The trek back through the Murkwood forest felt entirely different than the exhausting march of the previous day. Kenta's boots crunched rhythmically against the fallen pine needles, his broad shoulders easily bearing the weight of two massive burlap sacks.
He had spent a portion of his newly acquired gold at the village's finest grain merchant. The sacks slung across his back weren't filled with the rotting, cheap husks his grandfather used to buy. They were packed with premium, magic-infused livestock feed-a rich, fragrant blend of golden oats, sweet dried alfalfa, and thick molasses that smelled good enough for a human to eat.
As the imposing, weathered structure of the barn came into view, Kenta felt a genuine swell of pride. This was no longer just a hideout. It was the headquarters of a monopoly.
He pushed the heavy wooden double doors open with his shoulder, letting the warm, amber light of the late morning spill into the dim interior.
"I'm back," Kenta announced, his deep voice resonating through the rafters.
The response was immediate. From the depths of the main stall, a flurry of movement and the frantic jingling of a golden bell erupted.
"Master!"
Emily and Lara practically scrambled over the wooden gate to greet him. They were a stunning, overwhelming visual contrast. Emily, with her soft, pale skin and doughy, gargantuan curves, bounded forward alongside Lara, whose rich, oiled chocolate skin and dense, heavy flesh seemed to absorb the light. Both of their thick cow tails were swishing so fast they were a blur, completely discarding their previous exhaustion in the wake of his return.
Kenta smiled, walking down the center aisle. He swung the two massive burlap sacks off his shoulders, letting them drop to the dirt floor with a heavy, satisfying THUD.
"I told you I'd take care of you," Kenta said smoothly, untying the thick hemp rope binding the top of the first sack. He rolled the burlap down, exposing the premium feed. The sharp, mouth-watering scent of sweet molasses and rich grain instantly flooded the barn, overpowering even the heavy vanilla musk of the Holstaurs.
"I bought you new food today. The absolute best feed available in the entire village."
Both cowgirls gasped. Their large, doe-like eyes went wide as they stared at the open sack, their sensitive noses twitching as they took in the incredibly rich aroma. They hadn't eaten anything this fresh or high-quality since they had been separated from their wild herds.
"Mooooo!" Emily let out a soft, incredibly happy trill, her hands flying up to her cheeks.
"Moo!" Lara echoed, her golden eyes shining with absolute delight. She looked from the sack of grain up to Kenta, her cow ears perked as high as they could go. "Thank you! Thank you so much, Master!"
"You earned it," Kenta smirked, reaching out to give Emily's fuzzy ear an affectionate scratch. "Both of you. Eat as much as you want. We need to keep your strength up."
Emily leaned heavily into his touch, a beautiful blush dusting her pale cheeks. But instead of immediately diving into the sweet grain, she straightened her posture. Her cow tail gave a rhythmic, excited thump against the dirt floor. She was practically vibrating with anticipation.
"Master," Emily beamed, her smile so wide it made her long eyelashes flutter. "Since you brought us such wonderful gifts, I have some very good news for you, too!"
Kenta raised an eyebrow, pulling his hand back. He crossed his arms over his chest, intrigued. "Oh? What good news, Emily?"
Emily reached out and gently grabbed Lara's hand, pulling the shy, chocolate-skinned cowgirl a half-step forward.
"Lara actually wants to stay with us," Emily announced proudly, her voice ringing with absolute joy. "She doesn't want to go back to the wild or keep traveling. She wants to live here, help you, and be your second cow!"
Kenta froze. The confident, calculating mask of the Incubus breeder slipped for a fraction of a second, replaced by genuine, unadulterated shock. He had spent the entire walk back plotting ways to manipulate, coerce, or seduce the Jersey variant into staying. He had prepared for a long, psychological game to bind her to the System.
He slowly turned his gaze to Lara.
Lara instantly wilted under his intense, dark stare. A fierce, incredibly beautiful pink flush burned across her dark chocolate cheeks. She looked down at the dirt floor, her heavy, massive breasts rising and falling rapidly with nervous breaths. She couldn't meet his eyes, but her tail was wrapped submissively around her own thigh.
"But... how?" Kenta asked, his voice a breathless rasp. He took a step toward her. "I mean... why, Lara? You have a whole herd out there."
It was Emily who answered, acting as the proud mediator for her shy friend.
"Because Lara wants to help me, Master!" Emily explained, pressing her pale shoulder against Lara's dark one in a show of deep Holstaur solidarity. "She asked me if she could stay. I told her how kind you are, but I also told her how guilty I felt this morning. My Master has only me, and I was so tired I wasn't able to produce that much milk for your buckets."
Emily looked down for a brief second, before looking back up with a bright, determined expression.
"But Lara is a Jersey! She is able to produce so much more milk than me, and it's so much richer," Emily continued, her voice swelling with herd pride. "She saw how much you needed it. So, from now on, we both are going to help you in the work, Master. We will share the burden. You will never have an empty bucket again."
Kenta stared at the two stunning, heavy-chested monster girls standing before him. One pale, one dark. Both completely, willingly surrendering their biology, their freedom, and their incredibly valuable milk to him. He hadn't used force. He had simply exploited their profound, inherent herd mentality and their desperate need for a strong protector.
The System had warned him that coercion was inefficient. This was true power.
Kenta swallowed hard, his throat suddenly tight as the sheer, staggering magnitude of his luck washed over him. The monopoly was secured.
"It's..." Kenta breathed, his voice barely above a whisper as he looked at the two beautiful, submissive creatures waiting for his command. "It's... like a dream..."