Chapter 39

“You say you will take away the pain… what does that mean?”

It was a rather unexpected statement.

Arfia, being the party involved, knew the source of her pain. The various spirits within her were mixing and causing chaos.

However, Carami had no way of knowing the details. After all, she had never brought it up before. Saying she would heal her without knowing the cause of the pain didn’t make sense.

Did she perhaps find a panacea?

“Those unruly tricksters. I mean that I will resolve it.”

But it wasn’t that simple.

The tricksters. This clearly referred to the spirits. Carami understood Arfia’s problem perfectly.

The atmosphere around Arfia sank heavily.

“How do you know that? I have no memory of saying anything.”

“You’ve mentioned it several times in your sleep. That you want to expel all the spirits.”

“What is the solution? Even the ancient texts didn’t provide answers, and the High Elf elders who have lived for a thousand years know nothing. But you supposedly know how? Don’t lie.”

A harsh voice.

Her gaze had turned fierce.

This was the most sensitive issue of Arfia’s entire life. She had suffered for centuries. Anyone who toyed with that would not be forgiven.

Especially since Carami’s words and actions lacked sincerity, Arfia responded even more acutely.

“Do you still not trust me that much? I thought I had given you enough reason to.”

“That’s not it…”

“Then that means you don’t want healing. Well, since you say you’re used to being in pain, perhaps it was an unnecessary meddling on my part.”

Carami, smacking her lips as if regretting it, attempted to roll up the scroll. Arfia’s hand, instinctively extended, blocked her.

“What’s wrong? Do you want something?”

“W-well…”

Arfia, who had something to say, hesitated but ultimately remained silent.

However, Carami wouldn’t let Arfia escape. She spoke in a monotone voice.

“It seems you’re mistaken. You are my slave; I am your master. I have the right to know what you’re thinking.”

“But…”

“Don’t hide it. If there’s something you want to say, say it. This is an order.”

An order.

That word, which Arfia despised so much, now sounded like a gentle temptation to her.

She wouldn’t want to speak, but under the force of an order, she could have no choice but to do so. She could rationalize that if something went wrong, it was because of her command.

“I-I…”

“Speak. Everything without missing a thing.”

Carami pushed against Arfia’s back, who stood directly in front of her.

Arfia began to express the words she had long suppressed. In a thin, trembling voice, like peeling the skin of a fruit one layer at a time.

“Actually… I was scared.”

Her voice trembled.

“I thought it would never end. I was scared of being in pain for a lifetime…”

As she spoke, Arfia felt a slight lightness. At the same time, more words bubbled up to her throat.

“I don’t want to be in pain. I didn’t want to get used to it. I don’t want to drink, and I don’t want to get drunk. I hate being hurt…!”

Arfia poured out her inner thoughts. The emotions she had suppressed deep within her surfaced without filter.

Words that had been echoing in her mind for hundreds of years had once been solace to endure the pain but had somehow become a spell.

In her thoughts, magic wove a blurred line between truth and falsehood. She could no longer distinguish whether those words were the true reality or a false assurance to deceive herself.

What she had believed was a familiar pain had wrapped around Arfia like thorny vines, rooted deeply where she couldn’t even touch it.

She feared that someone might disturb those vines.

That facing the reality she had tried so hard to ignore would lead to an irreparable outcome.

Worried that she would only hurt more, Arfia spoke as if it were a habit.

“I’m not okay. It’s too hard. Please… help me.”

But it was no longer just a plea.

Because she had a master. A master who endlessly believed in her, even when her kin ignored her. The bond of their souls would not easily be severed.

She unconsciously held onto trust that, somehow, Carami would resolve everything.

A moment of silence passed. Tense breaths rose and fell irregularly within her chest.

Though the spirits rebelled and raged, at that moment, they felt insignificant. Let them rampage. If it came to that, she could just die and be done with it.

“Help me. A slave wouldn’t ask so much if it weren’t serious.”

Carami, with a calm smile, unfolded the scroll she had previously closed. Arfia’s eyes followed it.

“C-can that really take away my pain?”

“Of course.”

Arfia, seemingly thinking about something, lost focus but quickly returned.

“…I understand. I’ll trust you. What do I need to do?”

“First, I need to explain this scroll. It is a tome of spirit conquest.”

***

The tome of spirit conquest.

It is a reward obtainable during the Slave Festival, which Arfia can participate in while progressing through her story, and it is an essential item for her complete liberation.

Using the scroll, the passage between Arfia and the spirits is expanded, allowing for direct intervention with the spirits.

It enables Arfia to overpower the spirits that rage with her will and forcibly draw upon their powers.

However, it is not an all-powerful item. In the process of struggling against the spirits, there’s a risk of being consumed by them. What’s important here is the willpower stat of the slave.

Arfia’s will to heal.

The will to overcome is required.

The problem is that while, in the game, her status would be visible in the stats window, it is not like that now. She has to guess it roughly, and the hint she can use at this point is Arfia’s verbal habits.

I don’t want to be in pain.

I didn’t want to get used to it.

Evidence of Arfia revealing her inner thoughts. A great step forward in facing the reality she had avoided for hundreds of years.

To bring that out, Carami put great effort into it, and finally, those words came from Arfia’s mouth.

Carami explained only the necessary parts to Arfia. Arfia nodded her head heavily.

“…I get the general idea. So I should be able to knock down any spirits that cause a ruckus with that, right?”

“More or less.”

“That’s what I wanted. I’ve wanted to give them a good whack for a long time. Let’s do it. How do I activate it?”

“When you activate the scroll, a mark will be engraved on your body, Arfia.”

“A mark…?”

Arfia showed signs of slight panic. Once marked, it could never be erased. If men hesitate, how much more so for a woman like her.

However, there were no alternatives. Carami was going to handle everything. This was something she would have to endure.

“Where will it be marked?”

“Where the spirits gather.”

“…….”

Arfia lowered her head slightly. The place where the spirits gather was near her heart.

If the mark is etched close to her heart, it means it would be placed on her chest. Even women who work in brothels would hesitate to mark that place.

“There isn’t much time. We need to do it quickly.”

Arfia, who had been hesitating, sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. A sense of resignation cloaked her face. Yes, to resolve the pain she had endured for a lifetime, this was just a mark.

Having made a big decision, Arfia began to take off her top.

“…Turn around.”

Carami shrugged and turned away.

Arfia moved her hands slowly to loosen the ties of her top. The sound of fabric brushing against itself was heard a few times, and the thin cloth flowed down her shoulder, falling onto the bed.

Once she removed the cloth that had been covering her chest, Arfia instinctively lifted her arms to cover herself. Her delicate skin glowed softly over her thin arms.

“…You can look now.”

Carami turned back, and his pupils widened slightly in surprise as he faced Arfia. Arfia blushed and twisted her body.

“Wh-why are you staring so intently?”

“No, I mean… why are you doing that?”

“What do you mean? You said the mark needed to be placed where the spirits gather, and that’s near my heart, so I-I’m doing this.”

Even with Arfia’s explanation, Carami blinked as if he didn’t understand, and then tilted his head.

“Why not place it on your back?”

“Ah…?”

“To say you will mark a woman’s chest? That could be disastrous. Just asking, but… you’re not interested, are you? That might concern me as your master…”

The faint blush on Arfia’s cheeks turned deep red. The redness spread down her collarbone.

“It’s not like that, okay? I-I just thought it had to be in front…!”

Arfia quickly turned around, exposing her back. Though the pinkish hue on her bare skin was sufficiently alluring, Arfia didn’t have the time to think about that.

“Do it quickly! You said there’s no time?”

“Y-yes, um…”

Answering half-heartedly, Carami unfolded the scroll. Arfia squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear her embarrassment, but, dissatisfied with her previous neutral reaction, she pouted her lips.

The situation was urgent, but wasn’t he being too deadpan? She could afford to joke around a little longer.

Is there really no problem with that?

‘T-that would be a bit difficult.’

While Arfia worried seriously about her future, Carami was completely losing it on the inside.

Even he, who desperately held back sexual urges during their game days, found himself in a frenzy upon encountering the allure of half-naked elves.

Had he not synchronized his soul with Carami, he might have jumped in without a second thought. No wonder people went mad trying to kidnap elves.

‘Hoo, relax.’

If a slave fully trusts their master, he couldn’t betray that trust. Taking a deep breath, Carami finally regained his composure and placed the scroll in the spot where the heart would be.

“Then I’ll begin. It might hurt a little.”

As Arfia nodded in agreement, he activated the scroll. A burst of multi-colored light emanated from the scroll that was in contact with her back.

“Ugh…”

While engravings on her skin were fine, the process of forcibly widening the passage was quite painful. With a single, sharp cry, Arfia bit down on her lip.

“Does it hurt? If it’s painful, you can scream ‘Aargh, my master!’ if you want!”

At his joke, Arfia involuntarily let out a laugh.

“Come on? That’s nothing to complain about.”

While she didn’t fully trust him in such a situation, his humor somehow made the pain feel less intense. Arfia entrusted herself to a more relaxed state of mind.

Saaaa…

The light began to fade.

When the scroll was lifted, a fist-sized mark in green lines had been drawn onto Arfia’s once smoothly polished back.

It was shaped like intertwined vines, encircling four leaves, almost resembling a design.

“It’s all done.”

“That was quicker than I expected.”

Arfia glanced back over her shoulder to touch the mark.

“Is there anything strange? Like pain or anything?”

“I’m not sure? Right now, it doesn’t feel like much.”

It was just awkward that something that hadn’t existed before was now there, and the thought that it could never be erased felt uneasy.

‘Maybe it makes me feel a little naughty…’

It tingled through her body.

This basically marked her as “I belong to him.” It was like displaying a sign that she was Carami’s slave. And if that made her uncomfortable, well, that wasn’t entirely true either.

Arfia got dressed again, and the mark was hidden beneath the fabric. Meanwhile, Carami undid the shackles with a key he had purchased and returned the bow and quiver he had brought along to Arfia.

With practiced ease, she slung the quiver around her waist and grasped the bow. The familiar weight brought her a sense of stability.

“How do we get out of here? Should we break down the door?”

“If we wait, it will open on its own. Until then, let’s just relax.”

Arfia nodded without asking further.

She was already colored by Carami.