Episode 2, The Hungry Baby Holstaurus
[There's nothing to be surprised about. A healthy female Holstaurus can easily live for 600 years. The lifespan of a male Holstaurus is half that, at 300 years. You can live even longer than those males, and with proper care, possibly even longer, and if you receive my help, you could live much, much longer.]
"Your help?"
With this question, Milk felt an intense sense of weakness in his body. Sleepiness began to wash over him.
"Our Milk is sleepy Mommy will put you to bed my son."
Millie, who had been fiddling with something as a pastime, heard Milk's yawn, came over, embraced him with her ample chest, and began to pat his back to lull him to sleep.
Unable to resist the drowsiness any longer, Milk's eyes slowly closed and he drifted off to sleep, as the last words from Ru echoed in his mind.
[Sleep well, Milk. I am always by your side. I'll see you again when you wake up, and I'll tell you more about the help I mentioned then.]
"Thank you, Ru..."
Feeling his mother's patting hand, the sweet sound of her lullaby, and Ru's beautiful voice echoing in his mind, Milk fell asleep.
Holding him gently as he slept, Millie continued to stroke his back. Once she was sure he was asleep, she carefully laid him on a soft straw bed.
She gazed at the sleeping Milk's face with a beaming smile, her mouth nearly stretching to her ears at the sight of her adorable son, precious enough to put in her eye.
Just then
"Millie Millie!"
"Oh! I completely forgot."
She had entirely forgotten a promise she made to a friend the day before. Is this what they mean when they say a mother's love for her son is overwhelming?
After covering Milk with a rough but warm-looking blanket, she quickly got dressed. At home, she stayed undressed for convenience while feeding her son, but Holstaurus women usually wear cloth with spotted patterns over their chests.
Holstaurus naturally produce milk, but unless their breasts and nipples are stimulated, milk doesn't come out.
However, after giving birth, a Holstaurus woman's body changes so that milk overflows even without stimulation. That's why the cloth covering their chests often becomes soaked, and it's common for them to go around topless after childbirth.
Still, she couldn't go meet a close friend in such a state, so she put on her clothes.
As soon as the cloth touched her chest, her nipples were stimulated and milk began to leak, soaking the fabric. It was a bit uncomfortable, but she just headed outside as she was.
Outside stood another Holstaurus woman, with similar horns and a cow's tail. She was also a woman.
This Holstaurus, named Buren, was Millie's friend and family. Why? Because she and Millie shared the same husband.
Because there are so few male Holstaurus, polygamy is essential. All the women are wives of the male Holstaurus who acts as the clan's breeding leader.
Thus, Buren and Millie were family, and to the sleeping Milk, Buren was like an aunt. Millie was a bit older than Buren.
Buren approached with a gentle smile, sniffed at Millie's neck as if to catch her scent, and Millie did the same to Buren.
This was the Holstaurus way of greeting. Close family show intimacy like this. If it's someone they're meeting for the first time or a Holstaurus from another group, they greet by lightly bumping horns from a distance.
After greeting, the two women laughed and entered Millie's house. Today, Buren had come for one reason: to see Millie's son, Milk.
The memory of the adorable baby boy had lingered in Buren's mind since last night, keeping her up. Guided inside, she immediately approached the sleeping Milk, clutched her chest, and let out excited, heavy breaths.
"Oh my, oh my! Could there be another life this cute? Ah how angelic he looks sleeping!"
Usually, a mother might scold someone for this, but Millie joined in, clutching her chest and agreeing with Buren's sentiment.
"Right? Right?! Ah even though he's my child, he's so cute I could die! Look at his little mouth and hands moving he's just like a little angel!"
Before they knew it, the two women's conversation had turned into a contest over how cute Milk was. It was a good thing Milk was sleeping, unaware of it all.
The two chatted for a while, talking about Milk's cuteness, and time passed until Milk woke up and sat up.
"Oh Milk, you're awake?"
Waking up in the arms of a woman he'd never seen before, Milk looked puzzled at first, but being who he was inside, he didn't whine or cry, and calmly met her gaze.
"Milk doesn't cry much, does he?"
"Yeah he's so well-behaved, different from other kids. Thanks to that, I can get things done at home without any trouble. If he makes a sound, it means he's hungry or needs a change, but otherwise, he hardly ever cries."
Listening to the two women talk, Milk realized the woman before him was an acquaintance of his mother. He blinked and thought to himself.
'Ru, who is this woman?'
[This is your aunt Buren. She's your mother Millie's closest friend and your father's 30th wife.]
'Father?'
[Your father is the chief of the Holstaurus tribe. You are his first son and next in line to be chief.]
"R-really?"
Ru knew more than he could have imagined. As Milk was about to marvel, Ru's voice continued in his head.
[It seems you've slept enough. Before you fall asleep again, I'll continue what we were talking about earlier. First, let me clarify that you don't need to be formal with me anymore. I'm an assistant implanted in your mind, essentially a high-performance AI for your understanding. There's no need to be formal with someone who exists to help you, so please speak comfortably from now on.]
"Is that okay?"
[Of course. Please do.]
"If that's easier, I'll do that. Can you keep explaining?"
[Understood. Let me explain your situation in more detail. You are the next chief of this Holstaurus tribe. If you have a younger brother, he'll be second in line. Currently, the only men in the tribe are you and your father, Honkale. Your mother Millie is the 28th wife and has gained high status in the tribe for giving birth to a son. That's the basic knowledge you need for life in the tribe.]
"I see. I feel like I was born into a really good position."
[It's not something to take lightly. For now, you have no duties because you're still young, but soon you'll grow up and take a leadership role. From then on, all the tribe members will look to you, and their lives will depend on your choices. The good thing is that your memories haven't been erased. This will help you become an even greater chief.]
Just as she said, having experience from Earth was a huge advantage. Thanks to this, he would be able to learn and grow faster than others.
[Now, I'll tell you exactly what kind of help I can offer. Simply put, through me, you'll be able to check special perks, like rewards in a game.]
"Perks?"
[Yes. The fastest way to learn is through experience, so I'll let you experience it right away. Don't be surprised and focus on the screen that appears before your eyes.]
"Whoa!"
"Ah!"
Ru had warned him, but when the screen suddenly appeared before his eyes, he couldn't help but be surprised. His mouth dropped open and a baby's voice escaped him.
"Oh? Is he hungry?"
"Maybe. It's about time for lunch anyway. How about Buren feeds Milk today?"
"Yes! Of course. That's why I came today "
At Millie's words, Buren eagerly removed the cloth from her chest, revealing her large, soft-looking breasts.
Like most Holstaurus women, her breasts were very large and looked soft. Buren brought her left breast to Milk's mouth and let him latch onto her nipple.
'I'm not really hungry... but I guess I have no choice. Still... even if she's my aunt, it feels strange to suck someone else's milk...'
[It's fine. It's perfectly normal, and by nursing from Buren, you've gained her favor. Your achievement score has increased by 5, making it 15. Leave the screen up; I'll explain more after you finish eating.]
His achievement score went up again. Following Ru's words, Milk sucked on Buren's nipple. Since she hadn't given birth, her milk didn't come out easily, so he had to suck harder.
Even Holstaurus women who haven't given birth can produce milk, but their milk ducts aren't open, so it doesn't come out unless you use considerable force.
Milk sucked hard on Buren's nipple. Warm, sweet, and nutty milk began to flow from her nipple into his mouth and down his throat.
"Mm!!!"
At first, Milk sucked gently, but when he sucked harder, Buren blushed and let out a moan.
"Hehe our boy has quite a mouth, doesn't he?"
"Ah, hng... I'm not joking, he's really strong!"
She had sometimes nursed for other pregnant Holstaurus women, but she'd never been sucked this hard before.
Buren looked at Milk lovingly as he nursed, stroking his forehead with a blush and a smile.
Milk liked his gentle and affectionate aunt Buren. She was beautiful, and since she was close to his mother Millie, he decided to maintain a good relationship with her.
After finishing his meal from Buren, she turned Milk over and gently patted his back to help him burp.
When Milk let out a cute little burp, Buren hugged him again, and Ru's voice echoed in his mind.
[Nutrient absorption is going smoothly. Buren's milk is a good match for you. It's almost as good as Millie's, so you can enjoy it often in the future.]
"That's not really my choice, though..."
Milk smiled wryly to himself. As a baby, he could only eat what was given to him and be cared for; he had no say in the matter.
[You can show some rejection by fussing. In Millie's case, she has a strong bond with you, so if you express negative feelings, she'll notice right away.]
"Mothers really are amazing."
[Let's continue. Focus on the screen in front of you; it shows your current status.]
Following her words, Milk moved his eyes. His vision was still a bit blurry, but he could see a status window in familiar Korean script.
It showed his age, health, strength, agility, intelligence, and various other stats. Below that were people he was connected to and had relationships with.
Below that was a window showing his current goals, achievable tasks, completed tasks, and current duties.
His goal was information gathering, and the achievable task was to raise his achievement score to 20. It said he currently had no duties.
[All your stats are managed by me. Depending on the situation, you can manage them yourself, but I recommend you leave it to me, your professional guide, and focus on living a stable life. Below that is your relationship chart. Currently, you have favor with two women. Your current favorability is 70, and if it reaches 100, it turns into affection. Your race is special, so even relationships between mother and child can turn into affection.]