The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

"Sweetheart~ Wake up."

I opened my eyes to the sweet call as though being woken by a lover.

It seemed like Arpia had already been up for some time, preparing everything, and was now looking down at me with a fresh smile.

Arpia reached out with both hands. When I grabbed them, she pulled me up.

"Here, water."

Arpia waved her fingers, creating a stream of water, and then placed it into my mouth. I muttered a few times, spat it out, and drank again.

Since it was the spirit’s water, just one sip cleared my foggy mind.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s wash up and eat breakfast. I brought some food from the city.”

Without saying a word, Arpia had already prepared everything. She, who hadn’t wanted to go to Bestia, was the one who moved first.

Since our reunion, there had been a vitality in her like never before.

We left the tent and washed our faces in the lake. We had a simple breakfast with the packed lunch Arpia had brought from the city.

Her cooperation was appreciated, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened yesterday.

“Will it be alright?”

“We can’t keep acting like this forever. I’m a slave, and you’re my master, so I have to follow your orders.”

Arpia smiled bitterly, as if resigned.

Then, suddenly,

“Sweetheart, I have a question. Was yesterday a punishment, or a reward? I think I should know for sure.”

“It was a punishment. A punishment for not listening to me, your master.”

“So, if I listen well, you’ll give me a reward that’s better than that, right?”

“That’s right. So, listen well to me. If you listen to me, you’ll get things even while sleeping.”

“Hmmm~ I got it.”

We finished our meal. It was time to leave for real now.

Arpia spread her wings. The spirit enveloped us like a cloud.

“Are we going to Bestia?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been wanting to visit too. I want to see the face of the one who tore you away from me.”

****

Bestia, the Kingdom of Beastkin.

Recently, a topic had been gaining explosive popularity in Bestia.

The Reaper Cult.

One day, a reaper suddenly appeared and promised to liberate people from their hellish lives. He helped businesses succeed and cured illnesses.

At first, people thought it was a ridiculous rumor, but the number of people who experienced miracles kept increasing. Many desired to join the Reaper Cult.

There were even rumors that Bestia’s princess, the Lioness Hilda, had joined the cult.

It became common to see members of the Reaper Cult while walking through the streets.

There were many who disapproved as well. People who couldn’t bring themselves to worship such a sinister being, and those who followed the Church of Order and Balance.

The Church of Order and Balance was widespread across the continent.

And Bestia was no exception.

A high priest of Bestia’s cathedral, Iris the unicorn beastkin, along with other followers, strongly opposed the Reaper Cult.

Everyone knew that reapers were evil beings, and it was obvious that a reaper would bring chaos.

But their intense opposition wasn’t accepted.

“Lin is terrible! She didn’t help me before and kicked me out!”

“I don’t like the cult either. They pretend to be righteous but are full of vanity, tormenting innocent people.”

It was all because of two girls.

Neither Mirabel nor Lin had good memories of the cult. Mirabel, in particular, lost her father because of them and was sold into slavery.

Though she did meet Karami through it, that couldn’t be said to be a good outcome.

The sabotage by the two girls, who harbored ill feelings toward the cult, was thorough.

Lin brought misfortune to the kitsune.

She’d bite her tongue while eating, or a bug would fly into her mouth while yawning, or she’d get a stomachache before an important event.

Mirabel cast a witch’s curse.

She made them have nightmares and interfered with their thought process to make them distrust the gods. It was a curse more terrifying than death to a devout believer.

“Is that all?”

“Of course! I made her spill delicious food as soon as she was moving it!”

“...Is that it?”

“What else could be more evil? What did you do?”

“I disrupted their faith. I made them doubt if the path the gods lead them on is truly the right one.”

Lin tilted her head.

“What’s so evil about that?”

“It’s magic that destroys the relationship between the gods and their followers. It’s like making Lin doubt her master.”

“Lin doesn’t doubt her master.”

“I made her do it with magic.”

“It doesn’t work on Lin!”

“Well... sigh.”

Anyway.

The followers of the Church of Order and Balance were suffering from misfortune and curses, which made it difficult for them to live daily lives. It was all due to the machinations of the great witch and the kitsune.

Even the high priest Iris was not spared.

For instance, a pure childhood couple came seeking blessings, but it turned out the woman had restored her virginity with healing magic, and was secretly meeting with another man—she was a fake virgin.

And sometimes, they’d have nightmares of becoming a Baikon.

After suffering for a while, a great event occurred that would change the situation. The Saintess appeared in the capital.

“Saintess! Virgin!”

The reason Iris chose the path of the priesthood was because the cult had many virgins.

But a saintess, a symbol of purity?

Oh, shit.

Iris immediately regained her energy.

She prayed to the saintess, whom she had never met.

And to the gods too.

‘Thank you for sending the saintess!’

Iris spread her arms toward the sky.

This is why I became a priest.

The appearance of the Saintess rendered Mirabel and Lin’s schemes ineffective. The faith of their followers, centered around the Saintess, remained unshaken.

As a result, the number of people wanting to join the cult dwindled.

A strategy meeting between the two girls.

“I never thought the Saintess would appear.”

“What’s a Saintess?”

“With her around, it’s going to be hard to expand the cult before master comes back.”

“What’s a Saintess?”

“I think we need some other method.”

“Are you ignoring me, Lin?!”

Lin suddenly stood up, hands on her hips, protesting.

Mirabel let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t know either. And you wouldn’t understand even if I explained.”

“True.”

Lin sat back down.

While staying with Lin, Mirabel had seen many sides of her. Right now, she was more like a child, similar to her age, but when they first met, she had been a mature woman.

Sometimes, she became an appropriately grown girl, and at times, she would even transform into a fox.

It wasn’t a problem if her appearance changed, but her way of thinking and actions also changed depending on her form.

When asked why, Lin would only repeat, “Disguising magic is all about creating illusions.”

In her childlike form, Lin was an absolute troublemaker. She acted like a mischievous child so perfectly that Mirabel didn’t even want to engage in conversation.

“If you’re unhappy, change your appearance and come back.”

“Lin likes this form!”

Because this was the form she had spent the happiest time with her master.

Lin liked this form.

Anyway, if they were going to increase the power of the cult, it seemed like an innovative method would be needed.

****

Lin says.

The sky is fickle.

She says that if the world doesn’t go according to fate, the heavens will change people’s destinies without hesitation.

The ones who pretend to be kind are the most dangerous.

This is what Lin realized.

The Church of Order and Balance is the same.

It’s just common sense that a priest who only likes virgins wouldn’t be normal, right?

Surely, at some point, they will change. With the sharp horn of a unicorn, they will pierce through people.

That moment came sooner than expected.

Boring Days

Even now, Lin wants to visit Karami, while Mirabel prevents her from doing so. They spend their days running the cult, waiting endlessly for their master to return.

While chatting at the Heavenly Tower, Heukbi took a sip of tea.

“I feel a bad omen. I sense something ominous.”

“It seems there’s a problem in the Holy Kingdom.”

Even without the ability of clairvoyance, Yuhwa’s insight remained sharp. The celestial protector, who had acted according to the will of the heavens, wasn’t completely unrelated to the gods.

The balance of divine power was wavering.

If the balance wavered, the followers would also be affected.

The same went for the followers within Bestia.

Yuhwa’s prediction was not wrong.

There was an anomaly among the followers of the Church of Order and Balance, especially Iris, the most devout.

Her hair turned black, and her once-rainbow-colored pupils became red. She looked more like a Baikon than a unicorn.

It wasn’t just her appearance that changed. The members of the cult had collectively gone mad, starting to attack innocent citizens.

“Now’s the chance!”

It was a golden opportunity for the Reaper Cult.

As night fell, Lin and Mirabel went around subduing the apostates wreaking havoc all over the city.

“Help me!”

Boom!

An apostate threatening a pig beastkin.

Lin struck down on top of them.

She didn’t kill them, but knocked them unconscious.

“Eek?”

“Miss, are you alright?”

“Th-thank you... Are you... a kitsune?”

Lin gave a slight flick of her fingers.

She was now covered in a black hood.

“Nope. I’m a Reaper Cult agent sent here.”

“But you have nine tails?”

“...The important thing is that you received the grace of the Reaper Cult.”

“That’s true, right?”

“Enough with the thanks. You should thank the Reaper. Long live the Reaper Cult.”

“I’m an atheist...”

Zing! 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Lin’s odd-colored eyes gleamed ominously.

The pig beastkin recoiled in fear.

“L-long live the Reaper Cult! Long live the Reaper Cult! Long live the Reaper Cult!”

“Good. Pig.”

Lin joined Mirabel.

Mirabel’s outfit was also different from usual. Instead of her usual short maid uniform, she wore a robe and a large pointed hat. It was a cute witch’s outfit.

This time, their opponents were priests.

They planned to subdue them in the form of the witch they despised. It was a small act of revenge.

“How’s it going? Did it work?”

“Of course! What about you, witch?”

“Same here.”

It was an unexpected conversation.

From the priests' perspective, it would make more sense to pray for the gods to appear than to try and fight two people.

“There’s something strange.”

“What is it?”

“Their behavior is similar to vampires. The people they attacked all had their jugulars bitten. The bitten people changed too.”

“Lin also smells like blood.”

Just as Yuhwa had predicted, something had happened in the Holy Kingdom of Kassilon. Had vampires taken control?

If they went to investigate, they would find out the details. But Mirabel was worried about rushing in without her master’s orders.

“Hmm?”

“Huh?”

In the moment of hesitation, both Mirabel and Lin spoke out in confusion.

Mirabel’s staff swayed.

Lin’s ears perked up.

The two looked at each other, their eyes meeting in silent verification of the energy they sensed.

Once they confirmed it, they moved simultaneously.

Lin jumped over the roof, and Mirabel flew on her staff.

The energy they had felt was the same.

“It’s master!”

“It’s Zuin!”

It was the energy of their master, Karami.

When they arrived, Karami was there, flying with Arpia, riding on the spirit’s wind.

“It’s been a ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) while, everyone. How have you been?”