Chapter 53: Change(1)
Chapter 53: Change(1)
“Ellis! Ellis came back alive! Innkeeper!”
“Ah…”
The innkeeper scrambled outside. Judging by his reaction, they must have been very close.
But could the dead really return?
With troubled expressions, Lina and the others stood up from their seats.
“Let’s follow them. We might find a clue about our enemies.”
At Lina’s word, the party followed the innkeeper.
They soon saw a place crowded with villagers, a rare sight in the quiet town.
The innkeeper was there.
“Ellis! Ellis! Your worthless father is here!” the innkeeper cried out at the top of his lungs.
So, Ellis was his daughter. As if hearing his voice, the crowd parted.
In the middle of the parted crowd stood a freckled, tomboyish-looking woman.
“Dad? Dad! Waaah! Daaad…”
“Oh, Ellis. My daughter… Where have you been all this time! You little rascal! Sob. No, it’s fine. It’s okay. As long as you’re back alive, that’s all that matters.”
“I’m sorry… Waaah… I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t listen and went into the forest.”
The onlookers wiped away tears as they watched the scene unfold.
Kerry met Lina’s gaze. She gave him a small nod before stepping forward.
“Excuse me… but would it be alright if I examined your daughter for a moment?”
“Who… Ah. You’re our guests, aren’t you? But why my daughter…”
Perhaps because he had only just found his daughter, the innkeeper’s eyes were filled with suspicion as he hugged her tightly, as if afraid she would be taken from him.
Just then, the grandmother stepped forward.
“I may be a shaman, but I know a fair bit about medicine as well. Let me see the girl. I’ll check if she’s healthy.”
In a medieval world, medical skills were a top-tier asset. Only then did the innkeeper seem to relax, allowing Ellis to be seen by the party.
The old woman examined Ellis from head to toe.
Lina took the opportunity to approach Ellis as well. She glanced down at the Goddess’s Ring.
If Ellis were something other than human, the ring would surely react.
Lina had been almost certain that Ellis was a trap set by their enemies. But she was wrong.
The Goddess’s Ring isn’t reacting?
This was the same ring that had alerted her to the presence of demonic energy when they first entered the village. It was still emitting that same faint glow.
But if Ellis wasn’t human, the ring should have been shining much more brightly than before. There was no change.
Is there some other trick at play?
Lina grabbed Ellis’s wrist.
The innkeeper saw this and asked worriedly if something was wrong, but Lina didn’t stop.
She sent a stream of mana into Ellis’s wrist. The mana flowed through Ellis’s body, performing a detailed scan.
If she were under the effect of some other magic or curse, Lina would have noticed it immediately.
“It’s alright… Your daughter is healthy.”
Of course, Kerry had already used the Goddess’s Eye to confirm that Ellis was normal. He had just been waiting for Lina to finish her own check.
“Thank you, adventurers. For now, please return to the inn. You haven’t even finished your meal…”
They returned to the inn with the innkeeper and Ellis. The food on the table had grown a little cold.
The innkeeper apologized and offered to bring out fresh dishes, but we had already eaten our fill.
There was something more urgent.
“Sir. I know I asked this before… but I’ll ask again. The village rumor about the dead returning… What exactly is that rumor about?”
The innkeeper gave a bitter smile. But perhaps out of gratitude for their help with his daughter, he began to speak as if he had no other choice.
“To be honest, it’s forbidden to speak of this rumor to outsiders. The grim gossip has already driven people away, and it would be troublesome if it spread any further.”
“It’s fine. We won’t tell anyone.”
“To put it briefly, it’s just as you’ve seen. My daughter went missing in the forest a month ago. But now, she has returned alive.”
“Missing in the forest a month ago?”
“I asked her what happened during that time, but she can’t remember anything. None of the people who’ve returned after going missing have any memories. It’s strange for them to just suddenly reappear, isn’t it?”
“…”
It was a suspicious story. Missing people returning to the village with no memories.
What’s more, there were monsters in that forest. Wild animals, too.
It wasn’t a place one could survive for a month on luck alone.
And villagers were repeatedly going missing and returning? Why were they all coming back completely unharmed?
He told them more, but there was nothing else of much substance.
Lina wore a troubled expression.
“I have something to investigate, so I’ll be leaving first. The rest of you should get some rest. We don’t know when a battle might occur.”
With those words, Lina departed.
The grandmother also rose from her seat and said, “Before you rest, could you go get me some herbs, son-in-law?”
“Herbs?”
“Ellis may have returned healthy, but her body is a bit weak. I thought I’d brew her some medicine. You can find the herbs just past the village entrance.”
“Yes, I understand.”
If I went back to my room now, there would be no escaping the lewd clutches of Natasha and Victoria.
Not that I disliked it, but I was so worn out from last night that I needed a bit of a break.
“I’ll be back then.”
“Heehee.”
Natasha stuck close to my side. Just Natasha alone would be fine. She listens to me well.
But then, Victoria flashed a sly grin.
“I shall accompany you as well. I am rather bored.”
“With three of us, we can gather the herbs much faster. How unexpected. I never thought a noble lady would offer to do such work.”
Of course, Victoria had no intention of picking herbs. She was undoubtedly just thinking of fucking outdoors! That lewd noble!
But even knowing that, there was no way to avoid it. It was a checkmate.
In the end, the three of us went to the village entrance to gather herbs. Looking around, I spotted the herbs the old woman had mentioned in the distance.
“Huhu. There’s no one in sight, is there? People don’t usually wander around this village… Huhuhu…”
“Victoria…”
“Heehee!”
“It seems Natasha has caught on to the mood as well. What a cute little thing.”
“…”
Even for me, taking on two lewd superwomen like Victoria and Natasha without a break was overwhelming.
But a man’s pride kept me from asking for a rest.
“…Let’s just pick the herbs first.”
“True. Doing it while we gather herbs wouldn’t be so bad.”
I just want to pick the herbs.
Kerry showed Victoria which herbs to pick. Despite being a noble, Victoria didn’t complain and began gathering them.
If only she hadn’t kept glancing at me with those lustful eyes.
“Natasha, can you pick the herbs?”
“?”
As expected, Natasha didn’t understand. But after watching me and Victoria, she began to imitate us.
She was pulling up weeds along with the herbs… but still, she was doing a good job. She deserved some praise.
“Good job, Natasha.”
“Heehee!”
“I picked herbs too, so why do you not praise me?”
“…You did a good job too, Victoria.”
“Hmph. Then give me my reward.”
Victoria checked that no one was around and was about to slide her clothes off.
Natasha, sensing the mood with uncanny precision, was about to get that look in her eyes.
No. Just a little more rest.
“We’ve gathered all the herbs, so we should head back now. Let’s go home.”
Kerry turned back toward the inn, pretending he hadn’t seen a thing. Victoria clicked her tongue in disappointment but didn’t try to stop him.
Kerry had returned to the inn safely, without being pounced on.
*
The consciousness of the berserk Natasha was trapped beneath the surface of water. It was a space that brought a sense of warmth and comfort.
But through it all, one voice came through with perfect clarity.
It was Kerry’s voice.
[Natasha. Good girl. Just keep doing this from now on.]
[As long as you listen to me, there won’t be any problems, Natasha.]
[You’re doing so well, aren’t you?]
Kerry’s voice echoed continuously. Within her hazy consciousness, Natasha kept shouting.
‘I’ll listen to whatever my husband says! Please keep praising me. I can do anything you tell me to.’
And after she shouted, an immense pleasure would wash over her entire body, as if it were a reward.
It was a dizzying orgasm, just like the first time she was with her husband in the cave.
Natasha didn’t know it, but this was only natural, as her body was in the middle of having sex with Kerry.
But this time, she felt not only Kerry’s cock but another touch as well.
It was Victoria’s touch. The pleasure brought by Victoria’s hands and Kerry’s cock was incredible.
It was a pleasure so intense it made her mind go blank.
[Natasha. You only need to obey me. Don’t listen to anyone else.]
‘I must listen to my husband. Then he’ll give me a reward.’
Natasha was gradually becoming conditioned by that pleasure.
Her consciousness was submerged deep beneath the surface, but her obedience to Kerry was steadily building within her.
*
It was after Kerry had returned to the inn, a basket full of herbs in his hands.
“Son-in-law, why did you pick so many? Are you planning on opening an apothecary?”
“…More is better, right?”
It was the result of him dragging his feet to escape the lewd clutches of Victoria and Natasha.
“Anyway, I’ll go brew some of these for that young lady, Ellis. You all can rest or do as you please.”
“I shall take good care of these two.”
Who was taking care of whom, exactly?
“Huhu. Now that there’s no one to be mindful of, we can enjoy ourselves to our hearts’ content.”
“Vic-Victoria. We did plenty last night… and it’s the middle of the day!”
“So what? Did we care about day or night when we were stranded?”
The situation was different now. This time, it was two against one.
Kerry was half-forced into the room. Natasha followed him in, her eyes full of anticipation.
Then, Natasha closed the door.
She even checked the lock, securing it. What? Could she have regained her senses?
Click!
At the sight, not only Kerry but even Victoria looked surprised.
“Natasha? Are you back to your senses?”
“?”
“It doesn’t seem like she’s come to her senses… but she even locked the door.”
“When we were picking herbs earlier, she was getting better at avoiding the weeds and picking only the right herbs.”
“Maybe our Natasha is a genius!”
“Heehee!”
“…Rather than a genius, wasn’t her current state the abnormal one? You’re a real doting fool, Kerry.”
It was true. Natasha seemed much smarter now than when she had first gone berserk.
Things she used to need to hear three times, she now seemed to understand after just one.
Her learning speed was accelerating, and at times, it even felt like she could understand complex sentences.
“Hmm. Does Natasha get smarter the more we train?”
He’d heard that even dogs get smarter as they bond and train with their owners.
Of course, Natasha wasn’t a dog, but perhaps it was a similar case.
If she continued to develop like this, it might become possible to use the berserk Natasha more strategically.
“I need to focus more on Natasha’s training.”
This was better for Natasha, too.
No matter how strong she was in her berserk state, if all she did was charge in recklessly, she would surely get seriously hurt one day.
That’s right. For Natasha’s sake, I have to train her now!
“Victoria, let’s save the fun for a little later. Right now, we need to train Natasha. There isn’t much time left before her berserk state ends.”
Of course, Natasha was already following his commands very well.
But it wasn’t as if she never disobeyed.
For example, she still showed hostility toward Lina and Victoria.
It was a little dangerous for Natasha not to obey him.
Is there a way?
As Kerry was pondering this, Victoria proposed a good idea.
It was a very lewd suggestion, just as you’d expect from Victoria.