S-Class Rank 17 and A-Class Rank 34

The release of the latest issue of Garumon Battle Communications came almost exactly at the same time as my promotion to A-Class.

For the contents themselves, refer to the magazine.

In truth, the contents had been finalized far earlier, and I had been allowed to read the test print run.

"… It only goes up to about the time of my B-Class promotion."

"Yes, the magazine takes time to put together, so it's just like that, you se～e."

"Naoto-san, your rate of promotion is too fas～t."

I held Patty, who had drafted it, at my side and read through it.

For what it was worth, Noda even got an introduction, blowing smoke about winning all sorts of game tournaments and the like… was that really true?

Surely he was making it up, figuring there was no way to verify it from a different world.

As for my own introduction, Patty had asked me,

"Naoto-san, is there any record or accomplishment from your old world that would convey how amazing you are?"

And I'd answered…

"Eh, no, nothing like that… Well, if I had to say, I guess I take some pride in having cleared a fair number of difficult games…"

My casual reply got listed out as-is, which was kind of embarrassing.

Even though I was at the level where I couldn't lay a finger on the latest series' true final boss…

"But there were so many things written in there that even I didn't know, and it was really interesting. Thank you, Patty."

"I'm so happ～y."

Then it actually went on sale, and the response was apparently quite favorable.

Patty got an award for unprecedented sales, and after a long while I got to see Pamela-san again, and I was treated to her breasts as well.

That story is for another time…

And then this turned into the trigger for an unexpected event.

"… Naoto-sama. To you and Kanan-sama, an invitation has come from the S-Class rank 17 Master…!"

"… So it's come."

I had figured it would come sooner or later, and it had landed right when both that bastard and I had become A-Class.

Or perhaps he had read Garumon Battle Communications and gotten the urge.

"… Let's go, Kanan."

I took Kanan's hand.

"Mm… I don't really want to see them… but I'm a little looking forward to it too."

Kanan smiled as she said that.

… S-Class rank 17, Lurati Castle. A massive, austere stone castle.

It carried an air of luxury, but also looked highly practical for sieges and the like.

A large group wouldn't do, but eight or so was fine, so I brought myself, Kanan, Haru, Maika, Setsuna, the Reido Academy members, plus the usual Yuria and Lyuka.

Patty, who wished to attend the event as a journalist, also came along.

Like the 24th's Castle Ernest, the S-Class castles from rank 1 to rank 24 apparently each had some sort of cool-sounding name attached, and Masters who held those ranks would identify themselves by them, or be made to.

"Commoners often go by surnames, while nobles generally omit theirs. Currently, Shaina Fervey and Duras Heidrich are of commoner birth. Also, those within the top four do not announce a surname. So Satoru, Sairas, and Leonhardt, even though they are commoners, do not announce their surnames.

"Beyond that, those who already had surnames may simply use the ones they had. So Naoto-san, when you become S-Class, will not need to announce a new one."

"Oh, well, that's good. Naoto Ernest or anything like that would be way too pretentious and embarrassing…"

"If you wished to announce one, you would simply have to declare it and use it."

"Nah, I'll pass."

I had carried the surname Akai for seventeen years. I was rather attached to it.

"Welcome. A-Class rank 118, Naoto Akai-sama. I am Vyletta, and I serve as the secretary of this castle."

The one who came out to greet us was likewise a beautiful woman.

At a glance, she even resembled Leone a little. To put it plainly, the same standout traits were aligned: slightly droopy eyes and magnificently large breasts, marking her as a peerless beauty. Of course, the actual features of her face were different, and they each had their own beauty.

Her hair was blonde, tied up in a bun on top of her head, and her eyes were brown.

A dignified, beautiful, mature woman, yet somehow with an endearing charm to her too…

In short, a beautiful woman very much to my taste.

"Thank you very much."

Led by her, we made our way to the great hall.

And then… she came out to greet us.

"… Welcome. It has been a while. Naoto."

… Eclair Feradria wore the same noble, lofty smile as before, no, an even greater one.

The fact that, even though I had escorted Kanan in, she greeted me first rather than Kanan…

"Befitting of impeccable etiquette," I'd thought, which meant I'd been pretty thoroughly tainted by this world myself.

By this world's common sense, greeting a Garumon over the head of her Master was about as rude as it got.

Mind you, even if she'd passed me over and called out to Kanan as before, I wouldn't have been particularly angry. But I had to assume the gesture carried some intent.

I glanced around the room. At Eclair's side stood, as before, Sario Shard…

… Not "as before" at all.

Sario Shard had been a beautiful boy who could only be described as a peerless beautiful girl, but now… he could only be seen as a peerless beautiful girl.

Huh, when I put it into words it sounded like nothing had changed.

That's not what I meant! There were breasts!

Plump, plump, ever-so-bouncy. A pair of magnificently large, exactly-my-type colossal-tier breasts were floating bouncily on Sario's chest.

They looked soft, and I felt an irrational urge to grope and knead them…

Huh, what was going on?

From what I'd heard before from Yuria… they should have only used one Yin-Yang Divine Elixir.

And since the S-Class Master's name had been Eclair Feradria, I had assumed Eclair drank the Yin-Yang Divine Elixir, became a futanari, and became the Master.

But however I looked at it, the futanari Master with a perfect beautiful-girl's body could only be Sario…

In terms of combat power, it was clearly correct for Sario to be the one to drink it.

So when I had read the name in the Garumon Yearbook earlier, it had felt unexpected: that the S-Class Master's name was Eclair Feradria, not Sario Shard.

Sario was even stronger than Yamagata-kun, who had been by far the strongest among us slaves.

… I had once watched the two of them face off.

Yamagata-kun was a first-rate swordsman. Murata-kun, who was said to be at the national level but had never actually competed nationally in kendo club, couldn't lay a finger on him… The basis for comparison was a bit iffy, but the point was, Yamagata-kun was extremely strong.

Yet Sario's skill drove home the difference between first-rate and super-first-rate.

Even in a cross-discipline match of fencing vs. kendo, Sario had been overwhelmingly stronger by a margin even greater than that.

If Sario, of all people, became a Garumon, just how strong would she become…

I'd thought that much, so the fact that Sario had become a Garumon made sense in itself.

And this beautiful-girl appearance was truly splendid.

Anyway, let's set Sario aside for a moment. Though it was hard to ignore such a beautiful girl.

So nice… that cool-girl vibe was really nice. Cute.

The dress was a clean, easy-to-move-in design, less ornate than Eclair's, but a proper woman's dress nonetheless… no, really, it was cute. He'd been cute even in male attire, but a girl's outfit was even better…

As expected of Eclair. Good taste.

But I could hardly ignore the other group either. Eclair had invited two A-Class Masters to this place.

One was me, A-Class rank 118. And the other was…

A-Class rank 34, Shogo Shiraki, was standing there with Yumi Tsuchiya at his side.

A smug grin played across that smarmy handsome face of his.

Behind him stood Yumi Tsuchiya's other seven slaves.

… These guys still seemed to form a proper group of eight. Quite different from Kanan's slave group, which had broken up and scattered… Though I was the one who had broken it up.

A-Class Master Shogo Shiraki and the Seven Knights, that was apparently what they called themselves.

As for Yumi Tsuchiya… she looked somehow vacant. Before, she had been brighter, more spirited, brimming with confidence.

She glanced briefly at me, then at Kanan beside me, and her hollow gaze drifted slightly downward again.

… She looked worn out.

In contrast to Shogo Shiraki beside her, who looked far more arrogant than before.

You could tell at a glance just from how they were dressed. Shogo Shiraki was clad in a proper suit, with a touch of nouveau-riche taste to it, while Yumi Tsuchiya… was practically nude.

The garments themselves looked extremely high-end. A necklace inlaid with gold, silver, and gemstones hung from her neck across her chest, just barely covering both nipples. Around her loins, a kind of waist-skirt inlaid with the same just barely covered her private parts.

But her secret place stayed hidden only because she was standing still; the slightest movement would expose nipples and secret place alike.

So this was sex-wear.

However you looked at it, it was nothing more than slave attire. Which one was the master was clear at a glance.

Yumi Tsuchiya. In both beauty and pedigree, on equal footing with Kanan.

As I'd described before, she was a wonderful beautiful girl. Her gentle, large eyes and wavy long brown hair all had a fleeting, ephemeral quality, and many probably found her more approachable than the somewhat sharp Kanan.

Her bearing was indeed softer than Kanan's, so she had been well-loved by the lower classes too.

Her breasts were full, of a size to rival Kanan's, and I had heard her praised as the perfect young lady, combining beauty, eroticism, dignity, and gentleness.

Brimming with confidence, kind even to her own slaves, she had seemed a clear cut above Kanan, who had always been on edge and prickly with no breathing room.

In fact, if you tallied up the results of slave battles, Yumi Tsuchiya should have been ahead.

And now that radiantly shining girl… was completely overshadowed.

… Seeing her so utterly transformed from her former self was painful.

I sympathized with Yumi Tsuchiya, and once again Shiraki seemed thoroughly hateful to me.

Then I turned my gaze to Eclair Feradria's party members as well.

One was a Beastkin girl. With adorable tiger ears, tiger-like yellow-and-black mottled hair, and round, cat-like eyes… a peerless beautiful girl who even resembled Adelia a little.

She was probably a Weretiger girl.

And then… Kanna Hizaki and Nami Himuro were there.

You'd probably wonder, "Who?" I probably hadn't mentioned them once up to now.

I had spoken every chance I got of Reido Academy's Seven Greatest Beauties. Eclair Feradria, Kanan Kazami, Yumi Tsuchiya, Maika Yukishiro, Sawako Aozawa. That's five, with two remaining.

If you asked why I'd kept these two under wraps, mostly it was because I had only enough contact with them to wonder, "Did I talk to them about something at some point?"

Beyond that, well, how to put it. That was actually how they were treated. Within the seven greatest beauties, they were deliberately ignored, you could say.

Pointlessly aggressive, with no impression other than constantly running around the schoolyard and corridors laughing, the gleefully airheaded Kanna Hizaki.

Pointlessly cold, ripping to pieces with vile abuse the hearts of men who, drawn by her beauty, had drawn near her: Nami Himuro.

These two were the so-called "regrettable beauties."

"Why do these two have to be so beautiful…" everyone would lament, and there was even a so-called shadow-Seven Greatest Beauties that argued for dropping these two and including Haru Midoriya and Sario Shard instead.

You could say they were deemed regrettable enough that even men would have been picked over them, but until March of this year, the fact remained that no one else matched those seven in beauty besides Haru and Sario.

… If you re-selected after April this year, Setsuna would no doubt rank in without question, and one of the two would get dropped.

As things stood now, including Haru and Sario would be no problem at all.

"Oh, it really is Naoto-kun. Long time no see～!"

She called out to me familiarly.

Eh, were we even acquainted to that degree? I thought, but this was just her sense of distance. Despite her unfortunate inner self, she was apparently quite popular with men because she'd treat even people she'd just met as if they were close friends.

When you confessed to her, she'd say,

"OK! Sure! Let's go out!"

And you'd actually get to dating… but it was like riding a runaway train.

You'd be dragged hither and yon, run around all over, and either you'd give up because you couldn't keep up, or you'd be turned down with a "You're boring…" Those were apparently the only two options.

Her hair had changed to a flaming red.

It suited a girl as fiery as her better than ordinary black hair ever could.

"Wow, I can't believe you're an A-Class Master now! What a surprise! But, I always thought you were the type to step up when it counted!"

… And yet Hizaki-san spoke as familiarly as if she knew me well.

"… You're just being your usual sloppy self. The first time you heard the name 'Naoto Akai,' you said, 'Eh, who?' didn't you."

Throwing in the retort in my place was the other transferee from Japan.

Nami Himuro.

She was a girl widely rumored to have a ruthless and wicked nature, feared despite her wonderful beauty.

Her hair had changed to a wonderfully beautiful blue.

That, too, suited her, composed and cool as ice as she was.

Naturally, I knew this peerless beautiful girl famed as a cool beauty only from a distance, and had no real acquaintance with her from her end.

"Eeh, that's not true～, when I actually saw his face I remembered him!"

"That's called forgetting until you saw his face. Really, you are so sloppy…"

Himuro-san sighed.

"… Kanna. Nami. While Eclair-sama is speaking, do not open your mouths."

With a sigh, Sario admonished the two.

The two obediently shut their mouths.

… She was properly able to control these two problem children. Impressive.

Eclair's party consisted of these, plus Vyletta from earlier, six in total. They were all clad in proper party-style dresses, giving off the air of a European noble tea party rather than something from this world.

I felt a little relieved. By Earth's sensibilities, this was perfectly normal.

Now then, since Eclair had spoken to me, only enough time had passed to be interrupted by Kanna and Nami's chatter… but I'd have to respond soon.

… Or rather, had I ever even said a single word to Eclair until now?

There must have been some "Thank you very much"-level exchanges where she'd spoken to me.

But this would be the first time we'd had a proper, substantive conversation.

… By coming to this world, I had finally become someone whom Eclair would deign to look upon and speak to.

Should I take that as an honor and kneel in reverence?

Eclair Feradria carried that much oppressive presence, that much aura.

Calling her garments "ordinary" was off the mark; it was gorgeous, ornate raiment of the sort a European princess would wear.

There could not be another woman in the modern era who could wear such a thing this perfectly.

Softly waving platinum hair, large eyes that seemed gentle at a glance. Those eyes, tinged silver, looked mystical…

Her breasts, too, were perfectly large, combining beauty and eroticism… not a single opening anywhere.

By her beauty alone, by her allure, she had value enough to make one prostrate themselves.

But I was deliberating over what tone to address her in.

… The common-sense answer was polite speech. We were both Masters now… but it was S-Class versus A-Class.

Even setting aside the original world and going by this world's common sense, the same conclusion held.

To speak my honest mind, though, I wanted to call her, "Yo Eclair."

I wanted to declare war, to tell the existence who had once been far above the clouds that I had drawn close enough she could no longer ignore me.

… Should I cut loose, on the grounds that this was another world?

But the "another world" framing was off. I was already planning to settle here permanently. If I disrespected this world's common sense, the one who'd be expelled was me.

But… I didn't want Eclair to look down on me. That was my honest feeling.

If I couldn't live as myself, then what had I decided to remain in this world for?

… Fine. If she snapped and got angry, I'd fight to the death.

Right now, even with Demon Art Belzebute sealed off, I could push Ursula to within one step. Rank 17 versus rank 24, sure, but they were both S-Class Masters; the difference in real strength couldn't be that great. I wouldn't lose easily.

Having thought all of that in an instant, inwardly a bit jittery, I tried addressing her in casual speech.

"Yo Eclair, long time no see."

Murmur…

What stirred was Yumi Tsuchiya's camp, and Sario.

The way Sario's right hand quietly began to drift toward her sword genuinely scared me.

But Eclair herself smiled affably and raised one hand to quell the murmurs.

"… Yes, it has been quite a while indeed. For you it has not even been a year yet, but for me almost two years have passed… Fufufu, how nostalgic."

Eclair did not seem put out at all. It seemed she had accepted my casual speech.

"And to you as well, long time no see. Kanan."

And next, she addressed Kanan.

"… Yeah, long time no see. Eclair."

Kanan, perhaps to match my stance, carried herself with dignity rather than humbling herself as in the old days.

"…"

To that, Eclair frowned for a moment, looking displeased.

It was as if she'd tolerate disrespect from me, the Master, but a mere Garumon was another matter…

However, when Sario stepped forward to admonish that disrespect, Eclair stopped her with a glance, as if to say it was unnecessary.

Now that Sario had stepped forward, it was fine to address her.

No, really… she had become so cute.

Before, he had been a beautiful boy who could be mistaken for a beautiful girl, said to share top billing with Haru, and that twin-pillar status was as perfectly intact as ever.

A futanari beautiful girl forming twin pillars with Haru.

"It's been a while, Sario. You've changed quite a bit, though."

I tried calling out to him, or her.

He silently bowed in response. His attitude said he would not converse over Eclair's head.

In this Garumon world, even though his very body had changed so drastically, that had not been enough to change his inner self.

"… It's been a while, Sario. Back then, you were the Master. Have you been well since?"

Yuria cut in. It was quite rare for Yuria to use polite speech. So this was how she behaved with guests.

"… Yes, no problems. It feels as though I was born with this body and have always had it."

Sario answered Yuria as much.

His voice didn't seem to have changed, but it sounded somehow rounded, with a feminine quality to it. Though that might just have been because of how he looked.

"So the previous Master really had been Sario."

"Indeed, that is correct. There was a duty of confidentiality, but at this point it is no problem."

"… Yumi, it has been a while for you too, has it not? You and Kanan got along so well, after all. Will you not greet her as well?"

Eclair called out to Yumi Tsuchiya.

"… Yes, Eclair-sama…"

Yumi flinched and timidly straightened up, then turned to face us.

And then…

"I am the slave of A-Class Master Shogo Shiraki-sama, Yumi Tsuchiya. It has been a while. A-Class Master Naoto Akai-sama…"

Yumi bowed her head.

"E-Eh, Yumi, what's happened to you!"

The one who reacted vehemently was Kanan.

Apparently she couldn't bear seeing the utterly transformed figure of the destined rival with whom she had wrangled in heated debates for so long.

"Yumi. Kanan-sama has gone out of her way to address you. I shall give my permission. Answer her, why don't you.

"… Right. Try answering as you would have before. Good entertainment."

Shogo Shiraki called out in a haughty manner.

"… Yes, understood, Shogo-sama."

Yumi answered respectfully, then quietly took a deep breath to prepare herself.

… Yumi Tsuchiya's master, Shogo Shiraki, huh…

This guy was someone I'd traded blows with in slave battles many times over. Most of the time, I'd been one-sidedly beaten to a pulp.

To recap, Shogo Shiraki was the head slave of Yumi Tsuchiya, who competed with Kanan as a rival for Eclair's favor. To put it on our side's terms, he was Ishiguro-kun and Yamagata-kun added together and divided by two.

A fresh-faced handsome guy, all-around athlete, sharp-witted top student. He had high pride and could be condescending and dismissive of people, but being self-confident and unflappable, he was basically kind to others.

That said, his lofty pride and the situation of having to obey Tsuchiya-san couldn't really both stand at once, and I think he had carried a kind of distortion.

On the surface he seemed to obey Tsuchiya-san wholeheartedly, but inside he had probably nursed a clinging, ulterior longing.

He was Yamagata-kun with his abilities slightly downgraded and his heart turned vile.

Since I'd been preoccupied with my own unfortunate circumstances, I had only registered Shogo Shiraki as "the guy I hated to face in slave battles" and nothing more.

Predictably enough, he had probably taken the textbook action.

In keeping with the rules laid down for this world, he had revolted, dominated her, and had his way with her thoroughly.

… In this world, that was the natural order. It was me and Yamagata-kun who were the strange ones.

I understood that, but…

Remembering the radiant, vivacious Tsuchiya-san of before made it painful to see.

For Kanan, who had been her rival, the sight had to be even more painful.

Why were the other slaves obediently submitting to Shogo Shiraki?

… Probably he was making her serve those guys behind him too. Told they could do as they pleased with Yumi Tsuchiya, they would gladly have acknowledged Shiraki as their leader.

For me too, was there ever a path of handing over Kanan and reconciling with them?

There was no way. You couldn't be serious.

Hand over the Kanan I love to other men… and to guys like Nezu, Noda, or Ishiguro. Out of the question. It made my skin crawl.

In the sense that he'd done what I couldn't, I might give Shiraki credit.

That said, Yumi Tsuchiya's slaves, starting with Shiraki, included quite a few good-looking guys, so they were probably better off than Kanan's slaves, who included Nezu and Noda.

Now then, while we'd been speaking, NPCs who had to be Eclair's subordinates carried in chairs, tables, drinks, light snacks, and the like, preparing the room for a long, leisurely talk.

"Please, sit down. We have much to talk about, after all. Shall we not chat at our leisure?"

Eclair proposed, and…

For now, the flow turned into watching over Kanan and Yumi's conversation.

First, Yumi seemed to have steeled herself.

Yumi Tsuchiya stepped one pace forward and struck a pose, Shanari.

Was it called a model's stance? Even though her figure was already excellent, her legs looked even longer and more beautiful.

Her fluffy bright-brown hair and brown eyes were the same as before, but the impression I got was that they had become more vivid.

And her large white breasts, which had been hidden under her uniform before, were now fully exposed.

Yumi Tsuchiya had always carried an air of aristocratic dignity. That dignity remained unshaded even in a state of near-total nudity.

"… Long time no see, Kanan."

Probably because she'd been told to act as before, Tsuchiya-san called out to Kanan.

A sweet, lovely voice, yet with a feeling of noble dignity to it: the same voice as before.

Among Kanan's slaves, the standard had been to praise Kanan and disparage her rival Tsuchiya-san…

But the climate of opinion that the easygoing, elegant, dignified, gentle Yumi Tsuchiya was the better choice over the irritable, sharp Kanan was undeniable.

Only in places where Yamagata and Sawako, complete Kanan-loyalists, weren't around, of course.

I'd heard the line "the other one was better" more than once or twice.

"Yeah, long time no see, Yumi."

Kanan answered too. The slave of someone she had once kept as her own slave… Even though they were in the same position now, their circumstances were utterly different.

Kanan's outfit was the school uniform she'd brought from Japan and treasured.

Though it had been modified so it could be shed in an instant during battle when needed.

My companions were all in normal clothing.

There was no need to show off everyone's wonderfully beautiful Spirit Garb / sex-wear forms to the likes of Shiraki, which was the main reason, but I also wanted to show old acquaintances their old appearance.

"How nostalgic. What have you been up to since then?"

When Kanan asked her, Tsuchiya-san glanced at Shiraki, then at Eclair's face too.

"Let me see… Naoto, you know about our circumstances from this magazine, don't you? But I think it would be better to explain again. Yumi, please explain."

Eclair instructed Yumi.

"Yes, Eclair-sama."

Receiving permission, she answered.

"… It was about two years ago now. We were transferred along with the academy building itself to this world. At that time, only about eighty people were inside the school building. And… I, plus everyone present here: Eclair Feradria-sama, Sario Shard-sama, Kanna Hizaki-sama, Nami Himuro-sama, and my slaves starting with Shogo Shiraki-sama… eight Goshujin-samas were here.

"The first to recover from the confusion and understand the system of this world was Eclair-sama.

"After organizing us out of our confusion, Eclair-sama, Kanna-sama, and Nami-sama set off together with Sario-sama."

The detailed picture would be explained separately in a flashback.

… Yumi's account left the fine details vague, but even from her sugarcoated tale, the deeply repulsive inner truth showed through.

In the chaos of the otherworld transition, Shiraki bared his beastly nature and attacked Yumi…

And, separately from his comrades, he took the other students who had been transferred over at the same time as slaves and had his way with them.

Those who didn't follow Shiraki had, in the end, apparently been killed.

By doing that, he completely enslaved the rest of the students.

In the midst of that, Eclair's group had calmly slipped away, she said.

"After that, I was educated by my Goshujin-samas. They made me realize that I am a being who follows my Goshujin-sama, the Garumon, and that it is my proper role…

"Now, I am sincerely grateful. I revere my Goshujin-samas from the bottom of my heart."

… So Yumi Tsuchiya spoke. But her class was:

Indicating that she was still a virgin, and that she had not truly accepted her master from her heart.

Two points could be taken from Yumi's account.

• Yumi Tsuchiya had been treated truly horribly by Shogo Shiraki and his crew in a gang-like manner, and was extremely pitiful.

I had to save her, no matter what it took.

• Eclair Feradria had behaved precisely, as if she had known about this Garumon world and the otherworld transition phenomenon from the beginning, securing through Sario three of the seven greatest beauties (herself, Kanna Hizaki, and Nami Himuro), and had calmly set off.

Neither was a problem I could leave alone.

"Now then, having set off in such a fashion, I am now S-Class. Shogo Shiraki has reached A-Class… And, as if chasing after us, Naoto Akai has caught up to A-Class with Kanan in tow… This, I think, is just the right moment."

Eclair, looking like she was enjoying herself, declared,

"For the resumption of slave battles!"

"Slave battles…?"

I couldn't help but ask back.

"Yes. Slave battles are a system of granting rewards to those who entertain me the most… even if the players become Naoto Akai and Shogo Shiraki, there is no problem at all."

"… However, what would the reward be? The reward for victory in slave battles was for the Tsuchiya house and the Kazami house to compete over which would monopolize trade and information-sharing with the Kingdom of Feradria… To me as I am now, such a reward holds no interest…"

Shiraki questioned Eclair. To address Eclair, who had once been an existence far above the clouds, with such composure, this guy too seemed to have grown some nerve since coming to this world.

"Let me see… if it is a reward for you, would I myself not serve as a reward?"

"… Wh-What did you say?"

"I shall grant you the right to touch my body. How far you can go is up to you."

"O-Ooh, oo-ooh… t-that is indeed a most attractive reward… b-but it could be that you are like Yumi, a buggy woman who cannot have sex. To stake my life on that alone would be…"

Oh, jacking up the conditions.

"I see. Then regrettably, let us drop this matter. Farewell, Shogo."

"Aaah… w-wait, please wait… t-that is fine! After all, all I'd have to do is captivate you to the point of being yours! Ahahaha! Hihi! If I can have sex with Eclair Feradria, this Shogo Shiraki shall stake his very life on it!"

He bowed his head.

"Next, Naoto. How about it? When you challenge Shogo Shiraki to a slave battle and win, what will you wish for as a reward?"

… So she was asking me what I wanted. What was the difference here…

But on my end, "decline" was not an option.

… The Shogo Shiraki who had reduced Yumi Tsuchiya, an existence on equal footing with Kanan, her rival, to such a state. I had to thoroughly beat him down, take Yumi Tsuchiya away, and rescue her, or my conscience wouldn't rest.

So clumsily asking for a body or whatever… well, I wanted Eclair, but she wasn't something to be obtained by beating someone like Shiraki.

"… There are several things I want to ask you. I won't say you have to answer. Just letting me speak with you would be enough. Beyond that… let's see. I'd like to be allowed to talk with your companions too."

"Oh my, just that much? Are you so unambitious?"

"No, the rewards I gain by beating Shiraki, I'll squeeze out of Shiraki… If I want you, I'll win against you and obtain you… When I become S-Class, I'd like you to fight me."

"… Fufu."

Eclair laughed happily at my words.

"Very well. Then, I shall grant you the right to converse with me and my companions. And, when you become S-Class, I promise I shall accept your challenge for a duel."

The negotiation concluded, and I'd be challenging this slave battle to entertain Eclair.

"Then, I shall announce the rules.

"The match will be held one week from now. The rules are field battle.

"Both sides, themselves, their Sub-Masters, and their knights, may all participate. Choosing not to fight is also free. However, mid-match participation is not permitted.

"All members will be scattered separately across a vast map of roughly 100 km square. That said, the knight party will not be scattered. For both sides, the movements of the knight party will be crucial. This will be a benefit to Shogo, who has maintained his comrades from Japan without fail.

"Of course, you may also gather new knights during this week. However, those who can become knights are limited to former slaves of Kanan. This is a slave battle, after all.

"Use of Gates is, in principle, prohibited. It would not be entertaining if Gates allowed members to merge in an instant. But completely banning their use would present no benefit to Naoto, who obtained a hard-to-acquire mage; that would be a problem too…

"I shall permit those who can use Gates to use them once each. However, using a Gate to merge knight and Master is not permitted. For ten minutes after a Gate is used, the knight and Master may not merge.

"Apart from that, swapping members between knight and Master is not permitted.

"Also, all battles fought within the field will be Garumon Battles. Even if the Master is absent from the engagement, even if you spring a surprise attack from afar, in all cases a Battle Field will deploy and a Garumon Battle will be established.

"That makes it three-vs-three with one swap, up to a six-vs-six battle.

"Garumon rendered combat-incapable are forbidden from re-entering battle. They will be treated as removed from the field… and may be captured. Even if there should be some mischief at that point, I shall turn a blind eye.

"The number of turns in battle is five, or unlimited. The side with fewer members chooses. When numbers are equal, it is automatically unlimited.

"Also, after a battle ends, an invincibility window of ten minutes occurs during which one cannot be attacked.

"For the knights, if they lose the battle through total annihilation, all members are defeated and their bodies become unable to move. Even if there are remaining Garumon, they cannot participate in battle.

"The match is decided by reducing the Master's HP to zero, or by rendering all of the Garumon under the Master's command combat-incapable, annihilating them.

"Communication using magic or radio to merge with allies is not permitted.

"I shall lend you magic signal flares. They launch a large firework several kilometers up into the sky and continue glowing for several seconds. They should be visible from far away. You may freely choose the color, so it would be wise to decide the rules with your members in advance.

"The number of uses is essentially unlimited. Until the mana runs out, you can fire it 100 times, and a Garumon can refill the mana too.

"In exchange for being a signal that makes it easier for allies to find you, it also lets enemies find you.

"… Have you understood the rules thus far?"

Eclair explained the rules.

• All members were scattered separately across a vast 100 km × 100 km field.
• Knights were not scattered. Member swaps between knight and Master were not allowed.
• Those who could become knights were former slaves of Yumi Tsuchiya, or former slaves of Kanan Kazami, only.
• Those who could use Gates could use them once. However, they couldn't be used to merge knights and Masters. No merging with knights for ten minutes after Gate use.
• All battles were conducted as Garumon Battles. So there was a member-count limit. Up to 3-vs-3 per battle, max 6-vs-6.
• Turn count was 5 or unlimited, with the smaller-count side choosing.
• After a battle ended, an invincibility window of 10 minutes occurred.
• Garumon rendered combat-incapable could be captured for a "fun time."
• Reduce the opposing Master's HP to 0, or annihilate the opposing Master's party, to win.
• Means of communication was magic signal flares only.

Search the field, find allies, find enemies. Search and destroy.

That was the game.

… Honestly, it sounded fun. There were mountains of things I'd have to think about, but…

"… Wait a minute. Naoto's whole party is to be scattered separately…? Naoto doesn't have any knights. Are you saying you'll throw him out alone into a vast field!?"

Kanan bit back at her.

"Shogo's members will also all be scattered. The conditions are identical."

"Shogo has seven knights! His knights are a six-person party kept intact, aren't they!?"

"If knights are necessary, Naoto need only gather some too."

"… It's all right if I become a knight, isn't it?"

Haru asked to confirm.

"What about me…!?"

So did Sawako.

"There is no problem with Haru. You have become very cute, haven't you.

"Sawako is not a knight, so she cannot. A Garumon cannot be recognized as a knight.

"… To bend the world's rules, it must be passed at the S-Class Council. For an A-Class Master like you to pass a rule, it would have to clear the A-Class Council and be brought up to the S-Class Council, where it would have to pass there as well. That is not realistic."

Eclair said.

100 km square… ridiculously vast. If you said 100 km centered on Tokyo, that covered a fair amount of Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Ibaraki? I didn't know exactly how far. I didn't have that much grasp of the geography.

The width of Tokyo proper, including Okutama, was about 100 km, wasn't it? Maybe a bit more.

In any case, excluding the islands, Tokyo fit horizontally inside, while vertically it would be several times that.

For a person at Okutama and a person at Edogawa Ward to call out, "Heeey," and converse was absolutely impossible.

There was a lot to consider for merging.

If allies could merge, that was fine, but if you got found by enemies and attacked…

"There is no mage among my members."

"Then why don't you find one in this week?"

There were unfavorable conditions on Shiraki's side too.

… At minimum, I could merge with Lyuka and Yuria right away. But the Gate could only be used once; whether to use it solely to merge with me was the question.

The most unpleasant scenario would be my scattered comrades getting attacked partway through by enemy knights and rendered combat-incapable.

Being violated freely until the battle ended… If a member was a virgin, at least vaginal and anal penetration would not be possible, but for non-virgin members, rape would probably be unavoidable.

But…

"On my end, no problem. Accepted."

I agreed.

"Fufu, that is good. Then let us set the start at 10 AM next week. I shall guide you to the site by Gate, so please come to Lurati Castle at 9 AM on the day… Fufu, this is going to be fun."

And so, Shiraki and I would face off in the slave battle that Eclair was hosting.