“Wow… So this is where Booby Lady lives?”

Awed at the grandeur rather than impressed, Mana gaped at the décor furnishing Elane’s drawing room. As she spun around, excitedly gasping at everything from the utterly mundane to the entirely intriguing, Yua couldn’t help but giggle at her.

Enjoying the sight of Mana wagging tail as she bent over to study the trinkets on one of the bookshelves, I quietly slipped a finger under the strap of her frilly white dress and pulled it back onto her shoulder before she revealed too much.

Even though she’d obtained her freedom once again, we had no problems getting Mana back into her clothes before we left the village. Although, she did need our help putting them on. That little heart-to-heart we had back in the tavern must have really gotten through to her, as the most I had to deal with once she was ready was Chibi playfully attempting to wear Yua’s clothes.

Chibi was no doubt the older of the two, but Yua’s – assets – were far too bountiful in comparison, so it all slipped right off the petite cat girl’s body. Not that she minded, of course.

“Think we should let them know we’re here?” I asked.

Yua shook her head, looking supremely relaxed now that she’d had the chance to beat the crap out of a bunch of people.

“No need. They’re already coming.”

It was honestly a little surprising that she’d taken notice. I’d already cleaned the sweat from her body with magic, but she was still steaming with pride over leaving with another winning streak under her belt.

Before Elane separated from us, we’d planned on meeting up in this room again since it was the one I was the most familiar with. Also, it felt a little uncouth to teleport straight into a maiden’s bedroom as the sun was setting.

Soon enough, the drawing room door was thrown open, leaving the mountainous breasts of the woman that disturbed it bouncing after thrusting herself into the room. And I am happy to report that she beamed when our eyes met. It was a far cry from how our first meeting in this room had gone.

Elane was just as we left her, though her axe was no longer slung over her shoulder. Instead, what she held there was the ass-end of a very limp, green-haired maid. Thankfully, unlike Tama, Elane had the decency to press down June’s skirt with her hand so I couldn’t be accused of looking at something I wasn’t supposed to.

As for June herself, she eyed us blearily, like she’d only just woken up. She didn’t even seem to notice that Elane was accidentally groping her ass in order to press down her skirt. She simply dangled, nothing more. She was utterly defenseless.

“Welcome back!” Elane beamed. “As promised, I already… wait. Girls! What are you doing? Get in here!”

“S-Sorry!”

At their former mistress’s call, Erika dashed into the room, her cheeks bright pink as she held the door for the others to join.

Despite the vibrant shade of blue that colored the drill-shaped twintails she wore her hair in, this third maid hunched her shoulders cautiously and clenched her hands together in front of her chest as she entered.

I couldn’t bring myself to feel at all insulted by how she trembled when her purple eyes met mine, but it only made her look smaller. And she was already a little more on the petite side than Mana was. At least, in one area.

“Tch…”

Pushing the smaller maid forward was a fiery-haired woman bearing the same maid’s dress. Unlike all the other maids, she was not blushing, not trembling and most certainly not on the verge of falling asleep. She was glaring at none other in the room but me. The sort of fury in her eyes and the caution in her gate as she approached reminded of how Yua used to treat me when I first bought her.

Then, as if she noticed that I noticed this, she covered her chest with her arms and huffed. I politely looked away.

We waited patiently for the maids to line up in the middle of the room, Erika included. Elane then carefully set June’s feet on the floor, made sure she could stand on her own, and moved behind the lineup. In no particular order other than Erika the Headmaid standing at attention on the far left, they bowed to me in unison. Though the lazier one of them was forced to do so by Erika.

““Welcome home, Master.””

They chanted their greeting in unison as well and, for better or worse, I had to admit they looked well trained as they each dipped into a curtsy. Seeing them now, I fully believed Elane when she told me she bought them all simply because they were cute.

Elane clapped her hands with a grin and said, “Good. I already explained everything to these four, so let’s just skip the questions and move straight into the introductions! You first, Headmaid.”

“Eep!”

Pushed forward, or rather, forced to move by the hand that lightly slapped her ass, was Erika. Pouting, she reached back to rub her backside, but immediately thought better of it. Instead, she clasped her hands together in front of her apron and began.

“I-I… As you already know, my name is Erika. I’m a dog-kin of the Greater Vierre Forest. In this household, my duties are to organize the other maids, tend the garden and cook… A-And my three sizes are 84-53-85.”

Momentarily bewildered, I suddenly couldn’t do anything more than acknowledge the fact that Erika was only slightly smaller in each area than Yua. But I quickly shook my head before the next girl could speak.

“Wait. Wait. Wait. Elane, did you tell them to share their sizes with me?”

“Yup! I figured you, as a man, would want to know. I did, anyways.”

Elane grinned and proudly gave me a thumbs up, but now that I know why the maids were acting so cautious of me. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“Girls, forget whatever Elane told you. You don’t need to share any personal details about your body with me. Erika, sorry she put you on the spot.”

“I-It’s okay, Master.”

“And you don’t need to call me Master, okay? That goes for all of you.”

“Understood, Master.”

Erika dipped into another bow and, sighing, I was torn on how to proceed. I could just as easily demand she stop referring to me as Master, but wouldn’t that make me a hypocrite? I was here to basically give them their humanity back. Using force didn’t seem right. Which leaves letting her work it out of her system until she’s used to being around me.

Then again, I suppose I did give Yua a few orders without ever revoking them. And the fact that Mana’s wearing clothes is a result of another order, though that was more between us as mates, rather than master and slave.

Before I could come to a decision, however, the fiery-haired maid took a step forward. Her arms crossed and her cheeks flushed, she glared intently at me as though I were the only other being in the room. Midway between wondering if her Spear Warrior class had something to do with her defiant attitude, I noticed her Casanova level said she held a deep dislike for me. So I prepared myself for the worst.

“My name’s Mary. No family name. My duties are to sweep and wax the floors and tidy the many bedrooms of the mansion. And if you’re going to devour us, Master, I ask that you thrust all your lewd desires onto me. Alone. Just keep your paws off the others. Please.”

“M-Mary!” Erika shouted.

Taken aback and unable to respond despite my efforts in bracing myself, I looked to Elane to ask if she suggested something else inappropriate, but she too looked shocked.

“I don’t have any experience with men,” Mary continued, gritting her teeth as she squeezed her arms. “But if you just tell me what you to do, I’ll…”

“Shut up!”

Looking even more shocked than the rest of us, Mary staggered back into line. But it wasn’t me she looked fearful of anymore. The one that yelled, the woman whose tail was as stiff as a blade, was none other than Yua.

“Alex has no intention of laying a hand on any of you!” she continued. “He’s not that kind of master. When he bought me, we slept together in the same bed for a week and he never laid so much as a finger on me until I asked him to! Assuming that he’d be so terrible… Erika, did you not tell them what I said?”

“I-I tried,” Erika cried. “But um, well… After dealing with a carnivore like Mis… Like Elane for so many years, having an actual man show up to put a collar around their necks scares them.”

“Not me,” June said, languidly leaning back onto Elane. “I’m perfectly ready to use the Headmaid as a meat shield to guard my chastity. Oh, and by the way, my name’s June. I’m reluctantly in charge of all the laundry and I can mend any clothing that needs it.”

“This isn’t a time for jokes!”

“Who’s joking?”

Wondering just what in the hell I walked myself into, I took a step back from the girls and tried to speak as calmly as I could.

“Girls, I understand your worry, but I promise you, I’m not going to take advantage of you. I’d actually like for all of us to get along, so…”

I was interrupted by a shaking hand that was raised high into the air, like a student waiting for their teacher to call on them. She squeezed her eyes shut, but her determination was apparent, so I gave her the floor.

“Go ahead, Silla.”

“Oh, um, right. I guess you already know, but, my name’s Silla Felisara. I tend the library and handle all the dusting with my magic. But, um…. If you’re not going to eat us, why do you keep staring at our b-breasts?”

“Huh?!”

Before I could question what she meant, as I legitimately had no recollection of meaning to do that, Yua sent a sharp elbow jab into my side. It only hurt a little, but seeing as how the slave spell didn’t rebound the pain on her, I guessed it must have been true.

She whispered in my ear.

“They’re not going to trust you if you keep staring like that.”

“I swear, I’m not doing it on purpose!”

Sure, I did just spend the last couple hours in a village of literal nudists, but I wasn’t feeling at all pent up like I’d been during my first visit. This was concerning in its own way, but…

Seriously, how do I keep doing that without noticing or trying to?

“He’s staring at Elane’s right now,” Erika said. “But… It’s strange. I don’t smell any lust on him at all.”

Who the hell could be lustful in this sort of situation? Also, when the hell did I look at her?

“Of course he’s not,” Elane bellowed. “My husband is a man of great taste. He knows full-well that ass is superior to tits. I mean, just look at Yua. She’s his first wife and she’s got a great backside too.”

“Elane, you’re not helping…”

“So he’s already eaten one of his slaves?” Silla said, wiping away a tear. “Gods, we really are going to be devoured.”

“Quick, Headmaid, show him your tits,” June added. “Distract him while the rest of us run… Well, I’m not actually going to run anywhere, but still.”

“I’m not going to do that!” Erika shrieked, causing June’s muscles to give out. She collapsed to the floor, into a puddle of lethargy that spread until it pushed Mary to step forward yet again.

“Master, please, these girls are too innocent to be devoured.”

“…”

Just as I was begining to weigh the pros and cons of asking Yua to use Healing Punch to see if it’d cure the headache that was brewing in me, Mana stomped up to Mary. Puffing up her small chest, she slapped one hand on her hip and with the other, shot an accusatory finger at the maid.

“Stop being mean to Big Bro! He’s really nice. If you’d just shut up and listen to him, you’d know that!”

Mary, bewildered, raised a confused brow at the smaller girl who’d yet to be introduced.

“Thank you, Mana. As I was saying…”

“Besides,” Mana continued, shifting her pointed finger over to Yua. “The only one here that’s done any devouring is Big Sis. Three times. Three times I saw her eat his manho…!”

Before she let out a sentence that would have insured the maids fear me for the rest of their lives, Yua and I moved in unison to cover her mouth. Letting her squirm, I handed her off to Yua and addressed the room.

I wanted to be casual about this, but I clearly needed to put my foot down here, or this would only continue.

“No one is to say any more about anyone being devoured, because it’s not going to happen! That’s an order!”

As expected, this instantly compelled all present to quiet down. Elane shrugged as though she had nothing to do with this, Erika quickly hung her head, Silla trembled, June remained a puddle on the floor, but only Mary continued to stand tall despite my yelling.

“Look,” I continued in a controlled voice. “As I was saying, I do not like slavery. I know I must look like a giant hypocrite in saying that while having so many slaves, but I’m serious. Aside from Yua, Mana here and Elane both willingly chose to become mine. I didn’t force it on them, right?”

“Mmhmf!” Mana muffled her agreement proudly into Yua’s palm. She even accentuated it with a proud nod.

Elane, though, stepped around the girls to stand beside me. She’d been fooling around so far, but seeing the honest worry in the maids must have compelled her to give it a rest.

But nobody was expecting her to bow her head so deeply to them.

Their former mistress, their master, lowered herself in front of them. And when her golden hair fell to cover her face, she brushed it over her shoulder so they could see her.

“Girls, I’m sorry I was so rough with you. With the yelling, the threats and punishments, I let my drinking get the better of me and took it out on all of you. If it weren’t for that, if I wasn’t drunk all the time, you’d probably be a little more trusting.

“But trust me when I say I’m positive Alex is different,” she continued. “Part of his conditions to take me as his wife was to apologize to you four. So, I know I probably don’t deserve your forgiveness, I am truly sorry. I never meant to make my lovely, cute, maids worry so much.”

Finally, a chink appeared in Mary’s glare and Erika teared up a little, as did Silla. June even managed to sit up and gawk at her former mistress, but all of them were dumfounded by Elane’s actions.

While it was true I asked her to apologize to the maids, I figured she would have done it while we were away. Maybe it was her hesitation on that end that led to all the noise, but at least it seemed to have helped them calm down.

“Woah,” June muttered. “She actually admitted it.”

“Yes, June. I truly am very sorry.”

“No, I mean you admitted you were drunk. You usually lie and say you’re only tipsy, even after drinking enough to pass out in the bath.”

“And you’ve fallen asleep while eating several times,” Silla added.

“And you usually end up walking around the mansion with your boobs out because you forget how to close your coat and give up trying,” Mary said with a sigh.

“A-And you groped me all over last night,” Erika added, then cautiously flitting her gaze between Elane and I, she continued. “You touched everywhere.”

Pretending I hadn’t heard the last two, I stayed quiet. Elane, flushed a bit, but denied nothing.

Elane kept her head bowed, while Mary hefted the limp June up by the collar of her dress and the four huddled together. Occasionally, one of them poked their head up to look at me, but quickly withdrew to whisper some more. Whatever it was they whispered to each other about must have been private matters, as even Yua elected not to eavesdrop.

We waited patiently for them to come to terms with the sudden changes, but Elane was starting to tremble the longer it took them to respond to her apology.

Finally, Mary raised her head and kept it raised. She aimed her next question at Yua.

“So, you two are with him willingly? He’s not forcing you?”

“He’s not. I’m his mate, and so is Mana. Though, I suppose it’d be easier for you all to understand if I said we’re his wives.”

“But then why did you act like a slave when you first came to visit?” Erika asked.

“That was just an act. I knew we were going to be meeting with a noblewoman, so I didn’t want to upset her by acting too casually.”

“Oh…”

Erika put a knuckle to her chin and fell silent. She must have been reinterpreting every moment she’d seen of me with my girls under the new line of thinking that we weren’t just a master and his slaves. Her Casanova level said she was no longer weary of me, but she clearly still had some misgivings. And thankfully, the tension slowly left her.

It was Mary that spoke next.

“Then, if you don’t like slavery, and you don’t treat those two like slaves, what about us?”

“It’ll be the same with you girls. Elane already agreed to come live with us, so I’d like it if you girls kept this place up and running. We’ll still visit from time to time, and we’ll be using this room as a teleportation point, but this mansion is as good as yours. This isn’t just where you live, it’s your home now. Well, so long as you want to be here.”

The time period may be different, but I’ve had enough of living in the city. And even though I made it clear I wasn’t going to budge on that point, Elane agreed readily and without complaint. I could just as easily expand our house for free anyways.

“It’s my way of apologizing,” Elane added, head still bowed. “All the gold in my vault technically belongs to Alex now, but he’s already given you all permission to use it as you need.”

“R-Really?” Erika pressed. “But what about…”

Apparently knowing where the dog-kin was going, Elane answered her next question swiftly to save her the trouble.

“I’m barely a noble. You know I don’t have any real duties outside of being a Cartographer. And there’s more than enough gold in the vault to cover the yearly tax. You shouldn’t have to worry about a thing.”

This was the crux of why we were here. We didn’t stop by to say I was moving in, but that Elane was leaving the mansion and everything in it to them. It’d still be ours, well, technically just mine, but all we were going to use it for was a teleportation spot to prevent us from wasting coin entering the city by the front gate.

“Staying here means you’re all free to act just like regular girls. So long as I am your master, you’re not slaves anymore.”

Despite myself, I let slip a small chuckle at how ridiculous that sounded, but the maids took this all in about as well as we were expecting. Meaning they all stood there, unsure of how to react to what was essentially their freedom being handed to them on a silver platter.

Refusing to let their apprehension continue, I tried a different approach.

“Okay, how about this? As a show of good faith, how about each of you tell me one thing you want that Elane wouldn’t let you have and I will give it to you.”

“Wouldn’t let them have?” Elane repeated, looking confused where she remained bowing.

The maids ignored her and looked to each other before huddling together again. After a few moments of whispered bickering, occasionally stopping to take a peek at me, Mary stepped forward first.

It seems that, even though Erika was in charge of the maid quartet, the fiery Mary was their backbone. Although, her shoulders raised themselves defensively.

“Ma… No, Alex, may I please have a spear?”

Taken aback for but a mere second, I realized her trepidation came from the fact that she, a slave, was asking for a weapon she could potentially harm her new master with. But I was a man of my word.

Clapping my hands together, I activated Material Creation. Using all the spears I’d seen in the blacksmith’s shop as a reference, as well as a few from video games, I created what I hoped was a good representation of my sincerity.

Right before her ruby-red eyes, I materialized a weapon with a shaft as long as she was tall, but with a thick-headed, steel blade that somewhat resembled a serrated leaf.

I was no craftsman. Nor was I a weapon designer. And what I made did look something more like a fan-created fantasy weapon that you’d have to mod into a game, rather than one sculpted by a professional, but I was confident that it could serve its purpose.

Mary’s eyes glowed and, finally, a smile appeared on her lips. That bright, childlike smile rang home the fact that Elane’s taste in cute girls was unparalleled.

However, though Mary unconsciously started reaching for the spear, it was not her that spoke up.

“W-Wait, Husband,” Elane pleaded, jumping out of her bow to grab my wrist. “You can’t give her that! What if she cuts herself and ends up with a scar like mine?!”

“I’m sure she’s not that clumsy.” She did have the Spear Warrior class, after all. “Besides, a potion can clear up any cuts she gets, right?”

“That’s not the point! What if she can’t get a potion in time and she scars her face? Her super cute, tomboyish face? A scar?!”

I blinked at her, as I’m sure most present did. The subject at hand, though, only had eyes for the spear in my hands.

“Elane…” I said. “Did you deny her a spear just on the off chance she’d cut her face?”

“Obviously!”

“… Mary, catch.”

“Noooo!”

With my wrist held firm, I flicked the spear into the maid’s waiting hands and she caught it, spinning it all around herself in a flourish that could have rivaled Elane’s prowess with her axe had the force it created not ruffled her skirt so provocatively.

Holding it in her hands, she admired it from top to bottom before hugging it to her chest like a stuffed animal.

[Casanova Skill Activated: Slave Mary has reached level 2]

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[Slave is content with her new master.]

Right. Content. I’ll take it.

“It’s perfect! And its balance is amazing! And what is this spearhead? It looks so deadly!”

“Haha, well, I may not know much, but I do have the Spear Warrior class, too. So, I at least got the basics of what a spear needs down pat.”

In a flash, her animosity and caution vanished, only to return in small amounts the moment I took notice. Coughing into her fist, brow furrowed with embarrassment, she bowed politely.

“Thank you for this. I will cherish and polish it every night.”

“Please do.”

“Nooo! Husband, how could you?!” Elane whined, but Silla shoved her aside and dashed between us, hand raised high to ask a question. Or several questions.

“Are you a Mage? Are you a Mage? Are you a Mage?! How did you make that spear out of thin air? Magic, right? How’d you do it without an incantation?!”

Suddenly full of energy as she jumped up and down in front of me, Silla had lost her earlier worries. Her drills continued bouncing after she stopped, but I, as a man, couldn’t help but notice that her nearly-flat chest hadn’t budged at all despite all the movement. Still, I was a little shocked by the change.

“I am a Mage, yes. Among other things. And I have a trait that lets me cast spells and abilities without incanting them first. See?”

Carefully, I held out my palm in front of her and, without making a peep, a softball-sized sphere of water appeared. Without the instruction for it to move, it just hovered over my palm, but Silla’s eye lit up as though the water had taken human shape and started dancing.

Her mouth hung open in a wide, wordless grin until…

[Casanova Skill Activated: Slave Silla Felisara has reached level 3]

[Slave greatly admires her new master and wishes to study magic under him.]

Wait, did she seriously level up twice from just this? I did literally nothing but cast a spell!

“Amazing!” she shouted, snapping my attention away from her status window. “Silent casting was thought to be a myth that so many have wasted their lives in pursuit of, but to actually see it for myself… And from such a tall, han…!”

As if noticing her cheeks growing a little pink, she quickly shook her head and locked her eyes on mine.

“I know what I want. Please, can you…”

“Sorry, but I can’t teach you silent casting,” I interrupted with a hand up to stop her hopes from going too far. “It’s not an ability I learned. I was… born with it.”

Same as I had with the in-laws, I decided to withhold the news that I was from another world. At least for now. Explaining it again would take too much time.

The rejection, however, nearly caused Silla to wilt.

“O-Oh… I see. I understand. It’s not a secret you can give to just anybody.”

“No, I was really just born with it. I’m not trying to keep it a secret from you. Though, I do have to order all of you not to tell anyone anything about my abilities, classes or magic. For all of our safety.”

“Oh… Then, um, can I have the right to learn some more magic? Besides Homemaker spells, I mean. That’s all Elane would let me learn. I’d really love to learn some sort of offensive magic, but anything other than Homemaker spells would be greatly appreciated. Elane actually collected a few tomes herself, so you won’t even need to buy any.”

“Noooooo!” Elane cried, gripping the sleeve of my shirt. “You can’t! Not Silla! Her only rival in adorableness in this world is Kitty! Don’t ruin her!”

With my new wife nearly in tears at just the thought of this small girl learning magic, despite her already knowing the Dust Disperse and Drying Gale homemaker spells, I had only one question. I let my water ball disappear in to my item box.

“Elane… Did you stop her from learning new spells because she might somehow harm her cuteness?”

“Obviously! Just think, what if she were to burn herself with fire spells! Or if she cuts herself with a wind spell! Or, Gods, what if she accidentally teleports herself into a group of wild beasts that…!”

“Here you go, Silla,” I said, ignoring Elane’s rambling to hand the tiny Mage the Water Ball spell book I’d pulled from my item box. Elane gasped in despair. “I’ll make you a deal, since I already mastered that spell, you can borrow it for as long as you need. In the meantime, could I ask you to bring me the spell books Elane keeps? Oh, and any books about enchanting as well.”

“Y-Yes, Teacher!” Silla said, rubbing the book affectionately against her cheek. “I’ll be right back!”

“Mary, if she needs help, would you…”

“Sure, sure,” the redhead said with a shrug and followed the tiny mage that had already dashed out of the room. She carefully dipped her spear under the doorframe without even looking as she left.

With her Spear Warrior class being level 2 and Silla’s Mage class already level 5, I had to guess that they had a fair bit of experience by this world’s slow-leveling standards. So, I don’t see why Elane was so overly cautious. Besides, this way they could protect themselves and the mansion once we took Elane home with us.

“Noooo, Husband, you’re so cruel! My cute maids are being soiled!”

Withstanding her nonsense as she grabbed me by the collar to shake me, I looked to Erika.

“How about you, Erika? What would you like?”

“Erm, well… If it’s not too much trouble, as a dog-kin, I’d really love it if I could have June sew some holes into my clothes so my tail can fit through them.”

Not shocked at all by the immediacy of this request, I looked to Yua and she nodded back with a smile. She’d asked for the same before, so she knew of this beast-kin’s woes.

“Consider it done. Matter of fact, one of my abilities can put a tail hole in the dress you’re wearing, if you’d like.”

“It can? I-I mean, that would be greatly appreciated! Keeping my tail beneath my clothes is so uncom…” she stopped, cheeks filling with a blush that quickly carried to the rest of her face. “U-Um, can it be a dress I’m not wearing?”

“You can relax,” I laughed. “There’s no need to undress. Just turn around and point to the base of your tail for me.”

“O-okay.”

Staggeringly, she first looked to Yua for assurance, but did as I said and pointed to a barely perceptible bulge in the back of her dress that lay just above her rounded bottom. She even flicked her tail, as if to further accentuate its location.

After actually watching her back grow stiffer by the second, I pointed to the part of her dress in question and cast Material Destruction. As it had with Yua’s things, a small hole appeared and the base of her tail became visible. Although, since I hadn’t seen her tail before and therefore didn’t know how wide to make the hole, it ended up being a little too large and showed off more skin that she was likely comfortable with, so I fixed it up before she noticed.

“All done. Try it out.”

“Eh? Already?”

Confused, she turned just her torso to check her backside. Her tail flicked a couple times, but when she felt the hole with her hand, she quickly and with just as much tail-dexterity as Yua had, shot her tail through and out into the open.

Fluffy and covered with thick black fur, her tail was about as long as her arm. Smiling broadly, she lifted it and swished it about, testing the new limits I suspected she was used to feeling only when alone and undressed.

[Casanova Skill Activated: Slave Erika has reached level 3]

[Slave is genuinely happy to serve her new master.]

Inwardly cringing at my own ability refusing my denial of her enslavement, I made sure to smile for her. And just when I had the silly thought of wondering if it was alright for me to see this part of a woman that had spent so many years hidden beneath her dress, Elane…

“Nooooo! First you endanger Mary and Silla’s beauty, now you maim Erika’s cute dress?!”

“Elane… It’s just a dress. And she needs to…”

“W-Wait, Master,” Erika said, cradling her tail like a baby. “I’ve been wanting to say this for years now, but I never felt I could until now. Elane…. to me, covering my tail like this is just as uncomfortable as it’d be if Master asked you to bind your b-breasts with a rope.”

“R-Really?” Elane gasped, looking honestly shocked. “Then why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“I was your slave. It was not my place to complain… Actually, I did say something once when you had me model some clothes for you. You were just too drunk to take me seriously.”

“Erk…”

Reminded again of her own problems, Elane was quick to quit her complaining. I pressed on to keep it that way.

“June, would you please fix the rest of Erika’s things when you have the chance?”

With a half-sigh that practically screamed “meh,” June shrugged and said, “Why not?”

I figured Erika would be more comfortable with a woman handling the rest, and I was proven right when she happily bowed her head, still cradling her tail as she did.

“Thank you so, very much Master. June, why don’t you tell him your wish?”

After a quick yawn, June nodded, but held her chin in her palm as if she needed to prop it up while already standing.

“Hmm. First Mary asked for a weapon to protect us all by striking down any evil doers that might come our way. Then Silla pleaded for the right to learn all mighty magics that could warp reality itself. Then our one and only Headmaid disappointed us all by asking for a way to stop warming her own ass with her tail…”

“H-Hey!”

“But what should I ask for? It could be mountains of riches. No, even if you handed me all the gold in the world, it’d never be mine. I could ask for the right to order Elane around for a while to make up for all the chores she made me do, but no. Watching her work would just make me fall asleep. Then how about… no, the Headmaid would just make me clean up the mess afterwords. Hmmm.”

June scratched her head, looking deep in thought. Meanwhile, Erika sighed and cradled her fluffy tail.

Then suddenly, as if she’d been struck by one of the Goddess’s epiphanies, June’s eyes widened with what could only be called hope.

“Wait, Elane’s going to be leaving with you, right? For good?”

“Yes, she is.”

“A-And you have a bed at your place, right?”

“I will soon, yes.”

Clenching her shaking fists, June bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut before continuing as though she dared not look at me when I responded to whatever it was she was about to say.

Several deep breaths later, she made her request.

“C-C-Can I have Elane’s old bed?! Specifically, the one from her bedroom!”

“Yea, sure,” Elane said for me with a flippant wave. “Do whatever you want with it.”

“Yes!” June shouted, then collapsed to the floor as if her own voice had startled her.

[Casanova Skill Activated: Slave June has reached level 2]

[Slave now thinks her new master is a pretty good guy.]

“The beds we maids have are nice,” June continued from the floor. “But hers was always so comfy when she forced us to sleep next to her. It was so soft that it made putting up with her giant tits pinning me to the mattress actually bearable.”

“I-I never forced you!”

“Yes, June,” Erika agreed. “Her getting drunk and dragging us to her room for a sleepover doesn’t count as force... I think?”

“Erk…”

Geez, Elane, no wonder why they were all so scared of me. Also, how could that not be seen as forced?

“Maybe,” June continued with a shrug. “I suppose she only really did those things when she was drunk. But she was drunk all the time, so…”

“Mmm. True. But I wasn’t as worried about her drinking. I was more worried about what she might do if I angered her while she was drunk, that…”

“Never mind that!” Elane said sharply, causing June to collapse yet again. “Erika, go see what’s taking Silla so long. I only have a few spell books and I know she knows where they are. June, you go wait in your room. I’ll move your bed myself later.”

“O-Okay!”

Erika hefted June into her arms and sped out of the room, her long tail flying freely behind her. I wondered if she’d already forgotten she didn’t have to listen to Elane, but when the woman in question sighed, I gave up worrying.

So quick to throw out the maid that was helping cover for her – kind of – Elane waited until Erika’s footsteps faded before she fell onto one of the couches. She pressed a hand to her forehead and went quiet. I imagined she was thinking this would be a happy send-off, but all she got for her efforts was having her dirty laundry aired out to us. This once powerful woman looked just like any other fragile girl as she moped.

As her husband, her master, or even just as a man that could see she needed it, I sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She let go of her forehead to squeeze my hand, but leaned her head back over the couch to stare at the ceiling.

“You know, if this is happening too fast, we can wait…”

“It’s not that,” she said. “It’s just… I was really hoping they wouldn’t bring any of that up.”

“I did already know about some of it, though. But, uh, what’s this about you groping Erika?”

Blushing, Elane puckered her lips and huffed. “After I realized you might actually know about another world to explore, I might have gotten a little excited and groped her in the bath.”

“Haha, I see. Yea… I guess we both got a little too handsy after all that drinking.”

I looked to the victim of my groping, only to find Mana on her knees. With her ass swaying side-to-side in the air, she inspected yet more trinkets on the lower shelves of the book cases. She’d gone right back to observing the new surroundings as soon as Mary left the room.

Elane nodded. “Yea, June was complaining the whole time.”

“Wait, June too?”

“Anyway!” she shouted, turning to face me. Just as I noticed her cheeks were the deepest shade of crimson I’d ever seen on a woman, she continued. “After this, you’re going to the Apothecary, right?”

“And the guild. Why?”

“I’m going with you.”

“But don’t you still have some packing to do?”

“That can wait. This is something we should do together.”

“Okay?”

“I’m serious. Don’t leave without me. Promise me you won’t.”

“Okay. Okay. I promise.”

She squinted at me for a moment, as though expecting my nose to grow, but stood again with a small grunt. Rolling her shoulder, she linked her arm with Yua, whose ears flicked in confusion.

“I’m going to go move that bed and I’m taking Yua here as collateral to make sure you don’t leave without me. Just wait here. It won’t take long.”

“Wait, if it’s just moving it, I can throw it in my item box and…”

“No need. Between us, it’ll be too easy. Besides, even June might get a little jumpy if you enter her room. She likes to joke at the expense of others, but as you’ve seen, she really can’t take it when the heat is turned on her. Come on, Yua.”

“Uhm… I guess we’ll be right back.”

Yua offered a confused smile as she was summarily dragged out of the room and we were left to wait in a mansion that was simultaneously mine and almost entirely foreign to me.

Resigned to waiting, I reclined on the couch. After a few minutes of silently waiting, Mana came to join me. And naturally, she did so by hopping onto my lap to use my thigh as a cushion.

“Big Bro, if this is Booby Lady’s home, when are we going to yours?”

“Soon. We have a few more things to take care of, but they shouldn’t take long.”

“Mmm…”

A tiny sigh escaped her sakura lips as she leaned into my chest. Reflexively, my arms flew around her waist to hold her.

“You getting tired?”

“No. Your heart has been acting up ever since we got here. I think you should take a break.”

“My heart, huh?”

Well, I suppose that being accused of wanting to essentially rape a group of girls I barely knew was a little stressful, but I believe we cleared the air just fine. The maids should know they’re in safe hands now. Hopefully.

“Excuse me, Teacher.”

A knock came from the door to the drawing room and before I could answer, it was pushed open by what, at a glance, looked like a floating stack of books sporting blue twintails, but Silla peered out from around the stack with a smile. Mary, followed behind her, still clutching her spear to her chest.

“I’ve brought the books you asked for. I think you will like… Eep!”

With a shrill gasp, Silla scrambled to save the stack of books she nearly dropped at the sight of us. Blushing furiously, she spun on her heel to face the door. Mary, though, took one look and glared briefly before turning her chin up at us.

“Um… Something wrong?”

“Tch. That Mana girl may be your wife or whatever, but couldn’t you at least go somewhere private before getting all flirty?”

“Flirty...? Oh!”

I palmed my forehead immediately upon recognizing the reality of our situation. The way Mana straddled my thigh no doubt looked strange literally anywhere that wasn’t the village. And with her legs spread so far apart under her already semi-short skirt, it no doubt must have looked as though we were trying to start something naughty.

But for me not to notice… the village really has made me a little too complacent with this sort of stuff.

Seeing that Mana was oblivious to the maid’s fuming embarrassment, I pushed her thighs together and spun her so her legs rested safely over both of mine. And for some reason, Mana confusedly pouted up at me once she was in a less provocative position.

“It’s not what you think,” I said quickly. “This is just how her people sit with their mates.”

“Mhmm. Sure. Come on, Silla.”

Mary tapped Silla’s behind with the shaft of her spear, causing the small maid to jump with a shriek. She turned and shuffled over to us before setting the pile of books beside me on the couch. She then took a long step backward and stood ramrod straight. With a roll of her eyes, Mary leaned on her spear.

“Th-These are the books you requested!” Silla said, clutching the front of her skirt. “For spells, you have Conjure Lesser Familiar, Mind Vision and Thought Steal. As for books on enchanting, the only one I could find is Famous Enchanted Jewelry by Remus Beliard, but it’s basically just a catalogue of equipment worn by kings and other figures of note.”

“That’s more than enough. Thank you.”

I really wasn’t banking on Elane randomly having a copy of an enchanting text book, but this one should at least give me an idea of what sorts of enchantments are possible in this world.

That being said, I picked up the Conjure Lesser Familiar spell book, set it on Mana’s lap and cracked it open. The other two spells sounded like they’d have interesting effects, but if I could summon something to protect me while I cast my spells, Yua and Elane wouldn’t have to put themselves in harm’s way to protect me.

“Ah, that’s a novice spell,” Silla said, a bit of a smile returning to her lips as I sped through the book. “The other two are intermediate.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. Elane had me check them with the Mage’s Guild to be sure. She tried to sell them a while ago, but the guild wouldn’t take them, so she brought them back and sort of forgot about them.”

“Why didn’t they want them?” I asked, finishing the book.

[New Spell Acquired: Conjure Lesser Familiar]

“Because she picked them off of the bandits she slaughtered,” Mary said with a that’s-that sort a smile.

“Th-The books themselves are clean, though,” Silla added quickly. “I make sure everything in the library is spotless and properly organized.”

“Great. Keep everything there neat and you have my advance permission to read any book in there. Now, how about we try this spell out?”

I handed the spell book back to Silla, who took it with a deeply confused look, and stuffed the rest into my item box to read later.

“Um, Teacher, what do you mean by try it out? All you did was flip through the pages.”

“Oh, right. I guess Elane didn’t tell you. I have an ability that helps me learn spells quickly. I already mastered that one, so you can put it back in the library.”

One day, I’d like to have a library jam-packed full of spell books, but knowing she’d eventually want to learn it too kept me from being greedy.

“M-Mastered it already? How’s that… That’s impossible! It should take a least a few weeks just to read a book that large! You’d have to memorize it to learn the spell.”

“I know, but it’s true. Here, watch… Conjure Lesser Familiar.”

With a short incantation I made sure she could hear, I leaned forward with Mana, pointed my palm at the floor and cast my new spell.

I felt mana drain from my reserves and Silla’s eyes widened when a thick purple light emanated from my outstretched palm. She gulped when the same light then spread into a circle on the floor.

Mana’s tail wagged excitedly when the light ate away at the flooring, turning it into a deep, pitch-black pit of darkness, but the only reaction I got out of Mary was a raised brow. Guess she wasn’t very interested in magic.

Video game experience taught me that the spell should bring forth a temporary, and possibly spectral ally, but the spell itself made no mention of what it’d be. All I knew was that it’d be spiritually connected to me. So, I was just as eager to see what would happen.

But what we saw shocked me to my core.

From within the pool of light emerged a set of paws coated in pitch black fur that was indistinguishable from shadow itself. The sharp, hooked claws protruding from each dug into the rug as the beast pulled itself free of the darkness.

First to appear was its head, covered in the same pitch-black fur, but when it opened its maw for its first taste of air, a row of needle-like teeth stretched forth towards the ceiling, as if attempting to take a bite out of the sun for daring to rouse it. The rest of its body began to take shape as it pulled itself free to stand on it four strong, but slender legs. The fur that darkened its head coated its entire body from its snout to its writhing, wriggling tail.

When the summoning finished, and when the spell’s light faded, the beasts wickedly sharp ears jerked upright from where they’d been matted down, revealing that one was deeply chipped. Slowly, it pried its eyes open to look my way, as if it instinctually knew I was the one that summoned it. It was the heterochromatic green and blue orbs trapped within its skull that stared back at me that left me momentarily speechless.

Its pupils narrowed into slits and its thick tail thumped against the floor, arrogantly waiting to be acknowledged. And I quickly found myself unable to stop myself from speaking the creature’s name.

“… Lucy?”

“Big Bro, what’s this thing? It’s an animal, right?”

“It’s just a house cat,” Mary said with a disappointed huff.

“He… He really learned the spell already.”

[Casanova Skill Activated]

I ignored the notification to focus on the cat. The constant drain its existence had on my mana pool was so low it was basically negligible thanks to my mana regen trait, and it proved it was definitely my summon. But not only did its info box read the name “Lucy,” it looked exactly like the cat I had on Earth. From its eyes to the notch that existed in its ear before I’d taken it in off the streets, it was exactly the same.

It was Lucy, my Lucy. But it couldn’t be. The Goddess told me she’d found a new home when I died. How was she here now, in this other world where that home shouldn’t exist?

Before I could question if I’d summoned a copy or if enough time on Earth had passed for Lucy to pass away and that I only summoned her ghost, the cat jumped onto my lap.

“…!”

I grit my teeth as she dug her claws unnecessarily into my leg to catch herself, just like the real Lucy always did. Her differently colored eyes stared at me for only a few seconds and, perhaps because I summoned it, I felt as though she recognized me, but at the same time, she felt foreign. As if she and I were only strangers.

Ignoring my confusion, Lucy’s attention immediately flew to the cat-kin occupying my lap. They locked eyes, and Mana’s mouth fell open. Lucy took a cautious step onto Mana’s lap, then another. Then, as if she needed glasses, Lucy raised its forepaws into a half-jump, landing the soft pads of her paws harmlessly on Mana’s small chest to take a closer look.

Curious still, Lucy sniffed the air around Mana. Transfixed herself as she sniffed it right back, Mana’s big blue eyes gazed wondrously at the cat. When Mana’s love for animals finally got the better of her and she carefully touched her hand to Lucy’s head to pet her, the cat slipped off of her.

Lucy’s claws must have hooked on the fabric of Mana’s top, as when the cat fell, so did her dress.

“M-Mana?!”

Silla gasped when the girl’s bright pink nipples were suddenly thrust into view, but Mana herself didn’t even seem to notice. She just pet Lucy with an obnoxiously cute smile, and Lucy returned the favor by selfishly nudging her head against Mana’s palm, urging for more head pats as she was want to do.

Confused, but happy to see this old friend again, I hurried to fix Mana’s dress so Silla could breathe again. Then I hit Lucy with my patented chin scratch technique. Her tail flicked happily, as did Mana’s.

Seems the two were fast friends.

“I take it you’ve never seen a cat like this before, Mana,” Mary asked, striding over to us.

Mana shook her head. “The only animals I know are the ones that live in the forest… and the ones I eat.”

“Well, you don’t see much around here, but they aren’t exactly rare. I’ve played with a few myself. Here, try petting it behind the ear like this.”

To illustrate her point, Mary leaned in to pet Lucy, but the cat whipped its head away from all of us at the mere whiff of the maid. It then jumped away and bolted to the far side of the room, where it hid under Elane’s desk before fading away into nothingness.

The girls gawked, but when I noticed my mana pool was no longer being drained, I took it as a sign that Lucy could dispel herself at will.

“Hmph,” Mary huffed cutely, retreating with her spear. “This is why I don’t like cats. They’re too picky.”

“A-Are we just going to ignore that fact that Teacher learned a new spell within seconds of picking up the book?!”

“You’ll get used to it,” said Yua reentering the room with Elane, Erika and June in tow.

Yua and Erika clearly heard everything and were thus unsurprised to see us all gathered around the couch. Elane set the luggage she was carrying on the floor before rolling her shoulder yet again. It was still so hard to believe she was willing to give all this up, but none could deny the smile on her face when I moved it all into my item box for easy traveling.

June, though, looked both totally unmoved and exhausted. Her maid’s dress was suddenly and impressively messy, like she’d tried to take a nap in her new bed the second they set it in her room.

When she caught me looking, she covered her chest with her arms and smirked wryly. Positive I was innocent of all wrongdoings, I quickly looked away.

“Was that everything you want to take?” I asked, looking around the lavish room again. “We can take as much as you’ll need, you know?”

“There’s still more,” Elane said.

“But we should head out soon and turn in the quest before it’s too late,” Yua finished for her, pulling Mana to her side.

Confirming the late hour on my HUD, she was absolutely right. While the Adventurers Guild doubled as a bar and was therefore open late into the night, the Apothecary wasn’t so lax.

“Master, please feel free to leave the rest to us and hurry along,” Erika said with a small bow.

“Elane can just tell us what she wants gathered and Silla and I will get it. Then the Headmaid can pack it up for you.”

“And I,” June started proudly. “Will sit on this couch. Take your time.”

With all the fanfare of a wet paper bag slopping onto the floor, June collapsed into the couch Mana and I had warmed for her.

“Alright, thank you, girls. We’ll come back for the rest later. Let’s get go…”

“Wait!” Elane cried, clenching her fists. She turned to the maid quartet. “Why are you all so eager to be rid of me? Aren’t you going to respond to my apology?”

This single question filled the room with a deafening silence that put even Mana on edge. Revisiting our earlier conversations in my head, I realized that they really hadn’t answered her yet.

“O-Oh, right,” Erika said. “I suppose we got a little carried away with Master’s gifts. Girls?”

At her call, the maids huddled around Erika once again and when June didn’t join them, Mary clicked her tongue, grabbed her by the collar and hauled her limp body over towards the group. Together the quartet fell into another round of hushed whispers.

Elane waited with baited breath, clenching her thighs as if to stop herself from moving close enough to listen in.

Although, if Yua’s soft smile was anything to go by, I don’t think she needed to worry so much.

Finally, it was once again Mary that faced her down first. She slammed one hand on her hip and the butt of her spear into the floor and looked Elane straight in the eye. She took a deep breath before starting.

“There’s nothing to forgive, I suppose,” she said, stumbling a little as her cheeks flushed. “You picked me up off the streets and took me in when the knights were chasing me over stealing a bit of bread. Dealing with your drinking and having to share the occasional bath with you whenever I screwed up wasn’t so bad.”

“Y-You had to deal with me? But bathtime was bonding time! You said you like skinship!”

“Hmph!”

Whipping her head away from Elane’s complaints, Mary gave the floor to Silla, who stepped forward with her hand needlessly raised high.

“I don’t hate you either. I only sold myself into slavery to prevent my family from falling into financial ruin, but I was prepared for anything. I’m truly grateful to have been bought by someone like you instead of some brute… Although, I do hate the constant comparisons the others make between our chest sizes.”

A self-deprecating smile turned Silla’s lips as she looked down at herself and sighed. Elane lowered her chin in turn, but I didn’t get the idea she was ever the one making such comments. The rest of the maids, however, all looked away.

“You know,” June said, tilting to one side. “If I’m being honest, I can’t complain much either. Even with the chores and forced exercise, you still treat me better than my parents ever did. So, we’re okay. Your enslavement is punishment enough for making me do chores.”

“I don’t see how that makes us equal, but thank you.”

The next and last of the maids to step up was none other than Erika. And when Elane noticed the comforting smile the girl wore, I could feel tension ease out of her.

“Elane, I know why I’m a slave. I have for a long time.”

“You do?”

Erika nodded softly. “Since you bought me, actually. I’ve never once blamed you for it. It was my mistake alone… Oh, and thank you for holding yourself back all this time.”

At this, and with tears in her eyes, Elane dashed in to wrap Erika into a tight bear hug that lifted the maid’s feet off the floor. Grimacing slightly at the show of force, Erika barely managed to wrench an arm free to rub Elane’s back and she sobbed into the shoulder of her dress.

When she saw that the rest of us, her fellow maids included, all looked confused by the exchange, Erika politely explained.

“To cut a long story short, I accidentally stole something from Elane when she visited my people during her travels. I was on my way to Vierre’s capitol to do a bit of trading for my people and I brought what I’d taken with me. The guards spotted it, assumed I stole it and when they made me use a Scrying Orb to prove it, they had me enslaved. Coincidently, when Elane was leaving the capitol, she spotted me through the window as I was finishing up my training and rushed inside. The rest is history.”

“What she stole was the special quill I use to use to draw my maps,” Elane clarified, wiping her tears. “It was a gift from the king, so it stood out. And when her former master told me what she stole and showed it to me, I felt like what happened was all my fault for being careless enough to leave it behind… But how did you even know it was mine? When did you find out?”

“Like I said, it was when you bought me. I recognized your scent. It matched the one on the quill perfectly. From there, it wasn’t hard to figure out what happened with you spending our first year together looking so guilty all the time.”

“It was that obvious? Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“Because you were kind to me, to all of us,” she said, rubbing the skirt of her dress between her fingers. “You gave us all these nice clothes to wear. You shared your every meal with us. You protect us whenever we leave the mansion. You never even hit us when we messed something up. Elane, regardless of whatever it was you thought of yourself as our mistress, you gave us a good life here. It was honestly a very pleasant existence… When you weren’t drinking, that is.”

“Pfft. Hahahaha! Sorry. I’m sorry! All of you!”

Still refusing to let Erika’s feet touch the ground, Elane held out a hand to the others and one by one, they all joined in. Their former mistress then went out of her way to hug each and everyone of them as tight as she could.

Though Mary tried to hide it, she, Erika and Silla all ended up with tears in their eyes as they said their thanks and goodbyes as if Elane were just another member of the family that finally moved on with her life.

June, however, was different. While she too teared up, she looked to Elane as she buried her face, sobbing, between Erika’s and Silla’s chests. June then squinted and slowly turned to me from where she hung, draped over Elane’s arm to keep from falling to the floor.

Quietly, she gave me a thumbs-up and smirked a wicked smirk. Her light green eyes darted to Yua and the cat-girl’s ears perked up as she listened to June’s whispers. Finished with whatever she needed to say, June returned her attention to the group hug and let her limp self be whisked around.

“What did she say?”

“She asked you to give Elane hell tonight,” Yua said with a happy flick of her tail. “She also said that she won’t be giving Elane her bed back no matter what.”

“Hahaha…”