Early morning on the third day of the Athena Island itinerary.
Mrs. Becker, who had been watching Odette with her eyes wide open for two days, ended up sleeping more deeply than anyone else tonight.
It was because Odette had put some kind of sleeping scent in the room that was good for pregnant women. Of course, Odette had eaten some aqua mint.
Again, again, again.
Odette walked down the empty hallway and opened the door to the infirmary. Then she sighed.
There were only four beds for patients, but Karl was lying on the floor on a blanket.
'I didn't know he'd be treated like this. I'm glad I came.'
The moment she put the gas lamp she was holding down on the table, Karl, who was sweating profusely, opened his eyes.
Whoosh, with a sharp and murderous gesture, he instantly grabbed Odette's wrist.
"Ah!"
“...Master?”
But as soon as he discovered that it was Odette, Karl quickly relaxed his grip.
Then he asked her in a worried tone.
“I’m sorry. Did your wrist hurt?”
'Yeah. I really thought it was going to break.'
... Odette wanted to say that, but she just smiled elegantly. It was because she felt guilty seeing Karl wrapped in bandages.
'I thought the four assassins would be nothing but chewing gum to Karl... I didn't think he'd get hurt like this.'
Because she overestimated Karl's strength, he got hurt more than necessary.
“Why do you sleep here instead of in the bed?”
“I’m a slave. That’s not the problem. How’s your wrist? It’s not broken, is it? If you’re hurt, Master-”
“Stop. It’s okay. Stop asking questions.”
Karl looked hurt by Odette's reaction.
“...I guess I really am a terrible person who doesn’t know gratitude. To hurt the master who saved me from my father...”
'Even though the command has been released, is it really that unfortunate?'
“No, calm down. That’s not what I meant. I meant that I'm not hurt at all, so don’t worry.”
“Master.”
“First, get on the bed. If anyone finds fault with you for staying in bed, you can call them by my name.”
Odette took Karl's hand to help him up. At that moment, Odette was startled.
“What, why are your hands so hot?”
It was because of the body temperature that was like a ball of fire.
“Master, your hands are really small.”
There was a strange laughter in Karl's voice as he spoke, plopping down on the bed, but Odette did not notice it.
‘With his physical condition like this... it seems like it’ll be difficult to give Karl any orders.’
It was because she was lost in thought due to Karl's unexpected physical condition.
The reason Odette came to see Karl today was to involve him in her plans for Dolly.
Even though Karl followed her orders obediently after being relieved of command, Odette still did not completely trust him.
Because Karl was no longer the Karl of <Redemption>.
Karl, now free of command, was a complete unknown to Odette. The information in the setting book was useless, and now neither a hostage nor a gift could restrain him.
'Will Karl be of any use when he is free from command? Can I really trust Karl's loyalty when he has no leash?'
So, she was thinking of using Karl as a test subject in her plans for Dolly, to see if he was really useful...
But when she saw the boy with his pale face and shivering body, she lost the desire to do so.
Even if she was Odette, she couldn't command a boy in this condition.
“I think the fever is getting worse.”
Odette placed her hand on Karl's forehead. He seemed embarrassed for a moment but soon began to rub his forehead against her hand as if he were complaining.
'It really could be that... Karl's parents were wrong.'
Odette sighed. If he were truly an emotionless person, how could he be so happy about the warmth being given to him?
The parents who gave orders like 'Become Fenrir's weapon' to their children and raised them to be killing machines were the ones who had no emotions.
'... Well, I'm not in a position to criticize my parents, I came here to use this child.'
Then Karl pleaded in a weak voice.
“Please change the bandage, Master.”
At those words, Odette was shocked as she unwrapped the bandage that had been wrapped around Karl's arm.
There were many shards of glass embedded in the long, torn wound.
There was a sense of intention in the way the pieces were forcibly pushed in. There was a malicious intent to disable Karl's arm.
“Oh my God! What kind of son of a bitch did this to you?”
“Master.”
“No. That’s not the first thing. First, let’s take out all the glass shards and then talk.”
Odette, startled, desperately looked for a pair of tweezers. When she took off Karl’s clothes to reveal his shoulders, it was even worse. There were shards of glass embedded in his shoulders as well.
It seemed like if something went wrong he might have to cut off his arm.
The body parts that were severed before the awakening of the Transcendent One did not regenerate after the awakening. This means that Karl may permanently lose the use of his arms.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like the injury had occurred very recently.
“You have to endure the pain, Karl. You can’t just leave the glass shards like this.”
“Ugh, Master.”
“If you can’t stand it anymore, you can bite my left arm.”
Instead of answering, Karl lightly bit Odette's left arm. It was too light for a bite to be considered pain relief.
'How can one be this weak when one has no energy?'
Odette had to wrestle with the glass shards for almost an hour. Finally, she applied disinfectant and wiped the sweat from her forehead as she spoke.
“I removed everything visible. However, there may still be small shards of glass left, so please be sure to ask the palace doctor for treatment...”
Odette, who was talking, frowned.
'If the wounds were from assassins, the palace doctor would have treated them long ago. So the wounds you just got were after you were brought to the infirmary.'
Odette put her hand to her forehead.
“Karl, is it by any chance that you did something like this?”
Karl spoke in a hoarse voice, perhaps exhausted from enduring the pain.
“Master. Rather than that, I have a wish....”
"Huh?"
“You said that if I do as you say, my wish will be granted.”
“Go now. If you successfully complete this order, I will grant you another wish.”
Odette recalled the conversation she had had with Karl.
“That’s right.”
“I want to tell you my wish now, Master.”
“First, let’s talk about the palace-”
“Now, Master. I want to talk now.”
Karl spoke pitifully, feverishly. Odette asked Karl as she wrapped him in a new bandage.
“Yes, tell me. What is your wish?”
“Do not abandon me, Master. I will be a good slave, so please leave me as your slave forever.”
Karl's pitiful eyes stared at Odette. It was an extreme use of words.
“Forever... what do you mean, Karl?”
“If I can’t live as a slave to my master, my life will lose its purpose.”
'Why is he so obsessed with slaves? Why is a child who was raised as a Crown Prince so obsessed with slaves??'
“Master, I am very anxious about the loss of my father’s command. I have lived my entire life as his slave. I am a being who cannot live without orders.”
Karl appealed desperately. He said that from the moment he was born, he lived under the constraints of command.
He was said to have served under the command as a weapon for Fenrir for 17 years.
“You know what happens to an animal that has been raised in chains since childhood when it suddenly gets its freedom?”
Odette took a deep breath at the words that seemed to threaten her as if she were being taken hostage.
“If you abandon me like this, I will live a life worse than death. I am helpless in the face of freedom, and I have not learned to think without orders. It is enough for me to be free from my father’s orders, Master. I want to live as your slave. Let me choose.”
“..."
“You said that if I completed the order well, you would grant my wish. Please keep your promise.”
Odette sighed.
'Confirmed disgust.'
[ Karl's Dislike Level: 0 ]
'Yeah. I hate it this much, but if I just abandon him, his hatred for me might increase... It wouldn't be bad if the one who will become a Transcendent in the future is loyal to me.'
In fact, after the command was released, didn't he even listen to her?
'If he proves useful in Dolly's plan, we can use him in our revenge plan. If he proves useless, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just keep him as a battle slave.'
But Odette didn't realize that she was being too easily persuaded by Karl.
The fact that the oppressive atmosphere that filled this room was interfering with her rational thinking.
There was no need for something like an 'eternal' slave for Odette, who was about to leave in the first place. If she was useless for revenge, it would be better for her not to have Karl as a slave.
Yet she felt no strangeness in her own thinking.
“Yes, I understand. I have to keep my promise. I will grant your wish. I will not abandon you.”
In the end, Odette blurted out the words.
“Thank you, Master.”
Karl suddenly hugged Odette.
She was a little surprised but said without showing it.
“For now, your body still feels like a ball of fire, so sleep comfortably. I’ll come back again.”
"Yes."
To those words, Karl answered quietly and closed his eyes.
'It's definitely easier to handle, and it's also become a lot more humane...'
But Odette felt a strange sense of unease at her last thought.
'Really? Has this kid become more human?'
Strangely, the more she thought about those words, the more creepy they became. It was as if her intuition was screaming at me to be careful.
It was at that moment. A quest notification popped up before her eyes.
Mrs. Becker, who had been watching Odette with her eyes wide open for two days, ended up sleeping more deeply than anyone else tonight.
It was because Odette had put some kind of sleeping scent in the room that was good for pregnant women. Of course, Odette had eaten some aqua mint.
Again, again, again.
Odette walked down the empty hallway and opened the door to the infirmary. Then she sighed.
There were only four beds for patients, but Karl was lying on the floor on a blanket.
'I didn't know he'd be treated like this. I'm glad I came.'
The moment she put the gas lamp she was holding down on the table, Karl, who was sweating profusely, opened his eyes.
Whoosh, with a sharp and murderous gesture, he instantly grabbed Odette's wrist.
"Ah!"
“...Master?”
But as soon as he discovered that it was Odette, Karl quickly relaxed his grip.
Then he asked her in a worried tone.
“I’m sorry. Did your wrist hurt?”
'Yeah. I really thought it was going to break.'
... Odette wanted to say that, but she just smiled elegantly. It was because she felt guilty seeing Karl wrapped in bandages.
'I thought the four assassins would be nothing but chewing gum to Karl... I didn't think he'd get hurt like this.'
Because she overestimated Karl's strength, he got hurt more than necessary.
“Why do you sleep here instead of in the bed?”
“I’m a slave. That’s not the problem. How’s your wrist? It’s not broken, is it? If you’re hurt, Master-”
“Stop. It’s okay. Stop asking questions.”
Karl looked hurt by Odette's reaction.
“...I guess I really am a terrible person who doesn’t know gratitude. To hurt the master who saved me from my father...”
'Even though the command has been released, is it really that unfortunate?'
“No, calm down. That’s not what I meant. I meant that I'm not hurt at all, so don’t worry.”
“Master.”
“First, get on the bed. If anyone finds fault with you for staying in bed, you can call them by my name.”
Odette took Karl's hand to help him up. At that moment, Odette was startled.
“What, why are your hands so hot?”
It was because of the body temperature that was like a ball of fire.
“Master, your hands are really small.”
There was a strange laughter in Karl's voice as he spoke, plopping down on the bed, but Odette did not notice it.
‘With his physical condition like this... it seems like it’ll be difficult to give Karl any orders.’
It was because she was lost in thought due to Karl's unexpected physical condition.
The reason Odette came to see Karl today was to involve him in her plans for Dolly.
Even though Karl followed her orders obediently after being relieved of command, Odette still did not completely trust him.
Because Karl was no longer the Karl of <Redemption>.
Karl, now free of command, was a complete unknown to Odette. The information in the setting book was useless, and now neither a hostage nor a gift could restrain him.
'Will Karl be of any use when he is free from command? Can I really trust Karl's loyalty when he has no leash?'
So, she was thinking of using Karl as a test subject in her plans for Dolly, to see if he was really useful...
But when she saw the boy with his pale face and shivering body, she lost the desire to do so.
Even if she was Odette, she couldn't command a boy in this condition.
“I think the fever is getting worse.”
Odette placed her hand on Karl's forehead. He seemed embarrassed for a moment but soon began to rub his forehead against her hand as if he were complaining.
'It really could be that... Karl's parents were wrong.'
Odette sighed. If he were truly an emotionless person, how could he be so happy about the warmth being given to him?
The parents who gave orders like 'Become Fenrir's weapon' to their children and raised them to be killing machines were the ones who had no emotions.
'... Well, I'm not in a position to criticize my parents, I came here to use this child.'
Then Karl pleaded in a weak voice.
“Please change the bandage, Master.”
At those words, Odette was shocked as she unwrapped the bandage that had been wrapped around Karl's arm.
There were many shards of glass embedded in the long, torn wound.
There was a sense of intention in the way the pieces were forcibly pushed in. There was a malicious intent to disable Karl's arm.
“Oh my God! What kind of son of a bitch did this to you?”
“Master.”
“No. That’s not the first thing. First, let’s take out all the glass shards and then talk.”
Odette, startled, desperately looked for a pair of tweezers. When she took off Karl’s clothes to reveal his shoulders, it was even worse. There were shards of glass embedded in his shoulders as well.
It seemed like if something went wrong he might have to cut off his arm.
The body parts that were severed before the awakening of the Transcendent One did not regenerate after the awakening. This means that Karl may permanently lose the use of his arms.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like the injury had occurred very recently.
“You have to endure the pain, Karl. You can’t just leave the glass shards like this.”
“Ugh, Master.”
“If you can’t stand it anymore, you can bite my left arm.”
Instead of answering, Karl lightly bit Odette's left arm. It was too light for a bite to be considered pain relief.
'How can one be this weak when one has no energy?'
Odette had to wrestle with the glass shards for almost an hour. Finally, she applied disinfectant and wiped the sweat from her forehead as she spoke.
“I removed everything visible. However, there may still be small shards of glass left, so please be sure to ask the palace doctor for treatment...”
Odette, who was talking, frowned.
'If the wounds were from assassins, the palace doctor would have treated them long ago. So the wounds you just got were after you were brought to the infirmary.'
Odette put her hand to her forehead.
“Karl, is it by any chance that you did something like this?”
Karl spoke in a hoarse voice, perhaps exhausted from enduring the pain.
“Master. Rather than that, I have a wish....”
"Huh?"
“You said that if I do as you say, my wish will be granted.”
“Go now. If you successfully complete this order, I will grant you another wish.”
Odette recalled the conversation she had had with Karl.
“That’s right.”
“I want to tell you my wish now, Master.”
“First, let’s talk about the palace-”
“Now, Master. I want to talk now.”
Karl spoke pitifully, feverishly. Odette asked Karl as she wrapped him in a new bandage.
“Yes, tell me. What is your wish?”
“Do not abandon me, Master. I will be a good slave, so please leave me as your slave forever.”
Karl's pitiful eyes stared at Odette. It was an extreme use of words.
“Forever... what do you mean, Karl?”
“If I can’t live as a slave to my master, my life will lose its purpose.”
'Why is he so obsessed with slaves? Why is a child who was raised as a Crown Prince so obsessed with slaves??'
“Master, I am very anxious about the loss of my father’s command. I have lived my entire life as his slave. I am a being who cannot live without orders.”
Karl appealed desperately. He said that from the moment he was born, he lived under the constraints of command.
He was said to have served under the command as a weapon for Fenrir for 17 years.
“You know what happens to an animal that has been raised in chains since childhood when it suddenly gets its freedom?”
Odette took a deep breath at the words that seemed to threaten her as if she were being taken hostage.
“If you abandon me like this, I will live a life worse than death. I am helpless in the face of freedom, and I have not learned to think without orders. It is enough for me to be free from my father’s orders, Master. I want to live as your slave. Let me choose.”
“..."
“You said that if I completed the order well, you would grant my wish. Please keep your promise.”
Odette sighed.
'Confirmed disgust.'
[ Karl's Dislike Level: 0 ]
'Yeah. I hate it this much, but if I just abandon him, his hatred for me might increase... It wouldn't be bad if the one who will become a Transcendent in the future is loyal to me.'
In fact, after the command was released, didn't he even listen to her?
'If he proves useful in Dolly's plan, we can use him in our revenge plan. If he proves useless, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just keep him as a battle slave.'
But Odette didn't realize that she was being too easily persuaded by Karl.
The fact that the oppressive atmosphere that filled this room was interfering with her rational thinking.
There was no need for something like an 'eternal' slave for Odette, who was about to leave in the first place. If she was useless for revenge, it would be better for her not to have Karl as a slave.
Yet she felt no strangeness in her own thinking.
“Yes, I understand. I have to keep my promise. I will grant your wish. I will not abandon you.”
In the end, Odette blurted out the words.
“Thank you, Master.”
Karl suddenly hugged Odette.
She was a little surprised but said without showing it.
“For now, your body still feels like a ball of fire, so sleep comfortably. I’ll come back again.”
"Yes."
To those words, Karl answered quietly and closed his eyes.
'It's definitely easier to handle, and it's also become a lot more humane...'
But Odette felt a strange sense of unease at her last thought.
'Really? Has this kid become more human?'
Strangely, the more she thought about those words, the more creepy they became. It was as if her intuition was screaming at me to be careful.
It was at that moment. A quest notification popped up before her eyes.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment