Riser
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🕑 Added 2025-05-17 21:45:02 +0000 UTCEP.42 Voluntary Slave
"This is the place."
The place I arrived at was mysterious.
It didn’t feel like I had left the forest.
If anything, nature thrived here even more than outside.
The trees were much larger than ordinary ones.
Only the wooden buildings showed that people lived here.
"It’s a place full of nature."
"All the humans who come here say that."
"But…"
There was a presence that caught my eye.
A tree of overwhelming size.
A tree far larger than a castle radiated an incredible presence.
"That enormous tree…"
"That’s the World Tree we tend."
I’d heard of it before.
It’s said to be the largest tree in the world.
But most people thought it existed only in legends.
I’d never heard of anyone who’d seen it in person.
"Amazing. I feel like I’m being overwhelmed by nature."
"It’s also where our queen resides."
"Then are we going there?"
"The inside of the World Tree is a special place. You need the queen’s permission to enter."
I looked at her with curiosity.
The elf guide met my gaze impassively.
"That’s why I came out to meet you myself."
The voice came from behind.
When I turned, there was a beautiful elf standing there.
"Ah..."
"I am the queen of this place. My name is Milleiyu."
A gentle voice and a soft face.
She was a compassionate queen.
Her eyes radiated tolerance.
She even evoked a sense of pure maternal love.
"It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I am from the Kingdom of Aily…"
"I’ve heard the story. There’s no need to be so tense."
Milleiyu gestured to the elf who had guided me.
The elf bowed her head and left.
"You came because you were worried about cooperation with Bastil, correct?"
"…Yes."
I answered tactfully.
Just hearing the name, I could tell.
Bastil was the neighboring country that always caused trouble.
‘So that’s what they meant by “you’ll understand when you arrive.”
If the elves and Bastil cooperated, it would be a crisis.’
‘Elves are the origin of the magic we use today. Even if they don’t actively help, it would cause serious problems.’
Fortunately, not everything was against us.
Elves are a peace-loving people.
If I could persuade them well, things might end reasonably.
"I apologize for the wrongs we have committed. But these actions were against our will."
"Even though there’s evidence you planned an invasion?"
"If it had actually happened, we would have stopped it."
She didn’t look convinced.
Nor did she look angry.
She simply gazed at me with gentle eyes.
"Words alone aren’t enough to cancel our cooperation."
"There might be war. Even so, do the elves intend to cooperate with Bastil?"
"With things having escalated this far, we can’t just sit idly by."
There was no breakthrough in sight.
The other side had even presented evidence.
Of course, it was fabricated, but that didn’t change the disadvantage.
"If war really does break out… I promise to mediate so things don’t go too far."
"W-wait…! Please, wait."
"I’ll provide you with lodging. Rest before you return."
If I was sent away like this, it would all be over.
But her attitude said she had nothing more to say.
There was no card left to overturn the situation.
All I could do was cling and stall for time.
"This is surely Bastil’s scheme! If you go along with this, you’ll end up in a war you hate."
"Can you take responsibility for that statement?"
There was a strange tension.
My instincts warned me:
I must not lie.
"The princess would never invade this place. I stake my life on that."
"…You’re unwavering."
As the tense atmosphere lingered,
Milleiyu took out a shining leaf.
"The World Tree’s leaf… it hasn’t become clouded."
"What is that…?"
"It’s a magic not yet known outside."
A mysterious magic.
But it didn’t seem to have a bad outcome.
Milleiyu was smiling as proof.
"What kind of magic is it?"
"It’s a magic that reveals sincerity."
"If so, why not use it on Bastil…"
"Unfortunately, it’s useless for that. In fact, most leaves become clouded."
A breeze blew from somewhere.
The shining leaf easily left Milleiyu’s hand.
"This isn’t a magic that reveals truth. It only shows whether someone is speaking with conviction."
"It still seems plenty useful."
"Even just following orders or speaking vaguely makes the leaf cloud. So it’s not that great a magic."
To me, it was quite impressive.
At least, it gave me one last chance.
"Then do you believe me?"
"It proves you trust your lord. But… that doesn’t make it the truth."
Milleiyu’s expression was subtle.
She clearly wanted to avoid war.
I decided to press that point.
"Please trust me and wait a little. In the meantime… as an apology, I’ll live here as a slave."
"…A slave?"
"I swear it on the honor of Sir Eldric."
Milleiyu’s eyes widened.
She seemed genuinely surprised.
‘Usually, knights are full of pride…’
I was a knight who’d risen from being a soldier.
If necessary, I could sell my honor.
Even just buying time would be a satisfactory result.
"You’re different from the others who’ve come here… It’s the first time a leaf hasn’t clouded…"
Milleiyu hesitated.
To be precise, she looked troubled.
‘Rather… this is my chance!’
I dropped my sword to the ground.
I took off my issued armor, piece by piece.
Milleiyu’s discomfort grew at my sudden actions.
"Uh…? Wait… I haven’t accepted yet…!"
"Please accept it as an apology, separate from the matter of cooperation. I won’t move until you do."
I knelt on the ground,
with the skill of a beggar in a back alley.
Thunk!
"Uh… I get that you’re sincere, but there’s no need to go this far…"
It was quite a spectacle.
Especially in the land of elves,
a rare sight drew a crowd.
"Isn’t that…"
"Isn’t that the queen?"
"But that person… is human?"
"I heard someone brought a knight earlier…"
The elves whispered among themselves,
watching from a distance.
"Alright… If you’re apologizing that much… it would be rude to refuse."
"Thank you."
The momentum was with me.
Milleiyu’s cheeks were slightly flushed.
At least, she probably wouldn’t treat me harshly as a slave.
"From now on, I am your slave, Lady Milleiyu. If you need anything, just tell me."
"Ah… ugh… w-well, let’s leave for now."
It was an odd situation.
The master was more embarrassed than the slave.
But I confidently followed her.
"I know I’m not much, but thank you again for accepting my apology."
"No, it’s fine. After seeing that… I think people will understand if we wait a bit."
Milleiyu still looked awkward.
She clearly wanted to leave the scene quickly.
‘Come to think of it… if I stay at her side as a slave, I might get a chance…’
I felt as if I could hear the princess’s voice.
My eyes were already following Milleiyu.
Her curvy body and revealing clothes stirred my desires.
Milleiyu was troubled.
Something completely unexpected had happened.
‘I definitely planned to send him away politely at first…’
Slavery was a foreign concept to elves.
She’d never actually handled a slave before she only vaguely knew the idea.
‘Maybe I should have refused after all…?’
She glanced back and saw Eldric following.
Luckily, no one else was around.
"Is something wrong? My lady."
"N-no… it’s nothing…"
"Did something make you uncomfortable?"
"Uh… please don’t call me ‘my lady.’"
Milleiyu couldn’t be forceful.
Her gentle nature was the cause.
She was even more cautious because the master-servant relationship was so clear.
"Understood, Lady Milleiyu."
"If you’re uncomfortable with anything, tell me right away."
"There’s no need. I’m your slave now, Lady Milleiyu."
It sounded almost like I was emphasizing it.
Naturally, that made her more conscious of it.
"…It’s okay, you don’t have to be so stiff."
"Understood."
This was a first for her.
Still, she gradually got used to it.
Her time as queen helped.
But there was a crucial difference.
Her actions were always based on her compassionate nature.
‘There are stories of legendary heroes living as slaves to atone for their sins…’
While she was lost in thought,
Milleiyu arrived at her residence.
Only those permitted by the queen could enter the great World Tree.
"Eldric…"
She thought of it belatedly.
Should she let him in?
If he were just an outsider, the answer would be simple:
he’d be made to stay in the guest quarters.
But now, Eldric was Milleiyu’s property.
"Come inside. If you need anything to eat, just let me know."
Milleiyu didn’t hesitate in her kindness.
She simply accepted that it was natural to take care of him.
"Thank you."
With her own hand, Milleiyu led Eldric into her residence.
The World Tree’s door allowed him in without resistance.
