Chapter 927: The Prostitutes’ Polka
As I spend my days in a leisurely pace, the calendar moves into full-fledged winter. Well, not the kind of winter we have here in Polka, but the nationwide kind, the kind where it actually snows outside of Polka, too. My days consist of shoveling snow, soaking in the hot springs, and repeating the cycle, occasionally watching others work or train and feeling impressed……it really makes me think this is exactly how I’ll spend my days in the future. While I’m just drifting along, everyone else is so full of vitality that they’re constantly mastering new skills and tasks, turning them into tangible results. As for me, I’m looking for work I can handle, but I can’t exactly just leave the female slaves and everyone else to fend for themselves, so time slips away as I keep an eye on things. I’m happy, but I do feel a bit anxious. I want to establish my own domain soon.
“It’s almost the end of the year……which means the town of Talc must be busy preparing for the Spirit Festival, I suppose”
Cathy, the dark elf prostitute with wavy blonde hair who had ended up taking charge of the group of prostitutes from 「Cosmos Main Store」, muttered as she gazed up at the gloomy, heavy sky.
“Isn’t it about time we went to pick up Cosmos?”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to pull the person in charge away when we know they’re busy”
“The brothel won’t be that different. After all, it’s the merchants who are the ones trying to show off at the Spirit Festival. Cosmos Main Store does run a little business of its own, but it’s just a side gig. On nights meant for spending with family or lovers, we don’t do anything special. Sure, there are men who come to the brothel because they’re craving human touch, but”
“Is that just how it is……”
“Isn’t Isabel back to full health by now? Why don’t you take her one last time and send her back?”
“That depends on her, but……what about you, Cathy-san?”
“I’m going to have a little more fun. Come to think of it, I haven’t had a proper vacation in over a decade. Living in the city, you forget how to spend your time like this……”
“……For someone who says that, I hear you’re working pretty hard to attract customers”
“Ehe. Well, it doesn’t feel so bad, does it? Having country boys get all worked up and beg me for it♪”
She gives off this vibe of being a worldly woman, but deep down, she’s actually very caring. She acts like she’s too lazy to bother with just anyone, but she’s the type who can’t say no when someone comes straight to her with a request. Whether it’s sexual or not.
“So if I beg you desperately, will you let me have a go?”
“You don’t even need to beg, you can have your way with those Onyx sisters and even the dragon woman as much as you want……”
“Just hypothetically speaking”
“……Well, I suppose. I wouldn’t have a reason to say no”
Saying that, she glanced around. ……This is the men’s bathhouse. Besides me and Isabel, there were a few other men here, town old men, Grandpa Harry, and kids just discovering their sexuality, some of them stealing glances at Cathy’s naked body, while others were staring right at her (Grandpa Harry).
“Isn’t it a bad idea to delve so deeply into such explicit topics?”
“……Well, maybe a little”
Actually, the prostitutes will join me anytime I ask, and they don’t even charge me. But just a little bit, I have this desire to be with a prostitute not as some special, powerful sponsor, but as an ordinary guy. I know it’s a completely pointless obsession, and normally I should be doing this somewhere other than Cosmos Main Store, but since Cathy just started working here and doesn’t owe me much yet……I let a bit of that strange, selfish desire slip out. One of the boys, who had been listening to our exchange with a bright red face, plucked up the courage to speak up.
“H, Hey……Miss, does that mean anyone can, if they bring money……”
But I didn’t let him finish.
“No way, kid. ……You’re out of the running♪”
“!?”
“Even if it were true, no woman would be happy to be asked that way. And if it weren’t true, there’s no line more hurtful to a woman than that. ……I won’t do a thing for a kid who doesn’t understand that”
“Uh……”
The boy cringed in despair and shame. You could say he brought it on himself, but I feel a little sorry for him. After all, I’m partly to blame for steering the conversation in a weird direction and making him think that kind of thing was acceptable. ……But before I could say anything, Cathy put a finger to her lips to silence me, then smoothly stepped closer to the boy.
“Besides, prostitutes only go after guys who aren’t popular with women. ……A cute boy like you should go the straight-and-narrow route to get a girlfriend. Losing your virginity to a pro out of desperation is like throwing away the sweetest, most fun part of sex. If you’re still hopelessly unpopular ten years from now, I’ll be happy to take you on, Talc♪”
She admonished him in a voice that was a whisper, yet clear. ……Ten years, huh. Only a dark elf could say something like that so casually. The boy froze for a moment, stunned by the words whispered right in his ear and the sight of those large, tanned breasts swaying just centimeters from his face.
I went to check on Isabel, urging the prostitutes, who apparently sometimes work in the men’s bathhouse even when I’m not there, to exercise a little restraint, since it would be scary if the local women found out. When I went to see how she was doing, she was in the middle of intense martial arts training. Her opponent was 100-man Commander Becker.
“Oh, Smithson. You’ve come at just the right time”
While dodging the punches and kicks Isabel was unleashing at a sickening speed, 100-man Commander Becker raised his hand casually.
“Are you going to Talc for the Spirit Festival? You are, right? Then give me a ride”
“You sure can talk normally while dodging like that……”
“Who do you think I am?”
“……It’s cruel that I can’t help but be convinced by just that one line”
Isabel is getting pretty fired up trying to land a hit, but 100-man Commander Becker’s footwork is in a league of its own. Or rather, he’s still holding back completely. Compared to the sparring match with Neia I saw a while back, the fact that I can even keep up with his movements, even as a bystander, means he’s going easy on her. ……The fact that he can do all that, chatting while looking away, without even keeping his distance, really makes him nothing short of a monster.
“Isabel-san, you’re pretty well-trained yourself, aren’t you?”
“I’m still nowhere near it……at least enough to stand a chance against an Ace Knight……!!”
“……That Ace Knight isn’t beginner-friendly at all, so you might want to lower the difficulty a bit”
This person can go head-to-head with that Lord Bonaparte in a serious fight. Even a Master Knight would get devoured if they let their guard down. That’s how skilled she is.
“Come on, don’t say that. Everyone’s busy, right? With that female knight’s training”
“Aren’t you going over there, 100-man Commander Becker?”
“We don’t really have much in common. Besides, with so many people gathered to train like that, there’s no point in me butting in”
“……Now that you mention it, you’re right”
100-man Commander Becker sort of joined the group later. Since he’s already oddly famous as a spy, if he were to get too close to Fiona, people would probably suspect he has ulterior motives. Even as a speed fighter, he probably wouldn’t go out of his way to coach her, pushing aside Almeida or Dianne. But if that’s the case, what about his coaching of Isabel?
“To begin with, aren’t you the type who doesn’t really teach others, Captain?”
“Ah, you’re going to say that? You’re really going to say that? I hate to say it, but I’ve got plenty of students. Even Anzeros told you I used to serve as an examiner for the Ace Knight trials. You don’t get assigned to do that kind of thing unless you’ve got proper experience as an instructor”
“That brings back memories……”
Though nostalgic is a bit of a stretch, it was only about two years ago. That’s how you introduced yourself when we first met, wasn’t it? But you were so intimidated by Dianne that you wet yourself, weren’t you?
“……So, what about Isabel? Do you think she’ll make it to Ace Knight?”
“Not yet. Not by a long shot. It’s not that easy”
“I haven’t……been taught, properly, at all……!!”
“Your fundamentals are lacking. If you want to hit me, chasing after flashy tricks or luck won’t cut it. You should be starting to get that by now”
“Kuu…!!”
“Even if you managed to land a hit, you couldn’t take down an ogre causing trouble in the Tower with that kind of power. ……Start over from the ground up!”
With a sweep aimed at the exact moment Isabel tried to shift her stance, she was sent sprawling to the ground.
“Ugh……”
“Your limits are too low with that approach. You’d better either train seriously, shift your tactics to be more lethal……or just give up”
“Lethal……?”
“What’s with you, Smithson? You know as well as I do that once you peel back the surface, that’s just how Talc is”
Well……that’s true. I’d hate for another riot like that to break out, or for Isabel to start training for 「Killing」 just because she anticipates it……. But it’s possible. That’s probably a fact.
And, glancing at Isabel standing there hesitating, I realize once again just how amazing Fiona is, how she’s rapidly closing in on the level of an Ace Knight in such a short time, starting from the basics. Just how far is she going to go?