Chapter 297: The Situation Before the Opening of War, and the Master of the Slaves

That looked even larger in comparison with the thin body.

Seemed to rival Gejia.

Ah, maybe wearing the loose waist skirt so the breasts would not stand out.

Too staring at a woman’s body was rude.

"Hiroyuki Asahi. Please."

"Eh? A-um..."

When I self-introduced too Marika seemed surprised and looked at Giacomo with a puzzled appearance.

"Hahaha. Lord Hiroyuki is that kind of person."

Giacomo made a rough explanation to Marika.

What kind of person.

"But I did not know Mr. Giacomo had a Dule."

"No no, when the arm was cut off in the previous battle I had this one nurse me. That became the connection and became like this."

Why that connection becoming master and slave relation?

If married or something understandable.

No, cannot say about others.

But becoming a Dule...

"Will Miss Marika go to the Dule unit too?"

When I asked that Giacomo and Marika rounded their eyes looking at me, then looked at each other’s faces.

Did I say something strange?

Or was it better not to say much about the Dule unit in public places?

"Lord Hiroyuki, that is a good point characteristic of Lord Hiroyuki I think, but better not to call Dules with honorifics in places with people."

Ah, that side.

"Hahaha, right. I will be careful."

Indeed had to be careful.

"Hmm, my unit is treated as mercenary too so my unit’s Dules will be organized inside the unit. Lord Hiroyuki too is that?"

"Yes, there are about three who will go to the Dule unit."

"Ho, Lord Hiroyuki giving Dules to the unit would be quite a thing. ...The criminal slaves in question, maybe. But it should have been two...?"

I see, did not seem to know about Lily.

Well Lily was made a criminal slave privately, and had not told anyone about that.

"Yes, there is one more. That girl..."

"Lord Hiroyuki Asahi, right?"

When trying to introduce Lily to Giacomo a voice called out.

Looking a man who attached heavy armor, held a helmet under the arm, and looked noble-like.

"What is it?"

"Please bring the criminal slaves Lily, Nadja, Elmegaldo."

Interrupted midway while talking with Giacomo so momentarily became irritated, but thinking of the reason we were here unavoidable.

Probably would organize Lily and them into the Dule unit.

"Understood. Then Mr. Giacomo, with this."

"Ou! I am praying for good fight."

"Yes, this side is praying too."

"Then this way."

Shaking hands with each other and parting from Giacomo followed behind the soldier.

Right after exiting the gate there was a place where many people were gathered.

Hundreds, no maybe over a thousand.

Most were wearing armor and helmets, but those were many of the degree of apology, and some not even forming a shape.

At a glance armor ragged to the degree suspecting the likes of bandits, but the persons wearing them had faces like ordinary people, and that expression was pale and anxious.

Some were trembling clinging together, some were streaming tears.

With this like prisoners, or hostages.

"These people are...?"

"Eh? The Dules belonging to the Dule unit."

To my question the soldier answered with surprise.

Because Dules I thought wearing armor with chests open like Muriel and them... looking well some were wearing Dule-use armor.

"Then um, which?"

While I was straining my eyes looking at the people here the soldier asked me with a puzzled expression.

Which... ah.

"Lily, Nadja, Elmegaldo."

Turned and called the three.

"Un."

The one who immediately came beside me was Lily.

Late Nadja brought Elmegaldo.

"No! Absolutely no!"

"Fine. I will protect."

"You could not protect completely! You I cannot believe!"

"Uu..."

Elmegaldo shouted, and Nadja who tried to soothe that was cursed by Elmegaldo and dejected.

Already the usual thing gotten used to seeing.

"Elmegaldo. Come."

"Who would go... gue, g-gurujii..."

To Elmegaldo who did not try to move at all Muriel could not bear and held the back collar of the thick clothes Elmegaldo was wearing instead of armor and pulled to in front of me.

Nadja too pulled the arm of Elmegaldo who was struggling unable to breathe and came together.

"Master, I brought."

"Geho, goho, goho..."

Elmegaldo who was roughly brought to my feet by Muriel became tearful and coughed.

Nadja rubbed her back and nursed that.

Lily too sighed and was helping Elmegaldo stand up.

"Sorry for taking time."

"No, everywhere is like this."

When apologizing one word to the soldier who was smiling wryly looking at Elmegaldo the soldier directed a wry smile this way and said that.

Ordinary people’s Dules distant from such disputes might be like this.

Even so unexpected that the upper soldier who looked noble-like was easy to approach.

Just looking noble-like, maybe an ordinary soldier.

"Did something happen."

There a man called out from behind me.

Turning and looking there was a tall unknown man who had many women attending.

The women all were exposing chests so all Dules, probably.

That surprising too, but the man’s skin being gray first caught the eye.

Not dark, gray.

The same as Yanica’s skin so thinking maybe looking at the face indeed the ears were pointed.

A dark elf.

Tall and slender along the characteristics of elf dark elf, the face quite handsome.

Hair white so looked old, but looking well looked like early 20s too.

A long white robe to the degree hiding from the neck to the feet looked whiter reflecting the skin color.

Holding a wooden staff with a large green ball fitted at the tip so maybe a mage.

"Lord Jesperi! No, just the Dule throwing a tantrum."

The soldier corrected his posture and saluted.

Jesperi, had come out in the talk with Freit.

Indeed should have been a council member.

"Nn? Are you the master of this Dule?"

"Yes, yes."

Because Jesperi asked pointing at Elmegaldo I nodded a little discontentedly.

"Ah, excuse me. I am Jesperi Eiltvara. Doing a council member of this city, a dark elf as you see. You are Lord Hiroyuki Asahi, right?"

Jesperi self-introduced and put out my name.

How did he know?

"Fufu, because I was at the place that should have been executed. I also saw your speech."

Jesperi said that and laughed as if mocking.

Somehow a bad feeling.

"Excuse me. Racial personality, maybe. Even though losing a fair amount with this cannot cure. Iyaya, a troubled thing."

Whether appearing on the face Jesperi immediately apologized and smiled wryly.

Indeed Yanica too in the early days floated a smile as if making a fool of people.

Recently seemed to be quieting.

"Are the women behind your Dules?"

If looking only at the expression felt malice, but if as the words not that so for now tried calling out.

"Ah, yes. Introduction... not a situation to do. Later if there is opportunity let us. That side seems many too... many with reasons and seems fun."

"...If opportunity later."

...Somehow the expression and words seemed to match.

What was "with reasons"?

"Then with this..."

When Jesperi floated a meaningful smile he entrusted the later Dules to the previous soldier and returned inside the gate.

"Therefore dark elves..."

Sophia was grumbling complaints too.

Did Sophia feel what I felt too?

"Ara, you were a dark elf too."

"Ku!"

...Sophia might have a similar personality too.

Anyway entrusting Lily who put in spirit while paling her face and the reluctant Elmegaldo, Nadja who soothed that to the soldier, I entered inside the gate too.

...

"Lord Hiroyuki Asahi, right."

When waiting with the Dules in the square in front of the gate called by another soldier.

This time seemed to guide to the place to position us.

On the way following that soldier looking at the surroundings the soldiers wearing well-polished matching armor and helmets were running around busily, but other than that people wearing visibly used armor and helmets, conversely people wearing brand new armor helmets, whether mages people wearing plain long robes holding wooden staffs, people wearing clothes the same as ordinary people not knowing why here, such probably adventurers or mercenaries many were chatting in large voices.

Looking at such people made one want to doubt whether war would really happen from now.

But at the place we would position guided by the soldier tension was floating.

The place was a little away outside from the east gate, and in front soldiers were forming ranks regularly.

Even from here only understood lined up, but looking from above the appearance of the units lined in a long horizontally long rectangle lined in a row along the city wall was clear.

Around exactly the middle of that, behind the soldiers’ square formation we would position.

Immediately to our right one of the three sages Melchior and his party were already there.

"Please treat us well."