Chapter 67
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Butterfly Effect from Milk (4)
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"Hah... M-M-Master...! If you... keep tormenting just my breasts like that...!"
Lifting Lucia's breasts, I felt their heavy weight settle into my palms.
In that position, I pinched both of her protruding nipples between my thumbs and forefingers, tugging them at the same time. A sweet, melting moan escaped Lucia's lips.
"Ngh...! ...Ahh...! ...Hah... Hah..."
The main event would kick off in just a few hours.
I was spending this alone time with Lucia, just in case things went south.
...Truth be told, it was an excuse.
I was just escaping reality.
Despite running around desperately until now, I still hadn't found an answer.
I'd come up with a few ways to treat Isolde's condition.
The problem was, as Tristan said, they were all just temporary fixes.
Even if I used items or the saintess's power to heal Isolde, if I couldn't resolve her lifespan issue, an even stronger trial would come next.
What if that trial was one that killed her outright...?
...Then it really would be game over.
In the end, I'd reviewed every possibility I could think of, but with the event starting in just hours, I still had no conclusion.
'Haa...'
Saving Isolde wasn't just about rescuing one life—it meant three direct benefits for me.
The first was Tristan surviving.
I'd emphasized it several times already, but a mage of Carnea Academy professor level was insanely valuable.
Every time one of those professors survived, the odds of seeing a 'happy ending' in this world went up.
Plus, Tristan would owe me his life for saving Isolde, making him a valuable long-term piece on the board.
Using a Carnea professor as a chess piece.
How sweet did that sound?
The second benefit was that the Chapter 2 boss, 'Crawling Terror,' wouldn't appear.
The Chapter 2 boss 'Crawling Terror' spawned from the item in the box that Tristan used to save Isolde's life.
In other words, shoving those tentacles into Isolde.
Conversely, if I could save Isolde's life without using the tentacles, the 'Crawling Terror' wouldn't spawn.
Of course, Chapter 2's main event consisted of stopping the 'Crawling Terror' that appeared inside the academy and repelling invaders at the main gate, so I couldn't skip the event entirely. But just eliminating the 'Crawling Terror' would drastically lower the difficulty.
And the final benefit was getting the 'tentacles' in their complete, unused state.
As I'd mentioned before, the tentacles' growth limit grade depended on how quickly I defeated the 'Crawling Terror.'
In 'Academy Tamer,' I could only take down the 'Crawling Terror' after Tristan self-destructed, no exceptions.
But skipping the combat phase entirely and securing the unused tentacles could let them grow to a grade I'd never seen before.
'If that happens, at least my physical abilities would be somewhat covered...'
The tentacles had their own ego as an item, and once embedded in the body, they boosted physical prowess and even provided automatic defense.
At the very least, I wouldn't die to some stray arrow.
Of course, using them before getting purified by the saintess would turn me into the 'Crawling Terror'...
But I wasn't crazy enough to do that.
I'd dipped into some positive thoughts for a moment, but all these benefits hinged on saving Isolde.
Without a solution, I'd gain nothing.
...And I hadn't found one.
"Hngh... Haa... M-Master...! L-Lucia... I think... I'm gonna... cum..."
At Lucia's words that she was about to cum, I looked up. Her pink nipples, slick with saliva, stood rigidly erect.
I must have been sucking on Lucia's breasts without realizing it.
...I'd nearly brought her to nipple orgasm unconsciously. Even I was scared of my own talent.
"...Haa... Haa... Master... Are you okay?"
Having stopped just before she climaxed from her nipples, Lucia's voice trembled with pitiful longing.
Instead of answering, I latched onto her breasts again and sucked hard.
"Haht...!"
Sucking on Lucia's breasts like this somehow cleared my jumbled thoughts a bit.
'Let's change perspectives.'
Until now, I'd been thinking of ways to treat Isolde while also blocking the next trial.
...But did I have to?
The important thing right now was Isolde's survival.
If I could ensure that, maybe I could ignore the other conditions?
Something felt like it was on the tip of my tongue...
But it slipped away.
Frustrated, I sucked even harder on Lucia's breasts.
"Haaht...! M-Master...! If you... suck that hard... my milk... might come out!"
—Breast milk.
The moment I heard that word, something flashed through my mind.
'...There's... a way!'
I knew that each trial ended with an even stronger one following.
So what if I didn't end the trial?
In other words, restore Isolde just enough for daily life without fully curing her.
This trial was perfect for that.
Compared to disease, poison, or injury, simple stamina depletion would be far easier to manage.
Of course, she wouldn't fully recover, so her stamina would be lower than a normal person's—but that was still worlds better than her life hanging by a thread like now.
I knew an item with a recovery effect strong enough for daily life but not full healing, specifically for stamina.
I shot up from my seat and shouted.
"Lucia!"
"...Ngh... Y-Yes... Master... Lucia's... ready..."
Lucia licked her lips and crawled toward me in a cat-like pose.
I nearly lost myself in her allure but shook my head to snap out of it.
"What time do the carriages to Sater run until?"
"...Huh?"
Lucia looked baffled by my sudden question but answered anyway.
"...Um... There are no direct carriages to Sater, so you'd have to transfer in Shurima... At this hour, all the Shurima carriages have probably left already? Ah! No, wait—the last one's still there. But leaving now would be..."
The last carriage.
If she'd taken an earlier one, it would already be too late.
No matter how hard I chased by carriage to Sater from now, I couldn't make it back to the academy before the event started.
But...
If she'd taken the very last one, there was still time.
It was a ridiculous gamble on luck, but right now, it was my only shot.
I leaped from the bed, threw on my clothes, and yelled at Lucia.
"I'll be right back! If I don't make it in time, stick to the plan and go defend the main gate with Vivian!"
"W-Wait? Master?"
I heard Lucia's panicked voice behind me, but I bolted for the carriage station.
"...That jerk."
Iris muttered a curse as she boarded the carriage.
It was barely a curse—more cute than anything—but anyone who knew Iris would doubt their ears.
She had a reputation for such a gentle personality that she'd never sworn once in her life.
But even Iris could get mad at the man who'd trampled the spark that had ignited in her heart for the first time.
'H-How can someone do that? He made me do... that with lips that have never even kissed anyone!'
Iris touched her lower lip with her fingertip, her face flushing red.
Recalling that moment made her cheeks burn, and she could almost taste the salty bitterness of semen in her mouth again.
'How could he not visit even once during break!'
Most Carnea Academy students were nobles or children of wealthy commoners, so they often returned home for heir training during breaks.
With students gone, professors and staff naturally headed to their hometowns once break began.
In other words, today—the start of break—was the last chance for Eugene to visit Iris.
At first, she'd huffed about leaving early in the morning, but hoping Eugene might show up, she'd delayed and delayed until it was time for the final carriage.
—We will now depart.
As the coachman's voice rang out and the carriage lurched into motion, Iris hung her head.
'...I-I couldn't help it... I'm a teacher... Eugene's a student... There's an age gap... Our families... It was never going to work from the start.'
She tried to rationalize it to herself, but her eyes still reddened uncontrollably.
"...That jerk."
Even if it was an impossible relationship, she wouldn't see him for months after today...
Couldn't he at least say goodbye before she left?
Iris wiped away her falling tears, hurt and disappointed.
'...Whatever. It was never going to happen anyway...'
That was when it happened.
Thud—!
The carriage jolted to a sudden stop, pitching Iris forward.
Startled, she strained to hear what was going on outside. The coachman shouted.
—What the hell do you think you're doing!
In that instant, the carriage door flew open roughly, and a sweat-drenched man appeared.
...Eugene Calliope.