HP9999999999

“Kyaaa…!”

“Whoa there, that was close…”

My right hand manages to prop Rina up, right as the tremors of the earthquake gets close to knocking her off her feet.

“Really now, that village must be fresh out of luck. Being attacked by bandits is one thing, but being victimised by some freak earthquake right after is another kettle of fish.”

I, of course, make sure to word it that way on purpose. If I had wanted to send out an even bigger earthquake I could have just as well done so, but I have a good feeling that overdoing it might just have a negative impact on the whole ‘spreading word of my good deeds’ bit. The only thing I have to worry about is having them catch on to the fact that this earthquake is, in fact, my doing, but I don’t think anyone’s going to do that anytime soon. Well, I hope so…

“Ah! I-I… I’m awfully sorry! I’ve touched you without permission, Master!”

Almost in sync with the settling tremors, Rina falls to the floor and prostrates herself before me at the speed of light. I’m, quite understandably, taken aback by her actions.

“You may beat me as you see fit, I do not mind. Just use me to quell your anger!”

“… No need for that. I’m the one who touched you first after all. I don’t have an issue with being touched either. So please, there really is no need to kowtow.”

So whatever household she used to be part of hadn’t taken too kindly to being touched out of line, had it? All of that aside, it’s becoming increasingly clear that this sort of subservient behavior’s become more instinct than habit.

I squat down in front of her, bringing my line of sight closer to her own.

“I’m not like your previous masters. Rest a.s.sured; I truly believe that I should prioritize your own wishes over mine.”

“My… wishes?”

“Indeed. What do you want to do from here on out? If you were to wish for freedom, then I would be more than happy to set you free.”

“I… Telling me something like that is one thing, but…”

Rina’s face is twitching in confusion. I have a good feeling that she, having been deprived of her freedom for as long as she had, had never even given thought to what she would do with herself should that day come around.

I give myself some time to think, then rise to my full height once more.

“Very well, I’ll leave you in my custody. Until you’re certain what you want to do with your life, I’ll be sure to take care of you.”

“Thank… Thank you… So much…”

Read the original on girl responds with her unchanging, almost mechanical tone. Not that I can blame her this time; there’s not much good you can expect when the High King walks up to you, a regular human, and takes you along to his abode. I may just have to take some pre-emptive measures here…

“But before we can start with that…”

I raise my right hand and hold it above Rina’s head. Her shoulders shudder slightly as she flinches.

“Incantation: Almighty Healing!”

Practically the same moment I cast the spell, her scars littering her entire body begin to recede, healing before her very eyes.

“What…?”

Her eyes round and wide open, Rina moves to expose that portion of her shoulder again. Needless to say, her scars disappear completely, not leaving the faintest trace behind.

“I-It never mattered how often I’d try to treat these scars, they never faded… But now… In just a single moment…”

“This is a trifle for someone such as I. You’re a young girl, aren’t you? You should treasure your own body.”

No sooner do I finish my speech than she begins bawling her eyes out, her tears dribbling down in large globules.

“Thank you so much… This makes me so happy. Thank you… so much…!”

Her voice, in strong contrast to the emotionless robotic tone she had used just moments earlier, now carries a new air that affirms that she’s happy, happy with all her heart.

“J-Just how could I ever manage to repay this kind of debt…?!”

“No need for that. Your happiness is all I could ask for.”

Alright then, what now? I suppose the best course of action would be to use Teleportation to transport the both of us to my sleeping chambers. There, she may just have a good chance of not being found out by any demons.

“Rina, listen. I can’t say I care where you do it, but you must touch my body.”

The Teleportation spell’s effect does, after all, only extend to me and whatever I happen to be in contact with.

“T-That just wouldn’t do! I’m in far too much awe to even consider touching you, Sire!”

Read the original on “…”

Alright, that does it. No helping it. I slap my hand on Rina’s shoulder.

“Incantation: Teleportation!”

Upon casting the spell, the two of us find ourselves in the High King’s – again, me – castle, smack-dab in the middle of my sleeping chambers. Completely and utterly perplexed, Rina restlessly looks around the room, her eyes darting through every nook and cranny.

“Where is this…?”

“My bedchambers. My spell allowed us to travel to my room in the blink of an eye. I apologize if I startled you.”

“Y-You certainly have a lot of spells on hand…”

“I suppose I do, yes…”

That reminds me, just what had gone on in the great hall while I was away? Colour me interested. I had, after all, left nothing but a replacement dummy in my place and gone off on my own. I can only hope that Anri hasn’t picked up on that just yet…

Well, in any case, I cast Clairvoyance take a peek into the affairs of the great hall.

“…What the?!”

The spectacle playing out in front of my eyes manages to squeeze a surprised yell out of my lungs. Demons from all corners of the castle had gathered in the hall, and in the middle of them stands Anri, just about ready to stuff her head through the loop of a long rope that connected to the ceiling.

What the h.e.l.l is this?! Some kind of suicide show?! How’d this even happen?! For crying out loud, I have to hurry up and stop her before…!

“Rina, I’ll be taking my leave momentarily! Don’t take a single step out of this room until I’m back! I mean it! This isn’t some sort of Dachou Club* comedy bit, okay?!” 1

“What’s a ‘Dachou Club’…?”

“Sorry, just forget I said that. Just don’t leave this room, alright?!”

“I… understand. If my Master commands it, then I will obey.”

Seriously, I’d really like it if she just stops calling me that. But I don’t have time to worry about that now! I cast Teleportation and leave my bedchambers.

Read the original on “Yuuto-sama… I humbly apologize for the incompetence of your followers. I love you…”

Anri lets a single tear fall down her cheek. Then, just as she’s about to put her head through the loop  –

“Comin’ through!”

My Teleportation spell materializes me in the middle of the great hall. I chop through the rope with my bare hand, shredding it to pieces, then catch Anri’s body as she falls to the ground before landing there myself.

I-I made it… In the nick of time, too!

“It’s Yuuto-sama!”

“Yuuto-sama’s come back home!”

At the same time, the ma.s.ses of demons gathered in the great hall break out into cheers of pure joy.

“Yuuto-sama… You really have come back to us, haven’t you…?!”

Anri’s cheeks go beet-red as she asks me her question. Well, it looks like they actually did catch on to me leaving the castle. I should’ve known that a plan that childish wouldn’t hold out in high water…

“Never mind that, Anri. Why are you acting like this? And why are the others just standing there and watching you? They didn’t even lift a finger.”

“We’re ever so sorry! We’ve tried time and time again to stop her, but it didn’t matter how many times we attempted to talk her out of it; she just wouldn’t listen…!”

One of the demons is kind enough to respond. Well, Anri’s second only to me in command. I suppose it’s not easy to persuade someone who outranks you to do anything…

“Anri, explain yourself.”

“R-Right away. When I noticed that you had disappeared, Yuuto-sama, I called on the entire forces of your armies, riled them up a bit, and had them search for you.”

Seriously, you went that far?!

“But no matter how much we searched, we couldn’t find you… That was when I realized the truth. I realized that you’d grown impatient with me and left the castle.”

That’s the first thing you thought of?! Even the worst kind of persecution complex isn’t half as bad!

“With you gone from my life, there was no reason to go on living. That was when I became utterly resolute to end my own life here and there.”

Her somewhat dubious motives aside… It really is my fault that she’d gone that fair, isn’t it…?

“When did you notice that I’d left the hall?”

“I noticed the minute you used that doll as your replacement, Yuuto-sama. That doll doesn’t smell like you do.”

Seriously, the smell tipped you off?! Looks like I really, really don’t give Anri enough credit…