The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

Karami brought Asies with him.

Disciplinary training seemed to be in full swing—Lin was perched on top of Skadia, whose head was pressed to the ground.

"Let’s do well. Got it?"

"Understood..."

The dignity of the Ice Dragon had long since disappeared.

What remained was nothing more than a pet dragon, one that was perfect to show off.

Then Lin spotted Karami and leaped down, landing lightly in front of him.

"So, this is the ice princess?"

Lin stretched her neck forward, scrutinizing Asies.

"Hmm~ She is pretty. But not as much as Lin."

Asies, in turn, stared at Lin.

"Pink... dog?"

"Lin is not a dog! I’m a fox! A nine-tailed gumiho!"

Lin proudly displayed her tails for Asies to see. Only after a brief pause did Asies, who had been gazing lazily, suddenly widen her eyes in realization.

"Tails. Fluffy... warm."

Asies eagerly reached out and started fondling Lin’s tails.

She was utterly captivated, unable to tear her eyes away, as if she had discovered something extraordinary. Her hands moved rapidly, exploring the texture. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Karami, who knew Asies all too well, was certain.

'That’s the look of someone who just found the perfect pillow.'

Soft, warm.

Lin’s tails were indeed ideal for sleeping on.

"Master, this one seems a little weird too."

Karami did not deny it.

Asies was definitely peculiar.

‘But then again, is there even a single one of my slaves who isn’t?’

From Karami’s perspective, they were all more or less the same.

The only difference was whether they were aggressive or not.

The power structure was already becoming clear.

Lin vs. Arpia vs. Elise.

Lin and Arpia were particularly competitive. They constantly sought opportunities to pick fights or flaunt their relationship with Karami.

Elise, on the other hand, pretended to be neutral but seized advantages whenever she could—just like a bat.

Mirabel occasionally got involved, but for the most part, she maintained her neutrality. She seemed to enjoy the bustling atmosphere and simply smiled as if entertained.

The fortunate thing was that Asies had nothing to do with such aggressive tendencies.

If anything, her clueless charm would help cool the tension and act as a mediator.

Smack!

That was until Asies suddenly grabbed Elise’s hand.

"Asies?"

Karami was startled.

He had brought Asies to introduce her to the others.

She was already acquainted with Arpia and had no trouble exchanging greetings with Mirabel. But the moment it was Elise’s turn, Asies' demeanor changed abruptly.

Her gaze toward Elise radiated undeniable hostility.

A chilling aura, like dry ice, spread from Asies, filling the air with an eerie coldness.

Elise, who had been prepared to greet her with a smile, also froze.

"What’s the matter?"

"...The ring."

"The ring?"

"Give me the ring."

What caught Asies' attention was none other than the ring on Elise’s ring finger. She recognized that ring.

After all, Karami had personally commissioned it from Torvar.

A prince wakes the sleeping Snow White with a kiss and then proposes, slipping a ring onto her finger.

A happily ever after could not happen without it.

And yet Elise was the one wearing it.

That was unacceptable.

It should not be allowed to happen.

"Give it back. It's mine."

"Hah, so that’s what this is about?"

Elise, finally grasping the situation, scoffed.

She smirked, deliberately lifting one corner of her mouth as she gazed at Asies.

"Sorry, but this is a ring my Master gave to me. It’s not something I can simply hand over. If you want to whine, go do it to your parents."

"If you don’t give it, I’ll take it."

"Try, if you can."

Crack!

The ground beneath Asies froze solid as she advanced into Elise’s territory.

However, Elise responded just as fiercely. Blood pooled beneath her feet, forming a barrier to block Asies’ approach.

Neither side showed any intention of backing down.

Lin and Arpia, finding the new power struggle amusing, watched with grins, while Mirabel let out a sigh.

Before the situation could escalate further, Karami decided to intervene.

"Let go of her arm, Asies."

"...."

"I said, let go."

At Karami’s stern reprimand, Asies reluctantly released Elise’s hand.

As Asies withdrew, Elise also let her aura subside, smoothing out the wrinkles in her sleeve.

"You shouldn’t covet someone else’s belongings, Asies. I've already given you plenty—pendants, fairy tales, music boxes."

"But... the ring is mine."

Tears welled up in Asies' eyes as she silently sobbed under Karami’s scolding.

‘Has she ever been this obsessed with accessories before?’

If anything, she had zero materialistic tendencies. The palace was filled with treasures, yet she never seemed to care about any of them.

But for Asies to cry over a single ring—it was clearly no trivial matter.

"Alright. I’ll have one made just for you. How about that?"

"...Mm."

"So stop crying now."

"...Okay."

She barely managed to hold back her tears.

The situation was finally settled.

Though Asies' glare at Elise remained less than friendly.

‘Damn, it feels like I have five kids.’

Karami sighed inwardly.

As much as the more beautiful characters, the better, handling even one was exhausting. Managing five was a nightmare.

And there was still one more left.

‘Narsha is in Noctar, right?’

Running a trading company.

Each of the freed ones had issues. Every time they reunited, something was wrong with them.

Self-imposed shackles, self-harm, imprisonment, self-inflicted hibernation.

What a glorious lineup.

Karami could already feel a headache forming at the thought of what problem the next one would bring.

****

Crossing the continent would typically take at least three to four months.

But with Mirabel’s magic, a trip around the world could be done in a day.

A tap of the staff.

A portal appears.

Step inside.

Arrival.

Zero error margin.

Absolute perfection.

"Mirabel, this isn’t Noctar."

Except... this time, it wasn’t.

Karami had lived in Noctar for several months—this was nothing like the city he remembered.

Noctar was supposed to be gloomy, dark, filled with beggars sprawled across the streets.

But this city...

The streets were clean. There were no destitute vagrants soaked in despair. Instead, it exuded a bright and harmonious atmosphere.

"No, this is Noctar."

"What?"

"Narsha put a lot of effort into it. She said she absolutely refused to show up in a dreary city when she returned, so she nagged the lord until he fixed everything up."

"Ohh."

Karami nodded in understanding.

That was exactly the kind of thing Narsha would do. She was a noble lady, after all.

Even when they traveled together, she always demanded the finest inns, the most luxurious carriages, and the most expensive food.

‘And she was always trying to teach me noble etiquette whenever she had the chance.’

Maybe... just maybe, there was something to look forward to this time.

With a tiny glimmer of hope, Karami made his way to the headquarters of the Reaper’s Merchant Guild.

It was a massive trade district, as grand as a noble’s estate.

Past the large, guarded gate and through the garden stood a newly built structure where the Desert Rose Merchant Guild once stood.

A colossal depiction of the Reaper loomed over the entrance.

The intimidating sight alone was enough to make people not want to go near it.

‘Of all the things, why the Reaper?’

Then, a realization flashed through Karami’s mind.

‘She took it from Slave Reaper.’

...Why would she do that?

There were so many beautiful and elegant names to choose from.

He couldn’t begin to understand.

As they approached the merchant guild, a group of elf girls roaming nearby greeted them enthusiastically.

"Lady Arpia, you’ve returned!"

"Yeah."

"And the people behind you... Ah! Could that be...?"

"That’s right."

The elf girls immediately recognized Karami.

They respectfully bowed their heads to him.

"Welcome back, Master!"

"...Who is the Master?"

"You are, Master."

Karami tilted his ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ head in confusion.

He didn’t recall taking in any elves as slaves besides Arpia.

What the hell...

What exactly happened here?

"Arpia?"

"I thought long and hard about why you left me behind," Arpia said smugly, "and then it hit me. You wanted me to raise young elves until you returned."

He had never given such an order.

"You only take girls as slaves, don’t you? So I brought over the elves from the Great Forest."

"So, you’re saying... they’re all my slaves?"

"Yup."

Arpia couldn’t hide her grin, eager for praise.

"Even having just one elf slave skyrockets a trader’s reputation. So now, my dear, you’ve become the world’s greatest slave merchant!"

"Hmm."

"How does it feel to own so many elf slaves? I did well, right?"

Karami wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but if he emptied his mind and thought about it simply...

Rare elves.

Beautiful.

All young girls.

Good thing + good thing + good thing = Very good thing.

Karami raised a thumbs-up.

"Excellent work, Arpia. You’ve made my trust worthwhile. I’ll reward you later."

"Hehe, I’ll be waiting for it."

They stepped inside.

Just like the exterior, the interior was incredibly refined—Narsha had clearly put a lot of effort into it.

As Arpia guided them toward Narsha’s location, a commotion erupted from the opposite end of the corridor.

Soon, two people appeared—Count Brian and his wife.

They were being dragged out by elf guards, completely powerless to resist.

"Let go! Release me at once! Do you even know whose body you dare lay hands on? I am Count Brian! I am the father of Narsha, the rightful owner of this merchant guild!"

"And that is precisely why you’re leaving alive. If you were anyone else, you’d be leaving as a corpse. Consider yourself lucky."

Despite his shouting, Count Brian was being thrown out like common trash.

As he was being dragged past, his eyes locked onto Karami’s.

"You bastard, Slave Reaper!"

"We meet again, Count."

"This is your doing, isn’t it?! You brainwashed my daughter!"

"If only. That would’ve made things easier. Unfortunately, that’s not the case."

"I will not let this go! No matter what it takes, I will bring this guild down, kill you, and save Narsha!"

As Count Brian was dragged away, screaming, Lin’s heterochromatic eyes gleamed mischievously.

"Lin, what did you just do?"

"Oh, nothing much~ Just a little stroke of luck."

"Luck?"

"Yep. The kind of luck where your entire life crumbles."

Karami frowned.

Why was that considered luck?

Though, from Lin’s perspective, she had been generous.

After all, Count Brian had openly threatened Karami’s life in front of his slaves and still got to walk away alive.

Compared to death, having his life ruined was, indeed, an act of mercy.

Following the path from which Count Brian had emerged, another figure soon came into view.

Striking red hair and crimson eyes.

An elegant socialite’s gown, exuding noble grace.

With a tired expression, Narsha let out a deep sigh.

But when she spotted Karami, her eyes widened.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she gracefully lifted the hem of her dress and bowed.

"Welcome, my Master. Narsha Brian greets you."

Oh.

She actually seemed normal.

Karami let out a breath of relief and was about to respond—

—when Narsha subtly lifted her head.

"Did you enjoy selling me off and playing around with other women?"

...Ah.

Well.

He was fucked.