「Mira, take out your Slave Card.」


  It was morning in the Lord’s Manor.

  Mira obeyed and took out her Slave Card before placing it in the magic circle I’d made.

  I cut my finger with Eternal Slave Kai and let a drop of blood fall in the circle as well.

  It was a new item that required the upgrading of my card to platinum and a (Normal) Slave Card.

  It needed two items. A Slave Card (Normal) and the Master’s blood.

  When they were placed together within the circle a new Card was produced.

  「Thank you very much Master!」


  「The other two already did this, but let’s make absolutely sure of the effects.」


  I cut a table directly in half with Eternal Slave Kai.

  It was a table which had been made with the DORECA.

  「Look through your menu, there should be Bronze Repair somewhere in there.」


  「I found it.」


  「Cast it on the table and see.」


  「I understand.」


  Mira did as I told her and cast the repair magic on the table.

  「What materials are needed?」


  「They require half of the materials used to make it in the first place.」


  「I see. It’s the same as my original card.」


  Same as it was when they had Normal cards.

  Mira leapt out of the room to go gather the necessary materials for the repairs.

  I sat down in my chair and gazed at the table while thinking.

  This is a watershed moment. The fact that my slaves can now use Bronze Repair magic is a big deal.

  Up till now, I was the only one who had been able to repair things the efficiency…was bad in more than one way.

  The fact that each of them could now do so was a huge development.

  Mira returned with the materials and repaired the table.

  「Fumu, it seems like there’s no issues. It has the same ability as my DORECA.」


  「Yep! Ufufu」


  「Why are you grinning like that?」


  「I was just happy that I could be even more useful.」


  「I see. From now on please continue to work for my sake.」


  「Un!」


  Mira nodded with a smile on her face.

  「Master」


  The door opened and Yuria came in.

  「What’s up?」


  「There’s an envoy.」


  「Envoy? Oh is it Valeria?」


  「It’s not anyone from Kazan.」


  My little slave said as she shook her head with an unusually serious look on her face.

  ********************

  When I entered the reception room I inadvertently furrowed my brow.

  There was a man sitting there. There was a scarred man with 5-o’clock shadow sitting there wearing armor and a dirty dark red mantle.

  At a glance his appearance made him look like a bandit.

  As for the castella that Risha provided for guests in this room…he was eating it voraciously while spilling crumbs everywhere.

  His manners are terrible…is this guy really an 「Envoy」 like Yuria said?

  When he noticed me, he looked up.

  「You’re Akito huh…」


  「……That’s right, so what?」


  I sat in front of him. Mira, who had entered with me, stood behind me.

  「I am Jahn (pronounced Yahn), I’m here under Maxim-sama’s orders.」


  「So?」


  Jahn smacked his lips as he ate and talked. It was unpleasant to look at as he chewed with his mouth open.

  「I came her ta’ give ya’ Maxim-sama’s decree. Come greet me within 10 days.」


  「Within 10 days? Come greet me? What is this?」


  「Yer attitude will determine the treatment that these four towns’re gettin. Be sure ya don’t mess up Maxim-sama’s good mood.」


  「Wait, I don’t understand. What are you talking about? Who is this Maxim? What does he want?」


  「Ha!」


  Jahn gave a disparaging laugh.

  「Oioi, Ribek’s new chief is this ignorant little thing?」


  「You dare treat my Master as a fool!?」


  Mira yelled out loudly.

  「What are yo—…you’re a slave aint’cha? If you’re a slave then know yer place! I’m talkin’ to yer master so when was it you’re turn to but in? Hah~?」


  「Ku…………」


  Mira bit her lower lip and stopped talking with a frustrated look on her face.

  It was as if, as a slave, she could not rebut this logic though she was trying.

  「Mira, don’t talk to him. That’s an order.」


  「I understand.」


  I overwrote Jahn’s words with my order as her Master.

  This caused her frustration to subside, but not her anger. She continued to glare a Jahn.

  I turned back to Jahn and asked,

  「Sorry for being ignorant…explain it to me so I can understand please.」


  「Do you really not know about Maxim-sama?」


  This time he seemed amazed. Was he really that famous?

  「Umm, Master…」


  「What?」


  「Maxim is the name of the Great Lord to the North. Through multiple wars here and there, he obtained several towns.」


  So basically an invader?

  I looked at Jahn who had his chest puffed out with pride.

  「Well, that’s how it is. Don’t worry, Maxim-sama doesn’t particularly like shedding blood. As long as you go greet him and become his subordinate, nothing will happen.」


  「…and…if I refuse?」


  「Well…then Maxim-sama’s subordinates and 2,000 soldiers will march on your town.」


  Jahn said with a smirk.

  「……sorry, but you’ll need to give me a night.」


  「Haaa, fine. Although yer final answer is pretty much decided…」


  「……Risha.」


  I called to Risha, instead of Mira who was right behind me.

  「You called Master?」


  「Guide Jahn-san to a place to stay…be polite.」


  「I understand.」


  Risha guided Jahn away and left the reception room.

  「Fuu……」


  I sat back in my chair and sighed.

  War.

  The word popped into my head.

  So he was saying surrender…if you don’t want to die surrender. If not then we’ll invade with 2,000 soldiers.

  Hmm, what to do…


  ***********************

  I took a walk around Ribek.

  「Nee-chan how much is this?」


  「5,000 yen.」


  「It’s expensive…c’mon drop it a bit.」


  The town was lively. Before I realized it, the main road had become a marketplace where various deals were going on.

  It had changed a lot from when Marato had been in power.

  「Milord.」


  A man recognized me and called out.

  「Milord, I heard that Maxim was aiming for this place, is it true?」


  「…who’d you hear that from?」


  「A while ago Maxim’s subordinate came here. He took some of my goods without paying and said 「this’ll all be Maxim-sama’s soon anyways.」」


  Jahn huh……


  「I thought that it was ridiculous, but I saw Milord’s slave-sama with him but she didn’t stop him.」


  Risha huh……


  It appears that she mistook my order and allowed him the authority to do such things.

  「He took some of my things too.」


  「Me too.」


  「He hit me when I told him to stop.」


  「That’s light, he broke my shop.」


  One after another they spoke up to tell me what he’d done.

  I gave the man who’d been hit a Panacea, and repaired the other man’s store with my DORECA.

  「Sorry to say but that is true…he’s aiming for us.」


  After hearing my words things went into a commotion all at once.

  「Maxim told me to surrender. If I don’t surrender and become a subordinate, he would send 2,000 soldiers to conquer us.」


  Things got even more heated.

  Well yeah…I guess that’s obvious.

  I was telling them that 2,000 people would be coming.

  Ribek was the town with the most people…but even so there were only around 1,000 people within it.

  It’s obvious that they’d be afraid when I told them that 2,000 soldiers would be coming.

  I thought when,

  「Milord, how are we doing this?」


  「Huh?」


  The man who first called out said.

  「How should we do what?」


  「How should we fight? How should we prepare to repel the 2,000 soldiers?」


  「……」


  I was surprised, it was a reaction that was completely out of my expectations.

  「You’re being stupid…」


  A woman said.

  「What we need to do hasn’t changed. The Lord will make something and we’ll gather the materials to make it.」


  「That’s right! The Lord will make something amazing that can send those soldiers packing!」


  「That umm that uhh, that Nitoka thing. How about we make a lot of those?」


  The crowd made a huge ruckus as they spoke and shouted.

  They seemed full of hope as they discussed solutions one after another. None of them seemed prepared to give in.

  I took out my DORECA.

  The noticed and all turned to look at me.

  Their gazes were filled with strong hope and trust.