Chapter 77

The room was filled with the sound of gentle snores.

Perhaps because it was late at night, Yuel had quickly fallen into a deep sleep.

After all, she was still a child.

...Children should sleep soundly at night.

I slipped out of the futon without waking Yuel, and slowly opened the door, trying to make as little noise as possible.

"Master, where are you going?"

Instantly, a voice came from behind me.

...Did I wake her up when I slipped out of the futon?

But this is a bit troublesome.

I can't take Yuel with me.

I'll just have to bluff my way through it.

"Ah, ah... I'm going to the bathroom."

"Master, please take me with you."

...What does she plan to do by coming to the bathroom with me?

I want to refuse.

"Well, well, I can't really take you to the bathroom... Yuel, can you wait in the room for a bit?"

But Yuel moved between me and the door, staring intently into my eyes.

"Master, if you're going outside this mansion, please take me with you."

Then, looking me straight in the eye, she said clearly,

"Wh-What? Yuel!?"

...It seems my thoughts were already known to Yuel.

Come to think of it, looking closely, there was no sign of drowsiness on Yuel's face.

...Was she awake the whole time?

But I did check her breathing.

Maybe she was just pretending to be asleep.

Pretending to be asleep...

That means Yuel was certain of my lies...

"Master, I've recently started to realize that you've been lying to me a lot."

"Huh!?"

Then, shocking words came from Yuel's mouth.

When did she start to realize?

Which lies were exposed?

What does Yuel think of me now?

...Yuel had noticed the lies I had been telling.

I was about to face the evil god alone, but that thought vanished instantly.

What if Yuel says, "I hate a lying, perverted master"?

That would be terrible.

I can't handle it.

But if my lies were really exposed, it's only natural.

Yuel liked a pure, upright, and very kind ideal master.

Yuel had only seen the surface of me, built on lies.

"I-I'm sorry, Yuel... I'm not the kind of master you thought I was."

Probably, trying to bluff my way through it would be meaningless.

Until now, Yuel had been deceived because she never doubted me.

My lies were so sloppy that they would be obvious if you thought about them calmly.

I thought she would eventually realize, but the day has finally come.

It was a miracle that she didn't notice for a while.

And... once she knows who I really am, Yuel will surely be disappointed.

I couldn't look her in the eye.

"No, my master is a great master."

But then, Yuel's clear voice rang in my ears.

Surprised, I looked at Yuel's face.

She was staring at me intently and continued,

"There were many, many things that seemed strange. ...But, I guess I unconsciously believed that Master couldn't possibly lie."

Many, many things?

For example, what?

Not telling me why you were kicked out of the clinic by Elise?

Rubbing Ruruka's chest to get a discount on treatment fees?

Or maybe not telling me that you can use the appraisal skill.

Or maybe when you said you were going to the bathroom but sneaked into the Miss Contest venue.

Honestly, there are plenty of things that come to mind.

"But, I realized... Master really, really loves women with big breasts."

"I-I wish you hadn't noticed that."

...Well, recently, Elise and Ruruka have been around a lot.

I was probably staring at them in the bath.

On the contrary, it would be strange if Yuel didn't notice.

"...When I thought about it, I started to understand what Master was always thinking and what you wanted to do."

What you were always thinking.

That is, breasts.

I always looked at breasts and thought about how to touch them.

This is bad.

Yuel said I was a great master, but how can I be great with this?

"Y-Yuel... It's true, I am that kind of person. ...If you don't like it, I can free you from slavery. Fran might offer you a high salary as a guard now."

There's no way Yuel will like me now.

If Yuel says she doesn't like me, I should respect her wishes.

I kept Yuel as a slave because she didn't seem to mind.

Now that the financial issues are resolved, there's no need to keep Yuel with me.

...It's a bit disappointing, though.

"I don't hate Master. I can't possibly hate you. ...When I realized Master was lying, I was really, really happy."

But Yuel's words were different from what I imagined.

She smiled at me as she said,

"Indeed, Master has been lying to me. But... I think the lies Master told me were kind lies, to keep me from being sad, to keep me from crying, to keep me from being hurt."

"!"

—Kind lies.

I didn't mean to be kind.

I lied to keep Yuel from being sad, of course.

But the reason I lied was to hide my bad sides, to do what I wanted without Yuel finding out, and other selfish reasons.

"I was treated by Master, given delicious food, allowed to sleep in a fluffy bed, and treated very kindly... I think I was projecting my ideals onto Master. But Master didn't break those ideals. For a mere slave like me, Master always tried to be my kind, great master."

That's how Yuel interpreted it.

It sounds good to say I was acting out Yuel's ideals, but I just enjoyed putting on a show in front of Yuel.

...Maybe there was a bit of that, too.

"Master may not be a perfect person. But even so, Master always, always thought about me. Whenever I was about to cry, Master would always pat my head and comfort me. ...I love such a Master. Brave, cool, and kind. I love such a Master."

...But to Yuel, my flaws don't seem to matter.

I did think about Yuel a lot.

I didn't want to lose Yuel's respect, I didn't want to make her sad, and every time I did something that didn't fit the image of a master, I tried to cover it up.

To act like the ideal master Yuel wanted, I often bent my usual principles.

"I don't want Master to be in any danger. I want to be with Master no matter what."

...Yuel seems grateful to me, but I feel the same way.

If I was acting as the ideal master for Yuel, then I couldn't have done it without Yuel.

Without Yuel, I couldn't have repaired my relationship with Elise.

Without Yuel, I wouldn't have saved the town with Area Heal.

If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't be hailed as a saint now.

Without Yuel, I might have been a petty criminal by now.

"I am Master's hero. No matter what, I will protect Master... So, please take me with you."

Then, Yuel said it again.

...Thinking about it, I realized.

Yuel is really important to me.

Yuel said she wants to be with me always, and now I feel the same way.

So, I answered,

"Alright. If you'll protect me, I'll feel safer in the battle against the evil god. ...Let's go together, Yuel."

"Y-Yes! As Master's hero, I will definitely protect you! No matter what, I will protect you!"

When I answered, Yuel's face lit up.

She seemed really happy to be going with me.

She looked like she might jump up and down.

She's so cute.

"Good job, Yuel. You're so reliable."

I patted her head.

With one hand—my left hand—I held Yuel's head and continued to pat it.

"Hehe..."

Was she happy to be going with me, or happy to be patted? Yuel let out a small sound.

—And Yuel, who hadn't noticed my "lies," was rubbing her head against me happily.

Yuel said she had noticed the lies, but at this rate, she probably hasn't noticed everything.

She might have only noticed a few of the lies I told, not even half of them.

Well, I think she'll naturally realize them when she grows up.

The lies I told were so sloppy that they would be obvious if you thought about them calmly.

—While holding Yuel with my left hand, I put my right hand into the item box.

I took out a sleeping potion.

It was a fast-acting sleep potion with almost no side effects, given to me by Astel.

I immediately cast Dispel on myself.

I asked for it because it seemed convenient... and it really is.

Even someone as perceptive as Yuel can be completely sealed with this.

I didn't expect to use it on Yuel first.

Noticing the strange smell, Yuel looked at me and the vial in my hand.

She looked surprised, but only for a moment.

Soon, Yuel's body went limp, and she collapsed into me.

"I... I'll... protect... Master..."

Resisting the sleep, Yuel tried to tell me something.

But this isn't something that can be overcome by willpower.

...Yuel slowly closed her eyes and started to breathe gently.

"Sorry, Yuel. ...I love you, too."

Of course, not in a romantic way.

You know, in a family way.

I pinched Yuel's cheek, but there was no reaction.

She's really asleep this time.

I gently carried the sleeping Yuel back to the bed.

—Yuel said, "Because I love Master so much, I don't want you to be in danger."

But I feel the same way.

Because Yuel admires me so much, I can't let her be in danger.

I will definitely make this plan succeed.

When I come back, I'll give Yuel all my attention.

With that resolve, I took a step out of the room.

The next update will be in about 3 days.