Prelude (8)

* * *

Although the fight against Barpeu Gosu was widely publicized as a holy war, the beneficiaries were extremely limited to the upper echelons.

The common people were always the ones shedding blood in war, so they had to face fewer merchants and shops than yesterday.

The military and the Holy See bought up all the useful goods, so there were significantly fewer items available in the market of Sagani.

Hoarding became rampant, and prices soared in areas where merchants couldn’t reach due to damaged roads. Those already struggling to pay taxes could only stare blankly at their dwindling grain stores.

Those who profited from war were always the wealthy.

“Hey Betty, that milk you bring, can you give me just one?”

And the maid Betty realized she was one of the privileged.

“Well, if I get caught siphoning it off again, it’s really curtains for me. You know that head chef, he manages his interests like a hawk.”

Who knew that the milk squeezed out to relieve stress and satisfy sadistic urges would be so precious?

‘Wizard’s Breast Milk is precious, but…’

The breast milk of a skilled wizard is a valuable material in itself. Of course, it’s rare for female wizards to marry, and even if they do, they wouldn’t give such a precious thing to others-

‘There are five boxes stacked in the warehouse.’

-The breast milk of the Archmage Yujin, who lifted the banquet hall, is all over the place.

“Can’t you do something about it? Huh?”

“If you really beg me, I might be able to…”

“-Really?!”

Betty felt a strange sense of superiority as she watched her colleague practically die at her every word.

There was no end to the things you could do with the young miss’s breast milk. It noticeably improved the taste when used in cooking, and it had a whitening effect when applied to the skin. It was also said to have fatigue-recovering properties when consumed, so its uses were endless.

Following Yujin’s wishes, external distribution was prohibited, and it was only used for ‘non-combat’ purposes, but rumors that it was something more than just milk spread like wildfire.

“Instead, can you do me a favor?”

“Huh?”

“That warehouse ledger you write, can you do it for me?”

“…Again?”

“Never mind if you don’t want to.”

“Ah, no! I’ll do it. Leave it to me.”

However, Betty didn’t ask for much.

She just passed her work onto others and lazed around. That was it. It was a truly petty act of rebellion, but she didn’t have the guts to aim for anything more. She was timid.

“Then I’ll leave it to you♪”

Betty smiled brightly and turned away. The colleague she had dumped her work on looked like she was sucking on shit, but what could she do? She said she’d do it.

‘Looks like I’ll have plenty of free time today.’

Smiling to herself, she headed to the dressing room.

With so much spare time, there was only one place to go.

-Click.

The dressing room was filled with clothes. The chair still held the warmth of Yujin, who had changed clothes in the morning.

-Click.

Betty reached out with a familiar expression.

The empty wall.

When she pressed the center of it, it split open vertically, revealing a blue portal.

‘We were supposed to meet at three, I wonder if I’m a bit late?’

Their secret space.

The closed warehouse that had now become a breast milk ranch.

The place where the young miss’s secret escapades began.

“Sorry~ I’m a bit late, right?”

Betty apologized with a giggle.

“What were you doing to be so late?”

“I, It’s okay. I just got here too!”

Lorian, twirling her purple hair with her fingers. Lena, burying her face in an unknown book and stuttering.

Betty, undaunted by the gathering gazes, said,

“I had some things to do.”

“You probably dumped your work on someone again. Is it because of the milk?”

“Oh my, I’ve been caught.”

“Please refrain. I’m saying this sincerely, not just as a figure of speech. If you get caught…”

Lorian couldn’t finish her sentence.

The atmosphere was chaotic because of the Barpeu Gosu subjugation. Not just in the East, but everywhere.

In such a situation, she couldn’t guarantee what would happen if she were caught siphoning off supplies.

“If you get caught, we’re all screwed.”

“I know. I won’t do it anymore.”

“You said the same thing yesterday…”

Lorian sighed with a worried expression. Betty was reckless and had a devilish personality, so you never knew what she would do.

“I wish you could be as quiet as Lena.”

“H, huh? Me? Did I do something wrong?”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, the cover’s off, so cover it up again. It’s embarrassing.”

“-?!”

Lena realized that the inner cover of the book she was reading was exposed and blushed deeply.

“-More importantly. Everyone’s here, so we should get started, right?”

Betty grinned and dragged over a large basin.

“Anyway, you have to be careful. Okay?”

“Ugh…. I don’t think I’ll get caught, but…”

Betty smiled as she watched Lorian and Lena, who were scolding her but couldn’t take their eyes off the basin.

Even though they said that, they were just naive girls who were easily swayed by the promise of becoming more beautiful.

-Pouring…

The basin was filled with pure white milk.

When it was about half full, Betty took off the maid uniform she was wearing and neatly folded it. Then she dragged a chair and placed it in front of the basin.

“Hoo… It looks even whiter than yesterday. And a lot of blemishes have disappeared.”

“Umm, how about me?”

“Lorian, there’s no need to worry, okay? There’s no woman in the mansion with better skin than us. Here, here’s a robe.”

“Thank you, Betty. Lena, take one too.”

They wore only their underwear and white robes, then stretched their legs into the basin.

“Umm~… Feels good…”

“…Everyone’s working so hard because of the holy war, is it okay for us to indulge in such luxury?”

“Don’t say things like that and enjoy the moment. Lena, can you bring the milk bottle?”

Lorian was displeased with Betty’s optimistic words, but she soon resigned herself to the fact that she was the same.

“Stretch out your arm. Should I do your breasts too?”

“It’s okay. I’ll do it myself.”

They spread the milk over their slender, smooth arms and legs, chatting idly.

They would apply it to each other, and sometimes they would let the milk flow between their breasts, creating a valley wine-like scene.

“Hehe~”

Thirty minutes passed.

The girls’ skincare routine, taking place in a secret space where no one came and no one knew, seemed to be proceeding smoothly without any problems.

“They said they imported it from Lecante, but I don’t know how long it will last.”

“Just keep it a secret in the future. Women become more beautiful the more secrets they keep, right? Just like how our skin has become whiter now.”

“…That’s not because of the secret.”

“It’s the same thing. Now, lift your clothes over the bucket and raise your legs a little?”

That’s when it happened.

-Zhiing…

“…What’s that sound?”

Betty tilted her head at the familiar sound. A strange sound of space rippling. This was definitely the sound when taking the portal in the dressing room-

“-?!”

Someone was coming.

“O, oh….”

“…Hic.”

Their faces turned blue. Not because they were caught. No, it was because they were caught, but that wasn’t the problem.

“Slacking off here instead of working. How outrageous.”

Shuriel, the proxy of Rushellini, had arrived.

“…We’re doomed.”

Lorian closed her eyes tightly.

“Oh my… Welcome. But what are you doing here?”

Then a familiar voice was heard.

Not the cold, chilling voice of the proxy, but the languid but slightly excited voice of a girl.

“…Young miss?”

It was Yujin.

“Hmm, so it’s true that you apply it to your skin. I didn’t know you’d use so much, though….”

Yujin was being held by Shuriel like a piece of luggage. Judging by the fact that Udyu’s side was slightly wet, it meant she had spilled breast milk, which meant…

“…Could it be?”

Betty and Lena immediately exchanged glances.

“-I’ll prepare it right away!”

They forgot to put on their clothes and rushed to drag out the restraints. They immediately finished preparing for milking, leaving the milk-filled basin in the corner.

“Ha.”

Shuriel let out a hollow laugh as she looked at the restraints that seemed fit for a death row inmate about to be beheaded.

“Shuriel, can you put me down?”

“Are you going to be tied up like before?”

“Yes. The maids will take care of squeezing it, so you don’t have to do anything. Nothing at all.”

There was anticipation in her last words. Meaning, are you really not going to do anything? The quick-witted Shuriel quickly understood Yujin’s intentions. If she just left her alone, she would be disappointed.

“Hey.”

Shuriel said to the maids who were struggling in their underwear.

“Yes, yes?”

Betty answered.

Betty was particularly afraid of Shuriel among the trio. While the other two just saw Shuriel as a scary boss, Betty had seen it. The smile she had when she mingled bodies with Yujin.

It was a wicked smile that was on a different level from her own imitation of sadism. After witnessing that smile, she felt strangely uncomfortable dealing with her.

“Is this it?”

Her intuition was correct.

Shuriel was tired of the restraints that only tied her up and squeezed her milk.

She was also a human who had done all sorts of things, just like Yujin, so she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed it, even if it wasn’t her intention.

“Is that all?”

“You mean, is tying her up all? Ah… Yes. We tie her up according to the young miss’s taste, and then we squeeze her milk… Ahahaha…”

Shuriel looked at Betty, who was sweating profusely, with a condescending gaze.

“Get out.”

And then came the order to leave.

“Yes?”

“I said get out. Right now. All three of you.”

The maids looked at each other. They were dressed in shameless attire, wearing only robes over their underwear. They couldn’t go out like this.

But, Shuriel told them to leave right now. There was no way that they, who were secretly enjoying skincare, would have the guts to disobey the proxy’s words.

“Yes….”

Betty grabbed the wrists of Lorian and Lena, who were stammering, and they left leisurely through the portal.

“W, wait a minute! What are we going to do?!”

“We’re just going to the dressing room. We can just put something on.”

“The young miss’s clothes? Are you crazy?”

Lorian said, trembling. But Betty and Lena looked more composed than expected.

“Lorian.”

Then Lena, who had been silently watching, opened her mouth.

“Y, yes?”

“The young miss doesn’t get angry about things like this.”

It was a statement close to certainty. Lorian asked back with a face that said, what on earth are you talking about? Lena gave Lorian an answer with an awkward smile.

“Umm, I know those eyes well.”

“What eyes?”

“Eyes that are completely smitten. The young master is the same. She won’t even care about what happened today, will she?”

“How do you know that?”

“I, I saw it in a book.”

“…I’m sorry for asking again and again, but what book?”

Lena pursed her lips tightly, and only opened her mouth after arriving at the dressing room through the portal.

“……’The Neighboring Landlord’.”

She was very embarrassed to say it, and her face turned as red as a tomato. Lena didn’t say anything after that.

Lorian was just making a puzzled expression, and Betty, who was looking for clothes to throw on, said,

“The Neighboring Landlord, huh. I know it too. I saw the maids reading it.”

“What’s it about?”

“Ugh, ah. Th, that. Betty…!”

Lena waved her hands to stop her, but Betty chuckled and began to recite the contents.

“It’s a story about an ordinary woman living in the countryside who comes to the city.”

“More details.”

“She’s lucky enough to get a cheap house in the capital and works hard, and then…… fatefully meets a kind, handsome, tall, and capable perfect man who lives next door.”

“There’s no way there’s a man like that-ah, um. There is, isn’t there.”

Just looking at Shuriel and Hairak, they were perfect, capable men. Lorian blushed and scratched her cheek, feeling new again.

There were more ‘men like that’ in this world than she thought. It was just that those men didn’t come to her.

“Anyway, that can’t be the end.”

“Of course. If that were the end, the maids wouldn’t read it to the point of wearing it out.”

“So?”

“It’s a bit difficult for me to say from here…… why don’t you read it yourself?”

Betty couldn’t bring herself to say that the man was a serial killer, a crazy sadist psycho.