"Wow. You're crazy strong, Yufi. Anyway, hurry up and get me that body. And knock her unconscious. It'll be easier to take over."

I scratch my head. I can't believe I'm going to do this. Oh well. I got close to the tied up woman. She seemed happy to see me. But this wasn't a rescue mission. I gave her a forehead flick. It was enough to make her hit the tree with the back of her head and off to dream world. I then untied her and carefully laid her down. 

"So all I have to do is put the necklace around her neck?"

"Yeah. I'll handle the rest."

As instructed, I took the necklace off me and placed it on the girl. After a few seconds, the jewel shined brightly. I could see electric sparks and after a moment I did hear some screams. The light show lasted for roughly a minute. After that, the lights stopped and I could see what emerged from this experiment.

"Hyaa!! It feels so good to stretch! Nothing beats having a body again!! And what a premium catch this was. Although this vessels eye sight is lacking, but can be adjusted with a pair of glasses."

Were glasses even invented in this world? That aside, a slender and voluptuous demon girl was sitting in front of me. Grey skin, wings on her back, short hair, but fluffy, 1 pair of horns, clothes with high exposure and a large pair of melons. 

"I assume the takeover was a success then? Are you satisfied?"

"Umu! Very satisfied. I didn't expect for my powers to return to me all at once, but this body had so much hidden potential that I dare say I feel even better than 300 years ago. That being said, I owe you but… I don't need you anymore, so as a token of my appreciation for your assistance, I'll kill you in the most painless way possible!!"

She extended her hand towards me. A few sparks were generated from her hand but…

"Ehh!?"

Nothing happened.

"What's wrong? I'm absolutely sure that my powers returned to me. Why can't I fire spells?"

"Yeah, did you honestly think I would be dumb enough to give you a body without taking precautions?"

"You… what did you do?"

The S rank skill I got from the Goddess. Slavery Seal. When I laid the body down, I marked it with the seal. In other words, even if a new soul resides in it, the body itself is still under the effect.

"From today onwards, you are going to be my slave."

"Such a thing… are you saying the reason I can't attack you is because… but there isn't a mortal, more less a human capable of making slave without mutual consens."

"I'm a special case. Anyway, since I don't think we'll get along like that… in the name of Yufine, I command thee… devote your body and soul to me!"

"KUUUH!! AAHHH!!! UWAA!!!!"

Electric sparks ran across her body and most importantly through her head. 

"Stop… do you realize what you are doing?"

"I couldn't care less what someone that tried to backstab me has to say. Although I guess you really are strong if you managed to still talk back. Then once again, I command thee… Fill your heart with allegiance and affection for me!"

"AAAAA!!"

"I guess one more should do the trick. So I will say it like this… I command thee, cast aside your volitions and be reborn as my devoted slave!!"

"OOOOHH!!"

The electric sparks became more intense. She was screaming, her tongue was out and tears ran across her eyes. She collapsed to her knees. 

"Well, have you awakened to your new true self? How do you feel, my bitch slave?"

"I… I feel incredible, mistress!!"

When she looked up at me, small hearts filled her eyes. She was looking at me with affection. Seems like it worked. The Slave Seal is the real deal.

"Thanks to you, I finally discovered the true purpose of my existence. Nothing will give me greater joy than carrying out each and every one of your wishes. I am, your devoted slave, so please use me however you see fit."

She's not faking it either. I managed to rewire her brain. Honestly, I could use a friend more than a slave. I just don't want to be left alone right now. A woman is good comfort for people, but for now… I just want to get out of these woods.

“Mistress, aren’t you going to take these?”

Lu-chan pointed towards the weapons the bandits had. And also towards a small pouch with some coins. 

“Is there a reason for me to take those?”

“If I am not mistaken, you don’t have any money on you. The weapons can be sold. And if you visit any major town, you will need to pay a toll to enter, unless you are registered with a guild.”

“Registered?”

“Yes. Even a mercenary is fine. Once the guild will issue you a card, you won’t have to pay the toll anymore, but for now, I suggest taking these with us.”

“Alright. By the way, Lu-chan. Can you do something about your appearance? If someone sees me together with a demon it might cause trouble.”

“Not a problem. All I need to do is use the spell [Mistveil Shade] and…”

She twirled around like a ballerina, and in the next moment her horns and wings and everything that made her look like a demon disappeared and before me, there was only a young human girl. We packed everything up and then, together, we continued on the dirt path. I’m still not sure if this was a good idea, but for now, I’ll roll with it. Beats being alone. Being alone is the one thing I want to avoid at this point. Holding all my emotions inside, can be a bad for my health.

We walked like that and I continued to think about various things for almost an hour.

“Mistress, look. That’s a town over there. I can see it.”

When I looked in the direction of her voice, the appearance of a town was seen in the distance.

Water from the river flows around the city’s borders, by being channeled through a large moat.

Was the width of the moat around 3 meters?

A Wheat field stretches beyond one section of the moat, and a small wave of wheat occurs when the wind blows. The field was also protected by a small moat of its own.

The town walls seem to be made from reliable stone, with a height of maybe 5 meters? If you compared them to a castle’s walls it might look unreliable, but for a city the walls were quite sturdy.

I wondered if it was normal to find towns like in such a medieval era?

There are a few guards at the base of the towers, standing guard and looking around. In front of the gate stood a stone bridge, but it was not the same as the drawbridges I saw often in the game.

From the center of the town an evening bell rings, echoing through the area until it reaches here.

“Mistress, that was the gate closing bell. We’ll have to hurry a little.”

Though the gate closing bell sounded, the gate would not close immediately. We seem to be at the city’s east gate. I then noticed that all the guards were standing around carrying spears. As Lu-chan stated, we had to pay a toll to enter the city. And of course the guards did some thorough checks. They don't let just anyone inside.

The sun was starting to set. First, we had to sell this gear if we wanted to stay at an inn or something. So we asked around and looked for a blacksmith. Apparently, a smithy is usually the place that buys this sort of stuff. Better get this over with. I'm not good at negotiations.