Right. What exactly was I expecting from a being that kidnaps people in the middle of their travels?
I held my throbbing head, staring at the status window that made me dizzy just looking at it, when a new message floated up.
[Ooh! Yes, yes! This is exactly the female I brought! Anyone can see she appeared just so the Breeder could take her! She's your fated partner! Now, don't delay any longer and take that arrogant sow...!]
I'm busy reeling from shock, but why is this thing more excited than I am? Gone was the polite, clerk-like tone; the SD character was now huffing like some middle-aged creep in the neighborhood.
"Where exactly do you see her wanting to be 'taken'?! And as you said, I'm weak! How am I supposed to 'take' anyone?!"
[Eeeeh?! You aren't going to?! A-are you impotent?! Is that massive cock I grew for you actually useless? Is it a decorative piece?!]
"I'm not!"
I've had about enough of this thing calling me impotent. I shouted, but that only served to make the knightess's glare even more piercing.
"...Wait, can she see this status window too?"
[No! Of course not! How dare a pig peek into her Master's private life! She can't see it! To that sow, you just look like a crazy man pointing fingers at empty air and shouting to yourself!]
Maybe you should have led with that?
I quickly swiped away the message window—which was currently pointing an arrow at the knightess with the caption "Is she bothering you? You know what to do, right?"—and opened the gate to enter the pen.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!" "Uuuugh..."
The tension was incomparable to facing a wild boar in a field. The closer I got, the more intense it became. Even though she was rolling helplessly on the floor, was it because she was human? A 27-year-old virgin like me touching a beauty who could put actresses to shame... my "virgin instincts" kicked in, and my hands started shaking so much I was afraid I'd accidentally slap her while trying to remove the gag.
In the end, I retreated a few steps without even touching the gag. I need to touch her to undo it, but how... then:
[Then why not change your perspective? Think of that sow as... ah, think of that knightess as a sow before you approach her.]
"What? What kind of crazy talk is that? Think of her as a sow?"
[Self-hypnosis! Right now, the Breeder sees her as a human, so your virgin nature is subconsciously rejecting contact! It's a mental block!]
Normally, I'd scream at such nonsense, but... "That actually makes sense."
[Doesn't it?!] "Mmmph! Mph-mph!"
It sounded insane, but given everything that had happened today, staying sane felt harder. The farm burning down, summoning a knightess from another world... since I'd already decided to see this through, running away wasn't an option.
And besides... I haven't met many women, but I've met plenty of sows.
...It sounds a bit wrong, but I've handled everything from piglets to sows of all breeds.
"..." "Mmmph!"
The knightess looked like she had a lot to say to the crazy person talking to himself in front of her. To hear it, I had to get that gag off. After a few deep breaths, I closed my eyes.
A sow... the woman in front of me isn't human, she's a sow...!
I hate thinking like this, but it's for the sake of conversation. It's for the sake of a healthy dialogue and future peace. I'll apologize properly later. For now, she's a pig.
"It's a pig... a pig..." "Mmmph!! Mmmph!!"
The sounds of her struggling were just the squeals of a sow. A sow squealing at her breeder...! There's no reason for a breeder to be afraid of a pig.
A pig. A pig...
After finishing my "meditation," I opened my eyes. "Damn, look at my hands. They stopped shaking just because I changed my mindset."
[The effect is certain!]
I reached out toward the knightess. Even though she was a "Grand Master" who could rip me apart with a gesture, a "sow" whose killing intent could theoretically kill a man...
She was a sow. And you can touch a sow. Sows aren't scary. If she's a sow...
"Stay still, you..."
Spank!
"Mmmph?!"
I delivered a sharp smack to the rump of this naughty sow who was trying to wiggle away. Was she stunned? I, who had been trembling just moments ago, was now approaching her fearlessly and even laying a hand on her. For a Grand Master, this must have been a brain-resetting experience. She was a Knight Commander of some kingdom; where would she have ever experienced this?
[It looks a lot like the process of taming a dog.] "Dogs, pigs... they're all just beasts." "Mph... mph...?!"]
Since I showed neither fear nor respect and just spanked her, the "sow" blinked blankly, looking dazed. Seizing the moment, I reached behind her head and undid the gag (it was actually a ball gag).
As the leather strap came away in my hand, the knightess exhaled a long-held breath and screamed.
"I do not know what trickery you have used, but undo these bindings at once! To inflict such humiliation upon me...! I shall cut you down in a single stroke, you wicked sorcerer!"
"Sorcerer?"
[From her perspective, she was just walking along when she was suddenly struck by misfortune. Naturally, she thinks the Breeder, the owner of this place, is a magician.]
"What are you muttering to yourself?! I told you to release me!"
Squeeeeeal!
Oink! Oink!
At Eleonora's shout and the sharp killing intent mixed within it, the other pigs started panicking. Some of the weaker ones were already fainting with foam at their mouths, and the pigs in the same pen were throwing a riot to get out.
"Right, first..."
"Are you not listening to me?! I said release me! If you wish to die by my mercy, then at once... mmph?!"
"Let's see... the teeth aren't that sharp... did you evolve well enough to not have wisdom teeth? Or is it like the novels say, Grand Masters don't get sick, so no cavities?"
I suddenly grabbed her head and pried her mouth open to inspect it. The "sow" shook her head violently to throw off my grip.
"W-what are you doing! You insolent wretch! How dare you pry open a lady's mouth... and how dare you lay hands on my body!"
Was she talking about the spanking? The message window asked curiously:
[But even if she's a sow, is it okay to hit the pigs like that? They're merchandise!]
"That wasn't even a hit. You wouldn't say that if you saw how people load pigs onto trucks for shipping."
Pigs aren't stupid; when they see a truck, they instinctively refuse to leave their pen. To get them moving, some workers use battery packs to shock their rumps. And if they still don't move? Then it's a soccer kick to the ass. ...Actually, "soccer kick" is a mild way to put it.
"Stop babbling to yourself! Release me!"
[So, what will you do with this sow? As I said, returns are impossible. And if you don't train her, you know what happens... right?]
The message window asked as if checking if I was ready. I wasn't sure if it was on my side or not, given the vaguely threatening tone, but I couldn't avoid it.
"To train or to die, that is the question."
"You would 'train' me? You... you are a slave trader! Blinded by greed, you've jumped into something far beyond your station... Release me this instant!"
"No, I'm not a slave trader. Look around. These are your colleagues."
"What? All I see are pigs... You—YOOUUUU!!"
Eleonora shouted in fury as she realized my meaning, but whether it was my resolved heart or just my nature, I wasn't scared anymore.
"I didn't want this, and you didn't want this, but if you listen to me, I'll keep you as a pet pig. Let's try to get along, okay?"
Ptooey! "Argh?!"
In an instant, she spat at me. As I blinked from the wet sensation on my eye, Eleonora—who had somehow loosened her chains in that split second—grabbed the greatsword leaning against the pen.
"I shall mince you into meat and feed you to your own swine...!"
I couldn't see clearly, but I knew. This "sow" was trying to kill me. In that moment, as death approached, time seemed to slow down. They call it a "revolving lantern" (life flashing before your eyes), and just as I thought, I was experiencing it:
[Would you like to assign 'Eleonora' to this pen? (※ You can change pens later!) [YES / NO]]
There was no time to hesitate.