Chapter 89: The return

The young human girl slowly rose up from her bed and sat dazedly for a moment to gather her thoughts before turning her slender legs sideways toward the edge and stepped off the bed. Despite the mild cold winter, the girl was only wearing a thin layer nightgown that was barely able to cover her ample breasts. Making her way toward the window, the farmer girl cheerfully hummed her favorite tunes, a morning ritual that she has always done since she was a little kid. Though, lately, there was one more reason for the girl to enjoy the new days. After unlocking the latch, the girl forcefully pushed the windows open to greet the new day, letting the cold morning air flow through every corner of her room.

「What a great morning!」The girl excitedly proclaimed, her breast bounced on top of the window frame like how it was for the Cow Girl from Goblin Slayer.

「Ah, Good morning, Ava dono.」A voice greeted her back.

「Good mor…」Ava was going to reciprocate the greeting, yet, she stopped short for she had realized the lewdness of the night clothing she was wearing. Her face quickly turned beet red before she retreated back into the room and hid her almost naked body away from the window. Despite such embarrassing blunder, who could say it was her fault? For this morning ritual of hers had been imprinted in her mind for years before the boy came into her life. Usually, when she sprung the window open and greeted the new morning, no one would be sitting right outside her room to see her, saved for some uninterested cows who would lazily graze through a few patches of grass that still grew in the winter.

「Are you okay, Ava dono?」The boy asked after seeing his benefactor rush back into the room.

「Yes… Yes. Kibadios san, I'm sorry, I didn't know you're there.」The girl hastily apologized 「I'm sorry for my indecent appearance.」

「Indecent appearance?」The boy asked.「Don't worry, Ava dono. I was tending to Izz chan over here so I didn't see anything.」The boy pointed to the cow he was standing next to.

「Is… is that so?」Ava said. 「Thank goodness. Please wait there, Kibadios san, I'll be right out to help you tending to the herd.」The girl hurriedly put on her usual farming clothes, washed up her face before rushing out to be with the boy. She could not hide her excitement when thinking of spending time with the mild mannered Kibadios too, since not only was he such a pleasant person to be with, but also because in this small border town, he was one of the few people who was actually in her age range.

「I can't believe you took care of all 20 of them this early!」The girl was astonished to learn that all of the cows have been thoroughly brushed, a job that was supposed to be hers. 「It must have taken you more than an hour to do this, when did you wake up?」

「I don't know? Probably more than two hours ago?」The boy scratched his head.「I'm still a novice at this so it took me longer to go through all of them. I hope I did a good job though.」

「You did a great job!」Ava caressed the cow's fur. 「Izz here is extremely picky, she would not even let my father brush her, let alone some stranger she's just gotten to know for less than a month… yet, she seems to be so content with you.」

「Really? I didn't have the impression that she's that picky.」The boy turned and patted the cow.

「That's because she likes you!」Ava smiled.「and you know you don't have to do this right? Your wound had just fully healed not too long ago, I don't think working so hard this early in the morning is good for your condition…」

「Thank you for worrying about me, Ava dono, but I feel fine.」The boy pounded his chest to show off his recovery with a grin.

「It's actually impressive how fast you had recovered ever since we found you severely injured in the Vernys forest, Kibadios san.」Ava noted.「Have you remembered anything about your past?」

「... I still can't recall anything.」The green haired boy hesitantly smiled.「Next time when you're traveling into the Vernys forest, may I tag along? Hopefully when I see the location you found me in person, it would help with my memory.」

「Of course!」Ava nodded.「The next delivery trip is only two week away. For sure we'll be passing by the small river we found you. But I'm sure my deduction was right and that you're an adventurer that got hired to fight in the short civil conflict inside Vernys that ended just as soon as it began」

「... Maybe you're right.」The boy twitched his head the moment he was reminded of the conflict.「Whenever you mentioned the battle between the current head of the Vernys Forest and her brother, some emotions within me always keep stirring up, as if I have some connection to it…」

「Yeah, I mean it's the only logical conclusion.」Ava seemingly transformed into an Elizabethian era detective with a pipe on her hand, much like Chika Fujiwara.「Firstly, around this vicinity, our village is the only village that has trading relationships with the settlements inside Vernys. We would supply them with our dairy products and they would provide us with their herbal medicines. And unless you have some dealings with the inhabitants of Vernys like us, there's almost no reason why you would find a human walking around the demihuman's territory. Secondly, we heard that many human adventurers actually took part in the war, fighting on the side of the brother. Thirdly, there's also the fact that we found you severely wounded around the climax of the war. With these facts put together, I'm 99% sure you're one of the adventurers.」Ava seemed to be proud of her conclusion.

「... Yeah.」The boy nodded in agreement, though something still did not feel right.

「But even if that's the case, isn't it better if you…」Ava shyly touched her hair, her face turned into a shade of red. 「if you just stay here with us? Being an adventurer is hard and risky, you may even lose your life on any random day. Maybe it's a blessing from the Astrals that you get to start your life anew?」

「Thank you for your concern, Ava dono.」The boy politely nodded.「But, I really want to regain my memory… as fast as I can. Somehow, I feel like there's someone that I'm longing for… I want to be by that person's side, no matter what.」

「Is that so?」Ava discreetly pouted since she did not like the idea that her crush might already have someone he held dear in his heart.

「Moooo!!!」The cows suddenly broke a brief moment of silence between the two.

「Ah, that's right. I guess it's time to take Izz chan and others to their usual place for their breakfast.」Said the girl before directing the herd to the small opened gate.「Would you mind accompany me, Kibadios san?」

「Of course not!」The boy hurriedly followed.

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The usual place that Ava mentioned was not too far, located merely 20 minutes walk away from the barn. It's a sizable green meadow that tugged neatly in between a small hot spring and a patch of sparse forest. Due to the presence of the heat from the hotspring, the grass was able to grow in the ever slightly wet ground even in the cold winter. As the cows slowly spread out to graze on their breakfast, both the boy and Ava settled comfortably on two large boulders near the warm body of water.

「... So, Kibadios san, what would you do when you regain your memory?」Ava hesitantly asked.

「I don't know.」The boy scratched his head.

「Will you leave this place?」

「Probably.」The boy nodded. 「Like I told you before, I feel like there's someone that I'm longing for so if I ever regain my memory, I will probably set out to search for that person. Besides, I've bothered you and your family for so long now, I think that regardless, I should stop relying on your family's generosity.」

「Please don't say that, Kibadios san!」Ava dismissed the boy's concern.「We're happy to help you. And don't you ever think that you're a bother to us! We love having you here. Even my dad had told me that he loved having you around since you've been helping him with the works around the farm.」The girl paused for a moment, 「Though, I would understand that you'd like to leave to find that person…」

「Thank you, Ava dono.」The boy gently smiled. 「You and your family are truly kind people.」

「Kibadios san?」The girl called out.「Can you… can you drop the dono honorific? It just feels so distance when you referred to me as "Ava dono".」

「Is that so? I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Ava do…san.」

「Maybe just Ava is good enough?」

「If that's what you prefer… Ava.」The girl's face was now again blushing red, after hearing her crush calling her name in such a familiar manner.

「Would you mind if I call you… Kibadios?」Ava asked.

「Of course. You can call me however you like.」

「And why do you want to call him my name?」A voice suddenly echoed from the wood close by, jolted both the boy and Ava. The sinister tone caused the girl to quickly stand up from her boulder while the boy quickly stepped forward in front of her.

「Who are you?」Ava asked. She could clearly see the unfamiliar demihuman spreading his large black wings as he emerged from the forest.

「The name's Kibadios.」The hybrid introduced himself, much to Ava's confusion.

「What?」

「... and I'm here to claim back my property, right, Rowan?」Kibadios tilted his head.

「Rowan?」Ava was thoroughly confused.「Kibadios, what is he talking about? Do you know that demihuman?」The girl's eyes gazed up at Rowan's face, though the healer was now standing frozen, his eyes widened as he himself gazed unblinkingly at the man standing in front of him. Broken fragments of memories continued to pierce his blank mind. The hybrid looked at the motionless Ryan before leering at the girl, who was brazen enough to cling onto his harem member.

「Kibadios, we have to be careful. That demihuman may be bad news.」Ava tugged on Rowan, trying to pull him back away from the approaching hybrid, to no avail.「Kibadios!」

「Sorry I'm late.」Kibadios finally stood right in front of the shaking healer, whose tears began to trail down his cheeks.「But I'm finally here to pick you up, my cute little property!」The hybrid reached his hand behind Rowan's head before gently pulling him forward into his embrace.

「...Master?... Master!!!」The warm touch from the hybrid acted as the final catalyst to trigger the healer's memories, causing all his past to gush back to his now clear mind.「You're safe!!!??」Rowan tightly wrapped his arms around his beloved master in reciprocation.

Ava stepped back away in disbelief since not once in her lifetime had she witnessed any human to display such emotion toward a demihuman. The Kingdom of Maeg might not actively discriminate against demihuman or enslave and kill them like the Theocracy, yet, such an intimate response was beyond comprehension.

…"Master"? What did he mean by "Master"? The girl was alarmed.

「How silly.」Kibadios ruffled Rowan's head, much like an owner who greeted his excited loyal dog after a long period apart.「I should be the one who asked you that. On top of the severe injury you received, we could not find any hint of your whereabouts for almost a month afterward, everyone was worried… I included.」Despite his arrogance and uncaring tone he had in the beginning, the hybrid was yet strangely honest as he held Rowan by his side.「Who would have thought that the reason you did not return to us was because you'd prefer staying with this busty cute girl.」Kibadios teased the healer. Although his tone was playful in nature, Rowan thought he had picked up a small hint of jealousy uncharacteristically coming from his Master.

「No, that's not it, Kibadios sama!」Rowan quickly denied before turning back to Ava and introduced her to the hybrid. 「This girl here is Ava dono. Her father and she were the ones who found me unconscious in the Vernys forest and tended to my wound. It's thanks to their goodwill and generosity that I survived. But unfortunately, I had lost my memory after the incident so I couldn't return to you once I recovered… That's right!!!」Rowan jolted「Kibadios sama, what happened to you??」Rowan hurriedly patted his master from top to bottom to check for any injuries.「Where's Ryan chan? Adela was with him… Trap!… Plot!」His sentences were all jumbled up, much like his mind at the moment.

「Rowan chan!!!」By this time, Ryan rushed out from the forest after Kibadios, his face brightened up as he recognized the familiar face whose he had been longing for the last month. 「You're really alive!!!」

「Ryan?」The healer was taken aback at the hero's presence. Yet, his brief confusion quickly vanished the moment he recognized the figure who was following closely after Ryan. 「Adela!!! Master, be careful! Adela was working with Ryan chan…」Rowan instinctively stepped in front of his master to shield him from the perceived danger but Kibadios quickly pulled him back.

「Don't worry about it, Rowan. That's not the cursed Adela. It's just a weeb occupying her homunculus vessel. I've already taken care of her.」Kibadios reassured the healer.

「... Huh?」

「... Kibadios… san?」Ava finally called out to Rowan's attention.「Who's this demihuman? Who are they?」The girl pointed at Ryan and Ruek.「Why are they calling you Rowan? Is that your name?」There were a dozen more questions she wanted to ask, but she settled with these for now.

「Ah, yes, Ava dono.」The healer turned to his benefactor.「Yes, I remembered everything now. My name is actually Rowan, and this man here is my Master, Kibadios sama.」

「... There… There is no way a demihuman would be your master!!」Ava was in a state of total disbelief. 「That demihuman looks like an incubus, Kiba… Rowan san! Did he put a spell to control your mind?? I'm sure that's the case! He even called you property before. Please come back to your senses.」

「Ava dono, that's not it. I'm still myself.」Rowan tried to convince the girl to no avail.

「<Hypnosis> really doesn't work like that, young lady.」Kibadios raised his eyebrows. Why did people have the impression that a conscious mind could be easily controlled like how it was usually depicted in some hentai or yaoi back on Earth? If anything, <Hypnosis> is just a skill that targets one's mental faculty. To fully control one's actions like a puppet through skill is almost impossible… Case and point… Kibadios turned to look at the still visibly happy Ryan. 「If you don't believe me, ask my other property over there. He can attest to you that <Hypnosis> only clouded his mind, but not fundamentally control his free will.」

Ryan simply nodded in rapid succession at his master's statement.

「As if I can trust a word of a non elven kind demihuman like you!」the girl angrily retorted.

「Stop insulting my master, Ava dono!」Rowan's demeanor abruptly changed the moment Ava's disrespectful sentence ended, causing the girl to freeze in disbelief. By now, she was more convinced than ever that her crush was fully being controlled by the demihuman in front of them, since she could never picture the kind hearted boy she knew acting this cold to her.

「I don't know who you are...」Ryan stepped up.「But I will not stand back to watch you berate our Master like this」

「Wow wow wow. Everyone, let's calm down.」Ruek, the only one who's not blindly loyal to you Kibadios, tried to diffuse the tension.「Maybe we can explain everything to her.」

Rowan, still uncomfortable with the homunculus body, shot the former elf a blank look that screamed "Who the fuck are you, really?"

「Reuk's right!」Kibadios grinned deviously since his "explanation" was most likely not what Reuk was expecting.

「Master?」Rowan was unsure what his master was planning, but he was soon reminded of the hybrid's unorthodox behavior, for Kibadios simply pulled the healer closer to him, with his back pressed against his master's chest. With one hand, the hybrid gently held onto Rowan's chin before guiding his face toward his waiting lips. Wasting no time, Kibadios aggressively pressed his lips against Rowan's, then forced his tongue inside his long lost harem member's opening mouth. His hand slowly traced down along Rowan's smooth neck before slid underneath the healer's thick shirt that he was wearing. It took less than a second for the hybrid to finally reach Rowan's warm breast before his fingers started to toy with the boy's nipple. His other hand would first grab tightly onto Rowan's well defined hourglass shaped hip before it, too, would creep downward inside the boy's pants.

「Mas…ter…」Rowan tried to lodge a weak protest since they were standing right in front of the farmer girl, yet his mind and body, which had longed for his master's touch, quickly gave up on the idea. Any faint resistance he had soon evaporated as his body seemingly melted into his master.

「You demihuman! Get away from Kib… Rowan san!!」Ava screamed.

「Give up, young lady! Rowan is mine and not in a million years would I be ntred by someone like you.」Kibadios broke his kiss to give a response to the girl, though the hybrid quickly felt Rowan's lips against his own since the healer had now actively pulled his master's back for another kiss. Trails of soft moaning sound did not fail to escape his mouth. After dashing his tongue inside Rowan's, mixing up their saliva in a passionate kiss, the hybrid continued. 「Since you helped my cute Rowan when he was on the verge of death, I'll grant you your happy ending… Even if it's only an momentary illusion.」

「What are you talking about?」Ava raised her eyebrows in confusion before suddenly collapsed down onto the grassy ground.

「Master? What did you do to Ava dono?」Rowan asked concerningly.

「I simply activated <Jagan_Evil Eyes> on her. Just like how you were before, that girl is now put in a dream-like state. Since she seems to be into you, I had allowed her to experience her whole life living with you as husband and wife in that dream world…」

「Wow, your <Jagan_Evil Eyes> skill is that strong? That's no less impressive than when Itachi put his girlfriend under his genjutsu.」commented Ruek as she moved forward to look at the sleeping girl.

「No, not really. It only works because she was letting her guard down.」explained Kibadios. 「Anyways, now that we have found Rowan, let's go back. Maia and others are waiting for our return back at the settlement.」

「What about her?」Ryan asked.

「She'll wake up in no time. Though in her dream, it'd feel like decades.」Kibadios answered. 「Allowing her to experience her life with Rowan, that's my gift to her… That, and not just outright kill her for lusting after my Rowan.」

「Are we sure it's okay to just leave her like this?」Ruek asked.

「... It should be fine…This place is close to her home.」Rowan answered.「... It's better that we leave now because judging from how she's been reacting, I don't think we can ever explain to her that I'm not under Master's control.」

「Here!」Kibadios pulled out a small black box and handed it to Rowan. 「This is a recorder that I bought back in Lorian. You can use it to leave her a farewell message.」

「... Thanks, Kibadios sama.」Rowan was not the only one who was surprised by the hybrid's thoughtful gesture.

「Then do it quickly, she will wake up soon.」Kibadios turned around and started to walk back into the forest, signaling both Ruek and Ryan to follow him.「Once finished, catch up with us. I'll explain to you everything that had happened.」

「Yes, master!」Rowan nodded.

「So, when did you get so soft, Kibadios?」Ruek teased the hybrid since she knew the old, vengeful Kibadios would not have cared for whether Rowan said farewell to his savior or not.

「Shut up, you weeb!」Kibadios rolled his eyes. 「Seriously, who referenced Naruto anymore?」

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「Izz chan, take care of Ava dono okay?」Rowan patted the cow after leaving the black box inside the girl's hand. The boy turned around, looked at Ava one last time before bowing down.「I'm sorry, Ava. I hope you will be able to forget me and our time together this past month. And thank you for everything!」Once done, the healer hurriedly ran after his master into the light forest.

「Done?」Kibadios asked after hearing Rowan's steps approaching him from behind.

「Yes, Master!」Despite feeling emotional saying farewell, not only to Ava but to his peaceful life as some unnamed farmer, Rowan could not help but smile ear to ear as he looked longingly at his master.

「...」Kibadios simply patted Rowan's head in silence, before uttering something in whisper that none of the other three could have heard.「... Sorry for taking away your life once again, Rowan…」... But, if what Matelus said about you was true, then it's best that you stay by my side .

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The girl leaned against the large boulder behind her back, her red eyes simply looked toward the rustling forest as she listened to the voice from the recorder. The voice of her first crush continued to play, explaining to her his story, giving her thanks for everything she and her family have done for him. This feeling of emptiness was not what she was expecting when she woke up this morning. Somehow, she was given a chance to live with her crush as husband and wife for what seemed to be an eternity in that dream. Yet, she wondered if such experience was a gift or a curse. She had already calmed down now and after listening to the boy's explanation, a small part of her seemed to have accepted the fact that the boy would never be hers, for his heart, mind, and body had already been claimed.

「Moooo.」The cow nudged her owner consolingly

「I know, Izz chan… I don't think he would come back… 」