Taking Turns at the Shrine
To protect the ranch, I had no choice but to...
“Mary Jane… why are you here?”
I hurriedly scrambled to grab my clothes and throw them on.
Even though breeding and impregnating was my everyday routine, something about the situation still made me feel embarrassed.
“Megumi, nyang? If I really go live at the ranch, you’re saying I can meet Lady Hariti, nyang? Say it clearly, nyang.”
Megumi answered while carefully scooping the semen that was messily smeared all over her body with her fingers, one sticky strand at a time.
“To be precise, I am returning. To the place where I originally belonged…”
“Huh? What do you mean, nyang?”
Megumi slipped the semen she had scooped up into her mouth.
Then she began sucking on her index finger and thumb with wet, slurping sounds, as if savoring a delicious treat.
“Because you came here in my place, Mary Jane.”
“In your place? You’ve been talking in riddles this whole time, nyang! Get to the main point, nyang!”
“Hehe, you certainly have an impatient temper. It doesn’t seem like the personality Lord Vojtech would have favored… Anyway. A similar thing happened fifty years ago as well. At that time, Lord Vojtech was by my side.”
Megumi’s story was astonishing.
The Megumi who had lived at the ranch fifty years ago would often visit the Old Shrine together with my father.
There had been trouble with a succubus back then too, and they had sought divine assistance to resolve it.
The fox spirit guarding the shrine at the time had proposed that in exchange for arranging a meeting with Lady Hariti, a replacement must be left behind… and Megumi had volunteered to stay in this place.
Then, as more than fifty years flowed by, my father passed away, and she remained here, her very existence forgotten. That was Megumi’s explanation.
“It’s the same…”
“That’s right. I was surprised as well. That the same thing happened again at the ranch… that I made the same proposal to all of you… and finally, that there was another Monmusu just like me.”
That would mean being separated from Mary Jane.
I didn’t know how often my father had visited Megumi, but…
In the end, after my father died, Megumi had become a forgotten existence.
Would Mary Jane end up the same way?
Even if I took care of her, was it right for a human who would live only about a hundred years to hold hostage the life of a Monmusu who could live for thousands?
“I understand, nyang. Starting today, I’ll take over your role, Megumi, nyang.”
“Thank you. I’ll finally be able to live a life unbound from the shrine.”
“W-wait a second.”
I pushed my way into the calm conversation between the two.
“Mary Jane. You’re a Monmusu of our ranch. You’re not going anywhere.”
“And Miss Megumi. I will definitely bring you to the ranch. I promise.”
“Taehun… someone has to stay behind.”
“There has to be a way!!”
I ended up shouting without meaning to.
Couldn’t the Mary Jane who was trying to stay and the Megumi who was trying to leave both be together?
“I have a question, Miss Megumi. Why does someone have to remain here?”
“The shrine is sustained by a Monmusu’s spiritual power. Without it, even the gods cannot locate this place. You would lose the chance to meet them forever.”
“Monmusu don’t need to meet the gods, do they?”
“That’s not true. Some Monmusu catch a god’s eye and depart for divine lands, gain new abilities, and sometimes there are Monmusu who can only continue to exist if the gods themselves exist.”
It was strange.
If it was something everyone needed, why did only one Monmusu have to shoulder this heavy burden?
Even when I worked part-time at a convenience store, whether it was morning or afternoon, weekday or weekend, when your turn came you simply did your part.
Couldn’t it work the same way here?
“Let’s do it in shifts.”
“Pardon?”
“What did you just say, Taehun, nyang?”
“We set an order and take turns. That’s only fair, right? If everyone shares in the benefits, everyone should share in the responsibility. If the village Monmusu are uncooperative… then just the Monmusu from our ranch can handle it. It might be a little tough at first, but…”
Both Miss Megumi and Mary Jane looked stunned by my words.
What? They had never even considered such a simple solution?
It wasn’t like I had offered some brilliant master plan.
“Until now, I believed guarding the shrine was simply my destiny.”
“Destiny can be changed. Now let’s live happily together at the ranch with me and Mary Jane. When your turn comes, you only need to stay at the shrine that day. It’s not difficult at all.”
I saw tears begin to flow from Miss Megumi’s eyes.
Mary Jane seemed to have tears welling up too, but the moment I looked at her she quickly turned her head away.
With that, I pulled both Miss Megumi and Mary Jane into my arms and held them tight.
Only then did Mary Jane finally release the sobs she had been holding back.
Tsk. Making such a big deal out of nothing…
I was truly relieved that my method seemed reasonable even to the Monmusu.
The next day.
After returning to the ranch with Mary Jane, we gathered all the Monmusu and created a schedule.
Until we could gain the cooperation of the village Monmusu, the ranch’s own Monmusu would take full responsibility for guarding the shrine.
“How admirable, Mary Jane. To think you were actually willing to leave Taehun’s side.”
“Mary Jane… never… do that again…”
“Exactly. Didn’t you know that leaving home only brings a cat suffering, nyang?”
The Monmusu offered Mary Jane words that were well-wishes in name only.
Though their tones were sharp, it was obvious they had all been worried about her.
“For now, let’s follow this schedule. If anyone gets pregnant or feels unwell, we can adjust flexibly, so make sure to tell me right away. Don’t push yourselves if you’re sick!”
“Yes!!”
“Understood!!”
And so a new duty was added to the ranch’s responsibilities.
The following week soon arrived.
The day Miss Megumi had spoken of was the coming Monday.
Miss Megumi, Mary Jane, and I waited in front of the Old Shrine for Lady Hariti’s arrival.
“She’s coming from such an early hour?”
“Precisely because we don’t know exactly when she will appear.”
Megumi cut off my complaint cleanly.
Yeah. If we didn’t know when she would come, the only choice was to wait it out.
Still, it was incredibly boring.
“Are we not allowed to go inside the shrine?”
“You may enter. There is nothing inside anyway. Feel free to take a look.”
“Mary Jane. Want to come with me?”
“Yaaawn~ I’m so sleepy, nyang. Wake me when Lady Hariti arrives, nyang.”
Mary Jane had flopped down in a sunny spot and was purring contentedly.
Yeah, we really had woken up far too early today.
I approached the shrine and opened the old wooden sliding door.
It was ancient wood that should have been warped, yet the door slid open with surprising smoothness, without so much as a creak.
And the interior of the shrine I stepped into.
It was a small shrine, so I hadn’t expected much, but just as Miss Megumi had said, there really was nothing at all.
Aside from the entrance, every wall was a plain grayish-white with no trace that anything had ever been there.
“There really is nothing here.”
I turned around, intending to head back outside. That was when—
“You… are not a Monmusu?”
At the unfamiliar voice I spun back around… and saw a woman I had never seen before gazing down at me, completely naked.
Had she been floating in the air? No.
The shrine that had been empty only moments ago had transformed into something resembling a Buddhist temple from northern India.
Opposite the door where I stood, stairs resembling an altar had risen, and at their peak, upon a throne-like seat, sat the woman who had called out to me.
In other words, entirely nude.
“W-who are you? Could you possibly be Lady Hariti?”
The woman gave a gentle smile and nodded slowly.
So this was Lady Hariti…
Looking more closely… her belly was… swollen as if she were pregnant.
And from her nipples… breast milk flowed endlessly.
It was truly an appearance befitting the goddess of childbirth and parenting.
“Seeing that you know of me, you must share a deep bond with Monmusu. Ordinary humans are usually too busy tearing off their pants and rushing forward the moment they see me. Hehe.”
I had to admit I probably would have done the same.
Even though her belly was hugely swollen from pregnancy, Lady Hariti’s nude form was unbearably sexy.
For a second I even wondered if I might have a pregnancy fetish…
“Yes. My name is Taehun, and I operate a Monmusu ranch in this village. I am in urgent need of Lady Hariti’s assistance!!”
Lady Hariti took a bite of the pomegranate resting on the arm of her throne, gesturing with her other hand for me to continue.
“Our ranch is in danger of being attacked by unknown forces. Could Lady Hariti please extend her protection over us?”
I spoke in the most respectful tone I could manage.
Somehow, speaking to a goddess made me feel like I should be using extremely formal archaic speech, but the words just wouldn’t leave my mouth.
“You said a Monmusu ranch? Then wouldn’t the semen supplied by succubi be absolutely necessary? Why did you cause such a conflict?”
“Actually… I am a Lowlander. I am the one mating with the Monmusu and impregnating them. Therefore, we have no need for succubus semen…”
For a brief moment, I sensed Lady Hariti’s pupils widen.
She clearly seemed surprised, yet the composure in her following words was impressive.
“I see. A Lowlander… Indeed, a rare being in Highland. You cherish the Monmusu, do you not?”
“Yes. The Monmusu are no different from family to me.”
“Hehe. A fine mindset. Your request is not a difficult one. Before I depart this place, I shall stop by your ranch and erect a barrier. If necessary, I can even summon the Rakshasa for you.”
“Rakshasa?”
“Humans call them yaksha, I believe. They are my children. They are rough and fierce, but they are good children who listen well to this mother. They will visit your ranch within a few days.”
“Thank you, Lady Hariti! Thank you so much!! Then shall I guide you to the ranch right away?”
Lady Hariti gave no reply to my words and simply continued eating the remainder of the pomegranate in her hand.
Until she finished it, the inside of the shrine was filled only with the sound of her chewing.
“Do you know that sometimes humans can offer help to the gods?”
“Pardon? What do you mean… If there is anything I can assist with, I will of course do so!!”
“How commendable. Meeting you has truly been a blessed encounter.”
“Please just tell me! What would you like me to help with?!”
Lady Hariti smiled with deep satisfaction and nodded repeatedly.
Then she slowly began to spread her legs.
Lady Hariti’s pussy… was glistening wet with thick, sticky nectar.