The woman I found, Bella, was easy to control. That should make governing this town simpler. That was an added bonus that I hadn't anticipated.

Still, I feel like I forgot something.

Shit. I forgot about the quad-amputated Baroness. I wasn't done with her yet.

I extended my tentacles once more and ran towards the lord's estate.

Several minutes later, I finally managed to arrive at the underground room.

The Baroness was still lying on the ground, knocked out from the pain and shock.

"Yamato, can you repair the tongue I ripped off from her?"

[...I can...]

"Do it."

I needed intel from her, and she's my only lead to finding the elf trafficking ring that was involved with Elysia's Memory of Despair quest.

A tentacle slowly reached out to her lips. It detached a small segment of the tentacle, which became a black mud-like substance. It grew. Her tongue was growing back.

Suddenly, the Baroness woke up.

"You... you demon! You… bastard! Insane demon..."

"I'm not done with you yet. I'm gonna have fun taming you, my portable human fleshlight."

"Demon!"

"Do you still think you have a chance? Your arms, legs, and eyes are gone. You're a cripple amongst the crippled."

"You… you monster! You're the devil!"

"I can end your misery now if you want to. In exchange, I want you to tell me who sold you that little elf, Elysia."

"I won't tell you a thing! I refuse to give in. I'm a noble. I will not be humiliated like this!"

"Okay then. I'll let that tongue of yours grow back. Then, tomorrow, I'll come back and rip it off again and again until you squeal out everything you know."

I grabbed her by the face, covering her nose as I traveled back to the surface of the lord's estate.

Eventually, she stopped struggling and passed out from being unable to breathe.

I returned to the spot near the gate where I left the girls.

"Master... what took you so long?" Eura asked.

"I forgot something on the lord's estate."

"You mean that corpse?" Aerith interrupted.

"Yes, but she's not dead. I need to ask her something... but I'm not in a rush. I can take my time with her."

"Hmm... I see," she replied, with a finger on her lips.

"Oh, by the way, master, can I ask why we're not riding the carriage?" Aerith asked.

"I'm thinking of using a new method of transportation. But before that, let's get out of the city first."

The girls nodded, and we left the city through the gate.

"Okay, this is it," I muttered, opening the item shop.

Several types of vehicles appeared on the menu, but I chose the 【Kamaz-5350】, a Russian truck used in the military for the transport of troops, goods, heavy equipment, and construction materials.

Of course, the reason I chose this truck was because of its off-road capabilities and survivability against the winter and other harsh weather conditions.

[Are you sure you want to buy Kamaz-5350 for 22000 gold? (Yes/No)]

I pressed the Yes button, and a new item appeared in my inventory. I took out the truck from my inventory, and it appeared on the ground with a cracking sound.

"Wh- wha, what is this, master?" Aerith asked with excitement.

"Our new method of transportation," I said, dumping Ruvia, Haruna, the group of elves, and the Baroness into the back of the truck.

Eura examined the truck, looking at me with an interested expression.

"You never told me that such a vehicle existed." She spoke.

"It wasn't in my item shop. I only got it after raiding the Baroness' treasury." I replied.

Haruna, the spider, seemed to look confused.

I patted its head and asked, "Haruna, I need your help. Can you prevent these people from jumping away or falling off in case they get startled?"

Haruna nodded its head vigorously.

I kissed its forehead as a way of thanking it.

I exited the cargo area and walked towards the passenger side of the truck, opening it with my tentacles. I climbed up with the help of the tentacles and pulled up Eura and Aerith.

As I looked at the dashboard, I realized this truck had a manual transmission which I don't have an experience with.

Come to think of it, off-road vehicles are usually with manual transmissions. Fuck...

Ah, doesn't matter. I'll just wing it. If I remember correctly, to start, you have to flip the key to the "ON" position, step on the clutch, then flip the key to the "START" position.

I focused my strength on the tentacles, pulling the clutch and pressing down on the pedal. With a loud bang, the engine roared to life.

Eura and Aerith jumped back in surprise due to the unexpected sound coming from the truck.

"Master!? What are you doing!?" Eura was grabbing onto my shirt with a shocked expression while Aerith looked stunned.

"It's okay. Don't worry about the sound. It's normal," I said, reassuring the two.

They didn't look convinced and kept looking at me with worry plastered on their faces.

I ignored their reaction and stepped on the clutch, moving to first gear.

I pressed down the accelerator, and with a loud growl, the truck moved forward slightly. I pressed down the accelerator again, and the truck sped onward.

"Ahhhhh!?" Eura screamed and hugged me, burying her face in my chest while Aerith hugged the backrest tightly.

"Haah... It's fine. Relax," I said, patting Eura's head gently. But she didn't want to listen and kept hugging me.

I traveled on the icy road, flicking through the gears as I picked up the speed. Eura and Aerith had calmed down by this point, and the two looked relaxed on soft seats.

"Master... I love you so much," Eura leaned her head towards me and whispered.

I was listening to her, but I looked away as my face flushed red.

"Me too, I l-l-love you too," Aerith whispered as well while smiling.

These two... I felt my heart skip a beat.

I drove without sleeping.

By morning, we had arrived back in our small town.

As the truck reached the gate, I slowly shifted down the truck and parked it in front of the gate. I saw a group of elves aiming their bows at the truck.

I opened the door and shouted, "Fuck! I'm going to grill you idiots alive if you scratch my truck."

"Ah, it's really the master. No need to worry," an elf who was holding a bow said, lowering her bow.

"What the hell is going on, Ena?" I asked the elf.

"Master, you're back at last," Ena breathed out as she walked towards me.

She continued, "Can I explain everything in the mansion? And, where's my son?"

I smiled. "He's on the back of the truck. I'll call him out."

I walked to the cargo area and brought out Ruvia, Haruna, the group of elves, and the Baroness.

On cue, Eura stepped out from the passenger side while Aerith followed as well.

I carried Ruvia in a bridal style and walked toward his mother.

"This is your son, Reive. But he calls himself Ruvia now. And he has become my woman." I declared proudly.

I put him down next to his mother. Without warning, he kissed me on the lips before greeting his mother.

"I'm back, mom. I missed you so much." Ruvia said.

Ena looked at me with a strange look. "You…"

She continued, asking, "What have you done to my son?"

Ruvia cut off the conversation with his response. "He made me a woman. I'm in love with master...," he said.

Ruvia gave me a lovey-dovey gaze.

I could see the elves from Ena's hometown cringing from behind.

I didn't give her a chance to ask anymore and blurted out, "Anyway, I need to go back to the mansion. I'll explain everything later."

I stored the truck in the inventory and took the elves I rescued along with the baroness, walking toward the mansion with my tentacles.

The villagers were all pointing at my tentacles, murmuring in shock as I made my way to the mansion.

I pushed the door open, entering a large hall with a high ceiling.

The decorations were extravagant, and I could see a grand staircase leading up to the second floor. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling, shining its light on the red carpet.

I entered the office along with the group of elves.

I sat on the chair while the elves stood in front of the desk.

"Before I begin with the negotiations, I want to tell you how your life was before and after you were caught and enslaved." I requested.

The elves exchanged nervous glances, but one of them stepped forward and spoke up.

"Before we were taken, we lived peacefully in the forest, tending to our homes and families. But then the slave poachers came and captured us," the elf explained.

He continued, "We were auctioned off and then brought to that place. After that, we were forced to work and have sex with our master. Those who didn't comply were tortured or killed."

I put the back of my palm to my cheeks, watching their story unfold.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said.

"Are you interested in living here? You won't be slaves and will be treated just like any other citizens," I told them.

"I can build houses for you to live in as well as free food during the winter."

Then, the elves exchanged heated whispers with one another.

They looked at me suspiciously.

Well, that's understandable. They had been captured, and their homes and families were torn apart. That's bound to leave a mark.

"Of course, it isn't for free. You will have to pay a small part of your earnings per month. That's the only condition."

They seemed a little hesitant at first, but the elves nodded in agreement.

They had no place to stay and no way to earn enough money to survive in the winter.

"Since I haven't built your homes yet, you can live here temporarily. I'll have Eura bring you later to your rooms."

"We understand." They replied.

They seemed to be understanding, but the elves looked like there was something they wanted to say.

"Is there something else you want to know?" I asked.

"Yes, i-its embarrassing b-but... w-we would like to know, i-if you c-can do t-that to us... again..."

"So you want me to do that again?" I asked as I smiled and moved closer.

Their eyes were filled with desire, but they quickly shook their heads.

"No... h-hearing t-that makes it worse... b-but it feels so good I-I..."

They looked away, but I saw them blush.

"Sure. You can send someone to my room every night. I'll accept all of you."

"Really!? Y-you're not just teasing us!? I-I'll be there!"

Like I thought, they're very cute.

"I'll be there tomorrow night. I want to feel it once more."

"I'll be there too!"

The group of elves quickly ran away, exiting the office.

As soon as they exited, Ena and Ruvia entered the room.

Ena, in particular, looked angry.

"You want to know what happened to your son, right?" I asked.