85 Chapter 76: The return of the pervert
The soft, melodious voice continued to fill the private chamber of the Shilna Clan's next head. The room was still cloaked in a thin veil of darkness, with only a flickering light from the small candle illuminated part of the space, for the morning sun had yet to rise from the thick wood. On the marital bed shared between Yllaner and Kyles, the princess gently stroke the hero's hair, who laid peacefully on her lap as she recounted the memories they shared during their childhood.
「... I still can recall that time we first met at your orphanage… that was my first time leaving the forest…」
「Do you still remember the time when I got lost in the woods close to the orphanage for days and you finally found me in the midst of the downpouring storm? I swear my heart skipped a beat the moment your hand reached out to me…」
「... and I couldn't believe it when you "proposed" to me when we were at the meadow…」Yllaner chuckled as tears fell down her cheek.
「... Thank you, for choosing me as your wife, my dearest husband…」Yllaner leaned down to kiss Kyles' cold, motionless body on his lip.「without you, I could only become the cold, emotionless, and ruthless clan head that my brother wanted me to be… Thank you for helping me retain my own self, my hero.」Yllaner pulled Kyles into her embrace as she wept.
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Ryan stood close to his master, his hand instinctively held onto his master's sleeve as he bravely watched the funeral procession of his sworn brother. As dictated by the tradition of the wood elves, the funeral of a clan head's consort would be carried out on the same day he passed away. The cold body of the hero was laid on top of a pile of neatly stacked wood. Standing next to it was the Shilna's princess, her hand held onto a small torch that was lit with a blue flame. After reciting the rites, Yllaner simply lowered her hand, allowing the flame from the torch to ignite the wooden stack. Since the flame was conjured by magic, it quickly engulfed the pyre in no time, burning intensely while swirling around like a raging vortex. Despite how it looked, the heat that was radiating from the flame was strangely soothing, leaving those in attendance in a trance-like state as they stood motionlessly in a show of respect to the hero who saved their Princess.
「May the soul of Prince Consort Kyles Ios Ganz forever rest in peace!」The elven twins, who acted as Vernys' High Shamans, loudly declared.
Suddenly, in the midst of the solemn silence, a soft melodious tune could be heard by the hybrid before he had noticed the Princess' moving lips. The Hymn of the Spirits, a traditional folk song of the inhabitants of the Vernys Forest, depicted the tale of a fallen soldier soul, who had to to suffer during his lifetime before finding salvation and returned to the embrace of the Spirits after death. Due to its heretical belief, this very song would be a sacrilege to those who worship the Astrals as their gods, yet strangely, even Amber, a representative of the Gods, found herself standing quietly and fully absorbed in its sweet and mournful melody.
「... Zaeryn, do you believe in the concept of soulmate?」Kibadios recalled the conversation he had with Sylvia as he looked at the Elven Princess and her devotion for Kyles.
「...Why do you ask?」Zaeryn pulled Sylvia into his embrace.「You want to gloat to others that you have found yours since I'm your perfect husband?」The tengu grinned.
「Haa, conceited much?」Sylvia pinched his cheek.「 That's not where I'm going with this, but I guess it means you do believe in soulmate?」
「Ouch, I was just kidding. Though truth to be told, I think "soulmate" is a concept that was invented by shoujo mangaka to sell their manga.」answered Zaeryn.
「... You know I have no idea about the references that you keep using, right?」Sylvia was unimpressed. 「But still, I'm glad we share the same opinions…」
「Why do you ask?」Zaeryn was curious.
「I was just thinking about Aspen and how he's going to marry Adela, someone he shares no chemistry with. The people of the kingdom believe they're meant for each other but we all know better. It just makes me wonder about the concept of "soulmate" that many believe in.」
「If you don't believe in soulmate, then what do you believe in, my dearest waifu?」Zaeryn hugged Sylvia tighter as the both of them leaned their backs against the large tree trunk while gazing at the starry sky above.
「I don't know?」answered Sylvia truthfully.「... Now I think about it, maybe I do believe in soulmate, but just not the definition that others gave it.」
「So what's your definition?」
「It's not some predestined thing… it's not something set in stone.」answered Sylvia. 「You're undoubtedly my so-called "soulmate" now, but it's not because we're fated to end up together. Our feelings for one another is just something organic that develops and levels up over time until we obtain the "Soulmate" titles?」
「That'd mean if we somehow relive our lives like Relife or Tokyo Revengers, it's not necessary that we will end up together?」
「... Again, I don't know what those references are but yes, I think there's a great chance we won't be husband and wife… There'd even be a chance you'll end up with Aspen for all I know.」
「... I like that.」
「Huh? You like ending up with Aspen?」Sylvia raised her eyebrows.
「No, I mean, I like the fact that us ending up together now is something special… something unique for this timeline…」Zaeryn squeezed his wife. 「Though, it means that if we ever reincarnate in the same era in the future, we may not end up together again.」
「That's fine. As your wife now, I give permission for your reincarnated self to find your "soulmate", you don't have to worry about my feelings.」Sylvia grinned mischievously before leaning in and gave Zaeryn a long deep kiss.
「Same here! I promise I won't be jealous if your reincarnated self find her own soulmate… or maybe "his" own… who knows what gender we will reincarnated into, if at all?」
「... Say… Do you think there's a chance I'll reincarnate into a man and you into a woman and somehow we'll end up together again? Or better yet, both you and I will end up together as two men!」Sylvia excitedly fantasized.
「...There's no cure to your fujoshi disease, is there?」
Kibadios continued to gaze at the elven princess as he remembered the conversation he had with Yllaner's past life. 「... I'm glad you found your soulmate, Sylvia's reincarnation… and that you two were able to share a time together, no matter how brief it was. You really deserve this.」The hybrid muttered.
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「Are you alright, Ryan?」Kibadios broke the silence once the group returned to their room after Kyles' funeral.
「... I'm fine, Master.」Answered the hero, though the hybrid could see his slave discreetly wiped away his tears seconds before his answer.
「Ryan chan, it's okay for you to cry.」Maia turned to console the hero since she knew how painful he must have felt for she had also experienced the loss of her mother in the past.「We're all here for you!」
「Thank you, Maia chan, everyone. But truly, I'm fine. Now is not the time for my grief.」Ryan forced a smile on his face.「We still have to focus on finding Rowan chan!」
「... Before that, let me show you something that I think you'd like to see.」Kibadios called out to the hero after making up his mind.
「What is it, master?」Ryan curiously asked.
「This!」Kibadios clapped his hand before summoning something on the floor.
「This is!?」Maia widened her eyes.
「Why is she here?」Ryuu put up his guard the moment he realized just who had his master summoned. Next to him, Yuusei was also hissing like a feral animal.
「Master?」Ryan turned to Kibadios, though his hand had instinctively grabbed onto his sword.
「Don't worry.」The hybrid quickly dismissed his slaves' concerns. Pointing to the naked doll laying on the floor in front of them, he continued.「That's not Adela. It's just the soulless homunculus vessel that she used. I devoured it whole using my skill so it's natural that I can summon it back.」
「But why would you want to bring it here?」Ryuu was confused.
「It's a homunculus, there's only one use for it.」answered Kibadios.「Well, probably two uses, though I'm not pathetic enough to use it as a sex doll. Anyways, I summon it here to make it into a vessel, just like how Adela did.」
「A vessel?」
「But for whom?」asked Ryan.
「Did you know that with my <Devour> skill, not only would I be able to consume one's flesh, but also one's soul? That's how I was able to have a chance of gaining their skills.」answered Kibadios with a grin.「I've said before that there's no way to bring the dead back to life, but those who were wholly consumed by me while still being alive are in a different category. Since I possess their souls, if I were to put their soul into his homunculus vessel, it's no difference than "resurrecting" them.」
「But who would you…?」
「Master! You mean!」Among those who were present, it was Ryan who first understood what his master was hinting at.
「Yes. I'll bring that annoying elf back.」smiled Kibadios before tenderly pinching Ryan's cheek.「Hopefully this can lessen your pain a bit, my little hero.」The hybrid soon clapped his hand again before kneeling onto the floor as if he was trying to perform human transmutation like the Eric brothers. And just like what happened in Full Metal Alchemist, a magic circle suddenly appeared and glowed brightly on the floor before magic molecules circulated the room, then got absorbed into the lifeless homunculus female body.
「Reuk, put down that volume of JJK and get out here!」Instead of some elegant chant, the hybrid simply screamed at the weeb elf's soul, much to the surprise of others in the room.
「Got it, got it! You don't have to yell like that!」Unlike when Edward and Alphonse trying to resurrect their mother, the process of transferring Reuk's soul into the homunculus was so seamless that by the time Reuk responded to Kibadios' command, he had already found himself awakened inside the female body on the floor.「Huh? Wait a minute… This is…」The girl-Reuk slowly clenched then relaxed her fists several times, then looking around the room, her eyes blinking nonstop. 「Eh? This is the physical world?」Looking down onto her own naked body, Reuk's face quickly turned bright red before blood slowly ran down her own nose.
「Welcome back, Reuk…」greeted Kibadios, though the hybrid soon felt irritated since Reuk clearly was not listening to a word he was saying.「Stop squeezing the breasts of that homunculus body, you fucking perverted elf!」
「Fine fine, you don't have to yell.」 acknowledged Reuk before turning to the still frozen-in-shock hero.「Hey, Ryan?... guess I'm back?」
Commissioned artwork: Scene of Yllaner and Kyles.
Artist: Urusai_nu ?
https://skeb.jp/@Urusai_nu
Follow the link or click on the comment to see the picture. :)
https://imgur.com/aos026Y
