“Waaah-.”
“Yeah, Caël. Are you hungry?”
Upon hearing the child’s whining, Yuri quickly pulled down her robe and exposed her breast. Her overflowing bosom, abundant with milk, was revealed to the world, and catching the sweet scent emanating from it, the baby swiftly latched onto the tip.
The baby’s soft, toothless gums pressed up and down on the nipple. Yuri lightly smiled at her son’s vigorous suckling.
“Eat well.”
Slurp slurp- After a while of nursing, the baby suddenly began tapping the breast as if something felt off, then started crying loudly—”Waaaah!”
Yuri tilted her head in confusion at the sudden crying. Was his belly full? Or did he poop while eating?
After checking with magic, neither was the case. The diaper was clean, and the amount of milk the baby had consumed was less than half of what he usually drank.
“Why is he… Ah.”
Belatedly recalling that the breast the baby had been sucking on was the same one Kail had spent all day suckling the night before, Yuri immediately offered the other breast. Finally able to nurse properly, the baby stopped crying and began suckling again.
Watching her now peacefully nursing child, Yuri sighed in relief and inwardly cursed Kail for greedily drinking so much the previous night.
‘There’s barely enough left to feed the baby…’
It was only natural that there wasn’t much left after a fully grown man had spent an entire day suckling.
Thankfully, the other side was still untouched—otherwise, Yuri would have had to search frantically for a wet nurse while carrying her wailing baby.
She couldn’t bear the thought of feeding her child anything but her own milk.
“Mmmph-.”
“There, there. Are you done?”
Seeing her son finally release the nipple and start dozing off, Yuri gently began patting his back.
Cuddled in Yuri’s arms, Caël let out a few burps before quietly falling asleep.
An angel had fallen asleep. Realizing this, Yuri carefully leaned back into the rocking chair, making sure not to wake him.
“…I wonder if I was like this.”
Yuri reflected on how challenging being a mother was and imagined her own childhood. Somehow, she felt she hadn’t cried or fussed much as a baby.
Of course, she couldn’t know for sure. She couldn’t travel back in time, and even if she asked her parents, they probably wouldn’t remember clearly.
“Yuri.”
“…Kail.”
Rocking herself gently in the chair, Yuri looked up and warmly smiled at Kail, who had just returned after finishing his training.
He smelled nice. At first, he used to come in drenched in sweat and hold the baby, but after the baby woke up a few times due to the smell, Kail learned to wash up before entering.
Sitting beside her, Kail lovingly gazed at Caël nestled against Yuri’s breast before cautiously speaking.
“He’s asleep. Since when?”
“Just now.”
“Should I take him?”
“If you hold him, he’ll wake up right away.”
“…He needs to get used to his father’s arms too. Can’t spoil him from such a young age.”
Hearing this, Yuri carefully glanced at Kail. More specifically, she eyed his thick chest muscles visible beneath his thin shirt.
There was no need to explain why the baby might wake up. It was obvious. Falling asleep on soft breasts only to suddenly be placed on hard muscle would surely be uncomfortable.
Chuckling softly, Yuri beckoned Kail closer.
“It’s fine. More importantly, Kail.”
“Hmm? What?”
“Come here.”
Kail approached, wondering what was up, and Yuri buried her face in his chest.
“I’ll cuddle with you instead of the baby. That works, right?”
“…More than enough.”
“And Kail, starting today, no more breastfeeding for you.”
“Eh-!? …Why?”
“Didn’t I say there’s barely enough for Caël?”
Kail, whose greatest joy had been drinking Yuri’s milk, pouted and looked at his son. He understood that the milk was meant to feed the baby, but he couldn’t help feeling a little resentful.
Whether sensing Kail’s gaze or simply reacting to an unfamiliar scent, Caël sniffed a few times before bursting into loud cries.
“Waaah! Waaah-! Waaaaaah!”
“Kail!”
“What? What? I didn’t do anything…”
“Seriously…”
As Kail waved his hands in protest, claiming innocence, Yuri picked up Caël and began soothing him.
Even transcendent beings are helpless against their own children. Realizing this, Kail wrapped his arms around Yuri’s shoulders.
***
After the name of the Diaros Empire changed to the Hela Empire, tributes from various nations began pouring in one after another.
Empress Izuna accepted these tributes while simultaneously bestowing gifts upon them, tirelessly continuing her work.
It was an overwhelming task. The damn former prince had summoned an Evil God and emptied the imperial treasury, which was the root of the problem.
“We’re out of gifts to give.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Traditionally, gifts must be given to demonstrate the empire’s dignity. It’s a system to showcase the empire’s strength.”
“But isn’t my presence enough?”
“If we don’t give gifts, you’ll have to work even harder.”
Hearing Izuna’s words, Kail let out a bitter laugh. It was a dilemma. If Kail took the lead, they wouldn’t need to give gifts—but that meant Kail would have to work even more.
What if they gave gifts without making Kail work? They were out of gifts, so Kail would still end up working. Either way, Kail had no choice but to shoulder the burden.
“What about ignoring the tributes?”
“As I said earlier, that’s not good in the long run. Accumulated resentment could lead to rebellion, and since the empire currently lacks proper troops, you’d have to suppress it yourself.”
“…Wait, what about Merlin, Rizelotte, Sera, or the Knight Commander? We have plenty of Masters, right?”
“Exactly. Where are they anyway?”
Smiling brightly, Izuna asked about the whereabouts of those Masters, prompting Kail to realize they had no reason to stay in the empire.
Merlin was always free-spirited, and Rizelotte, his wife, was a witch who had lived for centuries without being tied to one place. Neither would willingly pledge allegiance to any organization.
Sera was a carefree hedonist, and the Knight Commander was loyal to the old imperial family, not the current empire…
‘Wait, could it be?’
At that moment, Kail realized there were no usable Masters left in the empire.
At best, there were two frail old men from the Academy—and that was it.
Unless he went home to nag his father or Uncle Chang to do some work, the empire was utterly devoid of Masters.
‘─We’re screwed.’
And that meant Kail would be summoned for every major event requiring a Master.
***
After the empire fell, the hardest task was informing the lords of each territory that the empire’s ruler had changed—and that the process was entirely legal.
Still, there were those who refused to accept the empire’s downfall, identifying themselves completely with the nation. Convincing them was nearly impossible.
Especially for territories with valuable mines, where a slight change of heart could mean a fortune, resisting the new regime was tempting.
“─What a pain.”
Kail was dispatched to deal with such individuals, tasked with persuading (physically) them and seizing their mines or wealth.
This job wasn’t difficult. Teleportation-capable sorcerers made traveling back and forth quick and easy.
“I’m busy too, you know!? Do I look like a taxi service to you!?”
“You’re more like a call girl.”
“Wh-what!? Are you insane!?”
Sera, transformed into a magical girl, shouted furiously. Seeing her flushed face, Kail clarified it was just a joke.
Looking back, that one was a bit much—even for his usual married-man humor.
Then again, considering she was still technically a virgin in both her past and current life, it might have been over the line.
‘By the way, how did she even get here?’
While subduing rebellious lords and moving to the next territory, Kail pondered this as he glanced at Sera.
He had died mid-workout and reincarnated into this world.
But Sera? How had she managed to arrive in this world in her original form—with powers straight out of a game character?
Curious, Kail stared at her quizzically. Sera frowned and glared back.
“…What are you staring at?”
“I’m just wondering. How did you get to this world?”
“Hmm?”
“I reincarnated after dying—but what about you?”
“Well…”
Sera began to answer naturally but suddenly stiffened, shaking her head vigorously before clamping her mouth shut.
Kail instinctively sensed she was hiding something.
