"What are you doing awake so early?" Bertram asked, with no real interest in the answer.
"We were preparing the bakery." Maris pointed to the oven that was already hot, the firewood, and how everything was neatly organized.
"Hm." Bertram nodded in acknowledgment. "Then why the hell are you sitting there?! Bring me my fucking food already!!"
His tone and mood shifted very quickly, frightening Maris, who hurried off to prepare something for him.
Usher finished eating quickly and set about doing something so Bertram wouldn't think he was useless.
Today more than ever, he wanted to keep his job. If he did, he could see Maris every day—a source of corruption points, pleasure, and food.
A sugar mommy in every sense!!
Just thinking about that, and about how he would plan to cuckold Bertram, made a smile appear on his face as he carried out his tasks.
Usher wished he could have another chance to be alone with Maris, but he didn't get the opportunity all day.
He ended up heading home with several loaves of bread tucked under his arm.
…
When he arrived home, he found Tianna in the living room, weaving what looked like a basket with several dried herbs.
When she raised her head, she saw Usher, and inevitably her gaze fell on the bread he was holding.
Tianna quickly stood up and tossed the basket aside, ran toward Usher, and stretched out her hands, intending to snatch the bread from him.
But Usher was faster. He dodged her attempt and hid the bread behind his back.
"What is this supposed to mean?" she asked, half indignant and furious.
Usher raised an eyebrow without answering her question.
"You know we don't have any food left! We haven't eaten anything all day." Tianna placed both hands on her hips, trying to look more imposing. "I even had to send the girls into the forest, hoping they'd find some edible fruit."
"And what does that have to do with me?" Usher replied coldly.
"Huh?!" Tianna looked more and more indignant, her brow furrowed in disgust. "If you're working, it's to bring food into this house. If you can't even do that, you'd better leave."
"You want me to leave?" Usher smiled and shook his head. "I'm very sorry, woman, but you know very well that this house—and everything inside it—will soon be my property."
"If anyone should be leaving this house, it would be you and your daughters." Usher decided to be direct with her.
He couldn't allow them to keep treating him the way they did. He wasn't their servant, and they needed to understand that.
Tianna looked utterly shocked by his words. The previous Usher had never dared speak to her like that, much less contradict her.
"I'm working because I need to eat, but I have no responsibility toward you or your daughters."
His words echoed through the house as Tianna stood there completely confused and bewildered.
For a few brief moments, Tianna wore a vacant look before clenching her teeth and glaring at him with fury.
Thousands of thoughts and plans ran through Tianna's mind when, without her realizing it, Usher placed the bread into her hands.
"Now that that's clear…" Usher stepped closer to Tianna and touched her shoulder. "I won't let you starve, but it's very important that you understand that from now on, I am the man of the family."
Usher used Corrupt Touch.
[+2 corruption]
The double gain of points made him smile slightly.
"And therefore, I deserve at least a minimum of respect from you."
Tianna remained lost in her thoughts.
She didn't respond to Usher. She simply took the bread to the kitchen.
Usher didn't push further. He had achieved his objectives when Tianna didn't openly object to his words.
Usher went to bed after Tianna served him a bit of milk and bread.
You can't survive on just milk and bread, he thought as he tried to organize his thoughts. He needed money to buy things like rice, chicken, salt, and more.
But Bertram had only agreed to hire him at a very low wage, so he couldn't get his hopes up about that pay.
Usher scratched his head. He had to find a way to get money.
With those thoughts, he fell asleep completely exhausted.
In the middle of the night, he woke up again after hearing strange sounds, but he ignored them due to his exhaustion and went back to sleep.
The next morning, he followed the same routine.
Bathe in the river, go to work, and return home to sleep.
Thanks to how clear Maris had been with him, he could now touch her without any issue.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to go any further due to Bertram's presence.
But the important thing was…
---
[Usher]
Age: 19 years
Status: Healthy
Physique: 0.7
Talent: Corruption
Analysis Lv. 2
Corrupt Touch Lv. 2
Corruption Points: 15
When his points reached the mark of 10, he received the notification to upgrade a skill.
He had been thinking about it all day and had come to the conclusion that what he needed most was corruption points, and his Corrupt Touch was essential for that.
Without hesitation, he spent the points and checked the skill.
Corrupt Touch Lv. 3
When in direct contact with a person, Corrupt Touch can be activated.
80% chance to corrupt a person.
20% chance to obtain double points.
Usher smiled at the improvement to his skill. It would allow him to harvest more corruption points while also shortening the time needed.
But at the same time, he began to feel frustrated. He had only been in this world and this body for a few days, but he no longer wanted to sleep in this old cabin, nor did he want to eat only stale bread and a bit of milk diluted with water.
He wanted to watch television. He wanted to eat eggs, bacon, meat, chicken, pork, pizza, hamburgers.
He was in a medieval-era world, but he was not satisfied with the kind of life he was living.
He wanted more… much more.