I stood there for a moment, letting the words sink into my mind as the girl in front of me stared, a look of determination reflected in her soft hazel eyes. How the hell am I supposed to respond to that? I don’t need a servant, especially not a pretty girl willing to obey my every command. Wait... she said that she wasn’t pretty in that last part, but... even though she may be dirty and poorly dressed she is still undeniably beautiful. Her skin was smooth, not a single wound or scar visible anywhere on her small frame, and only yielded to her gemstone eyes and slender lips. Her hair was short but still swayed with the wind, moving back and forth with fluid motions that any girl would envy. I suppose not many people compliment each other while fighting for their lives in an arena made for rape. I should probably say something.

“I thought you were pretty...”

Wow, that was impressively awkward. I think I’m going to dig a hole to bury myself in now, since that is probably the only way to stop the gazes that I was now acutely aware of from burrowing into my soul.

The girl looked surprised at my remark, her eyes widening and mouth opening ever-so-slightly while inhaling deeply as if to keep herself calm. Her eyes became glassy, enabling the sun to reflect the colors more brightly, which added to the gemstone look, but meant she was probably about to cry. I probably just did something stupid, what the hell am I supposed to do now? I didn’t mean to make her cry, I just wanted make her feel better since she probably had a tough life and most likely hasn’t ever gotten a compliment before.

I have to do something to make her feel better, or at least keep her from breaking down into tears while I still had a fat ogre pinned under my foot. Words are tricky and can easily be misinterpreted, so I think I should do something rather than say something comforting, but what can I do? Ah, got it, and there is no way this can be misinterpreted as anything other than reassurance.

I reached out with my left hand, forcing a reassuring smile onto my face despite the resistance created by the audience’s still shocked eyes with my palm facing her head. She flinched in response, but did nothing to stop me as my hand gently settled on her soft hair, slowly petting her head. I now realized that what I was doing was most likely degrading, but her lips curved up in a smile, though only a very small amount. Well, if she doesn’t mind, then it should be fine. I suppose it would be better for her to be in a good mood when I reject her proposal to become my servant.

I obviously couldn’t accept it. No one should have absolute power over another person’s mind or body. It takes away one of the greatest gifts that makes people... people, which is their free will to act as they see fit. This case is even worse since it is done willingly, and there would be complete submission of both the mind and the body as opposed to those forced to serve, which only controls the body. As long as they have the will to resist, a person can still exercise free will through rebellious acts or thoughts, but those that submit often sacrifice their humanity.

After a couple of moments, I stopped, returning my hand to my side while ignoring her slightly disappointed expression. The ogre pinned under my foot suffocated and died not long ago, and I was able to lift my foot away, letting the audience assume the green blob was simply unconscious. I hope this will be enough to give us a peaceful head start to avoid any more fights, though I don’t think his fellow ogres cared much for him anyway.

“Let’s go. They won’t stay quiet for long.”

The magical energy around us had disappeared not long after I pulled the ogre into the fight, probably because they were preparing to rescue him, but had second thoughts when it came to actually entering the arena. In any case, that made things a lot simpler for me, since I had no idea how to control my abilities after the anger faded.

I looked up at Ella, who was staring down at the arena with the same awe-struck look that was on the rest of the ogre’s faces, though I didn’t know why. They used magic in this world, and the elves had that teleporting room that I changed in earlier, so this shouldn’t be anything new to them. Unless, of course, the magical barrier was supposed to block magical as well a physical attacks, in which case what I just did would have been pretty shocking.

I gestured to Ella, catching her attention and quickly waving her over, since I was in a hurry to leave this arena and the eyes that filled it. Noticing my movements, Ella jumped up and out of her seat before gently gliding down over the heads of the audience. She continued to float down diagonally in my direction until she was about ten feet above me, her position revealing several things that she probably didn’t want revealed, so I looked away. That was a very big mistake, since she had decided to let gravity carry her the rest of the way down, and released her magic while directly above my head. Noticing the air shift around her quickly advancing figure, I stepped back, but then realized she would just end up falling on the ground and might get hurt.

I stretched my arms out in front of me without looking up, aware of her position despite being unable to see her, and she landed softly in my arms, princess-style. Giggling at my unintentionally smooth reaction, Ella wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling herself closer to me while looking over at Ak Maru mischievously. The silver-haired girl stared back with an unreadable face, watching Ella sit in my arms as if the elf-girl was nothing more than a fly that had chosen me as it’s perch.

“Hands off my hubby.”

Ella spoke, and all color drained from my face, and rushed to the pit of my stomach as if to hide from the intense embarrassment of being called “hubby” by a pretty girl. Hat or no hat, there was no way I could come up with a suitable response that wouldn’t either sound cruel or accepting the title. What do I do?The silence is going to break me soon if something doesn’t break it first, but I can’t make a sound in fear of my voice giving away my thoughts. I’m stuck.

“Get down, you’re making master uncomfortable.”

Holy crap! Ak Maru just referred to me as master, and now Ella’s penetrating gaze is directed at me with a scarily passionate look in her eyes. I need to get out of this situation fast, my legs are starting to shake from the pressure, and a chilled breeze nearly caused me to shiver. Luckily the crowd surrounding us had begun coming to their senses, and a dull roar could be heard as voices started to churn among the surrounding area, reminding me of our situation.

“Can you jump out of the arena?”

My voice came out calmer than I thought it would, and the small girl responded with a quick nod, stepping closer to Ella and me. Good, now all that’s left is... wait, didn’t Ella just fly? Doesn’t that mean we could have jumped off the ship without me worrying about her falling to her death? I looked down at the blond haired girl, who stared back up at me with curious eyes filled with innocence that only a small child should have. Ah, well... there’s nothing I can do about it now, and it all ended well, since Ak Maru doesn’t have to stay in the arena anymore.

“Do you know which direction the nearest town is?”

I asked the elf, who thankfully knew the answer, and pointed towards her feet which were off to my right. I was a bit surprised at her navigating skills since we were surrounded by massive walls that hid any visible landmarks, but then again, she can also create firestorms and glide, so I guess it isn’t that shocking. I began to turn in the direction she was pointing, but paused when I felt something gently touch my left forearm, and I looked back.

There stood Ak Maru, her hand stretched out in front of her with a very faint blush on her cheeks that wasn’t there before. Wow, I can’t believe she’s recovered so fast, the color is even coming back to her face and everything. She’s pretty resilient despite her delicate appearance, both physically and mentally. Good to know.

“Name.”

She mumbled quietly, her face becoming a slightly deeper shade of pink in the process, and her eyes would no longer meet mine. I thought I heard her say “name”, though I was still trying to figure out why when she continued, this time with a much stronger voice.

“Would master please give me a name?”

Oh, that makes sense. I told her to get a new name for her new life, and she probably needs a little help coming up with one that she likes. I suppose I could give a couple of suggestions, though I don’t know whether or not she’ll like them.

“Um... well, Brook sounds ni-“

“I accept.”

She accepted without hesitation or giving it any thought, and her entire body language changed as if a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. It didn’t really make much sense to me, but neither did anything else in this world, so I guess this is fine for now. Several orcs wearing steel battle armor began entering the arena from the sides, some new confidence filling them as they charged at full speed straight at us. I smiled, then turned away from the girl formerly known as Ak Maru to face the direction Ella had pointed at earlier. The sun had moved, now coming in at an angle, and casting long shadows across the arena floor.

“Okay. We should probably get going.”

I held Ella in my arms, mostly because I didn’t want deal with any tantrum she might throw if I tried to force her off. I bent my knees in preparation to jump, and Brook followed suit, though she placed her hands on the ground while looking up at the wall we were about to leap over. Ella seemed displeased with something, mumbling something about the name I had given Brook, but I ignored it and kept my focus on the task at hand.

I pushed off the ground, flying up and out of the arena, the dirt of the arena floor, and the corpse of the fat orc flew away from where I was standing, caught by the wind In my wake. Immediately following me was Brook, who had left the ground not long after I had, and was not far behind me as we left the constraints of the arena walls.

The air seemed fresh up here, not tainted with the foul stench of death like the arena was, and had the scenery to match it. A vast array of grey cliff faces spotted with assorted greenery split the land into sections, leaving large, green strips of land running parallel to each other. From my position, the land was split into horizontal strips, and I was able to land, then jump over the vast canyons that lay in between.

Each time I landed, the force of the impact would cause the surrounding trees to bend away, and the dirt to blow off to the sides, which made me feel a little bad since it was very picturesque before I hit. The three of us continued on for quite a while, occasionally pausing when one of us landed on a tree, and reduced it to mere splinters, but resuming almost immediately after. I thought Ella would get sore from being carried like this, but she never complained and just held on tight as I repeatedly leapt through the air.

After about an hour of this, the land slowly began to change, the trees becoming more spread out, and the canyons less common. We were now able to run instead of repeatedly jump, which was easier on Ella and Brook, who had seemed to become a bit winded from the constant exertion. Ella’s eyes looked heavy, and kept drooping closed before snapping awake, and tightening her grip around my neck as if afraid I would drop her. Brook didn’t seem quite as bad, but her face was pretty flushed, and her breaths were becoming shorter and quicker, so I decided to take a quick rest before continuing.

Stopping under a nearby tree, which was standing alone in what was now a field, the three of us made ourselves comfortable. I placed Ella down between two roots, and she immediately fell asleep, curling into a ball, her blond hair strewn out over the roots and grass. I smiled to myself before standing up straight, then lazily leaning against the large trunk, and letting my eyes drift shut in relaxation. Brook, walked over next to me, leaning her back against the tree before sliding down into a sitting position, staring off at nothing.

“Are master and the elf married?”

I twitched, unsure of how to answer the sudden question, and still uncomfortable with the “master” title. I did not agree to marry her, but had fulfilled the requirements, and she seems more than willing... but there was a problem. I only met her today, and she barely knows me as well, so love at this point was impossible. What she feels for me is most likely the result of her overprotective father, who has unintentionally failed to teach her the difference between like and love.

Her father loved her, and because of that has protected her from the world, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but now she thinks I love her because I fought for her. What I did made her happy, and now she has confused her happiness with love, which could easily be exploited by anyone with even the smallest amount of confidence. I’m sure she will fall desperately in love with someone someday, but that will take time, so marrying her now would be malicious and irresponsible of me, especially because I know it’s wrong.

“No.”

I responded without opening my eyes, hearing her stretch out her legs, and lean back in a more comfortable position.

“Brook, why do you want to be my servant?”

I didn’t understand her insistence on being my servant when I would much rather be friends, or even just acquaintances. She shifted, leaning in towards my leg to rest her head on a divot in the trunk.

“When I was in the arena, my job was to make people hurt, and not just the people inside the battle area. I’ve killed, then watched mothers cry and siblings scream for their lost loved one, knowing I did that to them even though they did nothing to me.”

Her voice wavered at the end, but she cleared her throat and strengthened her resolve before continuing.

“A servant’s only job is to make their master happy at any cost. I want someone that I can serve, a good person that won’t abuse their power over me, or hurt me... someone that won’t leave me.”

I inhaled, trying to think of something to say to reassure her. I originally intended to tell her she couldn’t be my servant because I didn’t believe in that sort of thing, but I don’t think that would be best for her right now. She needs something more than just the word of a friend, or a promise from a stranger. She needs someone that won’t leave her because she makes them happy, and serves them. I didn’t really like it, but for now I will have to assume the role of a master until I can somehow convince her to trust me as a friend.

“I see.”

I opened my eyes, and looked over at her, becoming sad when seeing her dirty hair and ragged clothes and imagining all the trauma that she must have experienced to be forced into this mentality.

“In that case, you will, from now until I decide otherwise, be my servant. In exchange, I will provide you with food, water, and as much comfort as I can afford. I don’t have much, and there are plenty of other people that are kinder, richer, and can give you a lot more, but I would be honored if you would accept me as your master.”

She immediately perked up, looking up into my eyes with a look of... confusion? Why is she confused? Isn’t this what she was going for?

“What are you talking about? You already accepted me as your servant when you named me.”

Ah... so that’s why she wanted me to choose. So now I am unintentionally engaged, and have a servant, both of which are beautiful young women. I should think things through more carefully from now on.