“Lady Springfield, do you really have to leave?!” cried the Dryad as she hugged my leg. Her vines wrapped around my leg as she looked up with a saddened expression and eyes full of clear tears.   

We were standing in front of the bridge leading to the village. Primrose didn’t want to come out from her crystal, so Sekh oversaw Niva’s wheelchair. Oswell, his men, the horses, and wagons were already across it, and they were waiting on me.   

“I must,” I replied, petting her head. “I’ve got business to attend to.”  

Aello walked forward, but I put a hand up to stop her. “But… But… But will I see you again?”  

“Yes, you will. I promise I’ll come back. Here, do you want to hear another song?” The little spirit nodded, so I pulled out the songleaf and played the best tune of my chimeric life. Beautiful melodies swam through the many vines of the Eagle Yew, causing scattering leaves to dance atop the entire village. The whimsy highs and deep lows preceded the fatal fate of my instrument, which faded away into mana once I had played the last note.   

“The Eagle Yew is happy,” Aello said, flapping her wings. “When a songleaf is at the end of its life, it returns to where it whence came. However, should it be played with honor…”  

A striking light flashed from above, and down came a flute created out of nothing but songleaf. Aello stated that Elven children were often tasked to make their own flutes in training. Yet being granted a flute by something like the Eagle Yew was another option, albeit very rare. And almost an impossibility, in my case.   

[Analysis] says Susize made this made 1,152 years ago. Why would Aetos give it to me? I don’t understand that eagle. 

I grasped it with both hands, and I let the memories of Susize Vredi grant me the knowledge to play one last little song called Vredi’s Lullaby.   

The resounding lows were slow and docile, clashing with the tinge of airy highs to create a soliloquy of love handed down from Susize’s ancestor—the one who discovered and planted the seed that ended up becoming Vredi Forest. The song carried the hopes and dreams of all elves born within its nurturing bosom—the acoustic symbol of their livelihood. Something played before every parade or festival. It wasn’t rare for the whole forest to sing their hearts out to pay respect to their caregiver.   

And then it burned down... From the memories I saw flash through my mind, the world seemed to stop turning when it happened. The flames were raging out of control, leading to a worldwide hunt for the one responsible. 

I didn’t know if they were caught. If a Holy or Dark Lord was responsible, there was a chance they were alive. How ironic would it be if we came across the culprit? What would I do? Kill them? Thank them? Did it matter? I was a High Elf, but only via chimerism. But I couldn’t deny Susize’s feelings for this forest. There was a dull ache in my heart from where we had to leave. 

No, I don’t have to think about that now. Just play the song, Mila. 

Once finished, a little green flower blossomed on the Dryad’s head.  

“It isn’t my blooming season, though,” noted the Dryad. She looked at me, plucked the flower, and gave it to me with a smile while I ignored my thoughts. 

A Dryad only gives their flowers to someone they trust, my lord, said the AI. That was mentioned in Murag’s journals. 

“Do you trust me that much?” I mean, I hadn’t done much. Sure, I spent time with her, but... She nodded, and I really had no choice but to accept it with a smile. Crouching down, she placed it in my hair and rubbed it, then skipped back to stand by Aello. A few moments later, a collection of sparkling mana accumulated nearby, which soon gave birth to a striking banana yellow-like slime. It was about the same size as I was in my slime form, and it wiggled and jiggled like gelatin. Aello believed the Eagle Yew wanted to send another gift, so it used its power to create life. 

The question was thus: did I want to bring it? As I was thinking that, the wiggling thing bounced over to Niva and sat right in her lap, eliciting a cute yelp. Sekh quickly bent down to tell her it wasn’t me. 

“Mistress, can we keep it?”  

“Sure, I don’t see why not. You want to name it?” 

“Is that fine? Can I take some time to think of one?” 

“Yep.” 

We waved goodbye and turned around to join Oswell and his group. 

“That flower looks good on you, my liege.” 

“Big Tits is right. A Dryad’s flower is special, so take care of it.” 

“It does feel kinda good,” I confessed. 

“Are you ready to leave?” Oswell asked from the driver seat of the wagon that carried most of the supplies.  

“Almost. Here, take this,” I said, pulling out 10 gold. “I managed to find some money I misplaced. That should be enough for Erin and the delivery fee, right?” It’s too much. Doesn’t matter, though, since I’ll get it back when I kill them. 

“You’re damn right it is. Tivid, get over here!” Tivid soon arrived with a pair of documents that said I owned Erin. However, they didn’t have anyone to break the slave seal, so that would have to wait until we reached Ria, at which Oswell would personally take Erin and me to a slave market I’d been lucky enough to avoid and have it broken if I didn’t want her to remain my slave. Not only did I have to sign it, but all of Oswell’s group put their John Handcock on it as witnesses to the deal.  

Once the money changed hands, Oswell walked to the cage, retrieved Erin, who wore the clothes I wanted her to wear, and handed her to me.   

Her ears were still folded over her head, and she refused to look up from the ground. The bracelet around her neck made her look so pitiful. When Oswell got back in the driver, he said something about transferring over ownership.   

Erin Barclay is now your slave. 

Since you own more than one slave, the Slavery Menu has been added to your Status Menu.  

I played around with the menu when I noticed her information was added below Niva’s. Erin was Lv. 6 with mostly merchant-related titles and skills, with absolutely none related to combat. However, she could use [Barter] to haggle and [Estimate] to gauge an unknown item’s value. Suppose that could be useful. 

I put a hand on her head, and she finally looked at me. But she didn’t just see my face. I told the AI to write a message asking Erin to remain quiet until I told her to speak. She nodded, and then Oswell announced it was time to leave. He snapped the horses' reins, and off we were on a three-day trip back to Ria. 

---

About three hours into the journey back, Primrose erupted from her crystal and took over Niva’s wheelchair. Her sudden appearance caused a jolt of surprise, and she and her skimpy attire were the talk of the group. Given our history, she ignored my presence and focused on speaking with the others.  

Marcey, Bella, and Domi—the only women and Squirrelfolk of the group—were like chatty cats with the woodland spirit, but they also included Niva and the brand-new yellow slime in their talk, who still went by Lola. I was okay with no one talking to me because I was in the middle of planning. Sekh and Tilde knew that, so they spoke for Erin and me. 

From my investigation, Marcey was the weakest at Lv. 19. You could think of her as the 'baby' of the group. She also had a crush on Oswell and masturbated to the fantasy of him taking her against the wall. Bella and Domi were rather insignificant, and I didn’t have anything to take advantage of. But that didn't apply to Tivid, the sharp-eyed accountant of the group. He had left behind a family to adventure with Oswell, and after turning in the tags, he was going to head home for a few months before meeting back up to hunt some more bounties. And he was a hardcore alcoholic. He got drunk nearly every night when they were staying at Aetos Village, yet he never delved into a drunken rage. In fact, he often cried up a storm about how he missed his daughter, and Bella and Domi had to try to calm him down.  

Kvree was a Tigerfolk who remained aloof and distant. Even if he carried a heavy shield and wore plate armor, he often even forgot he had a weapon on him. It was hard to explain, but even if Oswell said Kvree was a talented defender and the second strongest of the group, he had to be in ‘battle mode’ to even get that way in the first place.   

How long will it take to download their appearance data? 

It is already done, my lord.  

About two hours later, we stopped for our first break to let the horses eat. Banda, a Pandafolk that looked like a talking panda, was sitting around eating from a bamboo stalk. Beside him sat a bowl of leaves, and he absentmindedly chowed away with this dumb expression on his furry face. Next to him stood Primrose, who worked with Niva on her physical therapy after altering her clothes to be a little more conservative.  

“Master, try this,” said the spirit. She crouched and held a palm to the grassy ground. Mana collected around it, and when she lifted her hand, there was a wooden staff with a rounded head. Niva used that as a cane to help her, and it seemed like the slime was trying to cheer her on because it kept making noises. It was kinda cute watching it bounce around. The three Squirrelfolks were nearby to motivate their new friend while Niva struggled to take that first step.  

“Some spirits can conjure their own weapons that grow stronger with them,” Sekh noted, sitting beside Erin and me. Shink, a Pigfolk, who acted as the group’s chef, had cooked lunch when we stopped, and she and Erin were chowing down on a thin piece of salted meat and bread. “Those that can’t do that channel their mana through their summoner to grant them additional spells or skills. Or their summoner will give them a weapon to fight. And some can do both, and I suspect Primrose fits that category.”  

“Let me guess. The strength of the spirit is determined from their summoner?" Sekh nodded and finished off her quick meal. Once that was done, we decided to train and spar. I couldn’t use my chimerism in the first place, and Sekh said she wouldn’t use her [Black Fire] to not draw unwanted attention to herself. As far as everyone was concerned, she was simply a regular Lionfolk with a penchant for wearing a collar. I’d been asked a few times if she was my slave, and I promptly shook my head no.  

We sparred for twenty minutes, with her always being the winner, but it was nice to see that I was giving her a run for her money. After assimilating Oswell’s group, I’d probably have enough SP to get [Spear] to Lv. 7 or 8, along with leveling up some other vital skills. Our sparring had an audience at some point, and the group began betting on our matches. Vamire, a Dark Elf that traveled with them, practiced the spear. He wanted to join. Unfortunately, it was time for us to go by the time he ran over, but he made me promise to fight him later.  

For the next leg of our trip, Sekh, Erin, Tilde, and I made sure to walk near Niva and Primrose, who so happened to be beside the wagon carrying Henri and his siblings. During our break earlier, I felt the siblings' eyes lock on me. Was it out of jealously? I didn’t know, but Uryla tapped onto the bar and meekly asked us to buy her and her siblings. I obviously refused, then Henri stated that since I was a noble, I had to have enough money. I lied and said I did, then claimed that I’d rather die first than do literally anything to help them achieve freedom. In my mind, I was thinking about what to do with them once the slaughter was finished. Free them? Hell no. But kill them? Possibly. They were weak and wouldn’t provide anything worthwhile. Erin seemed slightly concerned, but her feelings didn’t matter in this case. 

Before I could think about it more, Oswell yelled from the front of the caravan about a group of boars heading this way. Sekh and I rushed to the front with Vamire and Kvree. The Dark Elf spun his obsidian-colored spear and used [Lightning Thrust] to cover the remaining distance in a flash and a sharp crackle of thunder. His boar had a hole about as wide as his body, and it perished faster than it knew. Meanwhile, Kvree hefted his shield and slammed it down, using [Taunt], [Aggro Draw], and [Hate Reaction] to bring all the attention to himself. With expert hands, the aloof Tigerfolk parried the boars—even punching them high in the air, which allowed me time to shoot them dead with my .45 as if they were clay pigeons. 

I only have a handful of bullets left. 

Some of the group was impressed and crowded around me, and those that weren’t simply marveled at the ‘High Blessing’ of the forest using something made of metal. I thought they would’ve heard the gunshots from my fight with Primrose, but they didn’t. And they thought the gun was just for show.  

But we were quickly back on the trail after moving the dead boars out of the way, but Shink carved the beasts and salted the meat for travel. He was kind enough to pass me the tusks when I asked for them, and I used the rest of the day to chisel them into dentures for Niva. After the AI helped me with this task, however. The tomes in Murag’s room mentioned making teeth, and it used that data to help me create something almost perfect. I couldn’t exactly get the canines at the right angle, though. 

Well, that’s what the second version is for. 

I called for Niva and Primrose, and the spirit wheeled the chair with a venomous expression. When she saw the dentures, she almost snatched them from my hand and said she would be the one to put them in. That got some attention, and I quickly reminded her with glowing, floating waypoints that she had to watch her attitude.  

Don’t bring undue attention to ourselves. Remember that.  

She glared at me but managed to fit those teeth in Niva’s mouth using her sticky sap as glue. There shouldn’t be any soreness because the elixir healed any remaining pain, but I still told her to tell me if there was any discomfort. 

---

  Around 10 PM, Oswell called it a night and pulled the caravan over to a nearby plain of flat grassland. He let the slaves out to stretch their legs and eat a cup of soup with a piece of hard bread, then ordered them back into the caged wagons after they put up the heavy-duty tents. Erin looked that way to her former fate before turning around and finishing up her stew. We all sat around the giant campfire. It was here that I got more acquainted with the rest of Oswell’s group.  

Tactile and Deimpse were two scrawny humans that treated Vamire like an older brother. He’d told those two to stay back during the boar attack earlier out of their safety, but the Dark Elf was being lightly chastised by Oswell. “I know you care for them, but they can’t get stronger if they don’t fight. Those boars weren’t even Lv. 10.”  

“I know, man, but come on,” Vamire whined. His younger ‘brothers’ sat beside him, and a small argument—no, it wasn’t an argument, but maybe a vocal discussion was the right word—broke out. “Fiiiine... Okay, you got me. Tact, Deim, we’re gonna train like hell tomorrow. Promise me you won’t get too hurt, okay?”  

The two underweight humans smiled, and the attention turned to Battr and Abaddan, two Batfolk fighting about thirty feet away. Thanks to their velvety wings, they soared through the air. Batfolk only required about three hours of sleep to last the whole day. They both had red eyes and dark hair. From what I saw, they were the definition of introverts.  

The more I watched them, the more I perceived their movements. Sekh was doing the same, staring and observing if I fucked up and turned this into a battle royale.   

Once their sparing ended, they joined the rest of us around the campfire. Marcey asked for a song, but I didn’t know Dreams of Style. However, I just played my flute with whatever came to mind, and it really felt like I could do no wrong. Before long, Vamire rushed to his tent and returned with liquor he'd been stashing away for the right occasion. It was the color of lightened wood with a smell like dirt, but some of the group cheered on the Dark Elf and quickly filled their glass.   

Not long after, while a drunken Vamire rubbed and fluffed Banda’s exceptionally soft fur, Domi and Bella asked if we wanted to wash up at the river we passed about 20 minutes ago. The offer was extended to Marcey, but she said she was tired. And I suppose I didn’t mind bathing with them.  

I knew how that made me sound when I avoided Irisa, but I think I was ready for the next step. When we returned home... when the time was right, I’d asked Irisa to join Sekh, Niva, and me in the tub. There was enough room, and I really liked her.   

If I think of this as practice, then yeah... 

“Okay, great. Let’s meet up in about ten minutes,” Domi said as she and Bella returned to their tents to get some bathing supplies. I returned to mine with my group. It wasn’t just a normal tent, however. It was large enough to comfortably fit six people. Oswell said Aello had given it to him exclusively for my use after learning I was leaving with him. And I’d asked for it to be set up farther away from the others, and Oswell granted my selfish request.   

“Look at you... Only a twisted pervert buys a little girl,” Primrose spat. I laid out a simple shirt and skirt for Niva, and she snatched it away. Niva still wore the robe over her clothes, though. She'd have to wear it for the foreseeable future. I chose traditional Elven attire. It was a green corset dress with loose sleeves with a black waist girdle to keep a slim profile. It was made from dyed spider silk. A pair of over-the-knee green stockings hugged my legs and showed off my curves. They were cute, so I was happy to pair them with brown heels. From Susize’s memories, she always wore this when she went on dates with Reina. 

I love the black outfit I have on. The golden highlights are cute and make me look powerful, but that’s a special outfit. My very first one. Besides, I’ve got all these clothes. Might as well put them to use. 

“Quiet, Primrose,” I told the spirit. “Erin, believe me when I say I’m not doing this to be mean. There are whims beyond your belief at work here, and they require total concentration so as to not fuck up. The floating words you saw speak the truth. Believe in them, remain quiet, and you will get what you seek. Understood?” Erin nodded once more, but she still looked deathly afraid. I just handed her the first shirt and shorts that came to mind as I browsed my storage. “I don’t have anything in your size. Sorry, but you’ll have to make do with that.”  

“That’s not nice. Why not let the girl—” Primrose clamped her mouth shut once she read a violent threat written out in rainbow dots that only she could see. I also warned her she was not to impede me in any case, and that earned me another scowl. Niva remained as she held the slime, who she named Lei. It only took a few hours, but a friendship was forming between the two. It was like a pet that didn’t need to be fed because it literally survived off the mana in the atmosphere.   

“Primmy, darling, you gotta watch your mouth,” Tilde warned. “Remember what happened last time you pissed her off?”  

“Enough. Let’s meet up with Domi and Bella and get clean.” 

My lord, a moment of your time? asked the AI 

I sent Sekh and the others ahead of me, but Primrose was not happy. The last thing she said while wheeling Niva out of the tent was that I better not do anything stupid, which earned a scolding from Sekh. That turned into another argument between the two. Tilde remained behind.  

“Alright, AI. Tell me. What’s on your mind?” I sat and listened to a devious plan far better than what I had in mind. 

“Once you do this, you can’t take it back,” Tilde said. “These people haven’t hurt you. They fed you. They helped you. They even like you. You impressed them, and that Dark Elf even wants to spar and train with you. You managed to convince him to wait, but he’s looking forward to it because he’s the type of guy who can be friends with anyone after a fight. Hell, you even played that flute for them out of the kindness of your heart.”  

“And? They’re slavers, through and through.”  

“So. Are. You.” Tilde tapped her head. “But I won’t stop you. I wouldn’t dream of it. My little ‘mera must leave the nest and go on her own, so put on your big girl panties. Do what you must do but remember just how dangerous it’s going to be. If you fuck up? Well, it’s going to be a major fuck up. Erin and Niva are likely to bite the dust. Big Tits would protect you above all else. And if our little cyclops dies, you can wave goodbye to Primmy. Considering the animosity between you two, perhaps the best situation is Niva living while Primmy dies.”  

“I know, Tilde. I know. I'm a hypocrite of the highest degree, but they gotta die. And don’t think I’m going to gloat about this… Let’s go. I don’t want to keep them waiting.”