Late Afternoon - Late Spring : Kingdom of Kaelallan

-Now, what should I do with you…- Nonchalantly walking up to the dragon sleeping in the plaza, I put up a silencing barrier and lightly smacked its nose. *Thump* "So, how are you feeling?"

"Mng…" She gave me a look of disdain as she slowly opened her eyes. "Who are you? Are you that bastard's older brother or something?"

I paused as I considered playing around with her misguided thoughts before continuing normally. "Sadly, I don't have a brother."

Her expression soured immediately. "Oh… So what are you here for?" Her voice was provocative and sarcastic.

-She's pretty energetic today…- "Well, I'm going to be heading home soon, so I need to decide what to do with you."

She paused to look at me again before turning away like a child. "You should just kill me then."

"Hmm… I can't say I haven't already considered that." -She hasn't really done a whole lot wrong when I think about it though..-

She was naive and stupid, sure, but she was sold into the tower by her father and was likely groomed to mindlessly follow orders. It made me somewhat pity her even though I wasn't too fond of her personality.

"I'm too lazy to decide on my own, so I'll give you a choice." Immediately grabbing her attention, I gazed into her massive, draconic eyes.

Her provoking demeanor had turned submissive as she turned to me. "W..what are my choices?"

-She might actually have some potential...- "You can die now, and I will make it quick and painless, or you can become a slave. But if you become a slave, I will give you the option to pick your master."

There was a long silence that wrapped around us before she finally spoke. "Will I be able to work my way out of slavery, or will it be permanent?"

"It's entirely up to whoever your master is."

She gave me a look of surprise before falling into thought. "In that case..." She reluctantly glanced at me as she thought to herself. "Who are my options..."

-To think she didn't spit out a name immediately...- "Your first option is to become a slave of the royal family, and another is for me to sell you to the highest bidder." She gave me a disgusted look the moment I paused, but I continued before she could say anything. "Your final option is my sister and I, but since she's so young, and I don't want to show her anything as disgusting as an unkempt slave, you would be a maid."

Her eyes widened immediately, revealing a hopeful yet distressed expression. "I..." She paused as she looked away to think again.

"I can give you some time to think about it if you want. I don't plan to leave until tonight." Seeing her not react or say anything for several seconds, I turned away to leave. "I'll be back later-"

"W-wait! I've already decided..." She looked worried, uncertain, and panicked as she stopped me. "I will choose you and your sister!" Although she sounded worried and concerned, she didn't seem too reluctant.

-That was fast…- "Alright, then." Casually walking back over to the metal ring around her neck, I flicked it and used earth magic to turn it into a pile of metal shards. *Tink-cling*

After doing the same thing to several other rings, I stepped back and watched her get up and stretch. -I wonder if she'll try running…-

But once she finished stretching, she just sat down and looked at me like a lost puppy. "Should I transform now?"

Her sudden lack of worry, anxiety, and panic made my thoughts trip over themselves immediately. -Is she incapable of holding a grudge?!- She acted completely normal, as if I wasn't the one to trap her in the plaza for weeks and force her to become a slave. -Is she crazy?-

"I..is something wrong?" Her worry started slowly returning the longer I stood there and stared at her in silence.

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"Haah… No, go ahead and transform." *vwoom* Using light magic to block the light from her transformation, I pinched the bridge of my nose and questioned whether taking ownership of her was a good decision.

After another moment, when she finished her transformation and made a new set of clothes, she walked up to me, and I released the light magic.

"Hahh..." -I guess it's too late now...- "Whatever... Follow me." Turning to leave the plaza, I called over the highest-ranking knight I could see.

"W..what is it, sir?"

"You guys will get new orders once I let the king know about the situation. Until then, feel free to take some time to relax. Just make sure you don't let people try and scoop up those metal shards over there unless they're blacksmiths." -The blacksmiths would probably die to get their hands on steel that pure…- "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, sir!" He quickly straightened his posture before bowing.

"Alright then, be sure to use your time wisely."

"T-thank you, sir!" The knight's bow deepened as an excited smile came to his face.

-I guess they're excited to finally get some decent rest.-

From their perspective, a dragon might as well be an unstoppable force that could escape at any time. -And with them having to rotate shifts and sleep in the monument right there… It's no wonder some of them looked so tired…-

Quickly making our way out of the plaza, we turned onto the main street and started walking toward the palace.

Thankfully, no one happened to recognize Maria as we walked, so we got to the gate without interruption, but as we walked in, I heard her mumble under her breath.

"Such a beautiful palace…"

"It's good to hear you like it since it will be your home for a while."

She immediately jolted. "Huh? Didn't you say you were leaving for home soon?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm going to bring you with me."

"W..what does that mean?" Her anxiousness from earlier returned almost immediately. "A..are you going against your word and giving me to Kaelallan?"

"No, I just don't want a maid who has no clue what she's doing." -She really is like a naive teenager…- "I'm going to leave you here for 'maid training'." I'll pick you up once we get ready to go to Bahamut in a few months. You better work hard."

Her worry once again dissipated as I spoke. "Y..yes, I understand.

"Haah..." -What an indecisive girl…-

*Clang-Creak* Finally opening the door and entering the palace, I called out to the first maid I saw. "Miss, do you know where Martha is?"

"Yes, she should be in the dining room, Young Master." Her response was fluid and concise, and she gave a very polite bow right afterward.

"Awesome, thank you." It made me a bit curious about how Maria would turn out after being taught. -If Maria can capture even half of this girl's vibe, it'll be great...- But I couldn't say I was too confident in her.

Quickly making my way to the dining room, I wasted no time opening the door and walking inside. *Click*

My ears were met with orderly chatter as I saw Martha ordering around some other maids. -She looks like she'd be a good teacher too… How perfect.- "Martha, can you come here for a moment."

"Yes." Hastily setting down the plates in her hand, she greeted me with a formal bow. "What is it, Young Master?"

"Would you happen to be able to train a maid for a few months?"

She nodded without hesitation. "If it is your request. Who will be the lucky missus?"

Tilting my head slightly, I pointed back at Maria, who anxiously stood right behind me.

"Oh~, she is truly a diamond in the rough. I will do my best to polish her up for you, Young Master." Martha's expression quickly turned excited.

"She might need a bit more than polish, but I think you can make it work." Turning back to Maria, who was clamming up, I set my hand on her shoulder. "This will be your teacher for a while. You need to listen to everything she says and work to become an actual maid unless you want to just pass to the afterlife as soon as I come to pick you up." I gave her a threatening smile as I firmly pressed on her shoulder.

Her posture straightened up immediately as she broke into a nervous sweat. "Y-yes, M-m-master!" She looked away with a flushed face as she struggled to call me master.

-Now for security...- "Let me do one last thing before I leave you to Martha." Quickly moving my hand up in front of her neck, I created a steel collar with strengthening and lightning runes.

Although it was nothing special, it was a collar strong enough to resist her transformation and, if supplied with mana, would function like a shock collar.

-This should be fine...- "You understand what will happen if you transform, right?"

Maria vigorously nodded in understanding.

"Good, then I'll leave her with you, Martha. My only rule is that she doesn't leave the palace without a knight escort. And for your reference, if she deserves punishment for something, just inject a bit of mana into the collar. It won't cause any damage but will help bring her back to her senses."

Martha gave a slightly evil smile before bowing again. "Understood, Young Master. We will be sure to whip her into shape."

"Good." Seeing that she understood, I turned to the door. "Ah, right. How long until dinner?"

"It will be a few more hours. I apologize for the wait."

"Alright, then, I will see you later." With a light wave, I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me.

"Hooh... Alright, what next..." But as I walked down the hall, my mind started to wander. -I wonder how she'll turn out..-