After confirming that my body had recovered to a certain extent, I greeted the princess and promptly left the kingdom with Mastema.
There was no point in staying any longer. Besides, having Mastema around was bad for the kingdom’s morale since she was the cause of so much chaos. The real culprit was the dead man, but if someone threw stones at Mastema, it could result in fatalities.
I wanted to avoid trouble for a while.
“Hey, can you do something about those horns and wings of yours?”
“I can. Do you prefer it that way?”
“It’s not about preference. I can’t walk around with you looking like that. I could just lock you in a room.”
“I don’t want that.”
Mastema closed her eyes, and her horns, wings, and tail vanished.
She now appeared as a beautiful girl with long black hair. However, her outfit was quite revealing, which clashed with the innocence conveyed by her face and could cause problems.
The military police would surely intervene.
I dressed her in a blue dress I had bought from a clothing store in advance.
“Do you like this kind of thing, Ahavain?”
“Shut up. I just picked something at random.”
“I see.”
She twirled the dress, making it flutter. I had to make her stop because it was indecent.
While black hair was rare, it wasn’t unheard of. This way, she’d only draw a little attention.
I couldn’t use the Thunder Sword now, and if Mastema moved at full power, she’d draw even more attention. So we had to take the regular route back to the empire.
The carriage service between the empire and the kingdom was in chaos due to the kingdom’s recent turmoil, but we managed to secure transport.
Mastema leaned her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. Originally, Mastema didn’t need sleep, but after one of her cores was destroyed, her body adapted to this world. This adjustment, which eliminated her erosion of the world, required sleep and food.
She had proudly mentioned that she could now eat and sleep, though she didn’t really need to.
I didn’t understand her explanation. She seemed far from the kind of demon who could easily kill me.
She was one of the strongest beings on earth, so I planned to use her to my advantage, even if she was a bit of a hassle.
She decided to take her time finding a way back home since she had an infinite lifespan.
I looked out the window as the carriage rattled and shook. The reward from the princess—well, money would be fine. I didn’t want anything troublesome.
After a series of exhausting tasks, I was physically and mentally drained.
Fortunately, I had slaves at home to do the chores, so I could take it easy. I needed to explain Mastema to those two as well.
I had plenty of spare rooms in my big house. Maybe I could make a library and keep her there to keep her quiet.
Finally, we arrived.
After several days, I was home at last. It had been a struggle to keep Mastema from wandering off here and there.
She was like a child. Having spent her time in hell either fighting or sleeping, this world was fun for her.
“You said this world was fun, but didn’t you say you’d destroy it before going home?”
“I’ve forgotten such old things. Let me in. I’m tired and hungry.”
This demon…
Despite looking cute and being stronger than me, I had won against her.
“Get in.”
“Tch.”
There was no other option but to let her in.
I opened the door to my house, and Noel was the first to come running. Arnella followed right after.
They were well-trained. I didn’t need them to be so formal, but saying otherwise would only confuse them.
“Welcome home, Master. We were worried.”
“Yeah, I’m back.”
“And who is this person?”
“This is Mastema. Well, she’s a freeloader. Take care of her too.”
“Of course. Would you like to eat first? Or perhaps a bath? I can prepare one immediately.”
“Get the bath ready. I’m exhausted.”
Arnella bowed and went to prepare the bath. Noel went to fetch a change of clothes.
“A bath? You mean soaking in hot water? Humans do strange things.”
“What did you do?”
“I washed off with water when I got bloody.”
“From now on, you take baths. Don’t wander around the house dirty.”
“Hmm. Fine.”
She reluctantly agreed.
With the bath ready, I headed in, only for Mastema to follow.
I didn’t care about a kid seeing me naked, but I couldn’t relax with her there.
I called Arnella to wash her. She entered the bathroom in clothes that could get wet and attended to Mastema.
Though still a bud, Mastema contrasted with Arnella, who was bought to include night duties and thus was more mature.
It was a miraculous moment between a girl and a mature woman. I called Arnella over and hugged her from behind after she finished washing Mastema.
Her body was soft.
Arnella shyly looked up at me, her moist eyes very seductive.
But my body still ached, so we couldn’t go further. What a pity.
Mastema climbed onto my back.
“Stop that. Water’s dripping everywhere.”
I tried to pull her off, but she clung on with tremendous strength.
“Ahavain, join us. The bath is nice.”
“Glad you like it.”
I let Arnella go and entered the bath with Mastema clinging to my back. The large bath was fine for all of us.
Arnella would get cold, so I undressed her and had her join us.
The warm water melted away my fatigue and pain. After the bath, Arnella dried me off. Mastema tried to leave while still wet, so I grabbed her by the neck.
Her white, silky skin glistened with water.
“Let me go.”
“Dry yourself.”
“I’m not you.”
“Mastema, dry yourself.”
“I will do it.”
Arnella quickly dried Mastema’s body after finishing with me.
I never thought I’d feel like a father without being married.
Noel and Arnella would be fine, but I needed to keep an eye on Mastema. Feeding her might help.
