Steel and Mana

Chapter 39 – Going Home

After my Father accompanied me back to the mansion, he ordered Luna to come over at once and tasked her with bathing me. At first, she was adamant about refusing but stopped after she saw my Father's eyes.

"I could fall asleep..." I murmured as she stood beside the bathtub, washing my back. Her tiny fingers were fantastic and massaged me like a professional.

"Please don't; Master said we need to leave! I am just doing my best to revitalize you!"

"You are doing great!" I added with a moan, and I wasn't lying as it made me feel giddy inside... and ready for action below my waist. "Were you trained or something?"

"Yes." She replied honestly, and although my eyes were closed, resting them after the ordeal of going through thousands of books, I could tell she was trying hard not to peek into the water. "I am a trained maid! Please don't punish me... not too hard, at least!" She added with a murmur at the end, her breath audibly speeding up.

"Why would I? You are doing great!"

"Because of what happened..."

"Huh?" Okay, it was time to open my eyes. She wasn't making any sense. After turning around, our faces were way too close, and I could feel her sweet breath and watch as she panicked, stepping back quickly, trying her best not to glare at my naked body. "Explain, please!"

"Your Father has chosen my family to be your new servants and... well... It seems only I will travel with you back."

"Huh....? Why? What happened?"

"The family fell apart and... fled." She answered, lowering her head and looking at the ground, honestly ashamed of the others. "They chose the life of a vagrant instead of going to serve a barbarian."

"Oh. What about you? Weren't you quick enough on your feet?" I blurted out, and the way she snapped her head up, looking hurt and angry, her mismatched eyes filling up with tears, I could tell my joke was inappropriate.

"I am Luna Gottfried! I don't shirk my duties!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that." I answered with a smile, standing up, which was a mistake as my unsheathed sword was pointing straight at her face. Her troubled stare quickly chased away the anger, and she grew red as if choking on something. She was focusing on the top of my weapon before hurriedly grabbing a towel and stretching it towards me, turning her head away. "Thanks."

I was tempted to tease her and make her dry me up, but that would probably go too far and hurt her. She will be my personal maid from now on, so I wanted her to feel safe with me. While I was drying myself, she picked out my traveling clothes, and I won't lie, after her massage, I felt much more revitalized.

"So, they can just ignore us and not follow the decree?"

"If they forgo their identities, yes, nobody would bat an eye, and I don't think you have any allies here to help you find them... Master."

"True enough! Oh well! One is more than nothing, and you can help me back home in choosing capable people and teaching them!"

"Of what?" She looked at me, watching me dress up, and I didn't miss how she was biting her lower lip for a moment.

"Of how to become a proper maid, duh!"

"Y-yes... Master..."

"Don't sigh too hard! You will be surprised!"

"Sure!" She moaned, whispering it ever so lightly, making me chuckle. I knew she was thinking she was leaving the center of civilization to move into a mud hut in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't going to explain, as that would not do justice. It was best to let her see it for real when we arrived.

It was no time to stay and rest; however, as we boarded the carriage, Father and Uncle were sitting opposite of me while Luna was on my right. I saw that she was nervous and wasn't really getting why we were in such a hurry, so I asked Father in her stead.

"We could have waited a little, no?"

"No." They answered in tandem, surprising me.

"This is not about the city being dangerous, isn't it?" I asked, and even if I was tired, I could pick up on the anxiety of the two.

"It is. Especially now as three dead people have turned up." Eliott answered, looking at me directly, making me flinch. "Three castrated bodies of young nobles!"

"YURI!" I shouted, scaring Luna even more as I leaned out of the carriage, and she rode up to us from behind.

"Wassup, Boss?"

"..." I was momentarily stunned but then shook my head, glaring at her. "Did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Don't smile at me! That can't be a coincidence!"

"Ooooh, the news? I heard about it! But no, it wasn't me! Promise!"

"She disappeared for an hour and a half." Oleg added, riding up to the other side of the carriage, "My apologies, My Lord! It was my fault!"

"Shit... you crazy bitch!" I moaned, feeling my headache returning.

"We are innocent~!" She giggled happily, "We were in the villa the whole time, weren't we?"

"Yeah, we were... fuck..." I grumbled, looking at her, twitching my eyelids.

"It wasn't us, Boss!" She repeated honestly, trying to look innocent, but I wasn't buying it. "All the evidence points towards the Ziloch family!"

"And how would you know that? How do you even know that name, and I don't? You know what?!" I shouted, raising a hand, "Don't even answer that! I don't want to know! I want to remain in my sweet ignorance!"

I already guessed that from the four of those silkpants, the living one will be the scapegoat... for whatever reason. I tend to forget that Yuri is like wielding a revolver with five blanks and one live round. Right now, that bullet discharged without me aiming... With an angry groan, I leaned back, placing my head into Luna's lap and making her stiffen even more.

"Massage my head, please... It hurts like hell..."

"Y-yes, Master!" She gulped, beginning to do so as I let my mind relax and fell asleep.

Soon, I couldn't help but smile as we were traveling back home with a ton of new knowledge in my mind. I dreamt about them throughout the following days, seeing the secrets of magic whirling before my mind's eye. I just had to make sense of it all slowly and steadily.

...
....
......

"What... is... this...?" Luna stuttered as we were still in the carriage, nearing my mostly finished city. The last of the buildings were about to be completed, and most of the workers were clearing the way where my first defensive wall would be erected.

"Ah, yeah, so this is my personally designed and built city! I get that it differs from where you grew up, but I hope you will like it in the future. It is still bare-bones; I will have to start planting trees and flowers to give it a color besides that of stone and-"

"HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO BUILD IT?!" She screamed, almost falling out of the carriage, climbing out the small window, wanting to see more. I had to grab onto her waist before she had an accident, pulling her back.

"Well, I am somewhat of a... no better way to put it, a separatist."

"...?!"

"As my personal maid, you will learn about it anyway. What I am doing here is building my own Empire. The thing we told the Empress? Lies. You see, in the future, this land will be independent!"

"You are mad..." She said, turning white, then back to pink as blood rushed to her head.

"Maybe. I just want to live well! Aren't we all? Ahahah~! Now that you are here, you are also part of it, so it isn't that you have any choice but to follow me, hm?"

"..."

There was no better way to put it, and her silence was partially because of the shock she just received. It was best to stay silent for now and let her process everything. When I got out of the carriage, I heard Sasha shouting my name, and by the time I turned, she was already there, jumping onto me, hugging my neck, her legs clamping around my waist and kissing me so passionately I almost fell backward.

"Thank the Gods, you are back!" She moaned, her eyes wet, not wanting to let go... and I didn't want to either.

"I told you that all will be fine!" I giggled, holding her by the butt, feeling myself getting excited, and I wanted nothing more than push her down. "A few weeks go by, and you become this clingy, eh? Maybe I should go away more often?"

"No!" She protested, turning shy and finally climbing down but holding my arm. "You... didn't?" She whispered, looking at my crotch, noticing the bulge, and I knew what she was thinking.

"Not once."

"Yet I tried!" Yuri added with a sour voice, climbing down from her horse and making Sasha bloom into an even prouder, happier smile.

"Master?" Luna murmured, looking lost and a bit troubled, not knowing what she should do. "Mistress?"

"Huh?" Sasha flinched, looking at her and back at me, feeling awkward as nobody had called her that before.

"She is Luna Gottfried, a maid from the capital city who was assigned under me by an imperial decree. From now on, she will be our personal maid!"

"She is cute..." Sasha murmured, making Luna smile a little, bowing towards her.

"She is reliable, you will see! I already thought about what her role would be, but first, let her settle in! Can you show her around?"

"Um! Sure!" She answered happily, making Yuri grunt with displeasure.

"Why are you so nice to her but not to me?"

"Because."

"That is not an answer!"

"I don't need to explain myself to you, Yuribisaida!" She scoffed with an air of royalty, making Yuri shiver, licking her lips, giving her a look filled with desire.

"Shit girl, you are starting to fire my pussy up!"

"Not before the child!" Sasha cried out, covering Luna's ears with her hands, making her so surprised she looked at me with befuddled eyes, asking for help.

"I am not a kid." She spoke up after I nodded at her to feel free to interject, "I have been an adult since five years ago. I am already 16!"

"Eh?" Sasha flinched as she mistook her to be much younger. "S-sorry..."

"I'm used to it, My Mistress!" She bowed elegantly, looking around, feeling a bit dizzy as she never knew nobles who would act like this, not just before their maids but before others... before their subjects.

"Things are different here!" I chuckled, watching my people coming over, welcoming me back with shouts and waving their hands happily. "You'll see, and I will let you adjust to our region, Luna! Don't worry about anything yet. Sasha will show you around, and we will prepare your own room in the palace!"

"Ah?!"

"You are our maid, no? What did you think I would send you live far away from us?" I laughed, watching the rising excitement in her face, overgrowing her doubts about this 'barbarian' region of the Empire. "For now, I will go, check on how you all did with the things I left for my people to complete! Sasha!"

"Yes?" She turned towards me just so I could draw her close and kiss her passionately, making her almost melt in my arms.

"Be ready by night... I'm pent up..." I whispered into her ears that she simply returned with a happy moan and a nod, her eyes glowing in a fiery passion.

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