Chapter 3: The Risk of Being Revealed
[Nord’s Perspective]
Damn it…
I got roped into meeting Elise by Meina-san and Marie…
Wearing only the helmet of my armor, I peer at Elise through the slits of my iron mask as if I were some kind of masked figure.
“S-Sorry… for meeting you in this state…”
“N-No, it’s us who should apologize for putting you through this…”
What’s with this stiff atmosphere? It feels like some awkward arranged marriage meeting. My body trembles as I desperately try to suppress my Nord accent from slipping out…
“Nord-sama, if it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me why you have to wear that mask?”
“It is too much trouble!”
“Eh!?”
I answer Elise’s question bluntly—I don’t want to explain why. She breaks out in a nervous sweat at my response, barely managing a strained reply.
“Y-Yes, of course…”
“Right… I mean, yes, exactly.”
I’ve gone through all this effort to keep my identity hidden from Elise—moving this way and that—and if she figures it out here, it’ll all be for nothing.
“If it’s some kind of curse, I can lift it! Please, leave it to me!”
“N-No, it’s fine… We’ve called every healer, exorcist, sorcerer, and apothecary in the kingdom, but none of them could do anything.”
“They say ‘give it a try,’ so…”
“I said I don’t need it!”
Elise’s kindness—or rather, her persistence—makes me raise my voice without thinking, but by the time I catch myself, it’s already too late.
“Huh? I know a voice like yours, Nord-sama. And for some reason, talking to you reminds me so much of my benefactor…”
“Then you’ve got the wrong person. I don’t recall ever helping you, Elise.”
“Ah! My benefactor talked just like that! Could it really be…?”
“There’s no reason I’d help you. Besides, with this appearance, I’ve never even set foot among the common folk.”
“The common folk? Why mention that? I never said where I was saved…”
“W-W-Well, I just figured if someone’s getting saved, it’s probably among the common folk, right…?”
“I see… That’s true, I suppose…”
Elise gives me a skeptical, narrow-eyed look, clearly suspicious, but she seems to give up pressing further and abruptly changes the topic.
“Um, Nord-sama. You’ll naturally be enrolling in the Hero Academy too, right?”
“With a curse like this, I intend to decline. I’ll pray from here that you rise to the top five, Elise.”
“That’s a shame… I wanted to see the skills of someone my brother, the former top of the five, once studied under…”
Ughhh… It’s getting harder to keep Nord in check.
I shake my head modestly as if to say “no, no,” silently responding to her. If I open my mouth too much, Nord might blurt out something like, “Very well, behold my power!” and that’d be a disaster.
“Well, since you’ve come all this way, I hate to cut this short, but I have some business to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
“Sorry for taking up your time.”
As I stand and turn my back to leave the room, that’s when it happens.
[Dispel!]
Whoa—close call!
At the last second, I tilt my neck to dodge a dispelling spell she’d silently cast from behind. A fluorescent green magic circle floats on the wall with a faint poof before fading away.
“No way… My healing magic was dodged…”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Ellie-chan! What a disrespectful act! Apologize to Nord-sama at once!”
Even Lotus, forgetting his usual affectionate tone, scolds Elise sharply.
“I’m sorry for testing you like that, Nord-sama. But this has only confirmed it—I’ll become your disciple!”
“I refuse!”
“Why not!?”
“Because I won’t take a disciple who tests people’s strength like that.”
“But you tested my brother’s strength, didn’t you?”
“I—er, I mean, I’m Lotus’s master. It’s natural for a master to test their disciple.”
“Then test me too!”
“I already did just now. Your ability is impressive—I have nothing to teach you.”
“Oh, come now, Nord-sama, you’re lying again. My skills are hardly anything special.”
“Thanks to this iron mask’s curse, I can’t lie.”
“Fine. I’ll withdraw for today. But I’m not giving up. I will break the curse on your mask!”
Wait, so it’s not about being my disciple—it’s that again!?
“N-No, it’s fine! My soul’s fused with this mask—if you break the curse, I’ll die!”
“I’d never let you die. I won’t rest easy until I see your face with my own eyes!”
Elise grabs my hand, her eyes sparkling as she peers into the slits of my iron mask. I desperately roll my eyes back, pretending to faint, so she can’t see my pupils. When she realizes she can’t confirm anything, she steps back, clenching her fists with newfound confidence in breaking the curse.
By stubbornly refusing to remove the mask, I’ve only solidified her theory that the man named Kain who saved her is me. It’s like I’ve ignited the relentless determination of a detective or cop dead-set on cracking a case…
[Duke Villance’s Study]
“Nord, I’ve heard talk that you don’t want to go to the Hero Academy—is that true?”
“Yeah! I’m not going to the Hero Academy!”
“You fool!!”
A man with long, wavy hair, a narrow face, a sharp chin, and a nervous, piercing gaze—my father in this other world, Wald—thunders at my defiance. The glass in the furniture and doors rattles from his shout, and the butler and maids standing by flinch in alarm.
“You know this as well as I do—the duty of nobles in Ackersen! For the past two hundred years, magic users have almost exclusively been nobles, collecting taxes from the commoners under the pretext of protecting them from demons to secure our lavish lifestyle. And you’d throw that away!?”
What Wald’s talking about is basically Ackersen’s version of noblesse oblige. I get it—painfully so. But I snap back at this father who abandoned us only to preach now.
“You ignored us all this time and now you’re lecturing me? You only care about appearances!”
“Yes, and what’s wrong with that? You and Marianne are nothing more than my possessions. I thought you were smarter than this—what a disappointment. I was a fool to expect anything from you.”
“Don’t worry, even a fool like me should be able to live as an adventurer with my skills!”
“I misjudged you, Nord! I intended for you to prove to all the nobles how exceptional the Villance family is, but to think you’d spout nonsense about becoming an adventurer…”
“I’ll go to the Hero Academy—ngh… guh!”
Huff… huff…
(If I end up at the Hero Academy with Elise, I’m as good as dead!!)
That’s what I want to say to Wald, my father in this world, but an inexplicable force grips my throat, lifting me off the ground, choking my words. Maybe it’s some kind of correction force at work.
“Fine, do as you please. But don’t think you’ll ever set foot in the Villance household again after today.”
“Fine by me! I’ll live as an adventurer on the frontier. Thanks for everything up till now.”
As I rise from the sofa and storm out of the study after our falling out, Wald calls after me with a parting shot.
“Wait, Nord! If you’re leaving this house, take Marianne with you!”
“What!?”
I could handle a poor life in my previous world, but forcing Marie, who’s only known the cushy life of nobility, to endure that is just cruel.
Wald summons Marie and sits her beside me.
“Onii-samaaa…”
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Marie clings to me, her eyes brimming with tears. She tries her best to hold them back, probably feeling guilty for me.
Damn it! I don’t care what happens to me, but to treat such a sweet kid this harshly…
Whoooosh♪
Suddenly, a vision flashes in my mind…
“Onii-sama, I’m hungry… Oh, a macaron!”
“Marie, that’s not a macaron. It’s a poisonous mushroom.”
A scene from a wartime movie about a brother and sister’s tragedy from my past life replaces us in my head.
I shake my head vigorously to snap out of it. Still young, Marie trembles as she asks in a shaky voice,
“Onii-sama… Is Marie going to be poor?”
“No way in hell I’ll let that happen!”
I stand and declare this to everyone in the study. The servants look at me with faces that say, “Well said!”—until Wald glares at them, and they hang their heads.
Though the servants deflate, a usually gentle and refined voice speaks up.
“Please wait! My lord, allow me to persuade Nord-sama. Please, don’t disown them both!”
“Nord’s arrogance is your fault, Meina. Convince this idiot—or tie him up if you have to—and make him enroll in the Hero Academy.”
“I’m so sorry… my lord…”
As Meina-san bows her head, Wald, who’d been fuming like red-hot iron, cools off as if doused in water, steam practically rising from him.
“For even Meina to defy me…”
Leaning an elbow on the desk, Wald mutters under his breath, clearly shocked that the usually quiet and unassertive Meina spoke up.
“Hmph, Meina saved you. Don’t trouble your parents too much.”
With that parting jab, Wald stands, has a maid help him into his coat, and leaves the room.
A collective sigh of relief escapes everyone left behind.
I couldn’t argue after Meina-san went that far for me. I didn’t want to disgrace the woman who’d cherished me like her own child…
When I tell Marie she can live as she always has, she cheers, “Yay♪,” her innocent joy age-appropriate and reassuring.
Meina-san says she wants to talk privately, so we sit on the edge of my bed in my room.
“Nord-sama… Could you try to understand Lord Wald’s circumstances?”
“Wald’s circumstances?”
“Yes… They say despite his ample skill, he never made it into the top five and only earned the title of quasi-hero. That’s why he has such high hopes for you…”
“That’s just a parent’s ego. He barely even visited us siblings.”
“Yes… It seems his frustration drives him to crush the noble families with top-five heroes…”
I see—so Wald’s been trying to dominate Ackersen out of inferiority.
As I nod along to Meina-san’s explanation, she places her hand over mine.
“Nord-sama… Forgive me for my impropriety… At some point, I came to love you—not as a mother, but as a woman…”
“Huh!?”
By the time I react, Meina-san has undone her work ponytail. Her hair falls loose, and a sweet fragrance wafts over, shaking my rationality.
She closes her eyes, awaiting my answer.
Gulp.
This is… definitely…
[Meina’s Perspective]
I was born the daughter of a prostitute. I have a younger brother and sister, each with a different father. We were never well-off, but thanks to the looks I inherited from my mother, a man named Haine took notice of me at fifteen.
He was a former mercenary.
“I went out of my way to take in a prostitute’s daughter like you—you should be grateful.”
It seemed he chose me solely for my appearance…
I’d heard my mother’s complaints about her brothel clients, but Haine’s treatment of me didn’t feel much different from how one might treat a whore.
Even so…
“Better than taking random clients you don’t even understand, right? I’m a damn sight better!”
“Yes…”
When work upset him, he’d often raise his hand to me. Still, I endured, soothing him and sending him off to his job in those grueling days. I accepted married life with Haine, hoping to ease my family’s burden even slightly. If I hadn’t, I might’ve ended up a prostitute like my mother…
Some time after accepting Haine, it happened.
“Ugh…”
A sudden nausea rose from the pit of my stomach. I thought I’d caught a cold, but I couldn’t slack on housework over something like that. Dragging my unsteady body into town, I ran into Countess Magdalia, who was there offering healing. She took one look at me…
“Oh, you there. Wait a moment.”
“Me…?”
“Yes. May I place my hand on your stomach?”
When the Countess gently touched my belly, the chills I’d felt vanished, replaced by a soothing warmth. Then she said something that shocked me.
“You… You’ve got a baby in there. Congratulations!”
“A… baby?”
“Yes, a baby. I’ve got one in me too. Maybe they’ll be born around the same time? I figured I’d help before I have to pause my healing for childbirth.”
The Countess rubbed her own belly, smiling happily. I hoped Haine would be pleased too, but…
By the time I was in my final trimester with Rei, Haine had all but stopped coming home.
I later learned he had a fiancée besides me—I’d just been a plaything.
Rei was born, but Haine never returned. With our meager savings gone and life growing unbearable, I heard a rumor that a noble family was seeking a wet nurse.
That was the Villance household, and I headed to their estate with Rei strapped to my back.
“I heard you’re recruiting a wet nurse.”
“Please wait a moment. The master will be here shortly…”
A butler in his thirties greeted me at the entrance and led me to a reception room. As I waited, a lean man with sharp eyes entered.
Judging by his bearing, this must be Duke Wald Villance. He glanced at me disinterestedly and said only,
“Ask the maids for details.”
I found it odd—he didn’t seem thrilled despite the birth of his heir. Most nobles celebrate their firstborn with days of festivities…
Perhaps he’s the type to keep his feelings hidden, I thought.
After the maids observed me nursing Rei, I was granted an audience with Duchess Villance.
Entering the bedroom, I saw a strikingly pale, beautiful woman lying in the center of an extravagant bed straight out of a fairy tale. Beside her, a precious baby slept soundly, wrapped in cloth.
After introductions, Lady Dahlia stroked the baby lovingly and said,
“Meina-san… This is Nord. Please take care of him in my stead.”
“Yes!”
As I replied, Dahlia’s eyes teared up, but she smiled with relief, entrusting Nord to me.
Then Wald arrived…
“Dahlia, don’t push yourself. You’re still not well, are you?”
“Yes… But with Meina here for Nord…”
“I care more about you.”
Wald’s piercing gaze softened into something warm, like sunlight on a winter day, as he looked at Dahlia. It turned out she’d always been frail, and with poor milk production, they’d chosen me as a wet nurse.
About two years passed, I think. Living and working there, I was constantly amazed at how different it was from my life at home or with Haine—the Villance family treated me so well.
My milk still flowed, but my role as a wet nurse was nearing its end…
With my dismissal looming, I worried about how I’d survive with Rei. Then the lady summoned me. Fearing the worst, I trembled—until she saw Nord hiding behind my legs and said,
“Meina-san, it seems Nord’s taken a liking to you. Would you stay and work here?”
“My lady! Of course, if someone like me will do…”
“Good for you, Meina.”
“Thank you, my lady, Nord-sama.”
Another three years passed. One day, Nord burst into my room, knocking hurriedly before saying,
“Meina! Did you know? I’m getting a sibling soon!”
“Yes! Lady Dahlia told me.”
“O-Oh… Well, good then. By the way, do you have siblings, Meina? What’s it like?”
“Yes, I have two, but…”
Different fathers… I nearly said it but stopped, hesitant to share my lowly origins with Nord. Yet his eager curiosity made me want to be honest…
“It’s nice, having siblings.”
“Really? I’m looking forward to it.”
When the birth came, they called a renowned healer from Ackersen, though not as skilled as Countess Magdalia.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Wald held Dahlia’s hand, encouraging her, but the healer reported her condition was worsening.
“No visitors! Nord, get out of here!”
As I was ushered out of Dahlia’s bedroom, Nord—usually so bold—muttered softly,
“Mother…”
My heart ached at the loneliness packed into that word, a child unable to spend time with either parent.
After giving birth to Marianne, Dahlia was sent to a sanatorium for recovery on Wald’s orders.
“She asked me to leave this one to you,” Wald said, handing me the baby without a shred of affection, like passing an object.
“But… I…”
“Just keep up appearances. If it dies, so be it.”
Though Dahlia entrusted Marianne to me, unlike with Rei, I had no milk this time.
Hiring another wet nurse would mean my role was over.
Unable to return home or to Haine’s empty house, I’d be left with Rei…
“Fnyu, fnyu, ugh, ugh, waaaaah! Waaaaah—!”
When Marianne started crying, Wald simply left the room.
I’m sorry, Lady Dahlia, Marianne…
I couldn’t comfort her.
Waking to find her mother gone, Marianne wailed as if on fire. No one in the house could stop her. From raising Nord and Rei, I knew she craved milk.
But I had none…
“Can’t even you do something, Meina…?”
Nord slumped, disappointed despite his new sister.
Then it happened.
Hearing Marianne’s cries, I felt a fullness in my chest. Thinking it impossible, I touched my breast—it felt different.
Unhooking my bra, I felt a slight dampness inside…
But it wasn’t white like milk. Maybe just sweat from panic. As I held Marianne, her tiny hands pressed against my chest.
Though her eyes weren’t open, she latched onto my nipple—an instinct to survive.
I wanted to answer her need if I could.
As she suckled with her lips and tongue,
“Ahh, Marianne-sama…”
As expected of Nord’s sister—I let out an odd sound, feeling as if milk that shouldn’t exist was flowing.
If my skin could soothe her, I’d be content. Then—
“No way…”
A white drool trickled from the corner of Marianne’s pursed lips.
“Meina! Your milk…”
Nord, watching intently, touched her mouth with his finger, then tasted it. He brought some to me, and I licked it…
“Y-Yes… No mistake. It’s milk…”
I’d heard of female cats nursing abandoned kittens, but for it to happen to me…
For this miracle, I could only offer prayers of gratitude to the Villance family.
While I felt happiness at being able to nurse the two of them in place of Lady Dahlia, I was also overwhelmed with guilt toward her, knowing she’d wanted to raise them herself. It was at that moment—
“Meina, it seems you have a visitor.”
“A visitor for me?”
Nord-sama stood there with his arms crossed, his expression unusually serious. For a moment, I thought Haine had come to drag me back…
“Meina, don’t worry. I’m with you.”
Sensing my trembling, Nord-sama took my hand and encouraged me. He was only five years old, yet how reassuring his presence was.
I couldn’t let myself, an adult, tremble in front of a child—that thought steadied me as I forced my shaky legs to move forward.
When we reached the reception room together, I overheard Lux-san, the head maid and my colleague, gossiping with the others.
“Apparently, the heir of Baron Marc and his wife were attacked by a sudden horde of monsters while inspecting their territory. Their carriage fell off a cliff, and the whole family perished.”
From their conversation, it seemed the visitor was Baron Marc himself, but I couldn’t fathom why he’d have business with me.
Could it be that while I was out shopping, he’d sized me up and intended to summon me to his estate as a substitute for a prostitute…?
Serving as a noble’s nighttime companion might offer a better life than I have now, but I didn’t want to be separated from Nord-sama and Lady Marianne.
Determined to refuse if that was the case, I opened the door—
“Mother!?”
“It’s been a while, Meina!”
“Big sis, long time no see~!”
“Hello, big sister!”
There sat my mother and younger sisters, dressed in noble attire. Beside them was a kind-looking, gray-haired man of middle age. After my marriage to Haine all but collapsed and I began working for the Villance family, I’d been earning enough to send money home—but they’d refused it, and I hadn’t seen them since.
Wait a second!?
That’s when it hit me.
They were trying to turn my whole family into prostitutes!
How shameless…
Taking advantage of his son and daughter-in-law’s deaths to drag even my sisters into some depraved orgy—a family feast of flesh and wine—was unforgivable.
“Mother might be one thing, but I won’t let you lay a hand on my sisters! If you’re looking for a bedmate, I’ll take you on myself! I-I’m… quite skilled at breastfeeding play!”
The kinder someone looks, the more dangerous they can be—that’s what I thought as I hurled my words at the middle-aged noble.
“Meina-san—no, Meina. I wouldn’t do such a thing. I’ve come to take you in as my daughter.”
“Daughter?”
Come to think of it, Nord-sama had once mentioned that in foreign lands, there’s a trend called “papa-katsu,” where girls serve their “daddies” for money… To think he’d want me for such unspeakable acts!
“You mean to take me in as a stepdaughter and teach me all sorts of illicit things, don’t you!?”
I stood and sharply confronted Baron Marc. My mother, looking troubled, stepped in to calm me down.
“Meina… Listen calmly. I’ve kept this from you all this time, but you’re the daughter of Slein Marc, the baron sitting here.”
For a moment, I thought my mother had lost her mind to some disease she’d caught from a client.
“What Yuina says is true,” Slein said. “After losing my wife, I was unbearably lonely. That’s when I met Yuina, and we fell in love. You were born from that. I wanted to acknowledge you, but my sons wouldn’t allow it… I’m sorry I couldn’t come for you until now.”
I’d always thought I was an illegitimate child with an unknown father—never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a noble was my dad…
I pressed my hand to my mouth, speechless, as Slein waited patiently for me to calm down before speaking gently.
“I want to take you in as my daughter and have your son, Rei, inherit the Marc family. Would that be alright? Come live with us, Meina.”
It was clear from how he’d taken in not just my mother but my sisters—each with different fathers—that Slein was a kind man.
But…
“I have no objections at all to Rei inheriting your title—only gratitude, in fact. But I must decline being taken in as your daughter.”
“Why not? You won’t have to suffer or struggle anymore.”
“Lady Dahlia, Duchess Villance, entrusted Nord-sama and Lady Marianne to me. I can’t abandon my work for the Villance family, to whom I owe so much, halfway through.”
Slein discussed it with my mother and sisters.
“Your resolve seems firm. I won’t force you, then. But I’d like you to visit us on your days off. You’re my daughter, after all.”
“Thank you…”
I almost called him “Father,” but hesitated, unsure if it was appropriate, and ended up not saying it.
Less than a week later, trouble arose.
“Meina, you can’t go outside right now.”
Lux-san, the head maid, stopped me as I was about to head out shopping.
“Leave today’s outdoor tasks to us. Please take care of Lady Marianne instead.”
“Y-Yes… But why?”
“It’s better if you don’t ask.”
Lux-san was adamant about keeping me inside. Naturally, that only piqued my curiosity. Looking out the mansion’s window, I saw a familiar face—Haine—confronting Graham, the butler.
“Give me back my son!!”
Even with the window closed, his voice carried. Graham, however, remained unfazed.
Then Nord-sama strolled up casually. Worried for him, I slipped out through the back door despite Lux-san’s warnings and watched their exchange from the shadows.
“Meina’s nursing my sister right now. If you’ve got business with her, I’ll hear it.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“Such crude manners—some lowlife, I take it… No matter. I’m Nord Villance, son of the duke.”
“I don’t give a damn if you’re a duke’s brat or whatever! Meina’s my wife! What’s wrong with taking back my own wife!?”
“Oh? You neglected your family entirely, even cheated on top of that, and now you want Meina and Rei back…?”
“Shut up! They’re mine! Stay out of this, outsider!”
Haine’s reason for coming was obvious. He’d heard I was Baron Marc’s daughter and planned to use Rei to get his hands on the baron’s wealth!
“From what Meina’s told me, you’re a former mercenary. How about we settle this with a duel?”
“You nobles always resort to magic, huh? That’s cheating! A real fight’s fair and square—no magic!”
“Magic, huh… Fine, I’ll face you with just a sword. If I win, no complaints.”
Even with Nord-sama’s exceptional talents, this was reckless. Ignoring Lux-san’s orders, I rushed out in front of them.
“Nord-sama, no! You can’t do this for me…”
“Meina! Shut up! This is between me and this brat!”
“You’re the one who should shut your filthy mouth.”
Haine yelled at me, but a single glare from Nord-sama silenced him. Just five years old, yet such presence… Still, he quickly turned to me with his usual gentle tone.
“Meina, don’t misunderstand. This guy insulted me—said a noble who can’t use magic is worthless. This is just punishment for his insolence.”
That was clearly an excuse; he was doing it for me.
“No magic. I’ll face you with a sword alone. I’ll even go easy on you if you want.”
“You damn brat!! Don’t underestimate an adult!”
No matter how gifted Nord-sama was, facing an adult—especially a former mercenary like Haine—was daunting. Yet Graham calmly handed them wooden practice swords.
“Graham, you give the signal to start.”
“As you wish.”
I clasped my hands, praying desperately that Nord-sama wouldn’t get hurt.
“Begin!”
At Graham’s signal, Haine charged at Nord-sama with ferocious speed, showing no mercy despite his opponent being a child.
A decent adult would hold back, but not him…
Nord-sama’s expression didn’t flicker. Without even raising his sword to block, he read Haine’s strike aimed at his head, sidestepped smoothly, and thrust the tip of his wooden sword at Haine’s throat in one fluid motion.
“Victor: Nord-sama!”
Despite the clear win, Haine wasn’t satisfied. He grabbed the sword with both hands, snapped it over his knee, and snarled—
“Pathetic! Don’t get cocky just ‘cause you beat me with this toy wooden crap!”
In a rage, he drew the real sword at his waist and pointed its sharp tip at Nord-sama.
“Scared speechless, huh!? Just a kid after all…”
Unfazed, Nord-sama tapped the scabbard Graham brought him lightly, testing its feel.
“I’ll fight with this. Come at me whenever you like.”
He drew a main-gauche—a short dagger meant to be paired with a longsword. But Nord-sama wielded only the dagger.
Haine grumbled but refused to back down. In an instant, Nord-sama parried his sword with the main-gauche, slipped behind him, and—
“I could carve your filthy ass not just vertically but horizontally too. Might make you popular with the men.”
“Eek!?”
“Hmph. Seems the result’s the same no matter how many times we do this.”
“No way! Beaten by a kid… without magic…?”
“Did you think you could reconcile with Meina and worm your way into nobility as a son-in-law…? A weakling who can’t even beat a child is a hundred years too early for that.”
I couldn’t understand why he’d risk giving Haine such a handicap, but Nord-sama was teaching him the harsh reality of nobility with his own body.
“Send him back to his family. Don’t forget to collect the escort fee.”
At Nord-sama’s command, Graham arranged a carriage to take Haine home. Bound with handcuffs and shackles, Haine shrank like a scolded kitten, trembling.
Later, when Graham returned, he handed Nord-sama a sack, which Nord then passed to me.
“Meina, it’s not much, but this is compensation. Use it however you like for the trouble he caused.”
“Nord-sama…”
His hand offered it casually, almost carelessly. His demeanor often came off as aloof due to embarrassment, but as his wet nurse, I knew his true kindness.
Just accepting his sentiment overwhelmed me with emotion.
Seeing tears drip onto the money, Nord-sama—rarely flustered—panicked.
“What!? Was that not enough…? Should I seize his house and land too!?”
“No… I’m happy. That you’d do this for someone like me…”
“I grew up drinking your milk, Meina. It’s only natural.”
[Present Day]
When I bring up those events from years ago, Nord-sama gets embarrassed and tries to brush it off quickly.
“I was so young, my memory’s hazy. I just did what was expected as your employer. No need to dwell on it.”
His nonchalant attitude, dismissing the immense kindness he showed me…
I didn’t know what love was.
But that five-year-old Nord, who freed me from Haine’s curse, stole my heart. Even now, that flame hasn’t cooled—it burns so fiercely it feels like it’s melting me.
[Nord’s Perspective]
“Nord-sama… Forgive my impropriety… At some point, I came to love you—not as a mother, but as a woman…”
“Huh!?”
By the time I reacted, Meina-san had undone her work ponytail. Her hair fell loose, and a sweet fragrance wafted over, shaking my rationality.
She closed her eyes, awaiting my response.
Gulp.
This was… definitely it.
Meina-san, who’d poured unconditional love into me like I was her own despite being unrelated, waited with her eyes shut.
She often emphasized her age, but she wasn’t old at all! That was only relative to my reincarnated self—she was over a decade younger than I’d been in my past life.
I reached out, touching her cheek. It was bursting with youthful firmness yet soft enough to cling to my fingers.
“Nord-sama… You don’t need to hold back. Use this Meina however you please.”
Even with my adult mental age, the first time still made me nervous.
Perhaps sensing my hesitation from my trembling fingers, she spoke to me.
In my past life, I’d been a thirty-something virgin wizard—maybe reincarnating as a dark knight skilled in magic had some cosmic connection to that.
In the end, Nord had overwhelming strength he couldn’t fully wield and never made anyone happy.
I just wanted happiness, even in a tiny bubble—just me, Meina-san, and Marie, a real family.
As a declaration of that resolve…
I kissed her enticing, rosy lips.
Kissing Meina-san, who’d been like a foster mother, sparked more forbidden thrill than guilt. In both lives, I’d never felt such excitement.
As she slowly opened her eyes, our gazes met.
Her face flushed, a mix of joy and shyness—and I’m pretty sure mine was just as red.
“Nord-sama, I’m so happy. To think you’d kiss someone like me so passionately…”
“Meina, don’t belittle yourself. You’re too captivating for me. Can I kiss you again?”
“I’m glad you like my lips.”
Chu, chu, chu, chu, chuchchu.
Like a parent pecking a child’s cheek, I showered her lips with kisses.
“Mmm!?”
Meina-san giggled, then cradled the back of my head. As if teaching a virgin like me, she parted her lips, slipping her tongue in while keeping them pressed to mine.
Her tongue caressed mine, melting my brain.
Kissing, we tumbled onto the bed together. True to a duke’s standards, it enveloped us in soft fluffiness.
“Nord-sama… Don’t overthink it. The first time can be playful.”
“Y-Yeah…”
Her words reminded me of a cold winter night.
“Meina! Sleep with me!”
“Yes, Nord-sama.”
I’d ordered her so arrogantly, yet she’d smiled without a hint of displeasure. Back when I was even younger as Nord, she’d slept beside me, warming me.
Just like then, I tangled my legs with hers. The difference now was puberty—rubbing against each other’s sensitive spots.
As I licked her neck, like she and the Marine did when wiping my sweat—
“L-Nord-sama, ahhn! That tickles♡”
A sweet moan escaped her, and my heart raced like a tofu maker’s engine revving to 11,000 RPM.
Her scent—wafting from her hair and nape—and her gasps transformed me from a mere boy into a man.
With trembling hands, I tugged down her maid dress, revealing breasts so bountiful they could only be called milk bags. They spilled out like melons bursting from a sack.
Boobs… so many boobs…
There were only two, but my overexcited brain had regressed to monkey-level reasoning. I began suckling straight from her overflowing chest.
Meina-san gave me a look as if to say, “Don’t tease too much.” Foreplay aside, it was time to confirm our love.
My voice cracked with nerves.
“M-Meina, here I go.”
“Yes… Come whenever you’re ready.”
She reached up from below, arms open, welcoming me.
Meina-san and I became one.
When I awoke, Meina-san’s blissful sleeping face lay beside me.
I pushed off the covers without waking her and slipped out of bed—naked.
Sunlight streamed through the balcony window, gradually brightening the once-dark world with a reddish glow.
Before even enrolling, I’d “graduated” from the Hero Academy…
Sex with a girl—something I never achieved in my past life!
Basking naked in the rising sun, I trembled with the overwhelming emotion welling up inside me. Then Meina-san stirred, calling out to me, wrapped in the bedding.
“Oh… Being held by Nord-sama makes Meina truly happy. I never knew being loved by someone so dear could feel this good. I’m a little jealous of the young lady you’ll eventually be engaged to.”
Her soft giggle was no different from that of a teenage beauty.
With the morning sun at my back, I declared to Meina-san,
“I’ll love you over and over again, Meina. Be grateful.”
“Thank you.”
“And drop the ‘sama.’”
“Y-Yes?”
“You and I are lovers now. Calling each other by name will make it feel even better.”
“Yes!”
I planted a kiss on her, and the spark ignited us both. I devoured the skin of Meina-san, who’d once been a married woman.
“N-Nooo, I can’t…”
Just hearing her sultry moans was enough to rev my engine back from a stall to the redline, ready for another round of fierce thrusting.
We had lots of sex after that!
At one point, I had Meina-san play a sadistic maid for some fun, but when I noticed signs of exhaustion in her, we took a break.
Resting on my arm, Meina-san made a request.
“Nord-sama, you won’t selfishly say you’re not going to the Hero Academy anymore, right?”
“Y-Yeah…”
She hugged me tenderly from the side, and I found myself utterly captivated by the overwhelming love she poured into me…
Reassured by my words, Meina-san drifted off, her breathing soft and steady—suu, suu—as she fell into a peaceful sleep. Seeing her sleep so happily strengthened my attachment to life even more.
I’d intended to defy Wald’s orders, but when my wet nurse Meina-san asked me, I couldn’t refuse. Reluctantly, I set off for the Hero Academy entrance exam.
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