Return of the Fallen Volume 8 Chapter 73
“I’m back.”
Just these two words from Kazuki caused the stream of tears to fall faster from Nunully and Asuna. Kazuki held the two close and none could even imagine letting go in this moment.
Kazuki had thought about what he would say so many times over when he reunited with Nunully and Asuna but all of it crumbled away under the weight of reality. Sometimes words were just unnecessary and just being there was enough. Holding them in his arms, he felt a tranquil warmth overflowing from within.
It’s a strange thing. To not have any human contact in so long to suddenly being embraced by the two he loved. Not just the feeling of holding them, Kazuki was unsure of what love was throughout most of his life. He loved his adopted father and he loved his brother. The feeling he had for Nunully and Asuna was also love but it was different. Just the fact that he recognized the feeling was already strange and somewhat foreign to him. Kazuki definitely liked Asuna and Nunully earlier but after falling into the abyssal trench, only after being without, did he realize what he really felt for the two.
“I thought…I thought you had died. I tried to hang on, I tried to believe that you were still alive but it was so hard. Every day I questioned my own sanity. Every day people told me to give up on you, to stop believing but it hurt so much. I just couldn’t. Even if you never returned, even if no one else believed even as I tortured myself and became lost in thought, I couldn’t give up, I couldn’t stop. I pushed myself to try and distant the thoughts of you but the more I pushed myself, the more I improved and fought, the more and more I doubted but you really returned. I…I…
Asuna’s throat became sore and she could squeeze nothing else out as she held Kazuki tighter and tighter and cried more and more.
Kazuki gently rubbed her back.
“It must have been tough for you…for both of you. Hearing you say that though, hearing you say you couldn’t give up on me, it makes everything I suffered worth it. All the pain and all the grief, coming back to you two, I’m glad.”
Nunully could see both joy and sadness in Kazuki’s eyes.
She laid her cool hand on his hot cheek and whispered.
“You suffered so much. Now you’ve returned to us. Never leave again.”
All Kazuki could do at this moment was nod and rub his cheek in her soft palm.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Etora was sitting at a wide table laughing and eating his fill. Around him were Sasai, Shaila, and Tozu. They too were now in a good mood stuffing themselves with food. Several maids were serving them. At first, when Etora called them over, people in the palace were nervous and uncertain about their future. Yes, they agreed that Garn dying was for the best but at the same time they served him. Would they not be considered the enemy for following his orders.
They felt initial fear and worry but Etora quickly put them all at ease. He announced to the entire palace that they were not going to be killed and when things were settled they would be left at the nearest city.
Etora could guarantee this because King Brian gave Etora certain privileges and authority. Even if he didn’t Etora would simply do what he wants. If he didn’t want these people killed there were very few in this world that could stomp on his words.
After that, Etora ordered a massive amount of food as if the palace was a dine-in restaurant. While most things were calming down now, the fire in the main kitchen was ablaze and the chefs were working their asses off. They didn’t complain though and were instead in a great mood. With Garn dead, and Etora’s promise, these people would soon be allowed to go back home and see their families once more.
Etora ordered the food so as to squash things between him and the other Ancient beasts. He knew they had gotten off on the wrong foot and he put most of the blame on his own shoulders but apologizing, again and again, would only make him look weak. Instead, he decided to settle things the second-best way he knew how. The first was with fists while the second was with food.
As they were chatting and trading stories and stuffing their faces, Kazuki walked into the room. On his left and right, Asuna and Nunully clung to him as if he would vanish if they dared let go.
Shaila saw the way the two clung and teased.
“So these are the two girlfriends you spoke of. It’s no wonder you had to have them both, their so pretty.”
Kazuki agreed with a nod. Asuna and Nunully were definitely beauties. The two ladies at his side began to blush. Neither of them denied anything though and for some reason, they both felt some pride being called as such.
Shaila saw that she had no effect on Kazuki but did on the ladies and just chuckled to herself.
“Hehe, No denying it huh. So, how far have you gotten with the two of them?”
Shaila’s eyes scanned over Nunully and Asuna, her aura was about to check their bodies for obvious signs of purity when Kazuki’s own aura rose and blocked her.
“Hehe, I can see you want to keep some things secret. That though already reveals all the cards Kazuki. I’ll give you a piece of advice. You’d better eat your meal before it spoils.”
Nunully’s face turned bright red after hearing this and she tucked her face behind Kazuki. Asuna was a bit slower on the uptake and looked at Nunully and Kazuki in confusion until Nunully sheepishly whispered a few words in her direction. Barely a second later, Asuna turned bright red and her eyes widened.
“You…You VIXEN!”
Shaila was slightly surprised by Asuna but that just made her more interested. She was about to tease some more when Tozu spoke.
“Honey. How much longer are you going to tease these children? After all the fighting, now is the time to relax and share a meal. Plus, you’re putting Kazuki in an awkward spot. I’m sure he was going to pounce on the two when things were quieter, now though you’ve basically given away and scared the…
Tozu looked up and saw Kazuki glaring at him and the words froze in his troat.
“Uh, er, never mind. Forget my words, let’s just eat.”
Tozu directed his attention back to his palate and began munching away.
Shaila ignored her husband and grabbed two drinks. Her aura wrapped around Nunlly and Asuna and pulled them both to the table and made them sit. The drinks floated over and landed perfectly in the two’s hands and Shaila scooted in close to the two.
Asuna and Nunulyl both stared at Kazuki as if they were asking for help but Shaila downed a drink in front of them and laughed.
“Are you two women or are you children as my husband says. If my husband was right then go ahead and cling to Kazuki but if you’re women, I can tell you this, Men don’t like those who cling about, well my man does but my Tozu is special. If you’re interested, shall this Vixen as you put it, teach you a thing or two about the ways of men?”
Asuna and Nunully were ready to avoid anything Shaila was about to say but when she mentioned the ways of men, the two couldn’t help but be somewhat curious. Just by looking at Shaila, there was no denying that she was an absolute beauty. Not only that but she had a powerful allure to her, a sexy charm, that the two without a doubt knew they were missing.
Once again their attention drifted to Kazuki and then the two exchanged a look with one another before they both came to an understanding. Following in Shaila’s footsteps, the two took their drinks and downed them in one go. At the same time, they both practically shouted.
“TEACH US!”
Shaila chuckled at their eagerness before she curled her finger and the three gathered in closely. Shaila began to whisper something and both Tozu and Kazuki’s ears perked up slightly. The moment they did this, Shaila made a barrier out of aura and blocked their prying ears.
“This is girl talk. Men bud out!”
After that she turned away from them and continued saying this and that. At the same time, every time she mentioned something, Asuna and Nunully’s eyes lit up. Nunully seemed to know about some of those things as her mother had told her and mentioned some but even she was surprised by how deep Shaila’s knowledge was.
Etora couldn’t help but laugh as he watched this play out.
“Hehehe, Kazuki you just returned and they no longer need you. That’s women for ya.”
Kazuki didn’t mind, rather he was happy that they were happy. Walking over, Kazuki sat down. Opening his palm, a cup slid across the table and into his hand. His aura lifted a pitcher and poured him a drink.
“Since they are busy, I still had a question I wanted you to answer.”
Etora stuffed a whole leg of something in his mouth and crushed the meat and ground the bones before swallowing everything down in a single gulp.
“Sure go ahead, If I can answer it I’ll answer and if I can’t I’ll just come up with an answer anyway, hahaha.”
“Out of everyone in the world, the person that can answer this is most likely you and only you.”
“Oh, now you have my curiosity, what is it?”
“The Vazul. You know so much about them and you even use the devouring ability that they possess yet you have not been taken over. I want to know…what happened to the Vazul in your gate?”
Etora smiled.
“So this was your question? I think it might surprise you, my answer.”
Kazuki began to jump to conclusions in his head.
“The way you said it, you must have defeated it right. Please tell me, how’d you do it?”
“Defeat you say, I guess that’s one way to look at it. Rather than say I defeated it, I’d say I simply turned the tables. The moment it thought it could devour me, I opened my mouth, and instead it was I who devoured the Vazul bastard! Bwahahahaha.”
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