Early in the morning, Lunamaria left the gates of Ishka's castle and made her way to the nearby forest.

　A breath of dark green came from the morning dew-wet plants and trees on the side of the road.

　It was already spring and early summer.

　Even though it's early in the morning, it's hot and sweaty just by sitting still. The hot and humid season that will soon be upon us is upon us.

　........Though it wasn't just the weather that made Lunamaria sweaty.



　As she walked down the street, Lunamaria gently ran her hand over the chest of the wise man's robe she was wearing.

　It's called the Purple Blue Robe, the proof of being from the academy. It is an armor that only those who have qualified as a sage are allowed to wear, and it has been enchanted to increase defense, durability and magic power.

　The fabric woven with mithril yarn is resistant to heat and cold, yet it can be worn for summer and winter.

　It was the result of a female dean several generations ago who had harshly criticized the traditional robe as "tacky" and had also adopted a fashion sense.

　Now, Lunamaria is wearing a winter outfit that covers most of her skin. Naturally, it's hot. It's hot, but she has no other choice.

　Because if she didn't, she would be able to see the harebrained garments she's wearing underneath.



　Right now, Lunamaria is wearing the one that Sora gave her the day she became a slave.

　It exposes her to the outside air up to her shoulders and shorts, and the fabric that covers her chest and waist is minimal. For an elf with a strong sense of shame, it's not much different from being naked.

　If you change your robe to a summer outfit, you will be exposing your legs, shoulders and chest to the elements, so you have no choice but to wear a winter outfit.

　Still, the fact that I was walking down the street dressed as naked as I was did not move me. There was no way to erase the feeling of embarrassment.


　Originally an elf and a wise woman, Lunamaria was often the center of attention from others.

　After five years of being an adventurer, she would indeed get used to the curious gazes, but since she was forced to dress like this, a different kind of tension was added to her, and the gazes of others became even more worrisome than ever before.

　And looking at Lunamaria, who is shy like that, Master (Master) twists his mouth in amusement.

　Remembering that face, sweat broke out again from her entire body.



　After a few moments, Lunamaria arrives at her destination forest.

　It's not a magical land with demonic beasts roaming around like Titis. It's a place where squirrels run around on the ground and birds chirp in the treetops, a resting place for Lunamaria.

　There, Lunamaria took off her robe and breathed a sigh of relief.

　........In the beginning, she would never take off her robe outside, whether or not she was seen, but lately, she's starting to think that as long as she's not seen, it's fine. I guess I'm getting used to a lot of things.

　Whether it's in this outfit or the nighttime activities, Sora tries to arouse feelings of shame in Lunamaria. After nearly a month of doing that, even the forest elves would get used to the shame.



　Sola, who had stirred up Lunamaria's shame, 'sucked' wherever she could when her feelings reached their limit.

　What was that? The answer to that question has yet to be found.

　The sensation of being sucked out of one's physical strength, magical power, or something more than that.

　When I remember that, Lunamaria's body shivers on its own accord. To be frightened. Or perhaps she was in love.

　It was such an unforgettable feeling. It was a numbing sweetness, similar to s*xual pleasure. I felt a sense of security as I surrendered my body, mind and soul to a powerful being.

　Every time she was held in Sola's arms, Lunamaria was imprinted with that feeling.



　No matter what Sola did, she indulged and accepted it. That's what she decided to do when she decided to become a slave.

　No, it's not just about accepting it. If you just put up with it, it's not redemption. You have to accept what they do and then serve them.

　All for the sake of the master. That was Lunamaria's idea of a slave.

　 On the contrary, there was even a section where I wanted it for myself--



　Thinking that far, Lunamaria shook her head widely.

　Her golden hair was level with the ground with great force.

　She was enslaved for the sake of redemption. No matter how much skin-to-skin contact they have every night, they shouldn't be able to feel sweet feelings in less than a month.




　After taking a few deep breaths and calming herself down, Lunamaria bent down lightly and then leapt up and grabbed onto the nearest tree branch.

　Today, Sora had gone to the Titis Forest for an urgent request, and Lunamaria and Seal had been ordered to rest. She was probably concerned for the two of them, who had been working vigorously these days to bring the Clan's name to a higher level.

　That's why Lunamaria came to this forest. There was one thing she wanted to make sure of.



　This forest is a training ground for Lunamaria to keep her body from being tamed. As a sage, a spirit user and a hunter, Lunamaria would come here when she had time to spare and run around the forest to maintain and improve her physical abilities.

　Using the branch she was grasping as a fulcrum, Lunamaria leapt over the branch softly in a backwards motion, and kicked the branch with her eyes sharply narrowed. From branch to branch, tree to tree. Sometimes she would use the ivy like a pendulum to run over the trees like a monkey. He doesn't use magic, doesn't rely on spirits, and uses only the power of his own body to run through the forest.

　The size of the forest is incomparable to that of Titis. Lunamaria, who had circled the area in less than half a second (an hour), was not even breathless.

　This fact was exactly what Lunamaria wanted to make sure of. Even for the lightest of elves, it was impossible for them to run around the forest as fast as they could for nearly an hour and not be out of breath.


''After all, your physical strength has increased considerably, hasn't it? No, not only your physical strength, but also your magic power and your ability to communicate with spirits.''


　I had noticed it in the city, but running around in the forest had convinced me more clearly. The power of the spirits could be felt thicker and stronger than ever before. Perhaps if he used spirit magic now, he would be able to produce the greatest power ever.

　A sudden increase in power. Naturally, I suspected that the level of power had increased, but the value there hadn't changed.

　Nevertheless, every power was increasing rapidly.

　I noticed it a month ago. So there was no other possible reason for this.



　As a matter of fact, ever since she came under Sola's care, Lunamaria had been in a state of overflowing vitality in the morning and evening. Let's just say that she has always been in a state of peak performance.

　In the first few days, I thought it was just a temporary state of shock caused by the drastic change in the environment, but when it continued for three days, then five days, and finally for more than ten days, it could hardly be called a "temporary state" anymore.

　I can only assume that there was a reason for this.

　And Lunamaria, the sage, had an idea of the reason.


''They say that there's no place to throw away the materials of the dragon species...''


　Scales are made into armor, flesh and blood are made into medicine, and claws are made into weapons. Eyeballs, bones, and even a single hair are prized as materials. They are the dragon species.

　These are the ones that hatch from the egg, unlike the wyvern and other sub-dragons that hatch from the egg, and it is believed that true dragon breeds do not have an egg cycle. I'm sure you've heard of them.

　Just like lightning. Like tornadoes. Like an earthquake. Or like a volcanic eruption.

　Phenomena that are triggered when the conditions of the world are right. The illusory disaster born of flesh and blood.

　That is the dragon.



　Therefore, the dragon's body is composed of a super-dense mass of magic (mana) in the form of flesh and blood. It was only natural that there was nothing to discard, down to a piece of bone or a hair.

　Drinking its blood would cure all sicknesses, and eating its flesh would rejuvenate one's old body - the rumor was not entirely wrong.

　If that is the case.

　What if, for some reason, the dragon had taken the form of a man?

　And what if the dragon communicated with them and received the spirit of the body?

　What wonder would there be in that person's body when a great power was inhabited?



'I hope it's my imagination...'



　But that was unlikely, Lunamaria had to decide.

　That's because there are other examples besides Lunamaria.

　Seal, the beast girl.

　Ever since Sola had started calling her to the night floor, her powers had also begun to visibly improve.

　Lunamaria, who had been entrusted by Sola to educate Seal, could see the difference between before and after Sola had called her. Perhaps even Seal himself would have sensed it.

　If it was known that Sora's flesh and blood was worth as much as that of a dragon, things would be in trouble.

　In order to avoid that situation--.


I still think we should talk to him once.


　Until now, Lunamaria had forbidden herself to ask questions about the dragon that dwelt within Sola.

　She had become a slave for the purpose of redemption, not to explore Sola's secrets. Besides, he knew that if he showed those colors in his words and actions, Sora's attitude would harden at once.

　But when the symptoms appear so clearly, it's more problematic to keep quiet.

　Whatever way Sola judges and uses her own characteristics, she must first understand them. That's exactly what happens when you go to a whorehouse on a whim and the secrets leak out of the mouths of the prostitutes you deal with there, you can't even look at them.

　With this in mind, Lunamaria decides to have a talk with Sora when she returns from the forest of Titis.

　With her decision, Lunamaria lightly slapped herself on the cheek and leapt up into the trees again. In the meantime, she decided to get an idea of where the limits of her current endurance were.

　With a thump, the elf's figure disappeared into the forest.