10. naughty bathroom scene continues. It’s getting physical in a non homoerotic way, of course

Before Luz could even apologize for his comment, Lewis immediately continued.

His cold attitude slowly changed into something different, and his face unnaturally twisted as if he was reliving moments of the past.

Horrified, Lewis grasped his hair with wide-open eyes as he clenched his teeth as tightly as possible.

Frowning at his expression, Luz took a step back, feeling pity for the youngster.

In tremble, Lewis continued talking to himself in a shaky voice that grew quieter and quieter with each passing second, but it was still loud enough for Luz to understand the man.

"Have you ever slept on the dirty floor with others in your age range and prayed that the master would not visit the room today, and if he did, hopefully, he wouldn't pick you? Have you seen the ones dear to you getting r*ped, and instead of being furious, you were relieved because AT LEAST IT WAS NOT YOU WHO GOT PICKED TODAY!?"

Luz gulped at his words while being thankful for never having lived through these memories. But unfortunally, the latter's derangement only worsened. His speech slowly turned into slurring, which one couldn't understand, while his face showed twisted emotions unknown to men.

Seeing how the latter has completely lost his mind and started ripping his own hair out, Luz chose to do the responsible thing. That was, of course, slapping the lad so hard that he would come back to his senses. (Author note: Anime always portrayed it as a viable method of bringing people back to reality, so it's valid. Also, I'm neither a doctor nor a financial adviser, so you better not take my words seriously.)

Through Luz's mind shot one thought as he swung his palm at Lewis. 'Hopefully, that helps. I don't know how to deal with such people, but leaving them in such a state isn't the wisest option.' But before he could finish his thought process, the impact of the slap echoed through the room.

Seeing how the lad got back to his senses made Luz sigh in relief. Across Lewis's face, however, was a big fat red palm imprint, but at least he wasn't suffering through his PTSD moments anymore.

An awkward silence formed, and Luz apologized quietly: "I'm sorry for that comment. I should have put more thoughts into it before voicing it out."

In embarrassment, Lewis stuttered with his gaze on the ground: "N-No… I sh-should be the one apologizing for overreacting."

The awkward silence reappeared again, and Lewis grabbed the soaked linen piece to continue cleaning Luz's back as he needed a distraction.

"Master Brian might be kind, but that doesn't mean that he would ignore injustice. I remember how he personally executed a child around your age after finding out, what he did to some of the female servants," whispered Lewis, as his claws slowly bore into Luz's skin.

After taking a deep breath, he continued his narration with a shaky voice: "Master Brian dismembered the boy with an ax in front of all the servants while keeping him alive, through magic. Although the man is long dead and his body turned into ashes, one can still hear his agonizing pleas for mercy whenever one walks through the yard during the night. Rumor has it that Master Brian made sure that neither Heaven nor Hell would ever accept his soul and that his suffering should be a reminder to all of us."

Goosebumps began spreading over Luz's body as he listened to Lewis's story, and quietly he whispered: "Damn, that's scary. Also, could you maybe tell me what we are supposed to do as servants?"

The latter's nonchalant attitude had returned, and Lewis explained the work situation to him. "The servant jobs aren't dark, don't worry. Most of us will work general jobs. But none of us is sticking with any work for too long."

His explanation only confused Luz. "What do you mean with not sticking too long?"

"We change our duties regularly. For example, you might be overseeing a field for one week before ending up in a workshop the following week or training in an arena. You might even end up under one of the mages here if you can gain their interest," explained Lewis while regularly yawning in between his explanations.

Luz silently stroked his beard while listening to Lewis, and one question was bothering him. "But why are we working such jobs? Like what's the point of it?"

"Since most of us are mage apprentices and former slaves who probably carry mental scars, as you've seen earlier, the work and jobs here serve two purposes. On the one hand, to reintegrate us into normal society, and on the other hand, to give us a chance in life if our path as mages should ever fail," explained Lewis.

"That's pretty cool," commented Luz in amazement before asking Lewis another question. "So, for how long does one remain here?"

"We, of course, get paid for our work here even though they take a cut from it since they provide us with food, shelter, and education. One gains the right to leave after either Master Brian or Alfred thinks you are fit to live alone. But when you reach that point, they will also offer you other choices," explained Lewis in excitement, as if he was trying to convert a nonbeliever who shoved the slightest bit of interest into his cult.

"So what are those choices you are talking about?" asked Luz as he was curious about what kind of opportunity awaited him here.

"They will offer to pay for your tuition in a mage school for a couple of years, and one can choose if they still want to take Master Brian as their patron. But one can also choose a different path, and that is, taking one of the mages or even Master Brian himself as their master," explained Lewis.

Before the discussion could continue, Lewis immediately followed up with: "As for the difference between visiting a magic school and taking a mage as one's master, that subject is beyond the scope of a damn shower chapter."

Author note: I demand sacrifices in the form of power stones and your firstborn