Mother and Daughter Sword

Outside Rebeck, a short distance from the trash heap.

I pulled out the Black Card's DORECA and checked it via the video function.

The floating panel displayed a sealed space.

Inside were a wooden house, stacks of Pshiny, and items crafted since the beginning.

Judging by their size, it was roughly the size of a tennis court, with a height of about ten meters—a fully enclosed space.

Flames erupted from the walls, as if the space itself were burning from within. The entire chamber filled with fire in an instant.

The flames were immense—truly a roaring inferno.

The fire consumed everything inside.

A magnificent sight. No ash, not even smoke, despite everything still burning.

After the flames died down, there was nothing left—pure emptiness.

Only the space remained.

If I toss trash into this thing, it’ll burn it all up, looks like.

Exactly what I wanted most, right now.

Satisfied, I tucked DORECA away and looked at the slaves standing straight ahead.

Twelve slaves, all with elven features. My entire collection of collared slaves, gathered.

They stood in two rows.

Six mothers in front, six children behind.

“Yuria.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Yuria stepped forward.

“Take Vera and find the spot we saw earlier—where we’ll build that thing. A distant, open area. Better safe than sorry, in case something goes wrong and the town gets hit.”

“There’s a place north of here, surrounded by bare hills.”

Yuria gave the answer right away.

As expected.

"Good. Go ahead and set up the spring first. Then, the magic circle—should be doable with bronze. Once it’s laid down, the construction site will show up as an arrow."

"Got it."

Yuria nods. As usual, she’s quieter than quiet—almost silent—but there’s a calmness to her, a slave’s quiet certainty.

Next command.

"Risha, and Rirya."

"Yes."

"Finally! I was waiting."

The first and fourth slaves step forward at the same time.

"You two take Shasri and Vela and lay the track. Don’t use the existing line—make a new one, just for hauling trash. Connect it from each town to the bare hills north of Rebeck, like Yuria just said."

"Understood."

"Little ones, let’s go."

"Mirra."

She nods at the two mothers, then calls out to Mira.

"Yeah."

"You’re with Irina at Nina’s. Get her to develop a train suited for hauling trash—not one of the old models. Things being what they are, it probably won’t take long."

"Isn’t this the hardest part?"

Still, Mira’s face flickers with a hint of delight.

That’s been the trend lately—Nina’s handling has become her specialty.

An Eternal Slave, when given her own task, tends to light up more than usual.

"Arisa."

"Yeah."

"Belia too?"

Arisa and her daughter Belia step forward at once.

Pattern’s starting to show, even among the slaves.

I nod, satisfied, and say:

"Both of you, travel from town to town and post notices. Tell them to sort future trash into what can be dismantled and what can’t."

"Should we sort the old stuff too?"

"Yeah. Do it."

"Got it."

Risa and her daughter, once tormented but now utterly smiling, nod.

The slaves, given orders, begin moving one after another.

Five pairs of mother-daughter slaves depart from the scene, each carrying out their assigned task.

Only the Svetlana mother-daughter pair remain.

"Master. What should we do?"

"We can do anything."

They ask in the same tone, identical in cadence.

The two most alike among the slave mothers and daughters—eyes practically begging for work—glance at each other.

"Both of you will come with me to gather materials."

"Are we short on supplies?... You’re saying we’re facing enemies strong enough to be worth the effort?"

Svetlana holds her breath, tension tightening in her chest.

"No. Just something I want to test, on the side."

"Test? On the side?"

"Come with me."

She didn’t question her master’s command, but Svetlana and her daughter exchanged curious glances as they followed behind.

☆

I led the pair through the wasteland.

Wasteland, yes—but it had changed slightly.

Not the complete wasteland it once was.

Weeds had begun to sprout in scattered patches.

The world was healing—slowly.

Too slowly. At this rate, waiting for nature to restore itself would take years.

I’d have to do it myself.

“Master, light—”

“Huh?”

Svetlana pointed to my chest.

As she said, it glowed. The true soul of the Lava—something I’d picked up just a little while ago—was housed there.

At the same moment, a beam of light shot from behind, piercing me—piercing the soul of Lava.

“Yuria’s drawn the rune circle. Now we know the way back—and where we’re going.”

Doreca—The slave card’s magical array has the effect of extending an arrow toward the nearest required material.

That’s still true. Yuria drew the rune circle. Meaning the magic circle is set at the planned site for the incinerator, and a beam of light stretches from there all the way here.

“So that’s why you laid the circle in advance... Amazing, my master. I never would’ve thought a rune circle could do something like this.”

“Just a minor application. Nothing special.”

I mean it. Risha, with her longest history as a slave, should’ve figured out this use already.

“I never would’ve thought of it in a lifetime. Now I understand why my master—why you were entrusted with this power.”

“If it weren’t for my master, it might not have worked.”

Svetlana agreed, as did her daughter, Olga.

Both mother and daughter praise me.

I’m getting used to the praise, but hearing it from both a mother and daughter slave at once is still fresh.

Not unpleasant.

I even wonder if it might be true.

— The one thing only I can do.

In truth, the summoning of Saint Night, who was brought here simultaneously, ended in complete failure.

That’s practically proof that it’s something only I can do.

Saint Night…

I walk on, thinking vaguely about the man who’s no longer here, until we reach a place like a valley.

“Is this it?”

“Yeah.”

“But, my master, the arrow hasn’t caught up. If we need materials, there should already be another arrow here.”

“We’ll deal with that later. First, this way.”

I take up the True Eternal Slave.

I brought the mother and daughter along with a little hope in mind.

Hope. Yeah. Hope.

The hope that something would happen if I absorbed the mother and daughter into the sword.

“Time to fight. I’ll be borrowing your strength.”

“With pleasure.”

I absorbed Svetlana.

The gem on the sword flared to life—green light, the same shade as the one around Svetlana’s neck.

“Next, Oliga.”

“Got it.”

I absorbed the daughter, Oliga.

I waited like that for a while.

Nothing. Just standing there, waiting.

(主人様?)

(Why aren’t you moving?)

Hmm. Nothing’s happening.

I thought there’d be something if it was mother and daughter together.

Guess not.

Well, if it’s not going to happen, there’s nothing to be done.

—Just as I was thinking that.

(What?)

Oliga gasped. A sound of sudden shock.

“What’s—? Mmph.”

I almost shouted too. I was stunned by what I saw in front of me. The sword’s change. The shock of it.

Oozing from the gem embedded in the True Eternal Slave—

It wrapped around my body— became armor.

A swirling, colored vortex, soft to the eye, yet undeniably armor-like.

In short— armor made of wind.

“Is this…?”

(Origa.)

The armor spoke.

(Origa? You’re…?)

The slave sword, *Svetlana*, spoke too—this time, startled.

Ah. So that’s how it is.

Mother remained trapped inside the blade, while daughter transformed into armor.

I was satisfied. With what had happened.

“Just as planned.”

(Indeed, my master.)

“I just had a hunch. That bringing mother and daughter together into the True Eternal Slave might spark something. That’s why I brought you two along—to try it.”

(That’s how it was… My master’s incredible. That kind of thought never crossed my mind.)

(My master’s incredible.)

Mother and daughter praising me, awed.

“Let’s try this, both of you.”

(With pleasure!)

(Leaving it to you, Olga.)

—— Magic power charged: 100,000.

—— Magic power charged: 10,000.

I’d just unlocked a new usage pattern for the slave sword—one that let me pleasure both mother and daughter at once. The thrill of it made my palms sweat.