I don't really get what they meant, but the older guys in the neighborhood said it's fine as long as it tastes good, you know?"

For Matthew to be running his mouth…

This ungrateful brat dare to attempt an assassination on me? Planting a pepper in my inner garden? And a blond yankee at that?

You're done for.

"Matthew gets no food tomorrow."

"What?"

"From now on, Matthew will do all the basement cleaning."

The children cheered.

On the other hand, Matthew, who suddenly found himself doing unpaid volunteer work, voiced his grievances.

"That's not fair!"

"What's not fair? I'm the law here. If you're dissatisfied, you can always leave."

"I'll tell grandpa!"

"Go ahead."

You seem to be under some misunderstanding, but Victor just provides the place for a fee. I'm the one footing the bill for all your upkeep.

I stood up, leaving Matthew wailing. Alfia, who had been watching the situation, sighed and shook her head.

Tug, tug.

Someone pulled at my pants. It was Hanni, who had gone from Miss Hanni to Mr. Hanni, or rather, the would-be blond yankee.

"Does this mean I can't eat…?"

The voice sounded on the verge of tears.

His eyes were welling up.

That unnecessarily pretty face of his added to the sense of pity.

But I mustn't be fooled. With a face like that, I could clearly see a future where he'd be like, 'Yo☆ I'm with Mirabelle right now lolololol'.

I mustn't be fooled, but…

"Am I… being kicked out again?"

Seeing his pitiful state, I could only let out a complicated sigh.

"Haah, since it's already dinner time, let's eat first and think about it after. But first, we need to get you cleaned up."

I called out to Matthew, who was face-down on the floor wahhhing away.

"Give young Hanni here a thorough wash. If you do that, I'll let you eat with us."

Matthew's head snapped up.

"Okay! Let's go Hanni!"

He grabbed Hanni's hand and they disappeared together. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing that they seemed to be getting along, but guys didn't usually hold hands, even when they were young, did they?

He didn't bring him along because that's his type, did he?

Alfia was giggling beside me, but I was too out of it to think anymore.

***

"I'm telling you! Isn't this weird?!"

"It's night. Please lower your voice."

"Does it look like I can lower my voice?!"

It was the middle of the night.

In other words, sleeping time.

I was already having trouble sleeping without Mirabelle to hug, and now Alfia was shouting at the top of her lungs. I could only sigh.

There were four rooms in the basement.

Victor and Emily's room.

Matthew and Hanni's room.

Lili and Lala's room.

The last one was my room with Alfia. To put it another way, she did not like the idea of sleeping in the same room as me.

"Why do you and I have to sleep in the same room? At the very least, the twin's room is right there."

"I don't know what might happen. I need to be nearby to respond to any emergencies."

"What, you think I might try to escape or something?"

"That could be a possibility."

Alfia glared at me from the opposite bed. Her green eyes, glowing even in the darkness, were fierce. I understood what she was worried about, but come on, I'm a gentleman slave trader, you know?

"Don't worry. I won't do anything. You woke up just fine yesterday, did you not?"

"…"

Even after I said that she didn't seem reassured at all. After staring at me with suspicious eyes for a while, Alfia finally turned around and laid down.

She pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, forming a barrier.

I guess that was to be expected. It must have felt unsettling, not only having left the forest she'd lived in her whole life, but now having to sleep in the same room with a man she barely knew?

As her master, I should show some generosity.

I laid down and pulled up my blanket as well.

"Have a good night."

Hm, the air in the room was quite pleasant with Alfia here.

It felt like sleeping in a forest. I had a feeling I would sleep soundly tonight.

***

Alfia's dream was always the same.

They called this curse, a nightmare.

A nightmare where thorny vines erupted from the ground, entwining her entire body, slowly constricting her flesh. This didn't just end as a dream but continued into reality.

"Nngh…"

In the room at dawn, a painful groan leaked out.

Alfia, who had been thrashing on the bed, curled up into a ball. She clutched her chest roughly, as if self-harm would be less painful.

The spirits within her were awakening from their drunken stupor, immediately starting to rampage.

I don't need any of this, please just leave my body. But the mere thought of such a wish seemed to make the spirits rebel even more violently.

I need a-alcohol.

Alfia groped around while lying down, but couldn't find any alcohol. Strange. She was sure she had placed it somewhere within easy reach.

Ah, this isn't home.

I'd been captured as a slave.

The fortunate thing was that this place was a tavern. One strong drink and putting the spirits to sleep would be a piece of cake.

Alfia pushed aside her blanket and struggled to sit up. Her body, damp with sweat, felt unbearably sticky. As she looked around with her hazy mind, she spotted Karami sleeping across from her.

At that moment, she remembered his earnest warning.

—All sorts of people visit this place at dawn. Mages, skilled mercenaries… Your identity may be discovered if they see you, so please do not go upstairs in the early morning.

She didn't quite understand why, but vaguely guessed that he didn't want her existence to be known.

Should she just ignore it and go up anyway?

Was there any reason she needed to understand Karami's circumstances?

—It's as natural as the laws of nature for a master to believe in their slave. Is there any other reason needed?

…

Why am I remembering this now?

That man had kidnapped her and made her a slave. He was a murderer who had sent countless elves to their deaths.

Someone who enslaved helpless children and tormented them. The very definition of a villain…

So why did she keep recalling the look in his eyes from earlier?

No matter how much she pondered, she couldn't figure out why.

Alfia laid back down on the bed. Right, let's just endure it for today. Next time, I'll bring some alcohol to the room in advance.

Just bear with it a little longer.

Because I'm used to the pain.

The price of not drinking was steep.

The pain intensified as thorny vines tore at her mind and clawed at her soul.

Bear it.

Endure it.

I'm used to pain.

I'm used to pain…

She repeated it over and over like a mantra. It was a futile struggle, but it was all Alfia could do.

Rustle, rustle.

Then she felt a strange sensation.

What could this feeling be?

Hmm… right.

This must be how it would feel to have someone pat your head. Not that I'd know since I've never experienced it, but today's dream is a bit unusual. I've never had one like this before.

It feels rough, yet kind of soft at the same time.

It's an awkward feeling, but… I guess, this odd imbalance isn't too bad. If nothing else, it's distracting me from the pain a bit.

Normally, carelessly laying hands on an elf's body is utterly unthinkable. But just this once… I'll make a special exception.

…

Don't sneakily touch my ears.

They're sensitive, you know.