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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Master's One and Only Slave
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"What... am I to you, Master?"
I lost my dad.
Because I had no power.
I lost my mom.
Because I had no power.
And in a world where everything had crumbled away, the man who reached out to me like a miracle was Master Lucas.
So I was terrified.
Terrified that... I'd lose him too this time.
In the end, the reason was always the same.
Because I had no power.
So when I heard I could step up as the proxy slave for the Proxy Blood Fate, I was truly... so overjoyed I could barely breathe.
Guilt, gratitude, and regret all crashed over me at once.
A chance to protect Master with my own hands.
I couldn't let it happen again like with my parents—losing them without being able to do a thing.
I trained like my life depended on it.
There were days it was so grueling I choked up with tears, and days it made me so happy I choked up all over again.
And at the tail end of that training, Master's words.
"Don't worry. Piel won't die."
He gently stroked my head and handed me the magic contract.
At first... it felt warm.
But the instant those words sank in, my heart turned to ice.
Lucas Argent's life as collateral to exponentially boost Piel's growth rate. Half of all damage received will also be borne by Lucas Argent.
The more I read, the more my hands shook.
My breath came in ragged gasps.
This... this was a kindness I could never accept.
A contract where he could die because of me.
A contract where he'd obviously suffer because of me.
"What... is this?"
My voice trembled. My vision blurred.
"Lucas Argent's life as collateral... growth rate boost... takes half the damage too? Then... Master gets all the hurt. No, Master could die..."
Master parted his lips.
"Ah, this is—"
Before he could finish, a raw scream—plea or rage or terror, I couldn't tell—ripped straight from my throat.
"Master... please, please stop being so reckless!!!"
I know.
I know this contract isn't just some scrap of paper. It's Master's own brand of 'kindness,' offered because he cherishes me.
Master doesn't treat slaves like slaves.
In this world where everyone tramples them, mocks them, and sees them only as merchandise, he's the one person who called me 'family.'
And now... that family member is throwing his life away to protect me.
I know all that.
That's why I couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop it... please..."
All the blood, the vomiting, the tears I'd endured up to now—it all felt like it had been for nothing in that instant.
I'd trained until I thought I'd die, pushed myself until my blood ran dry, clenched my teeth to become a sword worthy of him, not some burden—
And yet, I'm still just a helpless little fox kit cradled in Master's palm, the one who needs protecting.
The moment that realization hit, the tears wouldn't stop.
They weren't just flowing—they were pouring.
"I'm your slave...! I'm supposed to be the one protecting you!"
"Piel. You're misunderstanding. That's not what it—"
"What do you mean, 'not'!!"
I jabbed a finger at the paper and shrieked.
"It's right here in black and white! If I lose... you die!! How is that a 'misunderstanding'?!"
My breath hitched, words tumbling out in a mess.
"I hate it... I hate you dying.... I hate being left alone again while someone precious leaves... I can't take that anymore...!"
My throat quivered. My fingertips went ice-cold.
"Hate... hate... hate... ah, aaaah... I hate itttt!! Hate!!!!"
A guttural wail exploded out of me, emotions surging to their peak until the sorrow snapped clean like a wire into white-hot nothing.
Tears had already dried up. All that remained in my chest was one thing.
Indignation.
And scorching 'rage.'
Why did it have to be like this?
After I'd thrashed and fought so hard.
Vomiting blood, limbs tearing apart, sobbing through it all... all to protect you, to become a 'shield' worthy of you, I'd given everything I had.
So why—why—won't Master believe in me?
Why brush off my protection like this?
'I hate you... hate hatehatehatehate!!'
My whole body shuddered.
The fury bubbling up from deep inside wouldn't die down, not even as I bit my lip until blood streamed down my chin.
I wanted to snap every finger on that foolish hand that had signed the contract, joint by joint—
It pissed me off.
Pissed me off so bad I could scream.
...But.
I can't.
Because those hands are the ones I treasure most in the world.
Master is precious. I love him. He deserves to be happy. He's my master.
So instead of lashing out in destruction, I took action.
Piel reached out and snatched the contract straight from Lucas's grasp.
And beside the 'cost' clause, next to the name Lucas Argent, she brought her trembling hand.
Her fist had been clenched so tight her nails gouged into her flesh, blood trickling down beneath her palm.
That hot, sticky blood dripped onto the contract in fat drops.
Using it like ink, she scrawled her name right alongside his.
Bold. Deep. Pressed so hard it could never be erased.
Piel.
And beneath it, in a whisper too soft for Master to hear, she added her vow.
'I'll protect you, Master. I'm your shield. Anything that torments you... I'll wipe it all out. Even if it's you yourself.'
"...A dream?"
When Piel opened her eyes, the first thing that reached her ears was the clear, bright chirping of mountain birds filtering through cracks in the window.
Her eyelids lifted slowly, her vision seeping in to caress the ceiling.
A ceiling that wasn't unfamiliar.
More than that... so achingly familiar it sent a reassuring tingle straight to her chest.
It resembled the low, rough roof of that snowbound mountain cabin, but a warmer, cozier scent wrapped the entire space—one far more comforting.
That scent belonged to the room's master.
Lucas Argent's smell.
Piel's gaze drifted downward.
White bandages wrapped snugly around her.
Clean. Meticulously tied.
She moved her arm experimentally, and astonishingly, there was almost no pain.
Piel carefully unwound the bandages.
Her skin was nearly flawless.
Scars, bruises—almost all gone.
What caught her eye instead was the faint trace of Master's hand scent lingering wherever the bandages had been.
That realization left Piel dazed for a moment.
"He nursed me..."
Bandages covered her body everywhere—arms, legs, sides, and even, embarrassingly, much more intimate inner spots.
Traces of Master himself tending to her fragile little frame, wrapping it stitch by careful stitch.
Just knowing that flushed Piel's cheeks burning hot.
That was when it happened.
Piel's nose twitched before her mind could catch up.
Sniff...
Sniff sniff sniff.
Her beastkin's keen sense of smell caught another scent woven into the bandages.
Piel's pupils contracted slightly.
Her breathing deepened.
Unconsciously, she clutched the bandage to her lips.
And then, ever so slowly—like a fox savoring the blood scent of prey, or drinking in the presence of her favorite person.
"Haa... smells so good..."
She unwound even the bandages from her inner thighs, gathering the thin, long strips of cloth and pressing them close to her face for a deep inhale.
The bandages, steeped in Lucas's lingering fragrance, were sweetly intoxicating, clinging to her every breath.
Piel curled into herself, lost in the illusion of that scent safely enveloping her.
And in a voice barely more than a breath, she swallowed a tremor that was emotion or instinct or both.
"Master... thank you♥"
But the bliss was fleeting.
Knock, knock.
The rap at the door made Piel freeze up with a jolt.
She hastily shoved the bundle of bandages she'd been sniffing behind her back.
And just as the door swung open, instinct kicked in first.
The real scent of Master.
As Lucas stepped inside, Piel's ears perked straight up and her tail began wagging without her say-so.
"You're awake. That's a relief."
Lucas exhaled softly and smiled.
That single expression sent Piel's heart pounding hard.
She launched herself from the bed straight into his arms.
"Master! I... I did it! I won! I protected you!"
"Yeah. Thanks for coming back safe, Piel."
"No way! You believed in me, Master... I'm the grateful one♥"
The hornpipe had blared. Victory confirmed. Every ounce of tension had snapped—and Piel had collapsed right there.
And now, two days later upon waking.
This moment—being held in Master's arms and praised—was the ultimate reward the girl had dreamed of.
But for some reason.
'Ugh... my lower belly again... why does it sting like this?'
Master right before her eyes. His body heat and scent so close. That unmistakable aroma only a beastkin picks up from their 'beloved.'
Piel swallowed hard at the scent once more.
She was still young, didn't fully grasp what this burning sensation meant.
But instinct wouldn't let her ignore her heating body.
"Master... I wanna go for a walk today! Will you come with me?"
"Now? You just woke up."
"Hehe... I still wanna go right now! As my reward for winning the Proxy Blood Fate! A walk... with you, Master!"
Piel had already swapped her slave collar for a light leash, offering him the 'handle' she could be led by.
Her tail swished eagerly, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Just like how her mother, every single day even in that frigid mountain hollow, had begged her husband for walks.
Behaviors she'd never understood as a child now made a little sense.
Deep in Piel's small chest, ever so slowly... a certain emotion was beginning to take root.
"Let's play frisbee fetch too. I'll... bring it back nice and good again. Pet my head or wherever you like."
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