Chapter 17

Taosul, being a tycoon, not only offered the joy of watching cute SD characters bustling about, but the series of processes involved in growing characters was also an essential element that could not be overlooked.

The process had a high degree of freedom, and how I raised my slave could change many things—such as personality, skills, and traits.

Among them, Mirabel boasted exceptional freedom.

An unawakened witch.

Apprentice witch Mirabel.

Just like how an Eevee evolves when given a stone of the right attribute, she could awaken into various witches depending on the route.

Of course, each route had different specs and available spells, and the highest potential build was [The One Who Brings Calamity: Witch of Misfortune Mirabel].

True to her name of Misfortune, she wielded magic that could single-handedly bring a nation to ruin. It transformed accordingly to Mirabel’s evil tendencies.

The lowest potential build, on the other hand, was that of the Cute Witch.

Simply a tool of cuteness.

She may be trash in combat, but she had bizarre buffs in tycoon business. Since dungeon diving could be entrusted to other characters, it wasn’t a bad route overall.

“But what is that?”

[Reagent of Death: Witch of Judgment Mirabel]

A Witch of Judgment?

Though I had tried raising Mirabel in every possible build, I had never seen anything like that before.

With every step Mirabel took, thunder and lightning fell from the clear sky, and birds soaring in the air plummeted to the ground.

Amidst such chaos, Mirabel walked gracefully.

“What kind of magic did you teach her?! Is she really just an ordinary mage?”

Myara shouted beside me, but didn’t seem to hear.

Just thinking about what went wrong left my head spinning.

First, I had to stop Mirabel from rampaging. At this rate, she would end up being hunted down.

Delophin’s mages were shooting spells at Mirabel, but just drawing an oath of heaven made the magic vanish like smoke.

The magic book held in her other hand opened with a rustling sound. A dark magic circle of an ominous hue appeared above it, and white, mochi-like entities streamed from the mages’ heads.

They looked like souls.

The mages dropped to their knees, collapsing in defeat.

I immediately raised my fist in victory.

“Ha ha! Do you think our Mirabel would fall that easily?”

“Who are you cheering for?!”

Ah, unconsciously.

I shifted my thoughts.

The sudden rampage of Mirabel. If I were to find the cause, it seemed to stem from that magic book. I needed to separate it from her.

“We need to take the magic book away. Since your share is the majority, please cooperate.”

“Why is my share bigger? You gave me the magic book, so it’s your fault!”

“If you hadn’t chased after me, this wouldn’t have happened. And didn’t you say you’d retrieve the magic book? You should take it.”

“Ugh, we’ll deal with the nitpicking later. She’s your slave, right? Didn’t you make a contract? Can’t you command her to stop this?”

“How could I force such a cute slave… just kidding. It won’t work.”

Mirabel was resisting.

To manipulate a slave freely, my skill level had to be at a certain point.

It worked fine on generic slaves, but it didn’t work on an awakened Mirabel.

Moreover, Mirabel’s magical abilities were on par with the strongest in the world. In other words, her magical resistance was also the strongest.

Given that my skill was classified as magic, it didn’t match well with her.

“So I usually put in restrictions on slaves that are hard to control.”

Chains fitted.

Piercings inserted.

Branding marked.

Plus a seal that allows handling of magical power only when the master wishes.

There were other slaves I had to brand in the future, but I could never mark Mirabel. As a slave lover, how could I do such a thing to her? I couldn’t.

“What a nonsensical relationship. In any case, we just have to clear that magic book away, right?”

“Violence is not permitted.”

“Such dedication.”

A golden circle appeared under Myara’s feet. When she stomped down with weight, the ring leaped and surrounded Myara like a hula hoop.

Then the circle shattered like glass, turning into golden shards that seeped into Myara. The surface of Myara’s body, now imbued with the shards, shimmered with a golden radiance.

“Julius!”

“Yes, Cleric.”

“I’ll handle her, so minimize the casualties.”

“I will comply.”

The holy knight named Julius moved away to join the lord’s knight order.

“Huff…”

Myara let out a deep breath.

She savored her body enhanced by divine power for a moment. After bending her knees,

Boom!

She was shot out like a cannon.

“Cough!”

The shockwave caused me to roll several times on the ground, covering myself in dust.

In an instant, Myara approached Mirabel. Colliding with Mirabel’s shield, they sent golden sparks flying everywhere.

“Is that how you control your strength…?”

I was slowly rising from the ground, trying to gather myself.

I had hastily passed the blame to Myara, but she wouldn’t be able to fend off the awakened Mirabel.

And I couldn’t leave the matter of a slave to others.

‘The master should resolve the issues with their slave.’

***

Mirabel was experiencing an unparalleled sense of elation.

The magic of veteran mages, honed for decades, turned to dust and vanished.

The priests, who quaked in fear, fell helplessly under her magic after just one act. Even Myara, the cleric, was struggling but posed no major threat.

Even with a divine punch imbued with a fragment of divine power, she couldn’t even graze Mirabel’s shield.

Ah, what was I so afraid of all this time?

This was all thanks to my Master’s grace.

“It’s the punishment for recklessly grabbing hold of that person’s arm.”

The oath of heaven glowed.

Hundreds of blue beams swirled, cutting through numerous paths before crashing down upon Myara.

Avoidance was not something to dream of with such an overwhelming quantity.

Myara compressed her divine power and immediately released it to block the oncoming magic. Mirabel’s magic shattered in the divine explosion.

“Hah, hah…”

Myara was gasping for breath.

Carami had said not to hit Mirabel, and while Myara didn’t want to hit the cute girl, her worries were truly unfounded.

‘Who’s worried about whom?’

It was challenging not only to hit her but even to approach, making it impossible to snatch the magic book.

Let alone that, our divine power was on the verge of depletion, while Mirabel continued to wield magic without any signs of running out of power.

“Kid, why are you a slave? With that much power, you could kill your master.”

Mirabel’s cold demeanor settled heavily around us, compressing the air, making life forms bow down in fear.

“Gah!”

As Myara collapsed to the ground, trembling like a bug, Mirabel said in a calm tone,

“You would think that. Clerics repay grace with malice, right?”

“What…?”

“They think they are the best and think their god is omnipotent. All they do is stand by and do nothing.”

Mirabel’s gaze and voice directed at Myara were sharpened with blatant hostility, as if looking at something detestable.

What could have made such a young girl like that?

Myara could not fathom the darkness within the girl.

“In contrast, our Master travels the world and rescues pitiful slaves. He is far greater than the god you believe in.”

“Eh, that can’t be right~”

“It seems you still don’t understand the greatness of my Master. Let me show you during this opportunity. You too can experience true liberation…”

As Mirabel aimed for Myara with the oath of heaven, a figure appeared in the distance.

It was Carami, Mirabel’s master. He was calmly exiting the city consumed by calamity.

“Master?”

Mirabel called out, but Carami didn’t look back. He didn’t even halt his steps, seemingly uninterested in what would happen to Mirabel.

In a state of battle, Mirabel forgot all about it and hurriedly approached Carami, her adorable trot filled with the anticipation of praise.

“Master! Where are you going? It’s almost finished, so please wait just a little longer!”

“……”

“Master?”

Carami, without uttering a word, ignored Mirabel, even as she popped up beside him without getting even a glance.

Something felt off to Mirabel. She positioned herself directly in front of Carami, and only then did he turn his gaze towards her, causing Mirabel’s face to light up with joy, but that expression quickly froze upon seeing his icy demeanor.

“M-Master…?”

“When did I ever tell you to do this?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t remember asking you, Mirabel, to turn the city into a wasteland.”

“I-I was merely trying to faithfully carry out your will…”

“Haah…”

As a frustrated sigh seeped from Carami, Mirabel flinched visibly.

“Because of the mess you made on your own, it looks like I’m going to bear the consequences as the master. At this rate, external activities are impossible, and the liberation of the slaves will have to be postponed.”

“Huh?”

“This is all your fault, Mirabel. Countless slaves have been deprived of their chance at liberation.”

No words came from Mirabel’s lips. She looked up at Carami with fearful eyes, trembling as if breathing had escaped her.

Carami scrutinized her with an expression of annoyance, then slowly reached out toward her neck.

“I can’t find any more value in keeping you as a slave.”

He flicked the chains around her neck, removing them and throwing them aside. The chains rolled along the ground.

“You are disqualified as a slave. Live however you like from now on.”