An Encounter That Should Never Have Happened (4)

After leaving the drawing room, Leviham found an unoccupied guest room and slipped inside.

He had no intention of resting.

From now on, I hope you'll refrain from acting rashly in this mansion. Master dislikes having his private interests exposed.

The elf's warning echoed in his ears.

He snorted.

Who did a mere slave think she was, ordering a bishop to keep quiet?

He had seen the witch's crystal ball in Theorad's office. The mark on it belonged to the head of the Dokwol Guild. Now he had every reason to suspect that the master of House Deharem was secretly dealing with that guild.

He couldn't ignore such a thing. Not as a servant of the God of Light.

From ancient times to the present, the faithful had been charged with seeking out heresy and bringing it to judgment. If Theorad was showing signs of corruption, Leviham could hardly turn his back on the duty entrusted to him.

Everything must be God's will.

The elf's presence had terrified him. But fear was no excuse to retreat.

He had sworn to give his life, if necessary, to make the world better in God's name. When he entered the priesthood, he had vowed to bring the world beneath the equal mercy of God.

He would not abandon that vow now.

Leviham listened carefully to the sounds in the corridor.

He had chosen this room because it stood along the route to Theorad's office. If the viscount went past, he would hear his footsteps.

About five minutes later, shoes clicked along the floor outside.

There were two sets.

“I'm sorry, Master. You've had so much trouble because of me…”

“Don't parade your incompetence before me again. I'll take this opportunity to teach you just how useless you are.”

“I-I only…”

“Filth. No excuses.”

The speakers were unmistakable.

One was the elf. The other was Theorad.

Leviham stiffened.

He's taking a slave into his office?

He was not an expert on the customs of noble households, but even he knew that the office of a family head was traditionally regarded as a sacred space. Slaves, thought of as unclean, were not ordinarily allowed to enter.

It was a custom even the most foolish noble would know to observe.

Yet Theorad Deharem, head of an old and respected house, apparently intended to break it.

Was all his outward kindness a mask? Or…

Perhaps the elf was not an ordinary slave at all. Perhaps she was an agent of the underworld, disguised as a slave and planted in the household.

It was an extraordinary suspicion. Leviham knew that much.

But Theorad's apparent closeness to the master of the Dokwol Guild made it difficult to dismiss.

For now, suspicion was all he had. To discover the truth, he needed to hear what Theorad said when he believed himself alone.

Creak.

Leviham eased the guest-room door open and peered into the corridor.

Theorad and the elf were not far away.

After exchanging a few more words, Theorad opened his office door and stepped inside. The elf followed him without hesitation.

Ordinary slaves would surely have been reluctant to cross such a threshold. She behaved as though entering her master's office were the most natural thing in the world.

Does this happen often?

What kind of relationship did those two have?

Why were they so accustomed to entering that private room together?

Curiosity fed suspicion. Suspicion, in turn, offered Leviham what seemed like the beginning of a clue.

He swallowed and crept into the corridor, taking care to make as little noise as possible.

Then he approached the office door and put his ear close to it.

He would find out what passed between them.

Whatever conspiracy was taking shape here, he would hear it with his own ears.

---

I'm finished.

“Well…”

I had brought the elf into my office, but I couldn't make sense of the iron bucket sitting on my desk.

The witch's crystal ball was gone, so the merchandise must have arrived as promised.

But why a bucket?

Beside it sat a box tied with a ribbon. That, at least, looked like the delivery I'd expected.

The elf's gaze pressed against me.

She looked so expectant that she might have been a puppy awaiting a treat. If elves had tails, hers would probably have been wagging.

How am I supposed to satisfy expectations like those?

I gave her a sideways glance, cleared my throat and approached the desk.

“The goods I ordered have arrived. I'll inspect them first. Wait there.”

“Yes, Master…”

I took a deep breath and loosened the ribbon.

When I lifted the lid, I could hardly bear to look inside.

There was a set of undergarments made from so little fabric that calling them clothes seemed generous. A matching headband lay beside them. Then came a pill, a leather whip and a rod with a rounded tip.

I'd never owned anything like these objects. I'd never even wanted to know about them.

And yet here I was, unpacking them in my own office because of an elf.

What has my life become?

I noticed a folded sheet in the corner of the box.

An instruction manual, perhaps.

I unfolded it. Dremes had written the accompanying note herself.

To Lord Theorad Deharem,

Hello, Lord Theorad. Thank you very much for shopping with us.

Do I really have to keep speaking so formally? Yes? I suppose I do.

That bastard Beynon and the head of House Deharem aren't necessarily of one mind, after all. Since I can't be sure what you think, I'll be respectful for the moment.

Enough chatter. The adult merchandise I've supplied is what's called a cow set.

You know cows, don't you? The animals that produce milk from their udders. If you know that much, the name should explain itself: it's a set for treating a woman like a cow.

There's a pill in the box called a Mother's Milk Pill. After someone swallows it, milk will be secreted from her breasts—even if she isn't nursing.

The more excited she becomes, the more milk it produces.

As for the taste, I can't say for certain. Some people claim it's unpleasant, while others swear it's delicious. It probably depends on the person taking it.

I trust you can work out the rest.

And here's a little advice from this old woman: if you're going to play the pervert, do it with confidence.

Women don't respond only with their bodies. Their minds, their feelings and the atmosphere matter too. If a man hesitates over everything he does, how can his partner do anything but start worrying?

P.S. Tell that bastard Beynon that one of these days I am really, truly, absolutely going to kill him.

Dremes, Head of the Dokwol Guild

I folded the letter.

A pill that makes a woman produce breast milk…

Were Dremes and I truly living in the same age?

Apparently people were inventing increasingly bizarre things in corners of the world I'd never known existed.

For some reason, the world seemed a little less bright than it had a moment ago.

“Master?”

I couldn't afford to lose myself in despair.

For the moment, all that mattered was convincing the elf that the punishment I'd promised would satisfy her.

But I couldn't start blindly. If one of these devices did something unexpected, it could cost me my life. A product inspection—and a careful explanation—came first.

Where should I start?

With the least dreadful object.

Not that any of them qualified as acceptable.

I took out the underwear and headband and tossed them to the elf's feet.

She looked down at the pieces of fabric in curiosity.

“You'll wear those when I punish you. Do you object?”

“B-but, Master… They're terribly indecent…”

“You exist to satisfy your master's sexual desires. What right do you have to complain that your clothing is indecent?”

“I… I don't…”

Her reaction seemed favorable enough.

Good. On to the next one.

I lifted the pill where she could see it.

“This is medicine for you. Even if you aren't pregnant, it will make your breasts produce milk. I had it specially ordered.”

I made sure to emphasize my supposed efforts on her behalf.

A faint smile tugged at her mouth.

“How awful… Master really is a devil…”

“Silence.”

That seemed to work too.

Growing a little more confident, I returned the pill and drew out the whip.

“This is for when you disobey me. Being struck with it will hurt.”

“No…!”

She gave precisely the sort of answer I had expected.

Perhaps I can actually do this.

If I managed to satisfy her today, surely she'd stop demanding punishment for a while.

The prospect of even a few peaceful days was enough to lift my spirits.

I took out the last object: a rod with rounded ends and a dragon's face carved into it.

So this is the dragon head Dremes mentioned.

Unfortunately, I had a fairly good idea of what it was meant for.

“And if you disobey me, I'll put this in your vagina—”

“No.”

I stopped.

What?

That hadn't been one of her usual theatrical protests.

She was genuinely refusing.

Her face had lost every trace of coy embarrassment. The air around us turned bitterly cold, and my next breath emerged in a faint white cloud.

I'm going to die.

I forced out a hollow chuckle and quickly set the rod aside.

“It was a joke. I have no intention of wasting my time teasing your vulgar pussy.”

The cold lifted.

Her expression softened as though nothing had happened.

How could she switch so naturally from murderous hostility to tears and embarrassment?

My life, my family and everyone in this house were at her mercy.

I touched the brooch at my throat and summoned the harshest voice I could manage.

“Undress. Put on those obscene clothes and show me how obedient you are.”

“Yes…”

Fortunately, she obeyed.

She removed the frilled headpiece from her silver hair and loosened her apron, then slipped off the rest of her maid's uniform.

Her bare collarbones appeared first, then her breasts and nipples as the fabric fell away. She glanced at me while her clothes slipped down around her calves.

For a moment she stood completely naked.

Then she bent to retrieve the unusual underwear, moving so slowly that I could see her breasts sink under their own weight and rise again as she straightened.

Shameless creature.

She was supposed to possess the dignity of a ruler of the Great Forest. Every deliberate gesture seemed designed to make me forget that.

My breathing grew uneven against my will.

She noticed.

Mischief glittered in her red eyes.

“Please take good care of me…”

The nerve of her.

“My master.”

She was trying to seduce me.