Earl arrived at his usual spot outside the capital. The usual spot under the big tree. It was his favourite spot. Sitting down, the grass felt cool and soft.
There were few monsters near his spot so he could relax without too many worries. Looking over into the distance, he could see novice Adventurers clearing out slimes around the city wall. There was something special in watching newbies work hard to earn their first gold.
There was a saying that hard work would always be rewarded. Perhaps that was why watching hardworking people was enjoyable. They had a clear goal in mind and was working passionately towards it.
And for Earl, today's goal was to practice magic. After making himself comfortable in his spot, he began to manipulate Shadow Magic in various ways. This was a way to practice control and precision. How beautiful a spell lies in the control and precision. To give an example, if he was casting the same magic as his mother, her's would always look more beautiful because of how precise and controlled her magic is. It was hard to explain in words.
Because he was just an Intermediate Mage, he exhausted himself of his mana rather fast but it was not a problem. When he ran out, he would wait a good few minutes to recover and practice again.
It was a rather mundane process but it was fun for Earl. Who wouldn't be happy to see progress?
Maybe he would fully commit himself to master magic in the future. He did not know what exactly he wanted to do for sure yet besides building a harem.
His modern mindset did not translate over to this world well.
Back on Earth, it was simple. Sleep with women. Get rich. Retire and travel.
Things were a little more complicated in this world. It was a dog eat dog world at heart which meant power was important. Strength was equal to wealth and more. Thankfully, he was lucky and had the protection of his mother who was essentially a boss character.
The nature of a world like this one meant that things were very flexible. There were so many paths to choose and explore.
By the time Earl finished practising his magic for the day, the sun was already close to setting. He packed his belongings and made his way home.
When he returned home, he was exhausted. Practising control magic over and over again took a toll on the mind.
"Welcome home, master." A beautiful Dark Elf girl greeted him when he stepped into the Magic Castle. Her head was slightly bowed, letting her silver hair drop down her shoulders. Both her hands were pinching her maid skirt and one of her foot was stepped back.
It was his slave, Aria.
"I'm home." He replied with an impressed tone. Sending her to school was an excellent decision on his part. "How was school?"
"It was good, master."
"You can tell me more than that."
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"..." Aria was speechless. What kind of master wanted a genuine, personal answer from their slave? Was she not just an object?
"The school didn't teach you how to answer the question?"
"...Master should not care so much about Aria."
"But I care about you. You are my slave, you belong to me. Now, talk to me, will you?"
"..."
"Stop standing there like a statue. Follow me and come change me out of my clothes."
Earl walked up the stone stairs to his room and Aria followed. He was getting the hang of her.
Getting into his room or rather, Ari's room, the usual scent of his mother lingered. There was her closet in one corner, and his own in another.
He stood in front of his closet while Aria proceeded to open it. He was getting excited about this because this was going to be Aria's first. He had eased her into preparing his clothes many times so this was the next logical step.
"At school..." Aria began to talk about her day as ordered. She talked about the unruly girl in the morning. She talked about the exercises she did throughout the day. She did not know why, but she really ended up telling Earl everything about how her day went. It felt liberating. She felt like a part of her bottled up emotions were released when she finished talking.
By the time she was done, she had finished changing Earl out of his clothes and put fresh ones on him. Aria looked to her master expectantly for his reaction.
"That wasn't so bad, right?" Earl asked her with a smile. It was a question with two meanings. One referring to her changing him, and one referring to her talking about her personal self.
Seeing Earl's smile, Aria felt relieved. At the back of her mind, she feared that Earl really did not care about her. Maybe this was what she needed. Interaction on the personal level. When a slave collar was put on her, she became an object. Her family was taken from her, everything she had was gone. What else could she be but an object? But if she was treated like this by her master, she could accept it. It would not erase all the pain and trauma she experienced but it was something acceptable. Yes, that was the word. Acceptable.
"Yes, master." Aria smiled back. It was the first time she smiled since forever and it was radiating.
"As expected, you look the best when you smile." Earl took a moment to touch her chin. "Keep talking lots to me from now on, okay?"
"Yes, master!" Aria's voice resounded throughout the room.
Even though nothing exciting happened while she was changing his clothes, Earl was able to get Aria to take a step out of her shell. It was a win in his books.