57 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

Despite a series of twists and turns, I managed to return to the inn, but the scene was disastrous. Thanks to the rampage of the death spirit, one side of the inn was left in shambles, much like a neatly sliced fruit cube. To make matters worse, a storm was raging, turning it into absolute chaos. The owner of the inn, a bewildered rhino beastman, sat on the floor in dismay. Upon seeing me enter, his eyes met mine, and he stomped over, brandishing his horn menacingly. He demanded I pay for the damages, blaming me for the destruction. "This feels unjust." Naturally, if one of my slaves caused the trouble, I would take responsibility. That's the duty of a master. But Mirabel is no longer my slave, right? Shouldn't he take this up with Mirabel or her guardian, Naredi? Why is this my responsibility? Moreover, the owner, who appeared later, couldn't have known about the death spirit's appearance. How could he possibly place all the blame on me? I had a guess. "This looks like blatant racial discrimination." He had been this way from the start. He was unwilling to take us, a human like me and Red Fox Rin, as guests, but I forced his hand by paying him well. With financial loss incurred, it's clear he's using me as a scapegoat. Of course, he was not willing to listen to my pleas of injustice. Just when I was prepared to pay for the damages, Seira stepped in. "I'm Seira, head of the Immigration Department. In this case, you might receive financial support from the Disaster Management Office, so please inquire once it's daylight. I'll do my best to assist." "If Lady Seira insists, then...," the rhino beastman grudgingly backed down. Although I avoided financial loss, staying in the ruined inn was out of the question. We needed to find a place to escape the rain. Finding an inn willing to take in a Red Fox like Rin was challenging, not to mention walking around in this weather... "Let's go to my place for now,” Seira offered her assistance once again. "I appreciate it, but are you sure it's okay?" "If any issues arise, I can always bill you. Besides, this isn't the time for you to worry about my circumstances." Seira glanced at Rin, who was trembling in my arms. Even though I had wrapped her in my coat, Rin was shivering fiercely, already drenched to the skin. She needed treatment for her newly-inflicted wounds. There was no room for hesitation. "Then I won't decline your offer." *** Seira’s house was on the outskirts of the city. It was a long walk to reach there. A modest two-story structure. The furniture inside was underwhelming, and more notably, everything was in disarray—a characteristic feature, it seemed. It was difficult to find a spot to place a foot; it felt more akin to a pigsty than a wolf's den. A room often reflects its owner. You can learn about someone based on how they organize their house. In Seira's case, one could call her lazy. "I can't help it; I'm always working overtime because of you," Seira hastily explained as she tossed items aside with her hands and kicked them into unseen corners with her feet. Outwardly, the house appeared tidy. After lighting the fireplace, I laid Rin near it. First, I dried her off. I wiped the wet spots with a towel and carefully wrung out her bushy tail, soaked with rainwater. "For once, she's quite docile." Rin, without me needing to give any commands, didn't resist and merely stared quietly at my touch. Perhaps she was too exhausted from running away to put up a fight. For me, it was convenient since I could tend to her without any struggle. After applying ointment and bandaging the wounds, the first aid was done. "I'll head out to report the abnormal situation to my superiors. As long as you don't go upstairs, feel free to use the place." "Thank you." With Seira's permission, I rummaged through the house to fetch necessary items. I folded some spare blankets and laid Rin on them, covering her with a soft quilt. Having taken care of Rin to some extent, I laid back on the sofa to catch my breath. I had something on my mind. "That incident earlier…" It was definitely Mirabel's death spirit. Why had it appeared here? True, death spirits have relatively few restrictions when it comes to moving. They could traverse the city in an instant to exact Harold’s revenge. The appearance of such a death spirit in Bestia suggests… “Is it seeking revenge on me?” A retribution for having been its master? I might have hugged it, prodded its belly, pinched its cheeks, and even sniffed its hair a bit! But surely, that’s no reason to send a death spirit to kill! What would have happened if Rin had gotten hurt? If we hadn't escaped that dawn... Just the thought makes me shudder. What a way to repay kindness with retaliation. I must raise Rin to never turn out this way. "Yawwwn." A yawn escaped me. Running around after waking up had made me even more exhausted. As much as sleep beckoned, I couldn't let myself sleep tonight. The death spirit might show up again. Just for today, I'll stay awake. *** Tick, tick. The sound of embers crackling added a touch of ambiance to the living room. After some time had passed, Rin timidly lifted her head from where it was buried. Despite a promise to stay awake being crushed by exhaustion from running around all night, Karami snored loudly, lost to the dreams. Rin gazed at the bandage and blanket wrapped around her, then turned her eyes back to Karami. "......" Rin cautiously rose. With delicate steps, she approached the sofa and leaped onto it. Rin then peered closely at Karami’s sleeping face. There was a small scratch on Karami’s cheek—an injury sustained while catching Rin and rolling with her. Rin gently licked the wounded area with her tongue, stopping only once Karami's face was covered in saliva. Rin then curled up on Karami’s stomach, settling herself snugly into a ball. Sniffing softly, Rin detected a refreshing forest aroma. Yet, mingled within was Karami's own scent, which never failed to soothe her. She burrowed her head deeper, eventually closing her eyes. *** "Ah!" Karami's eyes shot open. The realization that he had fallen asleep hit him like a bolt despite his repeated warnings to himself not to sleep tonight. He had thoroughly dozed off until morning, evidenced by the sunlight streaming through the window. Gathering his wits, Karami promptly checked on Rin. Fortunately, the house remained as it was the previous night, but Rin was nowhere to be seen near the fireplace. "Did she escape?" Not wanting to risk immobilizing Rin in case the death spirit reappeared, Karami had refrained from issuing any commands. He also hadn't fastened any chains around her. As he'd been expecting to stay awake, there had been no need, and finding chains in the dead of night would have been challenging. There was no time to lose. He had to find Rin quickly. With the help of the city’s widespread cat people, locating her distinctive pink hue wouldn't be too difficult. "Are you awake?" "Seira?" Seira emerged from the kitchen holding a mug of hot coffee. She wore the same office attire as the previous day, but dark circles under her eyes now betrayed her overnight vigil. "I came back just a while ago. Why the rush?" "Rin is gone." Seira took a sip of her coffee, licking the drops from her lips before calmly speaking. "What's that on top of you?" "Pardon?" Following Seira’s words, Karami looked down to find Rin curled up on his stomach, peacefully asleep like a tiny fox cub. Realizing Rin’s presence brought a sudden awareness of the light weight he hadn’t noticed before. "Why is she here...?" Despite being coaxed to the bed and persistently choosing the hard floor due to her wariness of humans, which Karami never pressed her to overcome, she now climbed onto him voluntarily. This puzzled him to no end. "A change of heart, perhaps." A change of heart? Reflecting on Seira's words, Karami observed Rin. Perhaps the meat he’d fed her had finally done its job. Maybe the [Generous Master] skill was taking effect. He gently stroked her head, careful not to wake her. "There's something more pressing—about the incidents with the death spirit." "Did it cause damage elsewhere?" "Yes, I thought it had left peacefully, but it rampaged. However, there's something peculiar about the victims." What could she mean by peculiar? Karami remained silent, waiting for Seira to elaborate. She relayed the information she had gathered overnight. "The ones attacked were only the street cat people." "Street cat people…." Seira nodded, as if confirming Karami’s suspicion. "All are those under a former slave contract with you. Fortunately, none are dead." "None are dead, you say?" "According to testimonies, they collapsed after being hit by the death spirit's scythe but stood up moments later, feeling perfectly fine. Yet…" Her words trailed off. "What's with that expression of yours?" Karami wore an unusual expression. His eyes impossibly wide—as if he'd seen a ghost—caught Seira off guard; she'd never seen such a reaction from him before. "You…?" Karami remained unresponsive, staring into space. Seira grew inexplicably uneasy, wondering if the death spirit had possessed him. Yet, Karami couldn’t avert his gaze. Where Seira saw nothing, Karami saw what others couldn’t. An interface more than a state window stood before his eyes. [Completely liberate the main slaves. Current count: 2/5] > [Completely liberate the main slaves. Current count: 1/5] This isn't the case... just passing through... 0 Newday313 2024.09.17 11:04 Report Complete liberation failed! 0 TS Woman Wants to Corrupt Man 2024.09.17 14:37 Report Is this what they call overdoing it…? 0 Loli is a Sin 2024.09.17 17:33 Report Just a bit more.. 0 Huru 2024.09.17 23:49 Report Haha, totally failed~ 0 Simesaba 2024.09.20 10:17 Report What does this mean? 0 MorningChirpIsSin 2024.10.03 20:05 Report Did the great witch voluntarily bind herself to the slave magic? Without the master's consent? LOL 0 zeelgam 2024.10.17 21:57 Report Is it a contract hijack? 0 Lamya 5 days ago Report Gathered all the contracts and resurrected them, huh 0 Only logged-in members can post comments. 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