The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

“Ashes, I’d like to talk with you for a moment.”
Just like always, I called out to Ashes as she lounged on the sofa. Maybe it was because my voice was more solemn than usual, but the slaves with PTSD flinched.

“What did you do wrong?”
“…?”
“You’re screwed now. Lin doesn’t know about this.”

While Ashes just tilted her head in confusion, the slaves started slinking away, giving us space.
Before long, it was just me and Ashes left in the room. She looked at me nervously.
“I’m sorry…”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
Apologizing before even knowing what she did wrong—was just asking to talk really that terrifying?
“It’s nothing serious. I just had the feeling you were having a hard time adjusting. Are you struggling at all?”

Ashes rolled her eyes thoughtfully for a second, then shook her head.
“I see.”
She says she’s fine, but Ashes is the type who doesn’t «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» express much. There might be something she’s hiding deep down.

Maybe she’s not even aware of it herself.
And it’s a master’s job to help with things like that.
Definitely not because of any under-the-table bribes.

“Come here.”
Ashes walked over and stood beside me.
I opened the window. A warm spring breeze drifted in.

“The others will get jealous, so we need to sneak out.”
“…?”
“Let’s go out, just the two of us. In secret.”
I sat on the windowsill and reached out my hand.

Ashes, eyes wide, nodded eagerly.
 
****

“To think the Ice Dragon Scadia would be used as a mere human’s mode of transportation…”
We were soaring high above the ground, the world below looking like a toy set.
We were riding on Scadia’s back as we flew.

“Why so resentful? The princess you’re so obsessed with is riding you, isn’t she?”
“I might’ve liked it. If you weren’t riding too.”
Scadia, despite her massive size, kept grumbling like a spoiled brat.

Smack!
“Ack! P-Princess? Why’d you hit me?”
“…I hate you.”

“What did I even do?”
“Typical dragon. No conscience. You destroyed Ashes’ kingdom, remember?”
“That was…”

“And if it weren’t for me, Ashes would still be trapped in that crystal cave.”
Seriously, I’ve never seen a bastard this bastardly.
I have no idea why Ashes forgave someone who’s practically her mortal enemy.

“She looked lonely…”
Maybe she felt some kind of kinship with Scadia. I’m not the one directly involved, so if Ashes is okay with it, I have no right to object.
I mean, I’m satisfied as long as I’ve got a pretty dragon slave now.

I never questioned whether Scadia was female. I mean, come on—it’s a damn waifu game. Of course the dragon’s a girl.
If she were male, even if Ashes gave her permission, I would’ve been the first to kick him out.
We flew swiftly on Scadia’s back and arrived at a city.

But letting a dragon show up would’ve thrown the place into chaos, so we landed outside the city, hidden above the clouds.
Ashes slid down an icy slide she made and landed gracefully on the ground. I was nestled in her arms like a fairytale princess.
“Thanks. Could you put me down now?”

“……”
“Ashes?”
“Rami, wanna… be the princess?”

“No.”
Her face fell instantly at my flat response, and she gently put me down.
I left the outskirts with Ashes and headed into the city center.

The main streets were full of people bustling about.
The city we arrived at was called Fortuna. As you can tell from the name—taken from the goddess of luck—it’s famous for its casinos.
House of Oro.

The Golden House.
Thanks to the nature of tycoon games being repetitive, it’s an essential place to satisfy players’ dopamine cravings.
You run a shop, earn money from customers, and then gamble with it here.

You can multiply your cash, get rare items, or even win special slaves.
The reason I brought Ashes here to Fortuna is simple: to awaken her dulled emotional sensitivity with the thrill of high-stakes fun.
“Let’s go.”

I held out my arm, and Ashes linked hers through mine. We walked toward the casino together.
As we walked, people started stopping in their tracks. All their eyes were fixed on Ashes.
—Heh. These primitive humans have never seen such beauty. Look closer. Worship our princess. Praise her. Revere her.

Ever since the slave contract, I could hear Scadia’s voice from within Ashes.
What a delusional little simp. The kind who’s completely lost themselves in worship. You’d think she was Ashes or something.
‘Well… I guess I kind of get it.’

You know that feeling—when your friend or partner is super attractive, and it boosts your ego by proxy?
I take pride in the fact that someone as beautiful as Ashes is my slave.
‘This is my slave.’

—This is our princess.
And with that, we entered the casino.
We were greeted by dazzling golden decor. Tables were set up throughout the place, with crowds gathered around each one.

People cheering wildly. A man collapsing and bawling as he was dragged away by staff.
Casinos are fun to just watch because you see all kinds of human drama. I was curious what Ashes would be like here. I was already looking forward to it.
I brought her to a table where a game was already in progress.

“Have you ever played any games back in the castle?”
“Chess…?”
“You? Chess?”

“……”
“Just kidding.”
Ashes, playing chess? The girl who’s always zoning out, looking intellectual?

“Ever tried card games?”
“A little.”
“Do you know the rules?”

“Maybe…?”
If she knows the rules, that makes things easy.
The game at the table we were watching ended, and some middle-aged guy was dragged away after losing. I sat Ashes down in his spot.

“Rami?”
“Give it a try. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be good at it.”
“But…”

“If you do well, I’ll tell you a new fairytale.”
As expected, her eyes sparkled instantly.
I bought chips with 20 gold coins and placed them in front of her.

There were three players total, including Ashes.
The game was Caribbean Stud Poker.
The rules are simple—it’s basically standard poker.

If your hand beats the dealer’s, you win. Less about mind games and more about luck and decisiveness—something Ashes can probably handle.
The dealer started shuffling the cards with smooth, practiced hands.
“Betting will now begin.”

Ashes stared at her chips, then pushed some forward. She started light—1,000 for the ante.
Once the other players placed their bets, the dealer dealt five cards to each of them.
The dealer laid out their own cards on the table and revealed one of them.

♥K.
I looked over Ashes’s hand.
♠1 ♦5 ♥8 ♣3 ♠7.

“Wow.”
That’s a hand so bad it makes your palms sweat.
While the other players called and added to their bets, Ashes quietly laid her cards down.

“Fold…”
The dealer had a Four Pair.
Ashes was the only one to lose chips that round. On to the next.

She placed another 1,000 chip ante.
Ashes’s hand: ♥6 ♦K ♦7 ♣6 ♣9.
Six Pair.
The dealer’s revealed card was ♥5.

“Oh, this one looks promising.”
Ashes nodded and called, pushing another 1,000 forward.
The dealer’s hand?

Triple Fives.
Ashes lost again.
Third round.

She was already down 4,000.
Her expression hadn’t changed, but maybe she was starting to feel desperate?
Classic gambler mindset—win it back. This time, she boldly bet 5,000.

Her cards were:
♠7 ♦9 ♥5 ♠6 ♦8.
A straight.

A powerful hand that could win most rounds.
“Call.”
Ashes confidently pushed in 10,000 worth of chips. There was more force in her voice than before.

It looked like she was finally about to recoup her losses—until the dealer revealed the rest of the cards.
“No hand.”
Pause.

Ashes’s expression froze for a moment.
Even more blank than blank.
No Hand.

If the dealer doesn’t have at least A-K, the round is void.
A golden chance with a straight and a high bet—gone in an instant.
She lost two rounds, and while she didn’t lose the third, it felt worse than losing. Her luck wasn’t just bad—it was insultingly bad.

That’s when I felt something was off.
“Ashes, did Lin get mad at you recently?”
“…Ah.”

Ashes let out a belated sigh, as if something had just clicked.
Judging by her reaction, I knew exactly what happened.
She must’ve kept trying to touch Lin’s tails, and Lin, finally fed up, cursed her luck. No wonder she kept losing every bet.

“Told you to take it easy.”
“But… they’re so fluffy…”
Ashes pouted, like the universe had wronged her. But pestering a nine-tailed fox has consequences—and they’re brutal.

After that, she couldn’t win a single round. She lost every hand, one after another. Eventually, there was nothing left on Ashes’s table.
She’d blown through all her chips.
Kicked out of the table.

“……”
Ashes, lips pouting in dismay, stared at the floor like it had personally betrayed her.
“Nothing you can do. I guess that’s it for the casino. Let’s try something else—”

“Excuse me.”
A casino staff member approached us politely, requesting our attention.
“What exactly are you excusing yourself for?”

“Our manager at House of Oro would like to invite you both to our VIP lounge.”
The manager of the casino—I recognized him from earlier.
Erma de Robel.
Eldest son of the Robel family.

There’s no way he knows who we are. So why a VIP invite?
Two possible reasons came to mind:
Either he instantly sensed my exceptional charisma,
or he was interested in Ashes.

It’s obviously the first one, right?
As expected from the manager of the kingdom’s top casino.
The man clearly has a sharp eye for talent.

I was already curious about the casino anyway, so I followed the staff member to the VIP lounge to hear what this "manager" had to say.
Inside was a man with golden-blonde hair, like melted gold.
That was Erma de Robel—the casino manager.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m the merchant lord of the Reaper’s Caravan—”

“Oooh! You’re even more beautiful up close!”
Erma completely ignored my outstretched hand and handshake offer, pushing past me to stand before Ashes.
He circled her, inspecting her like she was some kind of prize.

And that’s when I remembered what kind of bastard he was.
This guy’s a full-on lady-chaser freak.