The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

Chapter 111

Reunion with His Master.

Nearly a year had passed since they were separated. For some, that might seem like a short time, or a long one, but to Mirabel, it felt like an eternity.

She had parted ways with her mother, Naredi, and wandered an unfamiliar world on her own as a young girl.

Despite having traveled before, everything had been taken care of by Karami. Doing things on her own was no easy task.

Especially considering she was a young girl. This wasn't modern Earth, where a child wandering alone would prompt concern.

With her striking appearance as a beautiful witch, she was a constant target for unwanted attention from deviant onlookers, so Mirabel often found herself in danger whenever she ventured out.

Thanks to the magic she had learned from Karami, she managed to avoid any unfortunate incidents, but the reunion with her master was a deeply moving experience for the mentally worn-out girl.

As soon as she embraced Karami, all the accumulated fatigue seemed to melt away...

‘...Something feels different?’

Something was off. Although she was nestled in Karami’s arms as before, there was an odd sense of unfamiliarity.

The smell.

It wasn’t Karami’s scent.

It was a tantalizing, feminine aroma.

The unmistakable scent of the Gumiho clung to every corner of his body. Pink fur was even stuck on various parts of his clothes.

‘This is disgusting.’

Mirabel scrunched her face in distaste.

Using a simple spell, she eradicated all traces of the Gumiho’s scent and fur. Finally, she could sense the real Karami.

Smiling in satisfaction, Mirabel rubbed her cheek against his, her soft, chubby cheeks pressing like mochi against his face.

"Hehe."

The smile kept slipping out. If the mages of the Mage Tower knew that their idol was smiling like this for a man, they would bombard Karami with magic spells.

Of course, Mirabel would block every single one of them.

"Master, have you been well?"

"I guess so? Though I did get stabbed and died once."

"...What?"

"Well, I’m fine now."

Karami’s reassurances did nothing to put her at ease.

Mirabel’s heart plummeted, unable to contain her emotions. Her voice grew icy, and a chilling aura spread around her.

Mirabel shot a glare over Karami’s shoulder, her eyes filled with killing intent as she focused on Lin.

‘How dare she put my master in danger...!’

Despite her cute face, Mirabel ground her teeth in fury.

She had been by his side, and yet...

Unforgivable.

"Mirabel, did I just hear something strange?"

Mirabel quickly lightened the atmosphere, adjusting her expression.

"I think I have a loose tooth!"

"Ah, right. I remember you still had one back molar."

Memories came flooding back.

Especially the feel of holding Mirabel.

She fit perfectly in his arms, her skin soft and smooth.

Those plump, chubby cheeks, practically inviting him to give them a little nibble.

And that faint, comforting scent of milk.

The ultimate comfort.

Holding her at night made falling asleep so easy.

"Master, were you on a journey to bring freedom to the slaves?"

"That’s right. I was just on my way to meet the next one."

"Then hurry along! I’ll take care of things here!"

Karami’s eyes widened.

Goodness.

He thought she had come to kill him, but it was the opposite!

Although he wouldn’t refuse her help, he still had to settle things with Mirabel.

"Mirabel, I don’t know why you reattached the shackles, but I’ll need to cancel our contract as well."

He wanted to end the contract immediately, but he hesitated. It was a unilateral, unlawful contract, yet the system recognized it.

Even though complete liberation was supposed to be achieved, it still registered her as bound. This could mean new conditions for liberation had emerged.

If he terminated it recklessly and she wasn’t truly freed, it would be troublesome.

"Ah, um... Oh! The Gumiho is getting up!"

Mirabel, fumbling over her words, quickly pointed at Lin, diverting attention. Lin was gathering her energy and getting to her feet.

Gone was her calm demeanor, replaced with a hostile, tightly drawn expression.

"He’s Lin’s master! Don’t take him from Lin!"

Seeing Mirabel in Karami’s embrace ignited her fury. That spot had always been hers until now.

"It seems she hasn’t learned her lesson."

Mirabel dismounted from Karami’s embrace.

"Although I’d love to travel with Master again like before, the Gumiho will definitely follow us. I’ll send you out of here, Master. I’ll stay behind and hold her back."

"Leaving is one thing, but I still need to end my contract with you, Mirabel. What exactly do you want?"

"Well then, Master! Though it was brief, it was lovely to see you after such a long time! Let’s meet again soon!"

"I left her at Tenshangru. Lady Yuha has agreed to look after her."

"....."

"Please stop staring like that. I actually have a favor to ask of you."

He handed her a stack of documents he’d prepared in advance.

"What’s this?"

"As you know, I’ll be traveling far, so it’ll be difficult to manage the café. But shutting it down would leave the catfolk out on the streets, and that concerns me."

These were essential documents for the cat café.

Though it wasn’t as bustling as when it opened, the café was still popular. Closing it would be a waste, not just for the catfolk but for the business itself.

If this were a game, there might be a system to manage a shop remotely, but that wasn’t an option here.

So, he decided to appoint a manager to run it. And that manager was none other than Seyra.

"So you’re just going to abandon them?"

"Hold on, that’s a misunderstanding. This isn’t abandonment; it’s rehoming."

"Rehoming...?"

Isn’t abandoning beastfolk slaves irresponsibly a crime?

So long as he set them up with a good environment, it was fine.

"I’m making this offer specifically to you, Ms. Seyra."

"....."

Seyra hesitated.

She seemed to be weighing her options but appeared uncertain.

"Ms. Seyra, this is a chance to be the manager of Bestia’s top café. No need to clock in at dawn, no overtime either."

"...!"

Her pupils dilated as if she’d discovered a hidden secret of the world. Suddenly, a commotion erupted nearby.

"Do you know who I am? I don’t care! I don’t want to talk to a lowly staff member like you—get your superior here!"

Someone trying to cross the border was loudly protesting. Troublesome customers were universal, it seemed.

"Right. No more dealing with those entitled clients who think they pay your salary. You can relax with a cup of coffee and live your second life like a leisurely lady of leisure."

Seyra’s eyes wavered.

I’d pushed her to the edge; now it was time to nudge her over.

"Not interested? That’s fine. I won’t force you. There are plenty of others who’d want to manage the place. I’ll just assume you’re declining and offer it to Bolt."

As I reached out to retrieve the documents, Seyra turned away and clutched them tightly.

"W-When did I say no?"

"Then?"

Seyra cleared her throat, clutching the documents as if she’d never let them go.

"Ah, I look forward to working with you. Ahem..."

"I knew you’d accept, Ms. Seyra. Or should I say, Manager Seyra."

"M-Manager..."

Imagining her bright future, Seyra’s lips curled into a smile. A little reward for her support in handling both Lin and me.

As I watched Seyra try to hide her grin, she quickly wiped the expression from her face.

Though it was a little too late. She cleared her throat again, somewhat unnecessarily.

"Where will you go?"

"North. I’m going to meet a warm winter."

"A warm winter...?"

In the far north of the continent, in the eternal frost lands of Aisengar.

Where the Dragon’s Cave lay, a place that had forgotten the touch of spring.

"There’s said to be a stunningly beautiful Ice Princess living there."

Stretching as he left the city.

So many incidents—it felt like an especially long, drawn-out story. But he had successfully completed the liberation, so he couldn’t ask for more.

Three slaves had been freed.

More than halfway there.

Three out of five.

Five minus three.

So how many left?

[Completely liberate the main slaves. Progress: 2/5]

Right. Three down, three to go.

......

No, I’ll deal with it later. When strange situations arise, the best way to handle them is by sticking to the basics.

‘There’s nothing I forgot, right?’

Shouldn’t be.

Probably.

Probably...

"Dammit!"

In the royal palace of Bestia, in the princess’s chamber.

Hilde rolled on the floor, desperately trying to remove her shackles, but they wouldn’t budge.

While others were freed, Hilde remained a slave.

And would be, always.

"Damn it all!"