The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

Ashies was always lacking in many ways.

Emotion.

Desire.

Willpower.

Some called her a beautiful doll.

And while that wasn’t entirely wrong, it wasn’t entirely right either.

Ashies had desires—some even stronger than most.

Like right now.

In the underground city of Doomheim, the special luminescent stones embedded in the ceiling cast a warm, golden light, mimicking the morning sun.

The dwarves, ever diligent, finished their simple breakfasts and, as if on cue, began their work at the forges.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

The rhythmic hammering of metal echoed through the streets—a symphony to the dwarves and an unbearable alarm to others.

Ashies loved sleeping.

At least, that’s what she believed, even if her memories didn’t include it.

Few things compared to napping in a warm bed, basking in sunlight.

While others started their mornings early, Ashies cherished the satisfaction of sleeping in.

But Doomheim’s endless hammering didn’t allow for lazy mornings.

The metallic clangs pounding her eardrums were impossible to ignore.

“Mmm...”

Ashies stirred in bed, her delicate brows knitting together.

She didn’t want to wake up.

She wanted five more minutes.

Please, just five more minutes.

“Get up already. The sun’s high in the sky.”

Karami shattered her fragile hopes.

What sun? We’re underground.

The words echoed in Ashies’ mind, triggering a faint, disconnected memory.

Maids crowding her bed, urging her to rise.

A familiar lie about how morning had already turned to noon.

At least back then, Karami couldn’t get too close because of her freezing aura. But now?

He stood right beside her bed, his voice hammering into her skull.

“Wake. Up. Now.”

“Ugh...”

Ashies groaned, turning her back and pulling the blanket over her head.

Just five more minutes.

No matter how much she resisted—blocking her ears and burying herself in the blankets—Karami wasn’t going to stop.

He grabbed the covers and shook them violently.

“Oh, still not getting up? How about now? Or now? Or now?”

“S-Stop...”

“Stop? Excuse me? Did you just defy your master? Unacceptable. Sit up straight. I’ll make sure you never feel sleepy again.”

*****

Breakfast at Torvar’s house was always a shared affair.

Even with his busy schedule managing the forge, Torvar made sure to join for breakfast unless absolutely necessary.

But the mood was heavy.

Torvar was naturally quiet, and Ferca was visibly uncomfortable around him.

Breakfast usually ended with both eating silently and leaving as soon as they finished.

That all changed after Karami and Ashies arrived.

“What are you doing? Not eating?”

“......”

The table was decorated with a vase of blue ice roses.

Despite Karami’s question, Ashies only stared at her untouched bowl.

Ever since her freezing aura weakened, she had no trouble eating bread or hot soup by herself. She had done so every day—except today.

Her lips stuck out slightly in a faint pout, betraying her mood.

“Wait. Are you sulking because I woke you up?”

She was.

Ashies still hadn’t forgiven Karami for dragging her out of bed.

“If you woke up on your own, I wouldn’t have to wake you. Or were you planning to sleep all day?”

Ashies had learned a few things while staying with Karami—one of them being that arguing with him was a losing battle.

Even someone as emotionally muted as Ashies could feel the irritation bubbling up when faced with Karami’s smugness.

“...Sigh.”

She took a deep breath to calm herself.

Ignoring him was the best response.

But Karami wasn’t about to let it go.

She’s really upset, huh?

He hadn’t realized how serious her love of sleep was.

He’d have to soothe her somehow.

“Alright. I’m sorry. I’ll let you take a nap later, so don’t be mad.”

“......”

“The soup won’t taste good if it gets cold. Here. Say ahh.”

“...Ahh...”

Holding out a spoonful of soup, Karami fed her.

Ashies hesitated but eventually opened her mouth, eating quietly.

When her eyes flickered toward Karami and met his gaze, she quickly looked away.

Torvar, who had been silently observing, cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Are you two planning to go out again?”

“We’ve been moving around a lot lately. We’re staying in Doomheim to rest for now. Why?”

“There are rumors of a dragon sighting across the continent.”

Ever since Ashies killed the Orc King, Skadia had been flying all over the land, searching for her.

Doomheim was safer than most places since it was underground, but they couldn’t let their guard down.

“For now, there’s no immediate threat. But if Doomheim gets caught in the crossfire, we won’t just stand by.”

The meisters had already pieced things together.

Ashies had been Skadia’s captive—a frozen puppet.

Now Skadia was scouring the continent for her lost prize.

Though Torvar seemed to approve of taking Ashies in, he made it clear that protecting her wasn’t their priority if Doomheim was threatened.

“Understood.”

Karami accepted the warning without much reaction, but someone else took offense.

“That’s too cruel! How can you talk about kicking her out so easily?”

Ferca glared at Torvar, her disappointment evident.

“You know better than anyone how much she’s been through! Shouldn’t you, of all people, protect her?”

“This doesn’t concern you.”

“It does! You’re heartless. No wonder Mom died alone while you stayed at the forge!”

Ferca slammed her chair back, hastily clearing her dishes before storming out of the house.

Torvar didn’t react, quietly continuing to eat his soup.

“Wow. What a tense breakfast.”

Karami wiped the corner of Ashies’ mouth, and she let him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Come on, Ashies. Let’s go check on Ferca.”

“...Why?”

“It’s easy for kids at that age to go astray. It’s better if someone keeps them on track. Don’t you think Ashies, as a woman, would be better suited than me?”

Would she?

Ashies tilted her head, then nodded.

Ashies doesn’t like seeing anyone sad.

Especially someone like Ferca, whom she’s known for a long time.

She left the house and went to find Ferca.

Not too far away, Ferca was sitting slumped over, hugging her knees.

“Ferca.”

“Unnie? What are you doing here?”

“Karami... said to follow you. That Ferca might go astray. Ferca. You can’t... go astray.”

Faced with such an honest confession, completely devoid of pretense, Ferca let out a small laugh.

Talking with Ashies could be frustrating, but as a conversation partner, there was no one better.

Because she was sincere, without pretense or lies, it made it easier for Ferca to share her own feelings as well. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“I’m not going astray. It’s just... I don’t understand. Does that person really have no affection for family? It’s clear he hates me and my mom.”

“Torvar...? Hates Ferca?”

“If not, then it doesn’t make sense. I don’t get why he married her or why I was even born.”

Ashies tilted her head.

Right now, Ashies was learning emotions one by one, like colors being painted onto a blank canvas.

A small dot on a white background stands out.

No matter how tiny, it’s easy to see.

The same is true for emotions.

Unlike before, Ashies could now pick up on hidden feelings in someone’s gaze, tone, and inflection. No matter how subtle.

And what she sensed from Torvar and Ferca’s conversation wasn’t disgust.

Especially not from Torvar.

It was...

Hard to explain in detail.

Even though it was her own impression.

It was still an emotion Ashies couldn’t define. Something she didn’t recognize.

If she had to compare it to something, it felt similar to what Karami directed at her. When she let that emotion wash over her, her heart felt warm and at ease.

So why did Ferca think like that?

Ashies couldn’t understand.

But there was one thing she was sure of. She reached out and patted Ferca’s head.

Just like Karami had done for her once.

It was awkward at first, but her touch was gentle.

“Unnie?”

“Torvar... doesn’t hate Ferca.”

“...What?”

“Because Torvar is Ferca’s dad...? That’s why....”

Ferca’s eyes widened in surprise.

Then she burst out laughing.

She laughed so hard it echoed.

“Why... are you laughing?”

“No, it’s just... I never imagined there’d come a day when Unnie would comfort me.”

Of all people, Ashies ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) comforting her.

Of course, it didn’t mean she suddenly liked Torvar, but the heavy feeling in her chest eased a little.

Meanwhile, Ashies’ expression subtly shifted to a pout.

“...I’m not stupid.”

“Of course not~. My Unnie’s not stupid. I know that better than anyone.”

“Ferca. I don’t like you.”

Pouting Ashies.

Ferca had to work hard to make it up to her.

*****

Beyond the borders of Aisengar, in a nearby city.

The bustling city had frozen in time.

People were petrified in the midst of fleeing something, their twisted expressions vividly capturing the terror they faced.

The massive shadow cast over the city belonged to Skadia.

Even the city’s elite knights who resisted her assault were no match. Unable to even scratch her scales, they froze in their gallant stances. That was all they accomplished.

Only the city’s lord remained.

He was sprawled flat on the ground.

Crash!

When Skadia’s massive, ice-scaled foot shifted, the frozen human statues shattered into pieces, scattering like debris.

Though they had been laughing and chatting just moments before, the lord could do nothing as they were mercilessly slaughtered. He trembled, unable to breathe properly.

“I’ll ask one more time. Is the princess of Frisean here?”

Skadia’s voice, the cause of the carnage, rang out.

The lord forced himself to speak through the pain of his freezing lungs.

“We... we don’t know. This is the first we’ve heard of a kingdom called Frisean.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! I swear to God, we’ve never heard of any princess!”

The frozen world fell silent.

In the dry chill, the lord couldn’t even swallow.

“So that’s your answer.”

“Yes!”

“Very well... then die.”

“...What?”

Crack.

Before he could even protest, the lord was frozen mid-bow, reduced to just another decoration like the others.

Without hesitation, Skadia took to the skies.

This was already the fifth city Skadia had frozen. Yet there was still no sign of Ashies.

She could search the entire world and eventually find her, but by then, Ashies’ beauty would fade.

Already, the curse was showing signs of weakening.

There was no more time to waste.

She had to find Ashies immediately.

To do that, she needed the mirror’s help.

It had broken, but it could be repaired.

Skadia knew exactly who to turn to for that.

The dwarves who lived hidden underground.

With that thought, Skadia soared toward Doomheim.