"Hey! Alex, why are you spacing out? I've been calling you!"
Alice's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Hmm… Sorry," I muttered, shaking my head slightly.
She stepped closer with a teasing smile.
"You're acting strange today. Usually, you're all gloomy and nervous—even though you're tall and muscular!"
As she spoke, her hand casually touched my chest, pressing against the muscle beneath my shirt.
"But today…"
She leaned in, whispered soft to my ear,
"You feel different."
Alice wasn't an orphan; she was the daughter of the village chief. She often came to play at the church when she was a kid. On the surface, she was cheerful and friendly. Being around her always felt calm and fun.
But that was just the side she wanted people to see.
The truth, Alice loved to use people. As the chief daughter, she was considered important and famous for her beauty and cleverness, and she knew it.
I was naive and clueless when I was a kid. By the time I understood her true nature, it was already too late.
The reason Alice kept visiting the church wasn't out of kindness; it was because she was looking for a "useful pet."
Back then, I was known as the cursed boy, a monster.
That nickname fascinated her.
She befriended me, comforted me, and made me believe she was my only true friend. But behind that gentle smile, she was already planning on how to trick me.
Because my growth was different from that of other kids, I stood out among them. When standing next to Alice, I looked like her bodyguard or a personal butler, but in her eye I looked like a slave.
Moreover, she had a twisted personality; she liked to torture my body; she would whip and strike me every time she called me to her room; whenever she was happy, sad, or depressed, she would often call me to her room and undress me and release her excitement on my body, after she did she would arouse me, and play with my rod.
"Alex.. your rod is the biggest I've seen despite your age,"
She would arouse and stroke it and play with it until she was satisfied.
I was young and unaware of the way she treated me; it was clearly sexual harassment and manipulation, still at a young age, I would follow her orders because she was my only friend.
Moeover, she would always act like a soft girl and convince everyone that I was the one who kept following her and wanted to take her by myself. Due to that, people in the village hated me even more, and the kids around our age would pick fights with me and harass me all the time, even the adults.
She would stand there laughing and enjoying the scene of people bullying me before she came to me and acted like a rescuer. She gave me a warm smile and a hug me as if she were the saint and savior of my life.
Thinking back, I wanted to kill my old self that I let my life got controlled by this bitch.
"Let's go to my room !?"
Alice smiled and grapped my right arm tightly close to her chest.
Currently, we are almost fifteen years old, and finally reached an adulthood and received a class from the goddess tomorrow, if I remember correctly.
"Hmm.. Alex, what's wrong? Why are you not moving? You know that we are turing 15 tomorrow, but your body has already grown into a person in an early twenties! How could I even move you !"
She released my arm and crossed her arms with a cute, pouting expression.
This bitch, always used this technique to soften my heart in the past, but this time, it would turn different.
I glanced at her with a warm but cold smile before opening my mouth.
"I'm sorry, Alice, but I need to help sister Sofia today."
Upon hearing that, her face became tense, as anger began to build up, and I knew there was a reason why: because of one name, Sofia.
Even before I regressed, Alice was always jealous of Sister Sofia.She hated how close I was to her, how I clung to her, how much I trusted her.
Alice, on the other hand, didn't want my affection.She wanted control.To her, I was supposed to be her obedient little pet, someone who existed to follow her every whim. Forever.
But at the time I worked for the demon king, I sought revenge for Sofia before I killed those knights; they told me something that I couldn't even believe my own ear. Alice works with the young lord to get rid of Sofia. Upon hearing that, Alice's name and memories began to fade away from my mind as I gorgeously killed this knight most horribly.
"What did you say?"
Alice muttered while galloping down.
I didn't listen to her or even a reply as I slowly walked past her and made my way to the church.
"Don't you dare turn your back on me !"
She shouted with anger, but it didn't stop me. If I was the old me; I would already grovel on the ground and beg for her forgiveness.
She then grabbed my shirt.
"If you apologize now, I won't hate you, Alex."
I shook off her hand and continued walking to the church without looking at her. Leaving Alice stood there all by herself.
In just a short walk, I arrived at the small church, the familiar place where I had grown up.
The last time I saw it… it had been burned to the ground.
Suddenly, the small wooden door creaked open.
Standing there was a beautiful nun in her early thirties. Despite her age, she still carried the gentle grace and charm of youth.
She had raised me since she was just sixteen.
"Ara… Alex, welcome back," she said softly, her voice warm and kind.
As the wind passed through, her robe fluttered gently, just like the distant memories I thought I had lost.
My mind went blank.
The revenge, the hatred I had carried for so long...
The pain I had endured.
The dark memories that haunted me every waking moment.
All of it began to fade, slowly, softly, when I saw Sister Sofia.
Without thinking, I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around her. Tears began pouring down my cheeks.
"Ah…!"
Gently, I pulled her close, resting her head against my chest.
She was surprised by the sudden embrace, but she didn't pull away.
I held her tighter.
For the first time since returning, I felt something warm… something like home.
"Is something wrong, Alex?"
Her graceful voice asked while she still stayed in my embrace.
I slowly stepped back, gently shaking my head before offering her a warm smile.
"I'm glad to see you again, Sister Sofia."
She let out a soft giggle, covering her mouth with one hand.
"We just saw each other this morning, silly!"
She glanced down, then looked at me again with a curious smile.
"I thought you went out to collect firewood. Looks like that didn't go quite as planned, did it?"
Oh shit, I must've passed out in the wheat field while trying to collect firewood. It was probably those bullies again…
"Oh… it seems I forgot. I'll go get it quickly!"
I flashed her a smile before turning and running off toward the forest.
"Ah… Alex!"
I heard Sister Sofia call out behind me, but I was already far from the church, making my way down the familiar path into the woods.