There was a saying that even taking in the Elankayas ca after eating, which ant that one should eat first to get anything done.
In Klais’ current state, it was uncomfortable ordering her to sweep the floors let alone get her to assist the research.
She was literally monts before dying. Rather, it was a miracle that she was still alive.
First, she had to be fed.
Aether boiled so porridge for Klais.
It was a cheap nu that didn’t even cost a few bronze pieces, but for Klais whose stomach was empty after a long ti of only being given IV solutions, it was a welco thing like rain in drought.
Klais hastily gobbled down the porridge in the brass bowl.
It was embarrassing.
One mont she was asking to be killed, then as soon as she saw there was room to breathe, she’d imdiately changed her mind to live.
“Urgh....”
The way she was eating the hot porridge while burning her tongue was like a street rat. Watching her scrape the rice porridge with even a bit of salt from the bowl, Aether got her theory together while she finished up.
The theory wasn’t about superconductivity, but more exploring the basics of how to get the Elentals quicker.
This was even more difficult than solving a complicated nonlinear partial differential equation.
But she was Aether of the Winter Heaven. Her mind was designed to simplify nurical analysis so she could do everything by arithtic.
“You....”
Just having put down her spoon, Klais cautiously glimpsed at Aether.
Right now, she looked absolutely shabby.
Her hair was all over the place like a madwoman, and not one part of her arms and legs was fine due to the repeated blood-drawing. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her arms were thin like the branch of an azalea tree.
Her body was much better in comparison. The way she was wearing a piece of cloth with less cross-section than a camisole was just like a prostitute.
As such, Klais had to cover up so place with her other hand every ti she brought the spoon to her mouth. Not that anyone was giving her perverted looks, but that was the way human consciousness worked.
“You’re Aether, right? Why are you here.......”
Even as she asked implicitly, Klais felt it was pointless.
Because she had already seen a girl who looked like the one in front of her.
Akasha.
Under the circumstances, Aether seed to be her older twin.
This ant one thing.
“...Were you a Beast?”
Klais’ eyes were troubled.
Of course they were. Because Aether had once been her personal research slave and Klais had been working nonstop on a scroll that would defeat the Beasts at the ti.
Yet Aether had been with her for three years without any complaint. At least, until she had beco desperate for research funds and tried to sell her to the Second Prince.
Drrrrr.
With her chin in hand, Aether spun the swivel chair.
“Did your intelligence deteriorate?” “그새 지능이 퇴화했나?”
Eyes as cold as the middle of winter. Klais’ body froze.
It was the overwhelming force exuded by a Cataclysm or higher: ‘Intimidate’. Klais’ heart pounded like she had seen a ghost or sothing.
“It won’t do for your head to be scrambled already. It’s difficult to find an expert on scrolls like you even if we searched the continent.”
Aether said indifferently while filing her nails.
“You should work if you’ve eaten, no?”
“W-work? What do you.......”
Dread washed over her.
The work that Beasts usually ant when it ca to captives was ‘torture’.
Even now, Klais had been going through torture not too long ago. The Beasts had locked her up for the sake of collecting mana, but to her, draining all the blood from her body had basically been torture.
She wouldn’t be completely wrong, either. Beasts enjoyed the groans of humans, elves, and Elentals, the complete opposite of what the world knew about the Golden-Eyed.
“Well, what should you do first?”
Holding back a thoughtful hum, Aether looked over every inch of Klais’ body, which had her curling up like a snake hiding away in its den.
Before, she would’ve taken over and ordered Aether around. But now, that was impossible.
After checking carefully, it turned out that the girl before her had quite a high rank within the Demon Army.
Klais had brazenly attempted to run away even in front of the Great chas, because she had had a trump card–Flare–at the ti.
But this girl, Aether, was one who had surpassed her and completed Flare. Surely she had a defense against it as well.
That was what discouraged her. She curled in on herself like a child who had done sothing wrong.
“There is much that needs to be done, I’m not sure where to start. After all, this one doesn’t have much experience ordering another around.”
That gaze frightened her. She was scared, wanted to crawl into a hole.
She pulled back, but it wasn’t easy. Her upper body was jerked forward with a jangling sound.
“Ahhh...!”
Her breath caught as her throat tightened.
“Where do you think you’re going.”
Tears beaded at her swollen eyes.
Hell–no.
Life as a slave was just beginning.
**Unexpectedly, the first thing that Aether ordered her to do was ‘clean’.
Overall tidying up the lab. This was what Klais had made Aether do daily when she had been a slave.
“I’ve been gone for a while, so it’s dusty. Clean here, and also wipe the shelves over there. Call when you’re done.”
The hands gripping the broom were trembling lightly.
It was a disgrace.
A proud combat mage and a professor of Tilette Academy was acting as a servant in the middle of enemy territory. Her father would remove her from the family register if he saw.
Aether read while Klais swept the floors. Electric field? Magnetic field? She didn’t know what it ant but understood that it was a hard book.
Klais peeked over her shoulder.
In any case, her essence was a mage. It was because she got curious.
“What are you doing. Get sweeping.”
She jumped at the sharp voice, the chain attached to her neck also jangling.
Like this, it felt like she had truly beco Aether’s slave.
It was the strangest sensation. Around this ti last year, they had been in opposite positions.......
“Huuh, huuuh....”
Brooming wasn’t easy. Her arms were weakened from lying down for so long. With arms like these, it was difficult to brush hair let alone broom.
The porridge wasn’t enough so she soon beca hungry, too. Her stomach growled after just a bit of sweeping.
But there was a bigger problem than hunger.
Her clothes.
“Um, ex-excuse .......”
Klais stamred while shaking like an aspen tree. Breaking her concentration, Aether turned around.
Deep irritation flashed in her eyes for being interrupted in her reading.
“Did you finish?”
“No, well, you see.......”
“Do not call if you aren’t done.”
Aether turned back again.
Klais spoke up bravely.
“P-please give sothing to cover up!”
She raised her voice without thinking, and Aether turned her head with even colder eyes than before.
Klais snapped her mouth shut.
“What did you say?”
“Y-you see.... It’s too cold.”
Klais concluded in a diminishing voice.
It was a dangerous thing to do in a way, making this insane demand to a Beast who could be a Cataclysm or higher.
She definitely had so nerve.
But the temperature in the Demon Castle was particularly low, around zero to five degrees. It was because the windows had all been opened for cleaning.
“Just sothing to put over my shoulders, at least.......”
It might have been a different story if she had had a coat on while working, but to Klais who was only wearing a thin cloth, it was hellish weather.
Her teeth were chattering, her shoulders shaking. Goosebumps broke out all over her arms and thighs due to the freezing air.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange for her to freeze to death any mont. It was to the point that she thought it’d be better to return to the capsule with a regulated temperature.
As long as she was a captive here, she was going to die. Either way, whether she died from being drained of blood, freezing, or by the hands of the girl in front of her, it was all the sa. She felt much better after thinking that.
It was just as she was thinking that she was going to die.
“There.”
“......Sorry?”
“There are extra clothes in the closet over there. Go choose sothing and put it on.”
Klais was stunned at the unexpected words.
What? Her mind montarily froze.
When she opened the closet, there were a few caped robes and a supply of underclothes.
It was slightly big but it was enough to block the wind. It was also moderately insulated.
“...Ah.”
After getting dressed, Klais was at a loss for words when she saw the mirror hanging next to the closet.
These clothes... they had a similar design to what she had put on Aether when she had been her slave.
Now everything looked different. Her life was over from this point on. No matter how much she tried, it wasn’t going to be easy.
The Beast in front of is trying to take revenge on .
But.
Why?
Why had she been at the slave market with this kind of power and strength?
Why had she done what she was asked without complaining or running away even though she had been treated awfully by her?
Why in the world had she stayed her slave for three years?
There was no answer to all those questions.
But because it wasn’t the ti to ask, Klais had to sweep the floor for hours, mouth twitching.
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