#32
“So that man from before…you know, his face didn’t seem like he was into it. Does it mean he was being forced against his will? To fuck that woman?”
“Jeez, your mouth is as sweet as a berry, speaking vulgar words like that, like it’s natural,” Delilah smirked, strangely fixed on his choice of words. “But that man is different. And he was not being forced. Or at least, not in a way you define force.”
“Different?”
“Julius is a [Breeder]”
“A breeder?”
“Yeah,” she frowned. “… don’t tell me you haven’t heard that before?”
William shook his head.
“Aah, young ones these days. You should really take your studies seriously.”
“… well, my definition of studies is not about shagging,”
“Haha, where the hell did you come from? Did you come from the mountain or something? Even those people from the province should know better about what’s going on right now.”
“So, what’s a breeder?” William didn’t like her tone as if she was calling him ignorant, so he could not help but glare at the older woman. His tone is sharper than before.
However, Delilah was not annoyed or upset about his sudden change in attitude. In fact, she even seemed amused.
“It’s a special designation among men. Those who have strong sperm and sexual desires are designated as a Breeder. They are tasked to breed with women. If women call for you, you can’t say no. Of course, there are restrictions as well. They have a quota to fulfill every month. If they manage to fill that quota, they can refuse women’s advancement, or if the man has just finished having sex, they can refuse for the time being. Anyway, men with this special designation can’t refuse a woman, unless they meet those restrictions.”
“That’s a thing?”
William blinked at her, his tone carrying both curiosity and disbelief.
“Yes,” Delilah said without hesitation, her voice calm, though her eyes narrowed slightly as if studying him. “Of course, not all women are capable of—sorry for the choice of word, but—‘using’ Breeders. The ones who are allowed must go through strict evaluations, fertility tests, and medical checks. Only women proven healthy, fertile, and capable of giving birth without complications are granted clearance. It’s like an ID.”
She lifted her hand and gestured as if holding a card between her fingers. “If a woman shows that pass, a Breeder has no right to refuse her. For everyone else—regular women—it depends entirely on the Breeder’s willingness.”
William leaned back, his brows furrowing. “So… it’s like state-sanctioned prostitution. Or worse, like men being public property.”
“You have a strange way of saying things,” Delilah chuckled, though there was no humor in her eyes. “But yes. That’s essentially what it is. It’s something everyone knows, but no one speaks of openly. Which is why becoming a Breeder, despite all the wealth and privileges attached to it, is not exactly a respected calling. After all—who wants to be known as ‘public property’?”
Her tone grew softer at the end, almost pitying. Then she lifted her chin again, returning to a matter-of-fact voice. “Still, the system works. Breeders are compensated lavishly, and if they succeed in impregnating a woman—well, the rewards are even more generous.”
William was quiet for a moment, eyes lowering. A breeder, huh.
Then, almost casually, he asked, “What about marriage? Does it even mean anything in this… free-use world? And how many women can a man marry?”
The way he phrased it made Delilah tilt her head. She studied him for a long second, lips pressed together, before speaking.
“A free-use world, huh? You speak oddly for someone your age,” she murmured, her eyes narrowing. “You keep asking things that even children know… Tell me, William—just what did they teach you at school?”
His expression didn’t waver. “I don’t know. I cut class a lot.”
Something about his steady tone made her pause. She could have pressed him, could have asked why he was so ignorant of the most basic laws and customs. But for some reason, she didn’t. Instead, she exhaled, her shoulders loosening, and a faint smile tugged at her lips.
“Fine,” she said at last, shaking her head as if indulging him. “You’re a strange boy. But if you want to know… then I’ll tell you.”
He leaned in slightly, meeting her gaze. “So—is marriage still important?”
Delilah gave a low laugh, though there was a wistfulness to it. “Important? Oh, more than you think. Marriage is still considered one of the cornerstones of society. Without it, everything would crumble. Men must marry. Not marrying isn’t an option. The government requires every man to find at least one woman to wed, and to raise a family.”
“Required?”
“Yes,” she nodded, her expression sobering. “Every couple must have at least two children—or at least one boy. If they fail, the marriage is annulled, and the man is reassigned. Sometimes matched with a woman with a higher fertility rate, sometimes forcibly paired with someone else entirely.”
William frowned deeply. “…That kind of law. Sounds terrible though—” His gaze flicked toward her, sharp. “—for women.”
Delilah froze, lips parting. Of all responses, that was not the one she had expected.
“…Yes,” she admitted after a pause, her voice quieter now. A wry smile crossed her face, tinged with bitterness. “Yes, it is terrible. But there’s no choice. It’s the law. Everyone accepts it, or pretends to.”
“And as long as he can give each of them children, a man can marry two or more women,” Delilah continued, “But you would never see a man just… go for a woman simply because he wanted to. Not like in the stories, not like in those romantic dramas. They could—yes, they could. But that’s the ideal for women, not men. Men rarely ever act on desire. They’re cautious, calculating. At most, they stick to two, maybe three partners. And that’s already considered indulgent.”
Her eyes turned distant as she added, “Though… if a woman somehow manages to grab a married man’s attention, well… she might get lucky. She might get her turn. But as men age, their desire wanes. Their drive to be intimate fades. So for us…” She trailed off, her lips pressing together, a heaviness creeping into her words. “…For us, the chances dry up too. Older women lose any hope of being chosen. And in the end, they just… wilt away in some lonely corner.”
Her tone dipped into sadness and frustration, so thick William couldn’t help but notice.
“You mean,” he asked carefully, “they can’t have children anymore?”
Delilah gave a hollow laugh. “…Exactly. That’s why the state insists men should marry as many women as possible while they’re still capable. Until they can’t ‘get it up’ anymore, as the saying goes. A few years back, there was even a bill mandating that men must marry at least five women. Can you imagine?”
William raised an eyebrow. “Did that work out?”
“Of course not.” Delilah shook her head, the corners of her mouth twitching in faint amusement. “The men revolted. Not with protests in the street, mind you—no, they just quietly refused. Stopped cooperating. You see, it’s hard enough for them to father one or two children… but dozens? That’s not something any man wanted to shoulder. The law collapsed within a year.”
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. “And really, can you blame them? One woman’s drive is already a mountain to climb for them every night. Add more partners into the mix and—well, the fear of being ‘sucked dry’ is not just an expression. It’s a real concern for men. A man with too many wives doesn’t boast about it. He usually looks exhausted.”
William smirked faintly. “That’s an interesting dilemma.”
“You said it.” Delilah chuckled, though the bitterness in her laugh lingered.
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Delilah’s eyes softened as she studied his face. He looked curious, thoughtful—different from the boys she usually saw, who avoided conversations like these or treated them as crude jokes. Even her son completely dislike this kind of conversations. But this boy is different. William wasn’t afraid to ask. He wasn’t afraid to prod at truths people avoided.
And it made her chest tighten in ways she didn’t expect.
William looks at the children playing in the sand pit, and suddenly he recalls the issue he was worrying about. Although the internet said it was okay, even his family didn’t seem to worry about it. But from someone who comes from another world, who considered that a taboo, morally and scientifically, he still wants to make sure.
“You know… ahm, what about between family members. Is that kind of relationship acceptable?”
“Hm? Ah, you mean that kind of relationship…” Delilah looks at William as if she were trying to see through him. Then her lips curved upwards, “Why? Is your mother or sister coming strongly at you?”
William merely smiles wryly, but this is already enough for Delilah. She let out a chuckle, ruffling his hair, “I guess, as a man, that is indeed quite an issue, huh. I heard the Grant Family only has one man, living among five women; they must really be coming to you.”
“Is that… you know, a problem doing it with them?”
“No, of course not,” Delilah answered. “Well, it would be if they force themselves on you. If they do, just call the authority, and they will deal with it. Why? Are you worried? Are they forcing themselves on you?” she frowned, looking at him worriedly.
William shook his head, “No, that’s not what I mean. I mean, do other people think badly about the relationship between family members?”
“No, I don’t think so. Rather, a family with a man is the center of envy. After all, women can be with a man 24/7; many women envy that luck. And if they get lucky, they get intimate, now that’s great luck.”
So incestuous relationship is, not only is it not taboo, but it’s also a desirable situation, huh…
“…but would not there be a problem with the baby, you know, conceived between family members?”
“Did you get them pregnant? Congratulations! Who was it? Your mother? Your sister? Or maybe all of them?!”
“No! At least, not yet… I’m just, you know, worried. I heard somewhere that it would cause child defects.”
“Oh, well, I’m not sure, but I think that was an issue a thousand years ago. Where did you even learn that? I think all those books about something like that have been burned down to avoid confusion and distress for the new generation.”
William shrugged.
Delila looks at him strangely before saying, “To answer your question, there is no problem. Scientifically speaking, unlike a long time ago, our genes now have a correcting ability. I’m not so deep in the scientific side of it, or rather, I’m not so good at science, but basically, due to mutation, our bodies can conceive children without defects, no matter who the parents are. This should have been an elementary-level topic. Did you skip a lot of classes?”
“Mutation? You mean, those animal features in some people?”
“Yeah, something like that. But they are a bit different. Mutants are more of a physical mutation. And they started from human experimentation. Animal genes seeped into human genes, forcing their mutations. It’s one of the mistakes of the past… But the ability to conceive children came from the virus that wiped out men a century ago. It’s not fatal to women, unlike men, who started dying out, but it does change our bodies. Or maybe women managed to adapt to the virus, I’m not sure about that since I’m not a scientist. But that’s the gist of it.”
“So, there’s no problem with the children even if I manage to make my mother and sister pregnant?”
“Yeah,” Delilah replied. “But I guess it’s right for you to worry, huh, since you’re sleeping with your mother and sister. It means they could be pregnant by now.”
Of course, he was not worried about them conceiving a child. After all, they assured him that they were still taking contraceptives.
But what if they are actually lying to him?
What then?
“What do you mean by that?”
“Hm? Aren’t you worried about having a baby because you know that sex with family members has a higher tendency to conceive a child rather than other people?”
William recalled hearing about that from the internet before, which is why the government encouraged mothers to take their sons’ virginity or something.
“Ah, hmm, I mean, is that really true? Don’t you think it’s just a myth, or a misconception, anything like that?”
“Yeah, it is. At least, scientifically proven. If I’m not wrong, they said it’s about the compatibility of body and genes that makes it easier to conceive a child. There’s even a book that says a son is a mother’s ideal lover molded inside their body, so their compatibility is the highest. And there are a lot of cases that back this assumption, 8 out of 10 cases of a mother and son relationship give birth to a child successfully. Some even managed to conceive a child, a month or so after their relationship began. That is why, there was a law before that mandated a mother as their son’s first partner or something…”
“But that law, I heard, was abolished.”
“Well, yes. I mean, many mothers started to abuse their privilege.” Delilah let out a sigh. “But anyway, despite the data, it’s actually not that easy to get a woman pregnant, even if it’s your mother. So, you should not count on it. There are a lot of times when women believe they are pregnant, excited, but only to be proven wrong.”
“Well, at least I’m not so fertile that I could get them pregnant after three or four times of sex. So, I guess you’re right.”
“We don’t know about that. Have you done a Sperm Examination Quality yet?”
William blinked. “What’s that?”
Delilah raised an eyebrow, leaning back like she had caught him in something obvious. “Okay, that already answers my question.” She smiled wryly. “It’s an examination to find out how fertile your sperm is. It’s mandatory for boys once they reach the right age.”
“Mandatory?” William repeated, his voice rising slightly.
“Of course,” she said as if it were common sense. “The first test is usually at twelve years old. By fifteen, another one is scheduled to see if there’s been any change. After that, the minimum requirement is every five years, though technically, you can do it annually if you want. Not that most men bother.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “Which is why it’s mandated—because men are… well, you know, careless with these things. The Center should’ve contacted you already. Or your mother should have reminded you.”
William gave a thin, awkward smile. “I… don’t know. I probably just forgot about it.”
The truth was harsher—he didn’t remember much about his past here at all. And even if he did, he had a nagging suspicion that the old William wouldn’t have cared.
Delilah leaned forward, studying him.
“But you don’t even know about this, huh…. That’s unusual. Most families take it seriously. My son had his first test last year. He complained about it the whole week, but he doesn’t have a choice but to do it.” She paused, then smirked. “Though, to be fair, no boy enjoys the procedure.”
“What… what kind of test is it?”
She laughed softly at his discomfort. “Don’t look so tense—it’s not torture. They take samples, analyze them, and check the volume, motility, and concentration of active sperm. Things like that. It’s all very clinical.” Her tone became serious again. “But don’t underestimate its importance. For the government—for the country—this examination carries weight. It’s not just about you as an individual. It’s about the population as a whole.”
“That important, huh?”
“Of course. Especially now that fertility is declining. Every year, reports show that the potency of sperm is falling. The number of successful pregnancies keeps dropping. That’s why the government invests so much in monitoring and selecting men who still have strong reproductive potential. It’s a matter of national security at this point.”
“Are things really that terrible?” William asked softly, curiosity outweighing hesitation.
Delilah’s expression shifted, her strong jaw tightening before she gave a slow nod. “Yes. You don’t see it at first glance—society puts on a mask, keeps businesses running, keeps the streets clean, tells everyone life is normal. But the reality beneath…” She exhaled through her nose. “It’s grim. Decades ago, pregnancies were already rare. Now? Even with artificial methods, with all the treatments and science at our disposal, most couples still fail after years of trying. Some women… never get the chance to become mothers, no matter how desperately they want to. It’s a cruel thing.”
Her voice roughened as she spoke, not with sadness but with annoyance, almost anger. “That’s why men are encouraged to sow seeds whenever possible. To give every woman a chance. Unfortunately, men don’t take that responsibility seriously. They don’t even want to. Half of them avoid it. The rest… barely try.”
Her jaw tightened, her hands balling slightly at her sides. The tone of her words had sharpened without her realizing it. Suddenly, she caught herself and looked at William with a faintly guilty expression. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I was blaming you.”
William chuckled lightly, easing the tension. “No, it’s fine. Really. Besides, I get it.”
Delilah gave him a skeptical glance, her lips pressing into a line. “No… I doubt you do. But thank you for saying it anyway.”
William only shrugged, then, after a moment of thought, leaned forward slightly. “But tell me something honestly—do men really dislike sex that much?”
