“Waa, gimme mommy’s milk.”
“You little brat.”
This was a story from Hell, once upon a time.
“Of course, I’m asking for mommy’s milk since I won. If I’d lost, I’d just stay quiet, wouldn’t I?”
“Are you out of your mind? Why should I give you anything?”
Specifically, it was after repeated training under Changyeom, the Archduke of Hell, and after defeating one of the seven dukes of hell, [Rusalka the Snow Queen].
“The victor claims everything. Isn’t that the law of the Demon World?”
“Yes, if you lose, just accept it quietly and hand over the milk. Why the long tongue? Long tongues are only good for licking, anyway.”
“Stop saying foolish things. Fine, survival of the fittest is the law of the Demon World, so I’ll follow it…”
This plump white-haired, blue-eyed woman, [Rusalka the Snow Queen], was my opponent in this first match.
“So what exactly do you want?”
“Milk.”
The victory was so sweet, and the victor could claim everything from the defeated.
“So what’s this ‘mommy’s milk’ thing, you dunces?”
“Who are you calling dunces? Acting like you don’t understand when you clearly do? Only a dunce would do that.”
“Are you… wait. Are you really asking for… that?”
“Of course. Does it look like we’re joking?”
Changyeom and I demanded from Rusalka.
“We want you to teach us how to extract mana from mana pockets.”
“Give us the milk.”
During her time on the surface, Rusalka had shared one of her miracles with her followers, a miracle that had spread to all life.
“Wait, Changyeom? Mommy’s milk is just a metaphor, right? You’re not actually asking for that, are you?”
“Anyway, if we’re going to prove the technique, we have to squeeze it out ourselves, so what’s wrong?”
“W-What are we squeezing out?!”
There was something we had to squeeze out from Rusalka.
“Of course, it’s the miracle for humanity that you possess—the technique for creating [Mana Milk].”
“Mommy’s milk.”
“…Changyeom.”
“Got it, Pfhehe.”
That was precisely it—not mommy’s milk, but the method of extracting mana from mana pockets.
“But really, isn’t it not far off from ‘mommy’s milk’? After all, it’s a miracle only achievable for infants.”
“Oh, so that’s what you meant. I see now.”
It wasn’t a technique for adults, but one meant for ‘infants’.
This miracle was rooted in [Water Attribute], given by Rusalka the Snow Queen to protect every newborn creature during its infancy.
“Breastfeeding to nourish a child with milk infused with mana, keeping them alive through infancy. Isn’t that right?”
“Exactly.”
[Infant Protection].
“Starting with the mother’s milk to the newborn, the miracle protection enables them to overcome any illness until they pass through infancy. Is that right?”
“That’s right. While I and many others were around, no infants died on the surface.”
Rusalka lifted her head proudly.
“There’s nothing wrong with nursing infants with mana-infused milk. It doesn’t disrupt the law of the survival of the fittest.”
“It’s a miracle to help cure sickness when cared for nearby. If they’re born with illness, at least it helps them survive at birth.”
“It didn’t block 100% of diseases—only 99.99%—except for one thing.”
Rusalka gritted her teeth, drawing a circle above her head.
“That’s to keep the so-called angels from harming infants with that foul power of theirs, that invasive [Rebirth] that steals souls. Why are you looking at me like that? Are you an angel?”
“Not an angel, but let’s say I’ve had similar experiences and ended up here because of it, hehehe.”
Luckily, Changyeom’s response covered me well enough.
“Is that so? You’ve had a rough life. Why do you need this, though? All babies born in the Demon World already have resistance to angel powers.”
“Listen. Actually, you should explain it directly.”
“We’re planning to return to the Middle World.”
I told Rusalka about the plan for the [Demon King’s Advent] and the restoration of the Middle World.
“…So, you’re planning to keep angels from sneaking into newborns in the Middle World?”
“While protecting the children, we also want to teach humans in the Middle World the method of [Mana Milk].”
“Wow, that’s serious. The angels erased even the knowledge of infusing mana into milk? They can do whatever they want up there, anyway.”
Rusalka was furious to learn her miracle was no longer passed on in the Middle World.
“Fine. I’ll teach you. But you’re a man… Oh, is Changyeom going to demonstrate mana milk with her body?”
“What are you talking about? First, we have to see a demonstration by the creator of the technique.”
“…I must have misheard that.”
“No, you heard it right. Here we go.”
Changyeom grabbed Lusulka from behind.
“Have you lost your mind?! Let go!”
“As we said, it’s the victor’s right. And this turned out to be quite pleasant.”
“What?!”
“Aww…”
“Yaaaah!!”
Though Rusalka struggled to resist Changyeom’s grasp, having lost to me, she couldn’t break free from Changyeom’s grip.
“Rusalka.”
“You, too…!”
“I’ll be as gentle as possible.”
“…Gentle, my foot…”
And so, Rusalka…
“Well, it’s my first time, so I wouldn’t know how to—”
“Enough.”
“Eek?!”
I became a member of the large-scale plan to eliminate angels and normalize the faith of the Middle World, known as the [Kyun-Kyun Project].
And with that, I was able to learn a technique from her.
Mana Milk.
If “draining mana from mana pockets” can be viewed from the perspective of [Mana Drain], then Mana Milk is a technique that involves preparing the body so that the mana in the mana pockets naturally flows out.
Of course, whether by receiving assistance or squeezing it out oneself, one would still need some method to “release” mana from the body.
In one way or another, any being that possesses mana can release it outside their body.
When mana flows out, it tends to disperse back into its natural state.
However, by using a specific technique, mana can be transferred in material form.
Crystallization.
Or liquefaction.
Whether in solid or liquid form, beings capable of manipulating mana can share their mana if they use the right method.
And that is—
“The power of mommy’s milk. Hehehe.”
“The power of Kyun-Kyun.”
“Oh, so you admit it!”
“…”
Yes, it’s the power of Kyun-Kyun.
* * *
[Shortly after, at the Academy Dormitory.]
– Hm, I understand. I’m not sure what you’re proposing next, but I’ll take my leave for today and look forward to it.
After dropping a hint about [Mana Milk] to Yurha, she looked rather satisfied and prepared to log off from her hologram avatar.
– Well then, I’ll see you again soon. Hehehe.
… She left with some ominous words, but luckily, the worst scenario didn’t unfold with Yurha.
Ceasing trade.
In-game, if Yurha deemed something “not worth the investment”, she wouldn’t appear as an NPC on the Golden Carriage, severing all connections.
Even if Yurha became a business partner with the protagonist, she would continue assessing whether it was worth her time.
If Yurha felt like a “caught fish,” or if another supplier accumulated more advantages, it would trigger a break in relations.
Once trust is lost, a merchant stops trading.
If that happened, Yurha would fully turn against you, forcing you to trade with Castor and Alhena or find alternative suppliers.
Although the game didn’t block essential purchases, missing out on Yurha’s high-efficiency equipment, consumables, and S-grade [Artifacts] would create significant issues.
Fortunately, this time, that didn’t happen.
Yurha would continue to be a favorable trade partner and a reliable source of “mana”.
‘A person who’s willing to sell their mana for the right price.’
She’d probably agree if I offered. If I sold mana from Yurha for 1 gold per milliliter, she’d find a way to sell it at a high price.
“…”
I closed one eye briefly, inducing a physical response, and blinked hard.
Trickle.
Water-attribute mana flowed from my eye, and I wiped it away with my hand.
The transparent droplet pooled on my index finger.
Under my power, it turned into a white liquid, then further transformed into a hazy, solid crystal.
“…”
If I were to feed this to children, they would gain the strength to resist angelic influence.
‘If the ‘Bread Academy’ values big things, then it should live up to that name.’
With big responsibilities come big obligations.
