Shocked, I turned to face the person I had mistaken for Ju.


    Sitting on the bed, barely clothed, was my new slave. She gazed at me with a submissive, devoted expression, her wide eyes brimming with quiet obedience. Meanwhile, with a sigh, Ju silently activated her isolation field.


    “How did you do this?” Ju asked, her large green-brown eyes locking onto me with surprise.


    I shrugged, displaying my ignorance, then turned toward the slave. “How did you get here?”


    She met my gaze with innocent, unblinking eyes.


    “You called me, so I came,” she whispered, barely audible, before lowering her head.


    She said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if I had simply summoned her from another room. I blinked, my mind racing.


    “Explain that in more detail,” I prompted.


    Slowly, she lifted her gaze again and began to explain, her voice tinged with quiet confusion. Did I not know?


    She had the ability to teleport to her master—about once per day—whenever her mana was full and she sensed she was needed. And somehow, when I had placed those chains on them, I had unknowingly reinforced the master-slave bond to me.


    “What’s your name?” Ju asked.


    The slave glanced briefly at me before answering.


    “Yolanda, my lady.”


    Ju turned to me with a mischievous grin.


    “Well, looks like you’re stuck with her for the duration of the festivities—unless, of course, you plan to keep her chained up and hidden in your room...” She trailed off, shifting her gaze toward Yolanda with a thoughtful expression. “Unless... hmm… we could turn this to our advantage.”


    I frowned. “What do you mean?”


    Ju hesitated, her gaze flickering between me and the slave.


    “You’re still bound to serve your master, aren’t you?” she asked. “Did any of your magical contracts expire when your former master died?”


    Yolanda tilted her head, a small smile playing at her lips, her eyes glinting with something unreadable.


    “No contracts have expired,” she said smoothly. “If you fear I might betray Lores, you should know that my previous master made it impossible for me to betray him. And now, since Lores is my master, that protection extends to her as well.”


    Ju narrowed her eyes. “Then why do you call her Lores and not Master?”


    Yolanda gave a small shrug. “Because she ordered me to.”


    “You don’t seem too upset about having a new master,” Ju observed, watching Yolanda closely.


    “Sorry for that scumbag?” Yolanda scoffed. “Certainly not, my lady!”


    Ju raised a brow, then chuckled before turning to me.


    “I was planning to continue my investigation, but for that, I need to leave the palace incognito,” she explained. “I wasn’t sure how to pull it off—my only idea was to feign illness, create an illusion of myself in the room, and have you cover for me. But now… she could take my place while I’m gone.”


    “What?” I asked, stunned. “Why can’t you just wait so we can go together? And do you really trust her? Besides, what exactly are you investigating?”


    Ju nodded. “I trust her. I can sense emotions, Lores. And I have other ways of detecting lies.” She glanced at Yolanda. “Even without contracts, she wouldn’t betray you. But you can’t imagine how frustrating these magical contracts are. Most slaves under them actively resist you — sabotaging, betraying, doing whatever they can to work against you when you try to free them. Only a rare few manage to resist that instinct. These master-slave contracts are a real pain in the ass.” She shrugged. “For the first time, though, they’re actually working in my favor.”


    I frowned. “And what exactly are you investigating?”


    She hesitated only a moment before answering.


    “There’s a lost community of elves somewhere in the forest not far from here. They need rescuing.”


    “But… I was planning to free her,” I said.


    To my surprise, Yolanda’s eyes widened in panic, her body tensing.


    Ju shook her head. “Not now, and not in her condition. Only if the medicine works—and even then, you’ll need to talk to her first.” She gave me a knowing look. “I have a feeling Yolanda has been a slave for too long. She needs time to understand the world beyond it before you can just throw her into it.”


    I turned to Yolanda. She nodded, her expression on the verge of crumbling. She was terrified.


    “Uh… okay,” I murmured, still processing. Could those contracts be the reason for this reaction? It was something to investigate later.


    For now, I turned back to Ju. “This story about lost elves—it’s probably a trap! How could that even happen? Don’t do anything reckless.”


    Ju shrugged. “A trap? Maybe. But how could it happen? Easily.” She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. “After the fall of the Elven Confederation, an old druid might have decided that the new borders weren’t his concern. Maybe he didn’t even participate in the war. He just refused to leave his forest. And with his power, he could’ve hidden his lands, kept them obscured from the world.


    “But even elves aren’t immortal,” she continued, “At some point, he must have died. And when he did, the small group of young families who had chosen to stay—enjoying his protection—suddenly found themselves exposed, stranded in the middle of a hostile kingdom.”


    “Yeah,” I said, nodding. I had to admit—her explanation made sense. “But one portal would solve their problem,” I added with a shrug.


    Ju chuckled. “Sure—if they had a mage capable of opening one. Or if they had someone who could travel freely and enough money to buy passage through a portal to elven lands.”


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    “Then just walk to the elven lands!” I argued.


    She shot me a dry look. “Right. Tell that to your peasants. Because, of course, the roads are perfectly safe, and nothing bad would ever happen to a small caravan of elves traveling through a hostile kingdom.”


    I sighed. She might have a point.


    Turning, I gestured toward Yolanda. “And how exactly is she supposed to pass for you? Everyone and their cat has seen your face. She doesn’t even look that much like you!”


    Ju chuckled again. “Not exactly, but close enough. Even you fell for it.”


    I shook my head. “I was drunk and had my back to her.”


    Ju raised a brow, smiling at me.


    “But you are a master of transformations, aren’t you? All it takes is a spell, and you could make her look exactly like me.”


    I blinked. Damn it, she’s right again. But—


    “You didn’t even think to ask her if she wants to be transformed!” I protested.


    Ju burst into laughter. “Then let’s ask her.” She turned to Yolanda. “Would you like the ability to transform into me, to stay by her side?”


    Yolanda’s eyes lit up instantly. “I’d love to!” she said without hesitation.


    I groaned. “But that’s not fair!” I argued. “She’s compelled by her contracts to agree to that!”


    Ju shook her head. “Come on, Lores. I know she’d genuinely enjoy it.”


    Yolanda nodded eagerly in agreement.


    I sighed in defeat but clung to one last argument. “This won’t work. People can identify her. Besides, you saw—she’s sick!”


    Ju chuckled. “I’ll give her my ring.” With that, she slipped the ring off her finger and handed it to Yolanda. “Try identifying her now.”


    I hesitated but complied.


    <<Healer Level 91>>


    I blinked, confused. “How did you do that?”


    Ju smirked. “You can’t really see what she is, can you?”


    I shook my head.


    “This ring isn’t bad, huh?” she mused. “It has two obfuscation levels. She can reset it to display a lower level, like I did back at the station, or leave it like this.”


    My mind raced. If this was how she masked her level… then what was her real one?


    I turned and identified her.


    <<White Mage Level 96>>


    I gasped. Ju just chuckled.


    “You kept this a secret from me all this time?” I exclaimed.


    Ju let out a satisfied laugh. “Oh, come on, let me have this little moment! How did you never suspect it? We fought each other back at my manor, and you still didn’t figure it out?” She shrugged, clearly amused.


    Then, shifting back to the matter at hand, she continued, “Now, about her sickness. I could identify it because I recognize the pattern: the obvious radiance? That’s because the disease is feeding on her longevity to make her more attractive. Add to that the heightened sensuality. But the biggest giveaway is the heat pattern—some areas are about two degrees warmer than the rest of her body. That’s the key to spotting it.”


    I frowned. “And how do we hide it?”


    Ju smirked. “Simple. You just need to place a heat-reflecting field over those areas. That’ll do the trick.”


    “Heat-reflecting field?”


    She nodded. “Your illusions manipulate light—absorbing, reflecting, or even generating it. Heat is just another form of light. You should be able to do it. And if you can’t? Just use illusions to mask those areas completely. They’ll be covered by clothing anyway, so no one’s going to see anything unusual, right?”


    She stretched slightly, as if wrapping up a lesson. “Now that we’ve settled that… I’ll leave you to it.”


    “Wait, wait! First, I need you here to transform her,” I said quickly. “And besides… I don’t think I even want to stay at this party. Last night was miserable! All those self-important idiots acting like they’re better than everyone else—I can’t stand it!”


    Ju snorted. “Honestly, your mood swings are giving me whiplash. We’re not here just for your amusement!” She crossed her arms. “You still need to meet the prince and Therella to formally greet them. And a few people have been asking about you—a Baron Esterghom, for one, and also a certain young viscount.”


    “Viscount?” I echoed, frowning.


    She shrugged. “Yes, a Viscount of Genevais. He seemed very apologetic and wanted to offer his best wishes and greetings, but honestly, that’s not the important part.” She gave me a pointed look. “Tomorrow is going to be busy for both of you. Look, I get it—most of these people may be some variety of scumbag, but they’re the ones in power. Unless you want to completely isolate your domain, you’ll need to maintain some relationships with them.”


    She gestured toward the neatly folded garments in her hands. “Here—these are the clothes you’ll wear tomorrow.”


    I looked down at the clothes Ju had pulled from her inventory. A mini skirt and a blouse? Bracers and anklets adorned with vividly colored strings? I shot her a completely baffled look.


    She grinned. “Tomorrow is the Bull-Leaping Festivity. It’s an all-female competition, and the bulls will get wilder and wilder until a winner is found. You don’t have to win, but you do have to participate—and, ideally, avoid getting gored.” She smirked. “The outfit is worn all day as a symbol of participation. It’s considered highly esteemed.”


    I raised an eyebrow, eyeing the mini skirt warily while Yolanda studied her own set with far more enthusiasm.


    “What about shoes?” Yolanda asked.


    Ju chuckled. “Pants, shoes, and hats are optional—but I’m sure you’ll find something that fits,” she said, turning back to me.


    Then, considering the matter settled, she shifted seamlessly to the next topic. “I checked on Jane like you asked. She’s level two now, but she seems to have a natural talent for arcane magic. You should consider sending her to a school or college where she can learn the basics. Look into what options are available—maybe the prince could even recommend something.”


    “You think Sid will sleep that long?” I wondered.


    Ju shrugged. “Maybe. From what I know about dragons, it could take him several months—but who knows? When he wakes up, he’ll be delighted to find out you took care of her.” She paused, then smirked. “Besides, Jane’s stepmother seems to be a real viper—at least, according to Jane’s colleagues. She’d probably love the chance to go to a school.”


    Then, as if checking off a list, she continued, “Don’t forget to talk to a merchant about farm equipment. A few of them are displaying advanced tools in the field near the stadium where the bull-leaping will take place. And make sure you visit a pharmacist to get a cure for Yolanda’s sickness. Those should be your top priorities tomorrow. So, let’s hear it—what are your tasks?”


    “Uhhh…” I hesitated, my brain scrambling to keep up.


    Yolanda, mercifully, raised her hand and started listing. “One, festivities. Two, prince, Therella, and socializing. Three, Jane. Four, farm equipment. Five, pharmacist— though that’s not necessary—”


    “Oh, yes, it is,” Ju cut in. “As I said, the bull-leaping starts at ten in the stadium. You don’t need to stay there all day, just be present when it’s your turn. Ask the organizers—they’ll tell you when you’re scheduled.” She gave me a pointed look. “Now, are you doing the transformation or not? It’s nearly morning, and you really need some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be long.”