Chapter 254: Punishment of a Cat Girl, and Treatment of a Criminal Slave (2)

It was two bells the size of Nikolaus’s palm, with a golden luster.

"These bells are enchanted items, and of course the whereabouts can be known by sound, but if the password is said the whereabouts can be known even far away."

Nikolaus said that, held one in each hand, and pinched the chains attached to the bells.

Then he shook both hands and rang the bells.

A beautiful high sound echoed in the room.

"Then..."

Nikolaus handed the bells he held one each to the two men.

The men who received the bells approached the limp Lily.

On the bells chains about the length of a finger were attached, and at the ends were piercings.

Not magic piercings, but ones with metal needles attached.

The men took positions on both sides of Lily and set knees on the floor.

Then they pinched Lily’s nipples and pressed the needles of the piercings.

"Nn! ..."

Lily shut her eyes tight and closed her mouth.

"Nnnn!!!!"

The men pierced the needles of the piercings through both of Lily’s nipples all at once.

Maybe it did not hurt as much as the brand earlier. Lily endured the pain without raising a scream, mouth closed.

The men who handled the needles of the piercings slowly released the bells held in the other hand.

Lily’s nipples faced down from that weight, and the breasts drooped a little.

From the wounds of the nipples blood passed through the chains and dyed the bells red.

"Nna!"

Lily, maybe from the pain, tried to lean forward, but the handcuffs restraining her hands did not permit it.

"Kuu!!"

From the face of Lily, gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, sweat floated like beads.

"...May I not use pain-stopping magic?"

"No. Pain is part of the punishment too."

I confirmed with Freit, but the answer returned from Nikolaus.

I looked at Nikolaus once, then looked at Freit, but he looked at me and nodded too.

Which meant at least until we returned to the assembly hall I could not do some treatment to Lily.

I had brought Rosina to ease Lily’s pain, though.

While we thought and sighed, the men grabbed Lily’s legs, and Nikolaus chanted words different from when restraining Lily and freed Lily’s legs.

The same, he freed Lily’s hands too, and one of the men bound them behind with rope, and another, confirming the binding of Lily was finished, pulled the leash attached to the collar.

"No! Do not pull!! Aah!!"

The bells attached to the nipples, dyed red-black, rang with a sound somewhat lower than when Nikolaus rang them.

Lily raised her voice each time the bells rang, and was pulled by the leash by the men and taken out of the room.

Hmm. When we returned I would have to have Rosina heal first.

"Now then, the punishment of putting the brand and bells on the criminal slave Lily ends with this. This way, please."

We passed through the door Lily had been taken out and came out to the large room where Lily had been washed.

There was Lily, shackles of hands and legs removed, and instead bound behind.

"Then shall we return?"

"Right."

Freit called to me, so I held down the feeling of wanting to return soon and comfort Lily, and nodded.

"Unable to offer any hospitality, sorry."

"No, no, you are working. And there is one in a hurry."

Freit looked at me and smiled.

Apparently it had been found out.

"I see. Lord Asahi is devoted to this girl. With earlier too, as expected of making her a criminal slave."

Maybe because the work had ended. Nikolaus spoke in a light tone while wearing a smile.

Earlier, what was it?

No, more than that, Lily, still about to cry, bothered me more.

"Well, right."

I answered vaguely and signaled Freit with my eyes.

"Hahaha. Then we will take our leave."

Freit seemed to have caught my intent, and cut the conversation with Nikolaus, who seemed about to talk forever.

Then he left the room with me.

Nikolaus walked behind us too, and the three left the building.

Further behind Freit’s guards and my Dules were probably following.

"Oh, is that not Lord Freit."

The men connected Lily, brought from another door, to the back of the carriage, and another man spoke to Freit.

Age about the thirties, maybe.

He had a slight mustache and wore luxurious clothes, an aristocratic getup.

But the smirking expression on his face was one that could not be thought noble at all.

"Ah, Lord Ivano. What is it?"

Just as Freit moved to talk with the man he called Ivano, a woman behind Ivano raised her voice as if blocking.

"Sara! It is Sara!"

Just when my Dules had come out following Freit’s guards from the building, apparently.

"Regina! Do not block the talk!"

Ivano turned, and slapped the cheek of the woman who raised her voice, Regina.

"! I am sorry."

Regina tilted her head a little, maybe from the slap, but soon bowed her head to Ivano and apologized.

Sara, whose name had been called, went round-eyed in surprise.

"Sara, do you know her?"

I called Sara and asked.

"Y-yes. A senior from when I was a gladiator slave."

Receiving Sara’s explanation, I looked at Regina.

Age the first half of the twenties, maybe.

Height looked a little lower than mine.

Long black hair bound at the top, a neat face of white skin, but the black-pupiled eyes were slanted and sharp.

Clothes, below long-hem black trousers, above a short-sleeved gray short tunic of about crotch length.

From the widely open chest she put out breasts a little smaller than Sara’s, and had a sword on her back, so she was probably an A-Dule.

And at the tips of those breasts, on the slightly darkened nipples, were the same rugged piercings as Sara’s.

"Hm, is that Dule Lord Freit’s property?"

Ivano, who seemed to have settled the talk with Regina, pointed at Sara and asked Freit.

"No, it is Lord Hiroyuki’s Dule here."

"Well, well, pleased to meet you. I am Ivano Srini, doing the antique trade. Please remember me."

"I am Hiroyuki Asahi. Pleased to meet you."

Ivano named himself to me, who had become a form introduced by Freit, so I greeted too.

I wanted to return soon, though, and glanced at the back of the carriage, and Lily, already connected by the leash, had her buttocks raised and was face down on the ground.

The brand on the buttocks probably hurt for sitting.

"That Dule I take as a gladiator, but will you not have her fight this Regina?"

Ivano pushed Regina, who had stood behind, forward.

"I am Regina. I am serving as Lord Ivano’s Dule."

Regina introduced herself and bowed her head.

"No, Sara is no longer a gladiator slave..."

I drew Sara, whom I had called beside to hear Regina’s talk, close and appealed that she was not a gladiator.

Sara twitched her body, so I thought she disliked it and peeked at her face, and she dyed her cheeks bright red and stared at me.

Apparently she was happy, so I left her drawn close.

Then I moved my gaze to Regina, and she wore an expression somehow frustrated.

"Is that so? But you will have her participate in the battle this time too, will you not? Then having them match is good training too, is it not?"

Ivano pressed in.

He seemed to want to have Sara and Regina fight no matter what.

But I did not want to have Sara do a show fight.

Well, if called training, I felt it was fine separately.

What should I do?

I looked at Freit, who should know Ivano, and he shook his head sideways as if giving up.

"Understood. But I will prepare, so please give a little time."

"Thank you. Then how about after one quarter. Lord Nikolaus, is the arena free?"

"Yes, there is no event today."

"That is good. How about it? Lord Asahi."

Ivano, as if filling the outer moat, put in a reservation for the arena.

One quarter was two hours.

Well, there would be time about treating Lily then taking lunch.

Still... 11:12:31... so even after taking lunch there would be no problem.

"Understood. That is fine."

"Then after one quarter. Lord Freit too, how about it?"

"Ah, no, I... right, if there is time let me see."

At Ivano’s invitation Freit had first waved a hand sideways, but thought a little and nodded and answered.

"Then with this. Lord Hiroyuki, let us go."

"Yes. Then excuse me."

I greeted Nikolaus and Ivano the same as Freit, and boarded the carriage.

Freit’s guards boarded too, and the carriage started moving slowly.