The Lifting Veil (2)
The Lifting Veil (2)
Perhaps lost in reminiscence of Arpien, Aris trailed off mid-sentence. It seemed she held him close to her heart.
I picked up the transparent glass cup filled with coffee. The rich aroma of coffee wafted up. A sip revealed bright acidic notes. The taste wasn't far off from famous pre-nuclear war brand-name coffee.
That bastard Arpien's pretty impressive, huh?
How did he recreate the flavor of pre-war coffee he'd never tasted?
Gulp, gulp, gulp-
Muttering praises internally, I downed all 400ml of coffee in an instant.
When I slammed the empty cup on the table with a thud, I saw Aris staring at me with wide, disapproving eyes.
"Even among women, where do you see someone drinking like that alone? I'll give you another cup-drink slowly while we talk."
A vague memory of being similarly scolded by women in my past life surfaced, making my face flush hot.
"Ah, sorry. Then I'll take another cup."
With an awkward smile, I soon accepted a freshly brewed cup from the robot. Though my handsome face and exceptional physique since rebirth made interacting with women easy, I'd only ever drunk beer-never coffee-making this situation still unfamiliar.
I barely wet my lips before asking her:
"Where is this place?"
"Plessoder-capital of Killing World. To add, Killing World occupies 20% of this planet. Though those Oist bastards' territory also covers 20%."
Oist-those red-eyed human-devouring fuckers. Home to 'Eden', that bastard with immeasurable combat strength who even tames Deathworms.
"Ever heard of a bastard named Eden?"
"Hoh? You even know that much-impressive. As you're aware, Eden is Oist's king. A madman who sealed away the previous peace-making King Kainarus and seeks to start a second war."
Shit-not just strong but smart enough to stage a coup and steal leadership. Can I even defeat him? Maybe living as a pretty woman wouldn't be so bad.
"After the first war, humans provided breast milk while Oists offered mercenaries to fight monsters in a peace treaty. Breast milk alone sufficed as their meal-some even developed pathological cravings for it."
Instantly, the faces of those bitches obsessed with my milk flashed through my mind.
"But recently Eden stole the throne from Kainarus and permitted Oists to eat humans. Most Oists-starved for human flesh-actively supported him, so Eden easily gained recognition as king. Unpleasant news for us."
"So the second war hasn't officially started yet?"
Aris pressed her forehead and sighed deeply.
"They haven't declared war. But Oists accepted as mercenaries became gangs devouring civilians, and border skirmishes never cease. A large-scale attack could come anytime. We should strike first now-but there's a problem."
I could roughly guess the issue.
"The Honor of Brothers leadership doesn't want war. Those rotten old fucks only care about maintaining support and wealth. They'll only mobilize when the bastards invade with full force-but by then it'll be too late."
Corrupt higher-ups-same shit different era.
"The public must learn how dangerous things are now."
"How?"
"Broadcast it."
To me crunching ice cubes indifferently, Aris spoke in a serious tone:
"I want you and Exodus to handle it."
"Huh?"
"We've recruited strong fighters to bolster forces, but Exodus changes everything. It's an unregistered combat suit outside their control-plus it has recording functions. Perfect for this."
So X even has camcorder functions? But that doesn't mean I'll lift a finger. I came to sell this Axion Shard for cash-not protect humanity's peace.
I bluntly refused:
"No. Too annoying and dangerous."
"Eh?"
Aris-who'd been excitedly talking-froze like stone. She stammered:
"Wh-why refuse? Don't you care about humanity's future?"
"Not my problem."
"How can you be so irresponsib-"
Aris looked shocked. But I can't recklessly accept such dangerous work.
"Responsibility? Can you take responsibility if things go wrong?"
Aris flushed red, speechless. After a moment, she slammed the table Bang! with her fist:
"I'll give you a luxury riverside apartment. About 3,300 square feet."
Aris made her offer. They've built apartments here? Did that bastard Arpien know architecture too?
As I stayed silent, Aris continued:
"This year's new sports car too. Want a lover? I'll get you a celebrity. Ah-need money? How about one big bill?"
Money's why I desperately came to Plessoder-could make 100 million Gelder auctioning the shard. But "one big bill"? Probably 10 million Gelder. Let's test her by aiming higher.
"One big bill means 100 million Gelder?"
100 million Gelder equals the Axion Shard's price-about 10 billion won in past-life Korean currency.
Aris looked slightly surprised before grinning:
"One trillion."
"Whaaat?!"
"It's a year's research budget, but worth investing. Well? Motivated now?"
One trillion Gelder-an astronomical sum. Must be lies or madness.
"How can I trust you? What if you take the footage but don't pay?"
Aris shrugged dismissively:
"You already hold my secrets. Exodus must've recorded everything I said."
So X has black box functions.
"X-you recorded everything this woman said?"
[Recording is an always-active function. Footage resets every 3 days.]
X tactfully showed Aris's recent recording-her explaining the Oist broadcast plan.
Seeing this, I scoffed incredulously.
"Idiot. Didn't expect I'd blackmail you for money with this?"
"Ah, really? Try it. Think they'll ignore you bringing suspicious footage?"
Aris remained defiant despite my threat. As she said, delivering such footage would invite intense interrogation. This recording was mutual destruction insurance if she didn't pay.
She slowly approached until her lips nearly touched mine. Her peach-fresh scent filled the air. Aris slid her hand into my combat suit's chest area. Unlike her soft touch and sweet scent, my body felt paralyzed.
Aris caressed near my areola before lightly biting my earlobe.
"Ah."
A kinky moan escaped unintentionally. Aris playfully pinched my nipple. Inside the suit, breast milk surged violently.
"Hahk, haaah..."
"You're already deep in this. And you hold my weakness. Don't worry-just follow orders and take the money."
"Ngh..."
Aris's weakness is in my hands-she must keep her promise. Yet I can't shake unease-like being played in her palm. Can't articulate it, but something feels deceitful.
She slid her other hand into my suit. Both hands now viciously twisted my nipples. Electric pleasure spread through my milk jugs, making my whole body tremble.
"Haa, haaaaah!"
Breast milk gushed nonstop from both nipples. My body now reached intense orgasms just from milking. As she kept squeezing my breasts, leaving me dazed, her whisper returned:
"Say yes. Then I'll pamper these big milk jugs whenever you want."
"Ah, fine... ngh..."
Overwhelmed by her allure, I agreed. Aris smiled brightly before withdrawing her hands from my suit. Drops of my yellow breast milk fell from her fingertips.
"Good. Details tomorrow. Exodus sent your dorm location-rest well tonight."
Aris instantly switched to businesslike demeanor after getting her answer. I considered pouncing on her for teasing me, but her coldness killed the mood.
Smack.
We briefly kissed before parting. Aris seemed slightly surprised but closed her eyes and offered her lips. Whether from coffee or not, her lips tasted sweetly bittersweet.
Passing through retro-decorated long corridors and grand lobbies, I encountered white-lab-coated researchers and Aris-like robots-all too busy to notice me.
Pushing through large glass doors, fresh air greeted me. Skyscrapers, noisy traffic, bustling crowds-like a downtown from my past life.
"H-hey, excuse me!"
Turning toward the greasy voice, I saw an obese man wearing an anime girl T-shirt. His gleaming eyes asked:
"Wh-what c-cosplay is that? You're so pretty."