This is a detailed breakdown of Chapter 259 of the main story, “Solution to Dissonance #2”.
“Shall we start with self-introductions? I know it feels a bit late, but everyone should take this seriously. ♪”
Selen stepped forward to lead them.
Then, she placed her hand over her own chest.
“My turn first. I’m Selen, a half-elf hailing from the Aphlum Empire. Although my clan lineage technically falls under the Deep Green series, please don’t worry about that. As for me becoming the second female slave…”
She then prompted Apple beside her.
Apple momentarily looked flustered, cast a quick glance at me before puffing out her cheeks with renewed determination.
“I’m Apple. My clan line is Purple, and yes, I’m also a half-elf as you can plainly see. Although I don’t remember anything about it, I seem to be the original female slave. Thank you for your consideration.”
“Wait… you don’t remember?”
“What does that mean?”
Sharon and Almeida raised their eyebrows in unison.
“Ah, this seems interesting…”
“Hold on a sec, Tetes.”
Naris restrained Tetes as she leaned forward.
“Ahhh…”
Apple appeared shaken for just a split second.
“But before Mr. Andy returned, I sustained nearly fatal critical injuries during our conflict with the North and lost all my memories. However, it is true that you were indeed the first female slave.”
Selen smoothly covered up for her.
Irina scoffed.
“That particular point can’t really be apologized for… It’s a verified fact confirmed even by the Clan Council. Apple remained in a coma for years and was revived by Lady Hilda…”
“Is that so?”
”…Well, conflicts arise everywhere. There’s nothing strange about it.”
Sharon and Almeida seemed satisfied enough with that explanation.
“But speaking of next in line, shouldn’t that be Diane?”
At Irina’s prompt, Diane stood up.
“Diane here is the daughter of Ashton, a Dark Elf from the Southern Desert. As everyone knows, I’m quite clumsy, but I intend to become Andy’s wife.”
Tetes then chimed in.
“You’re not actually a female slave, right?”
”…Yes. We don’t have such a contract.”
“Isn’t that a disadvantage compared to all of you?”
“I haven’t felt restricted at all. Besides, I have no intention of enslaving anyone, nor do I wish to be enslaved myself. My goal is simply to love Andy on an equal footing.”
She declared it with absolute confidence.
…Indeed, she alone has never once desired a collar.
Normally, the opposite should be the case for someone so special, yet she stands out as truly unique.
“I see, having things like that arranged here is perfectly acceptable…”
“I’ve been wondering about this since the beginning, Tetes… why are you saying such things? And what about Kristie?”
“Huh? Well, don’t you find these magnificent faces fascinating?”
Facing my interjection, Tetes gave her a look as if to say, “Who exactly asked for that kind of question?”
She possesses incredible courage. From any perspective, she’s an extreme mismatch.
“Besides, nothing is more relaxed or entertaining to watch than the tangled complexities of another person’s passionate affairs.”
“Tete-chan, please try to keep it civil for once.”
At sixteen, this kind of gumption was terrifying.
Glancing at Kristi, I added:
”…I-I mean, Mister Smyson’s been trying to impregnate me on occasion!”
“For crying out loud, just call it sex!”
“In a way, given the possibility that we might end up with a child, isn’t my presence here entirely reasonable?”
“At least question your own position for a moment!”
“H-Heh, look who’s talking! It’s Mister Smyson’s fault for blatantly putting a collar around Irina’s neck! Even having just the Sky Princess as a partner could already be considered a diplomatic incident, let alone attaching something so small to a chieftain of our status!”
“I wasn’t born tiny just because I’m young!”
“Nonsense, waddle on.”
”…Um… Anyway, by being here, you’re consenting to get pregnant by Mr. Andy, correct?”
Selen tried to wrap things up with a serious expression.
“So, is that okay?”
Kristi hesitated for a few seconds.
”…W-Well…”
“You mean it’s not?”
“No… Well, I-I mean, if Mister Smyson really wants to, I wouldn’t object too much…”
“But can I be a female slave?”
Selen. That’s something you should ask yourself.
”…Well, I mean, it definitely doesn’t seem like a proper marriage will happen.”
Kristi reluctantly made a show of acceptance.
At that moment, Tete jumped in.
“You’re just dying to become a female slave, aren’t you?”
“Tch!! N-Not at all!”
“Even so, from where I’m standing, you look nothing more than a widow who’s already smoothly moved into an affair, Sensei♪”
“P-Put away those weird comments, Tete-san!”
By the way, so Tete and Kristi have something of a teacher-student relationship?
…Though Tete clearly holds all the psychological power.
Next, Anzeros stood up.
It seemed he hesitated for a moment, considering the atmosphere in the room, but eventually raised his hand properly and introduced himself.
“Anzeros, Captain of the Diane Special Squad directly under Celesta Army HQ, escort infantryman. I’ve been acquainted with Andy for about eight years.”
His manner was extremely formal—official, to put it precisely. Yet…
“Hmm. If we were to list names whose rank immediately registers on our side, there’s really only Almeida and Princess Glory, isn’t that so?”
Irina pointed it out.
…Indeed, terms like ‘army’ or ‘captain’ have absolutely no connection with Fennel or his four daughters. As such, the first half of his introduction amounted to nothing.
“Anzeros. Let’s restart based on lineage criteria.”
When I prompted him, Anzeros grimaced into a frown but introduced himself once more.
“I’m Anzeros, daughter of Linda Neumann and Aaron from the White Clan, both natives of Trot Capital.”
Ah… The four Fennel girls nodded in agreement.
“I’ve met Mr. Aaron before. His bowmanship was on par with my dad’s, if not better.”
“Eh, isn’t that pretty cool?”
Lorrie said, and Sebori widened his eyes.
She must be quite an expert.
“Well, since my father and mother were at least adventurers out in the field…”
…Come to think of it, that does sound like her story.
Of course; even if elves go adventuring outside, their family members would worry unless they’re at a level capable of tackling something around the Holy Beast Labyrinth.
And Lorrie’s dad, who could stand up to that, might indeed be quite amazing.
”…Well, as a matter of fact, the Lorries are a House of Warriors.”
Oregano added.
…Eh?
“A House of Warriors…”
“Hmm. It’s a lineage where humans would call it nobility or knights—families that take the lead in fighting when push comes to shove. Of course, we don’t act as arrogant about it as they do,” Lorrie explained.
“Lorrie is actually quite strong too. Among us, she knows martial arts better than anyone.”
Irina, followed once again by Oregano, gave further explanation.
But Lorrie herself looked troubled… more so, annoyed.
“It’s not like I can really live up to those expectations. I got into trouble because I didn’t practice seriously. I’m not strong enough to handle monsters or anything.”
“How strong are you? Can you spar with me using swords?”
Anzeros pushed in excitedly, a bit giddy, but Lorrie shook her head nervously.
“No way. All I’ve got is basic self-defense… enough that if a guy grabs me, I won’t go down immediately, but nothing more.”
“I see… so about Jeanne’s level?”
“That’s not right. I’m stronger! I can take on monsters!”
Jeanne countered Anzeros’ remark.
Well, at least she has a track record. Yeah.
“Hey-ho, don’t push your luck. You’re not in a condition to get injured.”
”…W-well, I’m not exactly volunteering myself for fights anyway. And I certainly can’t fly around and jump about like Anzeros does.”
“That’s good. Jeanne and Peter will be protected by me, Leila, and Tyrus,” Lanz said confidently.
Pfu-pfu, treating Jeanne like a little sister while Anzeros spoke; even though in reality, Jeanne is technically just barely older than Anzeros.
Next was Aurora.
Unlike Anzeros, she didn’t stiffen up or put on airs.
Like befitting an elf princess, she elegantly dipped her handkerchief and gave a graceful bow.
“Klabes Colony Leader… Daughter of the Sky Clan Chief Dio, Aurora. A pleasure to meet you.”
“Well, I doubt there’s anyone among us who doesn’t know her.”
As Irina put it, Aurora was well-known on both sides of the negotiation table.
“Selen-san said not to be modest now and to take this seriously…”
“As expected,” Selen clapped her hands in praise for Aurora.
“Why would someone like you… become a female slave to my master?”
“I’m a bit curious.”
Fennel and Sebori chimed in with that thought.
“Of course, ever since the first glimpse of Mr. Andy’s great capacity…”
As for Aurora, she was just beginning to speak smoothly… when Anzeros grabbed her shoulder.
“Are you skipping the part about misunderstandings regarding General Lucas?”
“It’s no small matter.”
“I wouldn’t say that easily,” he grumbled. “Sure, Andy’s leg got hacked off and he suffered greatly, but in reality, they hadn’t actually won yet…”
“Well, yes, but Miss Andy possessed a true hero’s spirit far surpassing her brother’s, so it was all for the best ♪”
I felt that bold defense was quite difficult.
Still, those on the counter were interested in something else entirely.
“Hacked off!?”
“D-Does your Honour actually mean your foot got sliced off!? By that southern nobleman!?”
Seboly and Oregano latched on eagerly.
…Ah, right. It seemed I’d been disabled for quite a while, but by the time I was dealing with Elf territory, my leg had fully healed.
”…Did you bear such hardships?”
“I’m afraid I didn’t know… Is this from recently? Then no one even knew about this?”
Indeed, not even Irina or Christie seemed aware.
“Speaking of which, there’s something like that…”
Luna was wracking her brains. When we first met, she’d cast a magical emergency patch and forced us into sex anyway.
It’s only now I’m learning some members don’t know about that major injury.
“My left foot started here… chomp… Honestly, it was the biggest crisis of my life.”
“Nevertheless, you fought back, Andy-san. To protect me and Anzeros-san ♪”
Selen gazed dreamily as she added to my explanation, while Apple also looked deeply interested.
This child must not know either the cause of my dragging leg or what happened, even though she’d seen it firsthand. I remember that now.
“And then Diane-chan stitched up your foot, combined with Polka’s holy spring water, and I made sure you fully recovered.”
Clang—Hilda set down her cup and stood up.
“In short, I’m Diane-chan’s older sister, Doctor Hilda. With centuries of experience at the forefront of southern medicine, injuries and diseases are all my specialty ♪ My hobby is getting frisky. Let’s get along ☆”
She was far too honest. And she’d completely melted away as a female slave. …Well, I’ve mostly given up on that lately. Someday, I really should go teach her properly. “Hmph. By now everyone knows who I am anyway. I am Lyra of the Desert, Black Dragon and pet of Andy Smythe.” ”…Maya. Blue Dragon. My master is also my pet.”
Lyra and Maya too, riding that sudden wave of stunned silence, got straight to their self-introductions.
…For dragons who formed contracts of power based on something like this, there’s more nuance to them than just calling them “pets” in one word… but I suppose it works fine with that.
“And I’m Jeanne, the Dwarf who gave birth to Andy’s first child.”
”…Luna Basil… Grandchild of the leader of the cat-beastman colony Andy occupied.”
“Occupied!?”
It felt like she was about to launch into an even bigger list, but Luna’s introduction stopped the flow cold.
By the way, Tetes was the one who looked most surprised—a guy with impeccable timing for making a dramatic entrance.
”…Occupied. There’s a colony Andy took over where he impregnated almost all the women himself.”
When Luna quietly revealed this, the room murmured in shock.
”…That’s what that place was about…”
Naris pinched the bridge of her nose. Then, the girls who knew little about the cat colony praised the situation with an unnecessary air of awe: “No kidding.” “Well, if it’s a freak as powerful as this one, there’s no surprise…” “I was told the mating fervor among feline beastfolk is absolutely terrifying, but having so many of them…” Almeida and Cristy wore expressions that hovered delicately between reverence and bewilderment. …At least, since it was a fact with no mixed motives, I couldn’t bring Saya to join in. But it’s not everyone, you know. Mostly the young ones, up to around their thirties. If they’re too old, they’re out of my range anyway.
“Alright then, shall we move on to Captain Sharon or Lady Irina?”
Tetes tried to keep things light and bridge the gap between everyone. But when she didn’t follow through, connecting directly to Sharon or Irina, her gaze halted over her shoulder instead.
The eyes of all present were fixed on just those two: Tetes and Naris.
”…”Eh, what?”
“It’s fine if we proceed strictly by seating order, but I can’t help but feel curiosity about you two after all.”
Irina explained the meaning behind their stares.
“After all, it raises questions like why you’re both here… plus, I’m a bit curious about your backgrounds at least.”
…To someone like Oregano, these two remain largely opaque figures.
“Eh, eh… Naris-chan, go ahead first anyway. At least you seem to qualify as some kind of candidate?”
“Qualify? What does that mean?! Ahhh, man… My name is Naris. I’m from the Southern Great Plains. My clan affiliation? I have no idea. My family home got incinerated right down to its roots in the Forest War while I was still a child.”
”…Right…”
“But couldn’t you check into things back south now?”
Fennel and the others stared at Naris, stunned by her plight.
“There’s nothing to check, honestly. It’s far too late for that anyway. Even if we did find out what my bloodline was, who’d pay me for it?”
Naris shrugged off her shoulders.
…Though she was joking, her words still hinted at a resistance to elven society’s inherent clanism and emphasis on lineage. For Naris, who had struggled and been forced into other ways of life, recovering her status as a mere minor scion of a wiped-out family now would only be futile… or so one might assume.
“And I am Tetes Marey. I’m the daughter of a branch noble family of Ranfangus, and despite appearances, I’m actually quite strong. Also, apart from the Ten Smiths, I’m not involved with any male or female relationships.”
Tetes blew away the heavy atmosphere that had begun to settle with her light, playful tone.
…And that’s because “Tetes Buster” isn’t her actual title; Marey is the one with those kinds of implications.
“So why are you both here asking about Master-related matters?”
In response to Sebori’s question, Tetes gave a little smile… a smile just barely tinged with something frightening.
“It’s because this group seems like it might yield some entertaining stories~♪”
”…”Haa…”
Sebori and the others could only look confused, unable to read her intent. Those who knew Tetes’ true identity as an intelligence officer could do nothing but grimace at their helplessness.
Of course, from an intel operative’s perspective, this gathering looks like a treasure trove of “interesting” leads. With two dragons and the children of powerful figures scattered all around like this…
But in reality, one still can’t tell if Tetes actually has any stories worth telling.
…Still, questions occasionally pop up as to why things have ended up this way.
“A film from the Duchy of Renne… Alameda, hailing from a Deep Green clan. Though she’s already exiled by her own clan… well, there’s no mistaking her martial prowess from what you can see. Don’t expect interesting commentary.”
Alameda stomped her iron staff rhythmically on the floor, threatening everyone around her.
“Okay then, why do you have that collar on?”
Sebori stopped Alameda right as she was about to cut off the topic. Cristy and Irina exchanged bitter smiles at the situation; Alameda’s face turned bright red.
“Oh well, it doesn’t matter what reason I had.”
But Selen called her out on it.
“Don’t do that, Almayda! It’s a gathering for us to get to know each other better. Trying to brush off the shamefulness like that isn’t good, is it?”
”…………”
Almayda pulled a bitter, bitter face.
”…Do you want me to say things out loud? How badly do you want to expose my undignified past, Selen?”
“Undignified…?”
“Yes, undignified. I was undignified too. I admit it. So please, don’t dig into it if you can help it.”
Almayda stuck to that stance.
But—
“If you really hate it so much, just take off the collar. Mr. Andy is willing to give you one, but I wouldn’t think he’d force most people to keep wearing it all the time?”
Ms. Hilda pointed out.
“That…”
”…What made you decide to accept Mr. Andy’s private parts? And what made you want to show your feelings?…Is it strange that someone who is shamelessly walking around claiming to be his lewd slave would raise such doubts?”
“Ugh…”
“Oh, come on… You could just say you lost completely to those cute little parts.”
“You really are squeezing me dry before exposing everything!”
Ms. Hilda looked like she was lecturing indirectly, but she was an absolute demon beneath it all.
Next was Sharon.
Unlike Almayda, she showed no hesitation at all.
“Sharon, a junior member of the Arcus ruling house, from a glorious lineage…Ms. Smaysom is someone who enlightened my ignorance…and moreover, someone who repeatedly claimed I was attractive as a woman through her actions. I won’t deny that I hoped for the reputation in the forest of [a vitality and skill that captivates women and trains them into submission] after she actually took on many women in service…But she was far more generous and wonderful than I imagined♪”
A dazed Sharon.
As if taking up where she left off, Kristie moved on to her self-introduction next.
“I represent the Clan of Cherry Blossoms; my name is Kristie. My first encounter with Ms. Smaysom…was like an accidental fetish scene caused by mistakenly serving her Kanetsuki Grass tea. …What impressed me about Ms. Smaysom, both good and bad, was her brutally honest desire and love that didn’t question one’s origins in the slightest…I don’t know what to call it, but it was so…pleasant…♪”
A dazed Kristie.
While eyeing the two swooning women lost in their own world, Irina shrugged.
“Females like us, who take a while for that heat to ignite within us, tend to be a bit suffocating.”
She said it as if it were none of her business.
The group almost chuckled and let off that little jab, but Kristie quickly came back to herself and shot back a reply.
“You say that after being told it was by Irina here, who was a hundred-and-fifty-year-old virgin!”
“Mugh!?”
At that point, everyone remembered: among the members present here, Irina was definitely part of the “senior” age group.
With no one older than her for certain—except perhaps for the Dark Elf sisters, Lyra, and Kristie—that very woman so happily sporting a collar was the living embodiment of “You can’t say that.”
Finally.
“I am Fennel, from the Silver branch…I wish to continue receiving your master’s favor in the future.”
“Me too! I’m Gold’s Own Ornamental Herb! Being used by your master exactly as my flesh craves is my greatest joy!”
“Ornamental Herb, calm down a bit…I’m Seborry from the Gold branch. Well, if it’s one or two babies at most, maybe it’s okay to be trained?”
”…Laurel…My master taught me many erotic things.”
The four daughters of herbs gave their self-introductions.
With this many alluring women gathered together, each of them waiting eagerly for my lewd desires to come true.
Beyond description, it’s blissful, yet that same happiness demands a substantial number of people to shoulder the burden.
…I only grasped this faintly and vaguely at first.
But still, shrinking back before the happiness right in front of you isn’t the proper way to handle things.
Given the momentum I’ve built, it’s hardly worth recounting how I’m now fully immersed in that rotting winter break head-on.