I’m Being Pressed by S-Ranks Volume 2 Chapter 9 (Patreon)

Chapter 9 – Seeking an Apology 3

“Even if they don’t say a word, beautiful women with ability, honor, and wealth will come to them, so why bother to choose an ugly woman?”


“T-true. You have a point.”


I was once again reminded of how this world works.


It’s still hard to get used to, especially when you have been accustomed to a world of opposite values since birth.


When you walk around town, it’s not that there aren’t any men, but there are considerably fewer of them than women.


Hm?


Something’s strange.


“May I ask you something? But you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”


“What is it?”


“Well, I’ve heard that everyone in Rosenkreuzer is made fun of for being ‘spinsters’, that is, women who are too late for marriage. But if there aren’t enough men, there should be more single women, shouldn’t there? I was just wondering… why such a nickname?”


“Huh? You say the strangest things, don’t you? Come to think of it, here in Cassandra City, unlike in the capital, there aren’t many people with nasty nicknames like that.”


Iris seemed a little taken aback by my question but quickly recovered as if she had been convinced of something.


“First of all, the world today has a very low birth rate because of the extreme sex ratio. For this reason, you know that polygamy has been accepted in many countries, right?”


“Of course.”


Of course I didn’t, but I nodded as if I did.


But still, polygamy is now allowed, huh?


“You see, this country is famous for combining their polygamy system with a system that encourages high-ranking adventurers to get pregnant.”


Get pregnant… eh? What’s that?”


“If you’re rank B or higher, the state will give you a letter of introduction to a male brothel, and if you’re rank A or higher, you can arrange a meeting with a lord registered in the system, and if he likes you, you can get married to him as his second wife or more… Um, you don’t know about that? Even though you’re a guild employee?”


“N-no, of course, I know. I’m just trying to make sure that you’re aware of it. Ahahaha…”


“Oh, I see.”


Iris looked a little confused but continued with the story anyway.


“Well, to put it plainly, from a national point of view, they want to keep as much blood of high-ranking adventurers as possible.”


“I see. Then, following the system, Miss Iris and the others also went to a brothel or had an arranged marriage?”


Huh? But that’s strange.


Carla and even Iris, from their actions alone, don’t act like someone with experience – or rather, weren’t they completely virgins?


Of course, Carla wasn’t anymore, but to remain virgins even though they were S-ranks and at that age…


Why?


“Because ―― we were rejected.”


“Eh?”


“It’s as you heard. We were rejected. At the brothel, before we could even enter, they said, ‘The male prostitutes are afraid of your faces, so please leave,’ and at the meeting with a lord, they said, ‘It’s impossible. Sorry”, so we were turned down in both cases.”


“That’s…”


Fufufufu. Continues Iris with a dark smile in her empty eyes.


“Not only can adventurers of rank B and above visit male brothels in the royal capital, but all adventurers of rank A and above can enter the harems of the lords of the land. If you are an adventurer of rank S or higher, you can even enter the regular wives’ harems of high-ranking nobles. But we Rosenkreuzers can’t get arranged marriages with the lords, and we’re turned away from even the lowest brothels. That is why we are called “spinsters”, women who are late for marriage. Virgins at this late age.”


“……”


“That’s why ‘S-rank Spinsters’ became our nickname. Do you understand now?”


“So such a thing happened….”


I finally understood.


I understood so much that I shouldn’t have asked! Now I’m regretting it all!


“I’m sorry.”


“No, it’s nothing. There are no high-level adventurers in Cassandra City, and the only B-rank party you have is already in a lord’s harem, so it’s no wonder you’re unfamiliar with the system.”


“C-come to think of it, that was the case, yes! That’s why I bothered to ask.”


I hastily changed Iris’s subject.


But again, I didn’t know such a system existed.


I should probably learn more about the differences between this world and the original one.


“But leaving aside the lord, what a terrible man he is to not even meet you, that male prostitute. But on the other hand, it’s a proper system imposed by the country, isn’t it? Can’t male prostitutes be penalized or something?”


“No way! It’s outrageous to penalize male prostitutes! They are people in the service who have given their bodies for their country. It’s only fair that we respect their wishes.”


Ah, so that’s how they see them. I see.


“I can’t help it, I have this appearance, and I’m also an elf.”


Iris says and smiles dryly, as if she has given up.


Hmmm… but I’m still not convinced.


“But Miss Iris is a very sweet person. She’s very active and friendly. She’s a bit of a crybaby and tends to run off the rails, but that’s what makes her so appealing to a man’s heart.”


“Eh?”


“Well, on the other hand, maybe it’s a good thing you didn’t have to compromise with such a jerk! I’m sure there are men out there who see the good in Miss Iris and her friends, so don’t give up trying to find one.”


Having said that, I realized that there was another bastard who took advantage of Iris and Carla’s man-hungry condition and engaged in various acts with them.


Yes, it was me.


Ugly or not, from my point of view, it was a fact that I was taking advantage of their misfortune.


Although mine was the other way around, because I wanted to taste their bodies, not because I wanted their abilities as S-rank adventurers.


But even as I became aware of how much of an asshole I was, to the point where I wanted to hit my head when I realized it so late, Iris blushed in front of me and fidgeted like a demure virgin.


It made my conscience take a great hit.


Yes. Even if the other party is completely fine after what I’ve done, I can’t just tell myself that everything is fine, that I haven’t done anything bad, at least from the point of view of the people of this world.


This proves that people can’t change that easily.


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