"My time as a ghost is a dim memory, but I remember encountering you," Karr said, looking at me appraisingly. "You were the boy who keeps two girls on your side yet speaks ill of harems."
"I don't have a problem with the harem part. People should have the right to do whatever they want. However, when you add slavery in the mix…"
Karr chuckled slightly. "You remind me of myself when I was younger. Idealistic. Noble. The words going through your head? Those were the same words that went through my mind. I told myself if everyone was free it'd all be okay. I had spent my life believing those words… and then I got to watch my best friend, my lover, my sweetheart… she fell apart because of those words.
"Karr?" Astria's hand went to her mouth.
Karr nodded and sighed. "A fairy and a man? How could that work? She can live thousands of years, and I would barely live fifty. I told myself if I gave her the cold shoulder that she would eventually move on. She didn't… and because I wasn't willing to accept her in my youth, my actions led to the fate we saw.
"What does that have to do with slavery?" I asked.
"A Fairy Queen… is compelled to create a colony, her own fairy spring." Karr shrugged. "Only the bond of slavery can redirect her primal instincts. It's a part of nature. Fairies are an important part of the mana cycle. That was why I enslaved her, to break that cycle."
I was starting to understand a bit now. Just like bees made honey and pollinated flowers, it looked like fairies pollinated mana. They created mana springs and mana dust. Their bodies were even composed of mana.
"And the other girls?" I asked.
"Not… everyone wants to be free." Karr sighed. "I didn't realize it at the time, but the longer I went, the more I realized that some people were so used to servitude, that the act of being freed hurt them. Many of my servants stayed on because of that reason. I tried to free them, but they couldn't stand freedom. They decided to stick with something they could understand.
"There were also many women who fell in love with me. I was a handsome adventurer in my day, and saving a girl from an abusive slave master has an effect on her. I used to just ignore these crushes. Toss these women away and let them fend for themselves. Some moved on, but others were like Astria. They remained heartbroken, a pain they never got over. That is the path we walk, the path of harems."
"We?" I took a step back. "I'm nothing like you…"
"Have you ever asked yourself lad, if these girls want to be free?"
I paused, turning to the three women that had been watching our conversation in silence. The three girls blushed, not meeting my gaze. However, before I could say anything, Astria stepped forward.
"Karr…" Astria said, her expression complicated.
Karr shook his head and finally turned to Astria. "I wronged you… perhaps my entire life. I don't expect you to forgive me. However, perhaps, you don't need to. Rather… wouldn't it be best if we just stood aside, and let these children have their future."
He gestured to Celeste and I, still holding hands.
"Karr… I'm sorry… I didn't know… the things I did…" Astria looked down at her hands. "Celeste… my baby, what have I done?"
"I am just as guilty…" Karr sighed. "I made mistakes. I regret many of them. Among them, I've never gotten to truly meet my daughter. Hello, Celeste…"
"F-father!" Celeste straightened herself as Karr finally stood up.
He walked over and patted her head and then gave me a sharp look. "Boy… you are her master… and now her man. Take care of my girl. Don't make the mistakes I did. Never make her feel like she isn't loved."
"Ah… y-yes!" I nodded.
"She is my precious daughter." Astria added. "I have wronged her for so long, so I'm putting faith that you can do it right."
"Is that it?" I asked in disbelief. "Your anger is gone?"
"My fury isn't so simple as to be obliterated by a few cheap words." Astria chuckled darkly and Karr looked away sheepishly. "However, I have a better understanding now. I know enough to know that I've been pushing myself on my daughter all these years, keeping her down. Celeste is our future now.
Karr straightened, his body suddenly covered in a white light, "Yes, one thing we both can agree on, this daughter of ours deserves a future, and she can't have that while we continue to squabble in this dungeon! The curse must be broken, and to do that, we both must move on."
"Father… Mother…" Celeste spoke with tears in her eyes.
With that, the atmosphere in the room started to change. Astria's body was covered in a light too. She gestured for Karr to come to her.
"Is it really okay?" He asked, unsure of himself. "I've made so many mistakes."
"Me too…" She smiled. "It's time, that both of us move on. It's time to let them take over."
A glowing orb appeared from the ceiling and started dropping down. That was none other than the dungeon's lore! The story of Lord Karr, his curse!