* * *
[She has already regained some of her memories, Maria. So for that matter, ask her directly.]
Maria looked down at the ring in her hand.
It was an accessory that her master had personally imbued with magic. So that she could directly understand the will of the summons.
-Clank.
In front of her, 'Mire', who had been summoned by Libertas, was looking at Maria with her head tilted to the side.
Although it was a skeletal body without any expression, her gesture clearly revealed a careful and worried heart.
'Is it really...?'
The parts where white bones were visible on her body now were only parts of her limbs and around her eyes.
Seeing her covering her body's appearance with equipment far superior to when she was alive, knowing the circumstances, it was questionable whether even that appearance was revealing some 'emotion'.
For example, not wanting to show herself.
"Haa..."
Maria, looking at the 'emotional' skeleton's appearance that had become familiar by now, finally hesitated and...
"Remia."
-...Yes. Sister Maria.
She heard the answer to her call while wearing the ring.
"...Ah."
Soon, she ended up covering her face with one hand without being able to wipe away the flowing tears.
* * *
"Sister."
"Sonia."
Maria greeted her friend and her friend's friend, who was entering the room, with a smile.
Approaching her, Sonia wiped Maria's face with a handkerchief.
Her face was still a mess because she hadn't tidied up the tears she had shed just before.
"I heard."
"I see."
Maria, nodding her head a couple of times, summarized and shared the conversation that had taken place between her and 'Mire'.
"...Are you okay?"
"Yes."
Nodding her head and swallowing her tears once, she soon continued.
"In the end, she said she has to stay. It's true that she has nowhere else to go anyway, but she says the Master is someone who she can't leave alone. ...How was it for you?"
"..."
Sonia looked at Maria's face, which was gradually becoming clean, as she asked her.
There were almost no traces of negative emotions on her face.
By this time, she should have more than figured out that Sonia herself knew about this matter but had kept silent.
"Don't you resent the Master?"
"I do resent her. Of course."
Words that flowed without hesitation.
However, Maria's expression and the hand that held Sonia had no strength.
It meant that while emotions might still exist, they didn't gain much power.
"I've been with the Master for 4 months too, Sonia. It might not be as much as you've seen, but I've come to know her well too. I can't just resent her."
Right after that punishment, once she made up her mind to take care of herself for now.
Maria felt her prejudices naturally peeling away one by one as she observed Libertas during that time.
"I saw how she treats summons judged to be beyond rehabilitation during battle."
As long as this is a dungeon, complete safety doesn't exist for Libertas's subordinates.
While her strong close aides might be different, there were periodic losses of general summons like skeletons.
"She didn't seem to realize that she was acting that way."
On days when dozens of general summons fell, Libertas often didn't drink her usual favorite tea, didn't read books, and stayed shut in her room without moving.
I remember the depression on that face I saw once in a while.
Recently, there were fewer occasions to see such appearances, but the memory remained.
"I also saw her taking care of people injured while working inside the dungeon."
Currently, there are 'skeleton healers' in the dungeon.
Not 'mages who heal skeletons', but skeleton mages who are literally 'mages who use healing magic'.
It was a measure taken by Libertas after seeing a 'slave' who had been suffering for a long time despite being injured just once while working in the dungeon.
"She said it was 'just taking care of human resources'. I wonder if she's telling us to believe that."
A bitter smile appeared on Maria's lips.
A pathological fear of loss.
An intense obsession with what she calls her possessions.
A desperate demeanor to be a proper master.
She had seen all those childish behaviors.
"In a fixed society dominated by humans on the continent, she has no choice but to live like that because she was born that way. How can I just resent such a 'person'?"
Maria finally muttered bitterly, 'In fact, if Remia is to live, she has no choice but to be here too.'
Caressing Maria's hand, Sonia abandoned her hesitation.
She was about to share the facts she had guessed about Libertas.
"Actually, Sister..."
"Is that really..."
They forgot that their guesses were just guesses.
Because they speculated to the point of approaching the truth, they shared speculations that had become complete facts in their hearts.
Half-realizing how inclined they were towards her.
* * *
"Where is this...?"
Michaela, the eighth child and third daughter of Frederick Ironfield, the head of the Ironfield Marquis family.
When she opened her eyes, she had no doubt that she was in some palace or mansion.
Because luxurious furniture that was obvious at a glance was lined up.
"It's a style I've never seen before."
Michaela, who had been touching various pieces of furniture, soon felt a sense of déjà vu from the wood material and fell into thought for a moment.
Then, realizing its identity, she opened her eyes wide.
'This is...'
"Isn't this iron wood...?"
The fir tree that humans call Heisen-made Mistheim iron wood.
This rare strategic material, known for its strength and flexibility, which is always used to make weapons if obtained, was used in all the furniture here.
'Who would be so extravagant...?'
Michaela, who noticed this fact, felt overwhelmed for a moment.
The status and wealth of nobles are ultimately proven by 'luxury'.
Using iron wood, which every country wants to buy, for ordinary furniture rather than its intended use in weapons, armor, or even siege engines, is such extravagance.
When you realize that even the finish of the furniture is not flashy at first glance, but on closer inspection, it's a strange extravagance of deliberately blackening silver or gold plating...
"Who could it be...?"
'A duke? Or royalty?'
It was natural for her to mistakenly think that the place she was in was at least a mansion owned by a high-ranking noble.
She couldn't have known.
That if this place were to be called a royal palace, it would be more correct to call it a 'demon king's castle'.
"It's locked."
'If it's such an amazing place, it's not bad.'
Although she thought she had been kidnapped, she didn't feel afraid of that fact.
Her last memory was of drinking with her relatives, so she was mistaken that coming to this place was with the cooperation of one of those relatives.
"It's okay."
'I'm in a position to be driven to a convent anyway. If I find a better marriage partner, even the family won't ignore it.'
Moreover, novels with fantasies about such situations were currently popular among the nobility.
Novels with themes where a person of high status, male or female, first kidnaps a person of the opposite sex they like, performs a de facto marriage, and then starts dating.
It was a world where such novels could become reality without being strange, as each city was not isolated but news exchange was not smooth, and the size of the military and political power held by nobles was large.
Realistically speaking, instead of the parties getting married, the relationship between the two families would become extremely bad.
'I wonder if he's handsome? I hope he at least has an average appearance.'
Because of this, Michaela's worries were limited to this extent.
After all, the ending that was waiting for her was to be driven out of the family and sent to a convent.
Once you leave for a convent, it's not easy to come back.
You have to waste at least a few years of your life in there, so she thought this kind of thrill wouldn't be bad compared to that.
It was an immature thought.
That's why Elias, or rather Elena, disliked her.
Knock knock.
The sound of knocking was heard just after she had examined all the objects in the room and concluded that there was nothing she could do now.
"Who is it?"
Click.
When Michaela questioned, the door opened.
Not the entire door, but a small peephole window hung at the top of the door.
-...
Tak!
What shone through it was two lights.
Before Michaela could be sure of their identity, the peephole closed, and the room fell back into silence.
"What the..."
She couldn't hide her bewilderment.
Where on earth would put such facilities in a guest room.
Such facilities are attached to prisons or...
"Prison?"
Michaela, who had just noticed something, looked at the window.
Beyond it, scenery was clearly visible, and even sunlight was coming in.
But...
-...
Tung!
There was no sound of birds singing at all, and the window didn't open either.
"This is..."
What was there was just a very realistic landscape painting that had taxidermied and transplanted the appearance of the outside.
She realized.
"A real prison...?"
That where she was, was a prison disguised as a guest room.
* * *
One of the things the three people requested after learning about my future and past was to always be part of a portion of my daily life.
It felt a bit embarrassing, but I accepted this.
Today, Ran decided to use her opportunity to share in my daily life to wash my feet.
Splash...!
"It's done, my lord."
With the final water poured over the top of my feet, one of the daily routines I spent with Ran came to an end.
"Thank you, Ran."
"You don't need to say such things. This is a great joy for me."
"I see."
What followed was the soft touch of a towel brushing past as she massaged between each toe, and the top and heel of my feet.
With the tips of her nails, which were usually sharp but neatly trimmed by magic that altered her own body, she pressed here and there on my feet.
"It tickles."
"Is that so? Please bear with it for a little longer."
A body that was certainly designed and completed based on the human body.
This body also has muscles, flesh, and blood.
The only difference is that each of these is made up of biocells that transfer magic power.
In other words, it's a body that closely resembles humans in appearance and structure, but differs only in essence.
To put it another way, there are meridians, and it can get tired from moving vast amounts of magic power and blood.
It's a level of fatigue that would naturally be relieved by sleeping normally, but this kind of intentional massage wasn't bad either.
"Mm."
Also, since it doesn't change from its initial form, not even a single toenail grows longer, and even muscles don't develop.
Nevertheless, my feet, which can carry me by putting strength or magic power into every toe, were quite sensitive.
I could clearly tell each of Ran's fingers moving, even whether it was the index finger or the ring finger.
It's useless.
Useless, but...
'How can she be so attentive.'
As I feel Ran's gestures full of her heart, I can't help but feel the value of this trivial daily life becoming heavier.
Because I realize that this child cherishes every extremity of my body.
'Happiness.'
This must be what happiness in daily life is.
Knock knock.
This peaceful and deeply happy daily routine came to an end with the sound of knocking.