When Lonis caught a whiff of that stench, she nearly threw up.

And it wasn't just the stench. As she kept cutting, a thick, filthy liquid began oozing out of the cow... It made her hands, wrapped in white silk, sticky and slimy, as if they'd been covered in filth.

"What the hell are you doing? Why did you cut open the cow's stomach already?"

The foul stench filled the air, and even Elucia nearly passed out from the smell.

"Huh? The cow's stomach... No, I was avoiding the intestines and stomach while I cut. That part over there... isn't that the stomach?"

"You idiot. Don't you know cows have four stomachs?"

"F-Four? They have four? (They really have four?!)"

"You moron. Looks like you won't learn your lesson unless I make you eat cow dung with your own mouth today."

"I-I'm sorry!!"

...

...

...

Lonis wasn't actually forced to eat cow dung, but her hands were tied behind her back, leaving her to watch Elucia butcher the black cow.

To be fair, the little black-haired girl was small, but she moved fast... Without Lonis getting in her way, she finished butchering the black cow in just half an hour, sorting all the different cuts into their proper piles.

Next came starting a fire and cooking.

Elucia was just as skilled at that. First, she pulled out something that looked like a walkie-talkie. Then she inserted a fiery red crystal, and flames sprang from the spot where its antenna should have been.

The fierce flames soon heated the rock until it was scorching hot. Before long, the steak was cooked through on its warmth.

"Th-That's amazing... Is this... magic?"

Lonis stared, caught off guard by the delicious smell of steak.

"Magic? What era are you from? Have you never even seen a phone?"

"A phone? This thing is a phone?"

"It's short for handheld personal terminal magitech device. Magic isn't anything like this, and it doesn't come at such a simple price, either."

"U... uh?"

"Don't think that just because you look so pitiful, I'll give you some of the cooked beef. A master isn't supposed to wait on her maid, after all."

"Who looks pitiful?!"

She tried to sound defiant, but the steak Elucia had cooked really did look delicious.

The rock already had some salt in it, and its leftover heat was just right for bringing out the beef's juicy, tender texture.

Just smelling it made Lonis feel like she was about to start drooling.

"Lonis, you're embarrassing yourself... If I could, I'd get you a mirror so you could see how pathetic you look!"

"Uh..."

"All right. Since you're making such a cute face, I'll make an exception and feed you this once. But as my slave, you have to say: 'My master's the best. I love being her slave and getting bullied by her.'"

"How could I possibly say something like that...?"

Lonis shook her head, but after everything she'd been through, she knew her resistance had weakened quite a bit.

No matter how much she resisted, the other girl would just tease her mercilessly anyway.

Wouldn't it be better to be sensible and play along?

...

So Lonis opened her mouth in embarrassment, ready to surrender.

But just then, a nameless resentment welled up inside her. For some reason, Lonis dug in her heels and stubbornly refused to back down:

"Hmph. It's just a piece of beef. If I don't eat it, I don't eat it."

"Oh...?"

"It's not like I'll starve to death. I don't even want it!"

With that, Lonis shut her eyes and looked away from the beef.

Even though she was really hungry...

Even though the beef smelled absolutely delicious...

But she was a grown man—giving in like this would be way too embarrassing, wouldn't it?

And so the silver-haired girl, her hands tied behind her back, turned her face away... But she didn't notice the tear that slipped from the corner of her eye.

...

...

...

...

Seeing Lonis's expression, Elucia's heart sank.

Just as she'd thought. Lonis was still the same as before—always trying to act tough, never backing down even when she was completely exhausted.

Even her foolishness was exactly the same as before.

In that case...

She'd have to do everything in her power to train Lonis into complete submission, and make her fully understand that she was a slave now.

Because if she didn't...

...

...

...

"Hmph!"

Looking at the defiant girl, Elucia let out a cold laugh. "At this point, do you really think you still have the right to resist?"

"Huh? Wh-What do you mean...?"

Lonis's eyes widened. She instinctively took a step back, like a little girl.

"You're nothing but my toy. So if you dare to resist, don't blame me for being merciless."

"No!"

The silver-haired girl turned and tried to run. But with her hands tied behind her back and high heels on her feet, how could she possibly outrun Elucia?

She barely made it two steps before she was tackled. No matter how hard she struggled, she was as helpless as a little cushion in Elucia's hands.

...

"N-No! I don't want to eat cow dung! You might as well kill me!"

"Kill you? Dream on. Eat!"

"Mmph! Mmmmmph!!!!! (She forced it in... It's so much, I can't spit it out?!)"

(Wait, this isn't cow dung? It's...)

...

Lonis had thought that Elucia would punish her by stuffing cow dung into her mouth...

But when the tip of her tongue tasted it, Lonis realized the food was surprisingly delicious. Its slightly salty flavor and firm texture were unmistakably those of fresh steak!

(Elucia's making me eat the steak by force?)

Lonis froze. Pinning her down, Elucia said smugly, "I told you, you're my toy. If I want you to eat, then you're going to eat."

"Mmph?"

With her mouth full of beef, Lonis couldn't even speak.

"You thought that if you refused to eat, you'd get starving enough for me to take pity on you later. Let me tell you... that's never going to happen!"

"Mmm...?"

"You're my slave—in other words, my property. And I won't allow my property to have any health problems. Otherwise, wouldn't I be the one losing out?"

"Huh?!"

"Finished eating? Then hurry up and get ready to move. The temperature in the Dragonbone Mountains drops below minus twenty degrees at night. If you don't want to freeze into a block of ice, get moving!"

"Mmm... huh?"

Under Elucia's "threat," Lonis hurried to finish the steak. Then Elucia put a collar on her, and she set off once more.