âWould you properly raise a child, even if itâs a half-elf, Yandel?â
ââ¦â¦â
At that moment, the part of me inside Elisha slightly wilted.
Havenât we always been careful with contraceptionâ¦?
Perhaps my momentary hesitation was conveyed to Elisha, who was closely attached to me.
Elisha drooped her shoulders weakly.
âThatâs⦠likely. Yes. I made an unnecessary remark.â
This was not just an increase in her usual nervous habits since becoming a slave.
It sounded like a genuinely sad voice.
Yet I was the one who was taken aback.
âNo. Wait. Hold on. Thatâs not it. Itâs a misunderstanding!â
âItâs okay, Yandel. You donât have to lie. Iâll figure it out on my own. Iâll make sure it doesnât trouble you.â
âIt really isnât like that!â
I silenced Elishaâs nonsensical talk with my mouth.
âHmph?!â
The soft touch of lips meeting lips.
Carefully, I slipped my tongue between Elishaâs lips, which were trembling as if holding something back.
âHmmâ¦â
I stirred inside Elishaâs mouth with my tongue.
Gently, tenderly.
But with a firmness that did not allow resistance.
Initially rigid, Elisha soon awkwardly responded.
She didnât intertwine her tongue first, but she didnât avoid mine either, accepting it.
After sharing breaths with Elisha for a while, I slowly pulled away.
âPahâ¦!â
A silver thread stretched and then snapped between our lips.
I cupped one side of Elishaâs slightly dazed face with my hand.
With my palm, I caressed her soft cheek, and with my fingers, I played with her elongated ear as I spoke.
âOf course, Iâll raise them properly. Didnât I say it at Fayeâs workshop? If such a thing happens, Iâll take full responsibility.â
âBut just now, youâ¦â
âI was startled earlier for another reason.â
That was the truth.
It wasnât the fact that Elisha might be pregnant, but the possibility of it being ânowâ that worried me.
If that were the case, wouldnât I have to fight the resurgent Evil Gods and the Great War while having a child?
âChaos will soon fill the world. The chaos prepared by those cultists.â
âThatâsâ¦â
âI donât have the confidence to raise a child in that chaos. Thatâs why I was startled.â
âBut itâs a different story once everythingâs over.â
âOh⦠So, Yandel, what you mean isâ¦â
âRight. I meant the Elf Farm isnât starting now, but a few years later.â
âA farm⦠Iâm not planning to have that many, you know?â
âThatâs for me to decide, not you, Elisha.â
âYes, yes. Of course, youâd know best.â
Elisha chuckled lightly with a playful tone and shrugged her shoulders.
Seeing her, Carla, who was behind us, seemed a bit jealous and started to snuggle up.
âMaster, Master. What about me? Will I also have your child?â
âIâll have enough to revive the Lindelheit family on my own, so be prepared.â
âHeck⦠Iâm actually happy about that!â
Carla kissed my nape with a bright smile.
Enjoying the sensation like that of a small bird pecking, a question suddenly came to mind.
âBut why bring up this topic all of a sudden?â
âI told you, didnât I? Iâm worried about the child that might come between you and meâ¦â
âEven if youâre concerned, you wouldnât ask so directly. At least not now, when weâre carefully practicing contraception.â
ââ¦â¦â
Elisha closed her mouth for a moment, then slowly nodded.
âYouâre right, Yandel. It wasnât the time to bring it up. But there was a reason.â
âWhat reason?â
âYou left my mana core intact. Whether it was to learn something from me or because you needed my abilities, you decided to keep me as a mage.â
That was true. I couldnât just annihilate a future great mage for a little fun.
âBut if I continue to grow as a mage⦠There will surely come a day when I can remove this slave mark myself.â
âWell, if you become a high mage, unless youâre bound by magical restraints, youâll be able to break free.â
When that day would arrive, Iris, another person shackled by the mark of slavery, would also be free.
âItâs good to be free from the slave mark. But what then?â
ââ¦What?â
Elisha continued, perplexed by my puzzled look.
âIf I become a high mage, Iâll be treated well wherever I go. But where should I go? How many places would accept a mage involved in spirit summoning? Even if the slave mark disappears, isnât my status still that of a slave? Moreoverâ¦â
Elishaâs confession continued, naked. Our lower parts were still connected.
âMoreover, what about the chastity Iâve given to you? Does it come back to me? Or would someone else acknowledge it?â
âAh.â
Elves had strong notions of chastity. It was an instinctive pull to prevent them from becoming Ero Elves, but they valued purity highly.
In that sense, Elisha, as she is now, will not easily be accepted by herself or her kin.
âEven if I break free from the slave mark, even if I become a high mage and am looked down on by most of the worldâ¦â
Thump.
Elisha buried her head on the opposite side of my nape from where Carla was.
âI canât go back to the past.â
âThatâsâ¦â
âBut that doesnât mean I have nowhere to go.â
Elisha suddenly raised her head, smiling softly at a very close distance.
âYandel. You are here.â
âHuh?â
âThe one who took my first time, who needs me as a mage, who cherishes me as a woman. And the one who knows my worth better than anyone else.â
ââ¦â¦â
âYou are here.â
I felt as if I had been struck in the back of my head.
That was right.
Was this why Elisha suddenly became friendly at some point?
Not just doing what she was told, but actively trying to do something for me.
And not just complying with her status as a slave, but thinking about what comes next.
âWait. That sounds likeâ¦â
âYes. I consider you, Yandel, a future partner. Itâs only within me, but⦠anyway, thatâs why I was in a hurry.â
Elisha, hurrying me, caught me off guard with a story I never expected.
âWhat about you? If you accept me, I will strive to love you and to be loved by you.â
âIt sounds like a political marriage when you put it like that.â
âOh? Itâs somewhat similar. I offer you everything I have, and you give me a happy life. An easy and straightforward deal, right?â
I pulled Elishaâs giggling head towards me.
Then, I lightly kissed her elongated ear.
âNot bad.â
âEep!â
Elisha twitched at the sudden touch of her lips and whispered in her ear.
I held onto her tightly so she couldnât escape.
âElisha, your body has been mine since you were sold as a slave⦠but now, everything else is mine too. You offered it with your own hands.â
âOh, th-that⦠yes.â
Continuing to speak without releasing her ear, she stammeredâ¦
âIn return, Iâll do my best to take responsibility for your life.â
âThatâs exactly itâ¦â
Elisha nodded shyly.
Biting her ear lightly and sweeping my hand down the hollow of her backâ¦
âHyak!â
Elisha let out a unique sound as I declared briefly.
âStarting tonight, Iâll make you happy.â
âHuh? What do you mean⦠Huh?!â
Squeeze.
I grabbed Elishaâs hips and lifted her waist.
Even just being inside her was pleasant, but Elishaâs inside suddenly squeezed tighter.
Trying not to collapse under the sudden stimulation, Elisha clung to me as I nibbled on her ear.
âHuh?! Why keep⦠Ahâ¦â
Elishaâs voice was quickly turning sweet.
She wasnât as sensitive in her ears as Iris, but already excited by Carla and impaled on me, she was responding well.
I continued to rock Elishaâs hips up and down.
Squeeze. Squeeze.
âWhat is this, Yandel? Suddenly⦠Haah!â
âWhat do you mean? Iâm using whatâs mine.â
Squeeze. Squeeze. Squeeze.
âStill⦠Hic! A bit more mood or⦠Uh⦠You know⦠Aah!â
âThe mood was ruined when you brought up the child talk earlier.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Whether I was actually going to take responsibility or not, bringing up such a topic suddenly destroyed the mood.
âBut wasnât it a topic worth discussing at least once?â
âWas it necessary right now?â
Squeeze.
As I vigorously kneaded her hips, Elisha trembled in response.
It seemed like she was scared, recalling the last experienceâ¦
But it would be a little different this time.
I wonât poke her writhing legs this time, nor would I immobilize her and go on a wild mating press.
I slightly lifted Elishaâs head to create some distance.
My face, of course. And to the side, with her head buried in one shoulder, Carla was nibbling and licking my nape.
I shrugged towards Elisha, who was making a puzzled face.
âKnow this?â
âWhat?â
âThe words you said earlier, Elisha. They were similar to what Carla first said.â
âUmm⦠huh?â
Carla, who was gleefully nibbling my nape as if she were a vampire, tilted her head in confusion.
âYeah, remember? From the first day. Saying youâd do anything, just donât throw me away and cherish me.â
âOh! Right! Now that I think about it, Elishaâs words were similar.â
ââ¦â¦â
Elisha, listening to our conversation, declared while trembling.
âI can⦠do better.â
Was it because she was compared to Carla? A determined light was burning in Elishaâs eyes.
Elisha, who had not refused until now but moved according to my lead, showed her first sign of initiative.
I couldnât help but smirk at her appearance.
âAs planned.â
â???â
Why are you smiling so meaningfully, Carla�