After the previous ordeal, everyone had needed time to rest. The deep dwarves had all needed to be resurrected, and even though their physical bodies were recovered for the most part, the condition they were in was at a level that they were extremely weak. I wasn’t much better, having gone a week without eating and also having to cast such an intensive and mana-consuming spell. Then there was Terra, who had to carry me out of there on her own after her soul had spent months hiding from the darkness.

It wasn’t just the physical strain that people needed time to recover from, but also the emotional strain. It appeared that the deep dwarves were well aware of their captivity. They had been in Twilight’s lore, being tempted by the life she offered, for innumerable years. The group that had survived to this point was the group that had realized they were living in deception and had fought it tooth and nail for untold years.

They had to witness approximations and illusions of their loved ones with hurt eyes as they were forced to reject and ignore them time and time again. There were times when they were unable to see the difference between reality and illusion. The one redeeming quality was that they didn’t remember their time as wraiths that were used to hunt down and kill their fellow dwarves as they fled, but that was a small relief.

Now that they were alive again, they were in an unfamiliar place. The deep that they had once tamed was a wildland filled with monsters and curses, and their ancestorial home that had been turned into a ghost town was destroyed. Everyone they ever knew and loved had either died long ages past or eventually broke down and unified with Twilight, becoming a permanent and indistinguishable part of her lifestream, their lore permanently lost to time.

Then, as if to add insult to injury, the king that they had thought betrayed them had given his life to save them. In a way, he had exchanged his soul for all of theirs. It gave them a complicated feeling. To say that they needed time to grieve was an understatement. Seeing what was left of this once proud nation huddled together in my soul world, it was truly a pitiable sight.

Watching them taught me some things that I had never realized before. For example, Terra had experienced a very similar event. Her entire family had perished, and she had been trapped underground for many years before finally rising in a world where everything was different. It was no wonder that she had attached herself to me. It wasn’t just the control rod that had connected us. She had needed me because she had nothing else.

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“What, Master?” Terra looked up at me, blushing slightly as I looked down at her.

“You are incredible,” I stated.

“S-saying that now…”

“Terra, I haven’t always been the best Master. My low self-confidence often led me to push you all away. I couldn’t believe or understand why you cared for me, and I convinced myself it was my uncontrolled passions that prevented me from freeing you.”

“Master…” Her body shook slightly, her eyes wet with tears.

“It took losing you all to realize my mistake. I absolutely won’t make that mistake again. You’re mine forever, I will never let you go.”

She nodded. “Mm! I am!”

“It’s about time I did this.” I took out the control rod, causing Terra to gasp.

“You brought that with you?” Terra cried out.

“I’ve always made sure it was safe,” I responded. “Although it’s always bothered me slightly.”

“Hmm? How so?” Terra looked at it nervously.

“Although it bonded to me when I grabbed it, this could theoretically be used to control you. By all metrics, you’re a golem, and that makes you closer to a tamed monster than a slave. This control rod was what once bridged the difference. Even though you were a monster, a dungeon guardian, you were treated like a slave under my absolute control. You don’t have a slave mark like the other girls, but you have this rod instead. Anyone who took this rod could also take control of you. It may be bonded to me, but I’ve seen enough magic over these months to know how easily such a thing like this can be overridden.”

“What is Master saying?” She looked up at me in confusion.

“I’m saying that I’m done controlling you.” I broke the control rod in half, causing Terra to let out a gasp of shock.

“Wh-what did you do?”

“Our bond was cut when I was dragged into the Illusory Sword Dungeon. I could use this rod to restore our connection, but rather than control you, I’d rather own you!”

Of course, part of the reason I had never done this earlier was that I wasn’t confident I could. At this point, my Slave Master, Monster Tamer, and even the presence of the new Soulsmith gave me the confidence to discard the control rod.

Her eyes widened at my words, and then she smiled. “Master, you always have.”

I reached out and wrapped my arms around her, and the pair of us embraced. As we kissed, I used Enslave on Terra, making her soul mine.