The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

Clank.

A shackle fastened itself onto Morgana’s soul.

On the surface, nothing seemed to have changed.

But the one who had become a slave knew.

She was bound by an oppressive force beyond words.

Every person who became a slave shared the same thought at first: Maybe I can break free?

They all tried.

And every single one of them realized the truth—disappointment setting in as they failed.

Morgana was no different.

It’s impossible.

She knew instantly.

This was unbreakable.

She couldn’t even begin to understand how it worked.

Disappointment quickly turned into acceptance.

There was no choice but to acknowledge the reality—she had become Karami’s slave.

"Sigh."

Morgana let out a weary breath.

"Did you just sigh?"

"Are you insane?!"

Before she could react, Lin and Arpia approached.

Arpia stood with her arms crossed, leaning on one leg, while Lin placed her hands on her hips.

They had been against Karami making Morgana a slave from the start.

They already disliked her, and now, seeing her sigh, their irritation peaked.

Of course, Morgana wasn’t [N O V E L I G H T] the type to shrink back.

"What."

"‘What’?! You should be grateful for being made a slave, and yet you’re sighing?"

"What the hell are you even talking about? Are you all collectively out of your minds? Do you even understand what it means to be a slave?"

"A blessing?"

"An infinite trust."

Morgana closed her eyes.

This had to be a dream.

There was no way they were all acting like this otherwise.

If she closed her eyes and opened them again, everything would go back to normal.

One.

Two.

Three.

...Nothing changed.

"Oi, junior. It’s Lin-senpai! Show some respect. Get down and bow."

Someone wasn’t happy with the outcome. But since it was Karami’s decision, they didn’t argue further.

"If her attitude is a problem, say the word, Master. I can fix it with magic and reshape her personality."

"W-what?! Tower Lord?!"

Mirabel casually said something terrifying, causing Morgana to immediately reconsider acting out.

And with that, the situation was settled.

Now, it was time to move on to the real matter at hand.

The reason Karami had come to Bestia was none other than Mirabel.

"Mirabel, how did you put on a shackle without me? And was it really you who attacked us before?"

It had happened suddenly.

One day, while Karami was looking after Lin, Mirabel’s Reaper had launched an attack.

Not long after, he received a notification.

One of his completely freed slaves had disappeared from the count.

Mirabel had shackled herself.

"...Yes, it was me."

"Why did you do it? Was this some sort of revenge against me?"

"R-revenge?! No way! I’d never! I just... I needed your magic power, Master...."

"So you broke the shackles of the other slaves to collect my magic?"

"Yes...."

Lin wasn’t the only target of the Reaper’s attack.

The cat people had been assaulted as well.

They weren’t physically harmed, but every single one of their shackles had disappeared, severing their contracts.

"Oi, Witch! Don’t feel bad! Thanks to you, I started liking Master!"

If Lin’s contract had been broken, it would have been a disaster.

But luckily, that hadn’t happened.

Instead, it became the moment Lin truly opened her heart to Karami.

"...Really?"

"Of course! I’ll never forget that rainy day when Master held me, stroked my head, and blew on my wounds. All thanks to you! Be proud!"

"Tsk. I should’ve gotten rid of you back then...." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Too late~"

Lin stuck out her tongue and clung tightly to Karami.

Mirabel regretted her past mistakes, but it was far too late to change anything now.

"So, you used my magic to create the shackle?"

"Yes. Ever since I was with you, I’ve been studying it closely. And after improving my magic at the Tower, I finally managed to do it."

"Is it identical to the ones I make? Can I remove it?"

"Technically... yes...."

Mirabel shrank back.

Anxious tension filled the air.

"Why do you look so nervous? Do you think I’ll remove it?"

"I... I just wanted to stay with you, Master...."

"You can stay with me. Why does it have to be as Master and slave? Can’t we just be friends? Or siblings? Or—"

"Enough. She’s crying."

Arpia wrapped her arms around Mirabel.

As Mirabel sniffled, Arpia gently comforted her.

"It’s okay, it’s okay. We understand how you feel. That shackle is so pretty. Master gave it to you, right?"

"Hic... Yes...."

"That human just doesn’t understand a slave’s heart."

"Exactly!"

"Seriously, where else in the world would you find someone who understands slaves better than him?"

In any city across the kingdom, it wasn’t hard to find slaves being beaten and starving.

All of them were desperate to be free.

But these people? They were the strange ones—constantly trying to become slaves.

"If you truly insist on remaining under me... Fine. Let’s just annul the contract. We can still maintain the master-servant relationship without it, can’t we?"

Karami didn’t understand why they were so obsessed with this, but if it was just a formal arrangement, he could tolerate it.

That was the compromise he offered.

But Mirabel shook her head furiously.

"N-no."

"You call yourself my slave, yet you won’t obey me?"

"I’m sorry... but this is the one thing I can’t do."

"Even if it’s an order?"

Silence.

Mirabel, who had always followed Karami’s words without question—even when she ignored her own mother—was now rebelling.

She knew she was being unreasonable, but she still refused to give in.

"...Alright, for now."

"I’m sorry."

It was an issue that would have to be addressed eventually.

But for now, Karami decided to let it go—Elise was the priority.

"Then, can you place this shackle on someone else as well?"

"Yes. As long as I have your magic, I can do it."

This was precisely why Karami had come to Mirabel.

Once he freed a slave, he couldn’t contract with them again. But Mirabel had willingly re-established her contract—and even the system had accepted it.

If Mirabel could put a shackle on Elise, then Karami would have another chance.

"Really? You can actually do it? Then can you do it for me too?"

"Me too! Me too! Put one on Lin!"

Arpia and Lin eagerly pleaded for their own soul shackles.

The sense of connection with their master, the stability, the comfort... even the power boost.

It was unbearable that a newcomer like Morgana had one while they didn’t.

"No. Absolutely not."

Karami would never allow it.

If he did, the progress he had made—getting [3/5]—would immediately drop back to [1/5].

"So it is possible. Good. Mirabel, you’re coming with me to the Holy Kingdom."

"Yes!"

Mirabel, delighted at being chosen, responded energetically.

Meanwhile, Lin tugged at Karami’s pants with a sullen expression.

"Master, Lin wants to go too."

"Hmm...."

"Why are you only taking Mirabel? Lin wants to be with Master too. Don’t leave Lin behind. Lin will behave. Lin has reflected a lot."

She gazed at him with sparkling eyes, ears drooping in anxious anticipation.

Karami hesitated.

The reason he didn’t travel with freed slaves was because they were uncontrollable.

If they ever went out of control, there was no way to stop them.

And Lin...

She had imprisoned him the moment she was freed.

She was even more unpredictable than the others.

"You’ll really behave?"

"Lin will behave!"

"You won’t lock me up like last time?"

"Never again!"

So far, she hadn’t caused any major problems.

And with Mirabel present, she could be restrained if needed.

That meant... there was room for consideration.

"If Master doesn’t trust Lin, then Lin will give Master this."

Lin presented a fox bead—shimmering in a mystical mix of pink, gold, and dawn-blue.

Inside it was the essence of a nine-tailed fox.

The power of a yokai.

Memories shared with her master.

It was her everything.

For a yokai, offering their fox bead was the same as surrendering their soul.

But if it meant regaining Karami’s trust, Lin would willingly hand it over.

Karami stared at the bead.

He had nurtured it since Lin had first become a three-tailed fox.

It had grown from the size of a fist to the size of a human head.

He had named her. Raised her.

She had always been a troublemaker... but he could never bring himself to hate her.

"Fine. Lin, you’re coming too."

"Kyaha! Lin will do her best, Master!"

Her face lit up with pure joy.

Her nine tails swayed excitedly, bouncing up and down in a dance.

Was she really that happy?

Karami let out a wry chuckle.

"Sweetie, obviously I’m coming too. You know that, right?"

"I gave up on stopping you a long time ago."

And so—

The party was assembled.

1 Master, 3 Slaves.

A ridiculously incompetent master.

But the three slaves in his service?

They made up one of the strongest forces in the world.