The Harm of Milking
Honestly…
It was kind of impressive.
Of all places, this was right in front of the checkpoint.
Meaning there were a lot of guards stationed here.
And yet, to so brazenly cut off a guard's arm like that.
Besides-
"...The front is crawling with soldiers."
I didn't know where they came from, but there were people radiating a very fierce aura.
It was a truly overwhelming presence.
"H-h-h…"
The coachman in front of me was so scared he couldn't even get up from his seat.
So I stepped forward.
I wasn't the type to stand out, but there didn't seem to be anyone else nearby who would approach the people emitting that ferocious energy.
It was right for me to go.
"Sigh…"
I just wanted to have a good time in Baruk after a long time, but there were people causing trouble like this.
Thinking about how annoying it was, I slowly walked forward.
"Aack…!"
In front of me, the guard whose arm had been cut off was clutching his wound, collapsed on the ground.
So, I approached and spoke.
"Th-that's not something you should do."
It was my policy not to use informal speech with someone I was meeting for the first time, so I was speaking politely.
Though I usually spoke politely anyway.
There was no need to provoke the other party by using informal speech.
As I spoke-
"Hmm?"
A man wearing a helmet slowly turned his head.
The aura I felt from him was tremendous.
I could feel it from afar, but he was truly a strong person.
However…
Right now, I felt like I could win.
With that thought, I spoke.
"...Who are you?"
He spoke in a deep voice.
I felt a slight pressure.
For now, I thought it was best to answer first.
"Ah, I live in Baruk... There was a commotion, so I came to see what was going on."
I simply told the truth.
Adding unnecessary details wasn't my style, and it wouldn't help in conversing with the other party.
With that in mind, I started the conversation.
"...Don't meddle in other people's business."
To be honest, I didn't want to get involved either.
But I couldn't just stand by and watch such a cruel act happen in the place where I lived.
I would have preferred to resolve it peacefully.
I had no desire to fight with anyone.
"Ahaha... But was it really necessary to cut off his arm? He was just doing his duty to protect the place where I live."
"He blocked my path first. And, do you not know who I am?"
His sudden words puzzled me.
He asked if I knew him, when we'd never met before.
Wondering if I had missed something, I carefully examined the appearance of the gathered people.
Then I realized.
These people.
They were soldiers dispatched from Lukphelton.
Only then did the situation make sense.
The guard on duty today must have been a rookie who didn't recognize the emblem of the army dispatched from Lukphelton.
That's probably why he was blocking them.
And because of the delay, the man in front of me, annoyed, seemed to have cut off his arm.
"Ah, you're from Lukphelton?"
However, I pretended to have known all along.
If they got scared after hearing they were from Lukphelton, it would make things difficult.
"Despite knowing, you dare block my path? This is a very urgent matter, so step aside."
They were probably on their way back after resupplying in Baruk to help Koruntum.
It was standard procedure to provide supplies to the armies dispatched from each castle.
In a way, it was a wartime situation.
In such a time-sensitive situation, the guard kept blocking their path?
I would be angry too.
However-
"Still, cutting off his arm was a bit too much, don't you think?"
"This is an urgent situation. To continuously obstruct our path in such a situation is a grave offense. I even proved that we are the army dispatched from Lukphelton and asked him to disarm. This was a justifiable action."
I had achieved my goal.
The man, who had been radiating a ferocious aura as if he would kill everything around him, had calmed down considerably.
And even I… couldn't possibly break through so many elite soldiers of Lukphelton.
So I decided to wrap things up amicably.
"So, you're just here to resupply and then you'll be on your way?"
"That is correct."
"Ah, then there's no reason for me to block you. You may pass."
With that, I stepped aside, and the army from Lukphelton passed through the gate.
The guards who had been blocking them didn't dare to stop them, especially since one of them had his arm cut off.
To be precise, there was one who tried to block them even with his missing arm, but I quietly stopped him.
After all, these people had done nothing wrong.
Of course, cutting off the guard's arm was wrong, but considering the average standards of the medieval times, it could be considered a lenient punishment.
"Sigh…"
For now, the matter was settled.
I had a feeling we might meet again... and I would give him a piece of my mind then.
With that thought, I helped the coachman up.
"Sir, I think it's safe to go now."
The commotion outside must have been audible inside, as Baruk soldiers rushed out, carrying the injured guard.
Soon, new guards took their positions at the gate, and the inspection resumed quickly.
"Then, please go ahead."
"Y-yes…!"
The coachman, still frightened, stuttered as he quickly turned his carriage and left.
Well, he had every right to be scared.
He had just witnessed someone's arm being cut off right in front of him.
Thinking about it, I headed home.
By the way, the man leading the Lukphelton army I encountered earlier...
There was a good chance that he was 'Ferus'.
Ferus was also known to lead the Lukphelton army and travel from place to place.
"...He's more hot-tempered than I expected."
Or maybe he was just very strict when it came to official business.
Either way, he was a little different from the image he projected in the forum.
Of course, his blunt way of speaking was similar, but in the forum, he had a very kind image.
Maybe I was wrong.
But my gut feeling told me otherwise.
The man I met earlier was Ferus.
Lost in thought, I arrived home.
But then-
"...What's this?"
The barrier I had set up around my house felt much stronger.
It was strong enough that no ordinary person could break through it.
Why would the barrier suddenly strengthen like this?
"I'll have to ask Basil about this."
It seemed best to ask Basil about what had happened.
With that thought, I opened the door and entered, only to find Basil waiting for me on the first floor.
"Welcome home."
"Ah, yes. By the way, Basil, can you tell me what happened to the barrier outside? It feels much stronger."
"Ah, about that."
Basil seemed to think for a moment before explaining what had transpired in my absence.
"Griffin told me. He's incredibly skilled in magic. While you were away, Griffin and I were chatting, and he mentioned that the barrier surrounding the house was quite flimsy."
Flimsy, he said.
I put a lot of effort into creating that barrier.
Of course, it might be a little outdated since I made it a while ago, but… flimsy?
My pride was slightly wounded.
Especially since the current barrier seemed close to perfect.
...Come to think of it, he called me "Master."
It felt a little strange.
As I was pondering this, Basil continued her explanation.
"Of course, I didn't believe him right away. Even if he's good at magic, a monster is a monster. They're not exactly trustworthy."
"I can see why you'd think that."
Although Griffin felt a bit different from other monsters, he was still one of them.
"But then, Griffin just sat down and started modifying the magic circle surrounding the house. I wouldn't know, since I don't know much about magic."
The contract I made with Griffin was that he wouldn't do anything to harm me.
Therefore, if he weakened the barrier, it would put me in harm's way, causing him immense pain.
"...I doubt he'd endure that pain just to mess with the barrier."
It seemed he strengthened the barrier out of pure good intentions.
I decided to ask Griffin about it directly.
Creak-
The old wooden stairs groaned as I descended to the basement.
And there he was-
-Magician, you've returned.
Griffin looked a little thinner than usual.
"Uh, what happened? You look a bit thinner than before."
I was genuinely curious.
All he had to do was sit and get milked.
When I asked-
-...I've been milked excessively. Never in my life have I been milked so much. It's a new experience, and I haven't had much appetite because of it.
Ah.
I hadn't thought of that.
He couldn't eat properly because he was being milked too much.
Feeling a pang of guilt, I glanced at Basil.
"..."
"...I only milked him three times a day."
My head spun.
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Can you please keep Basil's pronoun as "she"? I was pretty sure it was mentioned that Basil was a woman earlier on and now suddenly basil is referred to as a "he". I'm not a grammer nazi... but it gets annoying when pronouns keep changing. It's one of the reasons why I and probably many others avoid MTL.
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