[BIAW] Chapter 130 – Securing a Tailor (Patreon)

The older woman suddenly grabs one of the two vertical belts upholding her granddaughter’s pants in place and yanks it back with unexpected strength. Marianna yelps in surprise as she is slammed down onto the floor behind the counter. All of us take a peek over it to see if the girl is fine.

“What did I teach you about not getting into your customer’s face,” Muriel admonishes her with a stern glare. “And never show how much you are interested in a project. This is exactly how you got yourself enslaved by that obese swindler.”

“But ‘Ma, he is with Miss Ria,” the tomboyish girl whines while rubbing her butt.

“So was her last boss.” The granny rolls her eyes.

Marianna sighs softly and picks herself up from the floor. With a very faint flush on her lightly tanned cheeks, she moves her gaze between the two of us. She hands the notebook back to me with an awkward smile.

“‘Ma is right. I’m sorry for getting so close. Could we… talk about this a little more first, Mister…”

“Alastair. Just Alastair.” I receive the item and smile kindly.

She nods politely and Ria walks around me.

“Alright. Let’s move to your workshop to not disturb your grandma any longer. Unless you would like to oversee the negotiations, Muriel?”

“Like I care what she gets herself into. She’s an adult and makes her own decisions. Maybe one of them will finally get her out of my attic.” The woman snorts.

I can see that she does care about her granddaughter at least to some extent and is just putting up a strong front. Or perhaps that’s how her personality is, a quite rude aged tsundere. From what Ria has implied and she has just confirmed, I think she and Marianna don't go too well together, though. I can imagine how Muriel could be annoyed by the very energetic tomboy, not that I would mind.

No one says anything after that and Marianna lifts part of the counter to let us in. She leads our quartet up a narrow staircase and we enter what truly looks like an attic, just like Muriel said.

The room we walk into is decently spacious. The floor is made of simple boards and both the walls and the ceiling show naked wooden beams making up the building’s structure. The latter is angled upwards as it serves as the roof too. Only two small windows shine some light inside, one on each side of the ceiling.

Countless heaps of materials, fabrics, cottons and other cloths litter the ground. The space is filled with many manual machines and tables or desks meant for such work too. If not for the raised roof, it could clearly get quite claustrophobic here. I spot a mattress in one of the corners, buried under more linens, most likely Marianna’s bed whenever it doesn’t serve as storage.

The tomboyish girl jogs to the nearby table and shoves everything present on its surface to the ground. She drags it closer to the middle of the chamber and digs out two chairs from under all the pieces of clothing, setting them down for us to sit on. Her eyes scan the room for more but if there are any, they are buried deep in this chaotic archaeological site.

I open my mouth to offer her my own since I don’t mind standing but she sprints to the side and grabs a sizable laced bin, emptying its contents somewhere random, and brings it back to the table, putting it upside down to use it as her impromptu stool.

After seating herself on it with a toothy smile, her eyes widen all of a sudden.

“Ah, shit. I don’t have anything for… ummm…”

“Slimes!” Emi reveals their identity with an equally bright smile.

“And we don’t need any chairs, thank you. We would like to stay behind our master if you don’t mind,” Safi adds with her iconic, ladylike expression.

“That’s Safi and Emi, starting with the blue one,” I introduce the jelly beauties as I push the chair in for Ria. “They are my friends, familiars, but also employees.”

The elastic duo does the same for me and I nod at them appreciatively. The two of us then look at Marianna, who is seated slightly lower than us for an obvious reason. The basket is clearly a tad too short for what it’s used as. But, I don’t think any of us cares.

“Slimes, huh? But, like real Slimes? I admit that your bodies do kind of give that feeling, but…” Marianna eyes them up curiously.

Safi and Emi exchange glances and their cores float up, stopping at the visible part of their cleavage. The two orbs spin and swirl energetically before disappearing behind the material of their uniforms again.

“Yes, they are Slimes, Queen Slimes to be exact. Something I should perhaps mention right from the beginning.”

Our negotiation partner moves her focus back to me. “Yeah?”

“My home is full of demi-humans and other monstrous races or species. Most of the clothing and costumes will be for their use. Would you be okay working amongst them? Examples could be Beastkin, Dark Elves, Wood Elves, Tieflings, or an Orc.”

“I figured from some of the sketches in that notebook.” Marianna nods. “I don’t care. It only makes it more interesting. Humans have no tails, wings, horns, or such. It’s so fun and challenging to customise an outfit to accommodate for those!”

She grabs something from the floor near her and holds a pair of suit pants in the air to show us.

“Here, all I do is work on these! Plain and stupid as shit! I was promised a neverending stream of fascinating commissions and ended up sewing the same fucking stupid suits in a loop!” Marianna throws them away with disgust. “I hate it. I barely have time to work on anything interesting. And that can only be done for myself anyway since I can’t accept outside orders, as per the contract. Ugh.”

I glance at Ria and she shows a very sad and apologetic smile. It’s quite obvious what kind of a jerk her previous boss is. We’ve only met two of his contractors but I have no delusions that the third, fourth, and further ones would be any different.

Of course, I don’t blame her for his actions. She was just an employee too, even if she had access to those contracts or oversaw some of the signings. It’s clear that she’s done what she could to help those who were wronged. Both here and in the previous place, the owners regarded her kindly and with respect.

To make sure that she understands that, I squeeze her thigh under the table and nod with a soft smile. I’m pretty sure she gets my message as her awkward expression relaxes a little and she puts her palm over mine to squeeze it in response.

Before it starts looking weird, I return my attention to the pretty girl in front of us.

“I’m glad to hear that. Uh, the part about you not minding the other races, not your very saddening situation.”

“We will be able to do something about it, that much I’m sure of,” Ria adds.

“Thanks. That would be really amazing. But… Can I really get out of that contract? The penalty was higher than what ‘Ma’s shop is worth, the last time I checked. I don’t want her to suffer from my mistakes. She’s strict, and rude, and loud, and snarky, but… she always took good care of me…”

My partner leans onto the table and takes Marianna’s hands into hers, brushing over them gently.

“You don’t have to worry about it. I will take care of it, I can swear if you would like me to. And, if you don’t trust me completely, you could always take a loan from my new boss to settle the debt. He’s rich and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you paying it back with your work. I know how amazing you are. It would take no time with your creations.”

“But, wouldn’t that be no different from where I am right now?” Marianna glances at me anxiously.

I join Ria in reassuring the artisan girl, putting my hands above hers and smiling gently.

“I do not want to turn you into a slave. Quite the opposite, all the slaves that arrived in my home have been offered freedom soon after. In any way, this loan wouldn’t mean that I own you. You could quit at any moment. As Ria said, I’m rich. I have all the time in the world. If you are dissatisfied with your work for me, you can just pay me back slowly over the years with whatever you can spare from whatever you earn wherever you find a job later.”

“Really? Something like that…”

“Really, I mean it.” I tenderly brush my fingers over her skin. “All of that can be put in a contract, to the tiniest detail. But, even if you took that loan, it wouldn’t mean that you don't get paid for your services. I would perhaps pay you one-third or half of what we agreed on until you are in the clear. That cut could be paused at any time too if you needed more money. I have the time, more than you would expect.”

I chuckle warmly. There’s no doubt that my Primordial body will last a little longer than the common Human eighties or even a hundred. It’s as fascinating as scary but not something I should worry about. I’m not impervious to lethal blows. I could always wind up dead before I ever find out how long Primordials live.

Marianna gazes back into my eyes with a clear ponder visible in them. I keep stroking her hands and fingers, unable to ignore the small band-aids wrapped around them. They must be covering quite some cuts.

“What if I decided to trust Miss Ria?” she inquires warily.

“I would do my best to void your current contract with no repercussions on your side, perhaps even fighting for some compensation for your mistreatment,” my accountant answers.

“And in case she fails to do so for whatever reason, I will cover all the costs myself since she is my employee and I’m responsible for all her actions taken under my name. I’m pretty sure you can see how beneficial this option is for you, right?”

“Would you really? For someone you don’t even know?” Her eyes widen slightly again and she draws her hands back.

“I’m trying to scout a very talented and promising artisan. It’s only natural to go to such lengths. It’s an investment.”

Only half-listening to my words, Marianna examines her hands in slight confusion. She peels some of the band-aids off her fingers and her brows furrow for a moment. One by one, she gets rid of all of them and glances back at me.

“And this is my small gift for you. A token of goodwill, you could say.” I smile at her softly.

When we were speaking and holding hands, I activated my Rejuvenate at low power to reduce the warmth from the skill to the minimum and got rid of her cuts.

“I hope it will make your work a bit easier, no matter what choice you make,” I add.

Marianna rubs her fingers delicately, most likely not believing in what she sees. A tiny blush taints her tanned skin as she makes a faint, thankful nod at me. A soft chuckle captures our attention and we turn towards Ria.

“I bet you would like to know more about all the circumstances before making the decision. Do you have any questions? Or should we just try to explain it ourselves?”

“Honestly, I don’t know where to start. I’ve always been bad with these things. I bet if I asked more questions I wouldn’t have gotten myself into this shithole.” Marianna shows a wry smile as she drops her gaze to the floor.

“That’s okay. We can’t be good at everything. Let me just ask this, then. Would you prefer to work from home or would you like to move into our place?” I ask.

“Your place? I think it would be easier for me to work here, in my workshop. Also, how high would the rent be?”

I chuckle a little. “No rent. No one pays in there. Well, except for the customers, but you aren’t one. Everything would be free, be it the room, the food, the clothes, the baths, the entertainment areas, and the various services and tools that we offer in case any of them would interest you.”

“Really? That sounds like a dream.”

One more chuckle escapes my lips. It looks like she really likes that word.

“I can confirm this part,” Ria joins in. “Me and my friend who has moved in, living in an apartment provided by the Adventurer’s Guild since she was a receptionist there, have been enjoying everything he mentioned for a bit already. It was the best decision of our lives. And the residents are very kind and nice too.”

“Of course, if you don’t mind working and living in a kind of a brothel,” I quickly add before Marianna gets too excited. “We operate in many ways but besides letting people meet up in our mansion and socialise, we mainly offer the services of many girls willing to accompany our guests for some more intimate time. Out of their own volition, of course. They can leave at any point too. The outfits would be part of their job, part of our new service.”

“Oh.” Some rosiness surfaces on the girl’s skin. “So you are a pimp.”

Before I get to confirm, Ria replies first.

“I wouldn’t really use that quite derogatory term to describe Alastair. He cares about the women as much as they would be his own family or even lovers. He doesn’t pimp them to any random thug from the street to scavenge for any spare change but allows only chosen and screened individuals to approach them, and they have the right to decline anyone. You should not compare Alastair to all those heartless whoremongers running their shady male pleasure houses everywhere around the city.”

Woah. That was not expected. I guess Ria has taken a liking to our little establishment to defend it so valiantly.

I clear my throat to get their attention back to me. “It is as Ria said but it doesn’t change the fact that I own and run a brothel. She can call me anything she wants. Free speech is a thing and I won’t ban some words just because they are viewed as unsavoury by the majority of the population.”

Marianna lowers her head slightly. “In any way, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it as something bad. I just… don’t know any other word to describe it. I’ll be careful in the future.”

With a soft sigh, I nod. “Alright. Let’s move past this. Does the brothel part bother you?”

She thinks for a moment and shakes her head. “As long as I… don’t have to do these things… I don’t think I mind. But, I’m pretty sure you two wouldn’t force me into anything like that after listening to you so it’s okay. I would just be living somewhere on the side, right? Hiding away when you open for service. I can do that. I rarely leave my workshop anyway.”

“Great. That would be very appreciated. You wouldn’t have to travel far to our studio.”

“Studio?” A curious spark dances in her dark caramel eyes.

“Yeah. I’m preparing a workshop for my other tailor, potentially you, and any other future employees. We already have an art studio, a forge, and an alchemical lab so it’s only natural there’s something fitting and worthy of the talented fabric artisans. I was on a shopping run to grab some things for it earlier. We’ll need a few days at least to purchase all the appliances to make it as modern and well-equipped as we can, though. Your insight could help a lot.”

Marianna stands up abruptly and slams her hands onto the table.

“I GET MY OWN FUCKING WORKSHOP?!” she shouts at us with an upbeat tone. “AND WITH EQUIPMENT ALREADY?!”

Chuckling a little, I nod. “Don’t forget the materials, of course.”

“HOLY GODDESS! HOLY COW!”

She steps away while throwing her hands into her short hair. We watch as she paces back and forth, almost vibrating after hearing the news. She returns to us a moment later and leans over the table again, clearly trying to tame down the excited smile painting her lips.

“Sorry, it’s just… all the shit here is so damn old and malfunctions all the time, and cuts my fingers and face, and don’t don’t get me wrong, I appreciate ‘Ma giving them to me, but I could do so much more with proper equipment!” She fits the entire thing in one breath. “What’s the budget?”

I say nothing, just smile at her kindly.

She springs up again, clearly understanding what my silence is implying.

“HOLY FUCK! MOTHERFUCKER!” Marianna shouts some quite heavy expletives as she pulls on her hair and strolls through the room once more.

A knocking sound spooks her greatly and she jumps into the air. We are also caught off guard by it but react in a slightly more composed manner, staring at the floor where the source of the noise is supposedly located.

“Ah, fuck! ‘Ma gonna whip my ass for cursing so much. That old hag’s language has more venom than King Barba Viper but she acts like she a saint. I might have to ask for the help of your magic fingers again before we start working, Mister Alastair.”

“Just Alastair,” I correct her and stand up alongside Ria. “Another reason to move out, I guess. You are free to use whatever language you like at my place. Perhaps tone it down a little around those who could be disturbed or uncomfortable by it but you don’t need to hold back as much as here.”

“Shit, man. It all sounds too good to be true, and certainly a million times better than how my previous negotiations sounded. It’s a little hard to believe, honestly.”

“I can prepare a contract if you would like and deliver it to you even today. You can take as much time as you need to verify that it doesn’t hide any abusive regulations. There’s no need to rush the decision. We can wait and won’t suddenly disappear if you don’t agree immediately,” Ria chimes in.

“But… you can find someone else while I’m thinking, right? That’s what the other guy said.”

I step forward and place a hand on Marianna’s shoulder. “I only came here because Ria suggested it. I can wait for your decision before meeting anyone else if you would like. You should see how badly I’m playing this out, revealing how much I want you, just like you had during your previous contract, right?”

Marianna shows a slightly embarrassed smile as she bites gently on her lower lip. I’ve clearly nailed it right to the point. She just emanates this positive energy like a certain other tomboyish entity standing right behind me.

“Give it a moment. Ria will be in touch with you. I’ll come to help you move if you agree, or I’ll send someone from my trusted companions if I will be busy at the moment.”

Patting her shoulder reassuringly, I summon something from my storage ring, making her eyes widen in surprise.

“And this here will save you some discomfort if your grandma really goes after your butt,” I add, placing a small rectangular box of a healing salve in her palm.

She blushes slightly and nods while receiving it. I think we are both aware that it was just a figure of speech but she can always use it for other things than getting rid of belt marks from her shapely behind. I haven’t seen much of it but those pants are clearly hiding a top-tier ass.

“Ummm… Thank you… Really…” Marianna smiles at me just a little shyly.

“You are welcome.” I chuckle and give her shoulder a few more taps before stepping away. “Ah, there’s one more matter I should mention, quite a crucial one for your comfort.”

“Yes?” She glances at me curiously.

“There’s… a weird event going on at our home…” I begin, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. “Two people, including me, lost a bet. For a few days… I have to walk completely naked through the mansion. Will that… be an issue?”

Marianna’s gaze drops to my crotch almost instantly and a more apparent blush surfaces on her tanned cheeks. She quickly brings her eyes back up and shows a sheepish smile.

“Hahahaha, it’s going to be fine! I’ll try my best not to stare too much! It’s not like I’ve never seen a… cock… or anything!”

“You have?” Ria raises a brow at her. “I thought you haven’t yet been with a man. Did you finally get a boyfriend?”

The embarrassed tomboy hastily shakes her hands. “No, no, no, no! I’m still as pure and single as ever!” She shoots me a skittish glance. “The dudes my old boss sometimes sends to take measurements off just… think they are really something and… possibly pull aside or down their underwear now and then to showcase themselves as I use the metre, hahaha.”

Ria’s eyes go wide. “Did they—”

“No, of course not, hahaha!” Marianna quickly cuts her off. “‘Ma would castrate them if they tried anything funny! They just love distracting me, I bet, hahaha!”

I exhale heavily as the heat that has been accumulating in my chest gradually fades down. Ria seems to be quite worked up over the new information too, although she hides it from the girl by moving her clenched fist behind her back.

“Alright. We’ll excuse ourselves now, then. I’ll discuss the payment with you later. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. I’d hate to waste more of Alastair’s time as he has a lot to prepare before the night,” she says with a friendly smile.

“Sure! Thank you for everything again. I promise not to take long. Should I walk you down?”

“No need, thank you, Marianna, or perhaps Mari if you don’t mind. I think it suits you a bit better.” I smile at the charming tomboy.

Marianna’s eyes widen briefly and she smiles too. “Mari… Mari… Yeah, I think it sounds cool. New job, new me. Call me Mari from now on then! Thanks, Alastair!” She beams at me with a wide, toothy smile.

“You are welcome again. Friends call me Al, by the way.” I nod at her.

“Can’t wait to see ya again, Al!”

We wave at each other and leave Mari’s attic, using the narrow staircase to descend back to the bottom floor. Muriel still sits in her chair while knitting the same something, I can’t really tell what at this stage. She regards us with a raised brow as we see ourselves out of her personal space behind the counter, returning to the side that we belong to as the customers.

“So? I assume it went well?” she asks, playing disinterested.

Ria leans onto the counter and I just can’t miss the stretch of her white shirt from how impressive her bust is, almost as remarkable as the buttons holding it locked inside.

“Rejoice, Muriel. You will soon have the house all to yourself, just as you’ve always wanted. Marianna will be in much better hands now.”

The granny shakes her head and returns her attention to her work. Ria straightens up and nods at me, signalling that there won’t be much more talking. Giving the store owner a polite nod as my lovely Slimes bow her way, we walk outside in silence, accompanied by the noise made by all the working people and appliances.

Shortly after we close the entrance door behind our backs, Ria turns around and smiles at me impishly. I raise a brow at her and she places her finger over her luscious lips in a shushing motion. She lowers her posture and moves closer to the nearby window. I follow her and do the same. We stare at each other for about ten seconds before she points upwards and we peek over the edge together.

My eyes widen in an instant. The barely-mobile old lady is standing on top of the counter while doing lively dances, holding a bottle of alcohol in one hand. All the workers have gathered under her and raised various mugs, cups, and glasses for her to pour them the drink, also wiggling in a partying motion.

Ria pulls me aside before we are discovered and chuckles softly.

“She loves Mari a lot but still would do anything to get rid of the young girl living in her attic. She’s too kind and caring to just kick her out though, especially since she’s her own daughter’s child. Marianna’s mom had to relocate with her husband to another city due to some legal issues and they couldn’t take her with them. Muriel became her guardian out of her own volition but Marianna wasn’t as easy to look after as her own daughter.”

I chuckle a little. “I can see that. She does have that rebellious spark in her. It certainly can be annoying for some people.”

“I’m sure it’s not a problem for you.” She winks at me from behind those stylish glasses of hers.

“Oh, not in the slightest, my dear. I’ll do my best to make her thrive and be happy with who she is.” I wink back at Ria and we laugh together.

“Just let her settle down a little before turning her into a happy woman,” she adds with a little smirk.

“Oh, come on, not you too! Does everyone think that I’m after only one thing?”

“Walking around your own house completely naked certainly does support that assumption.”

“With all due respect, that was Sirgia’s idea.” I cross my arms over my chest.

“Who is your wife, correct?”

I open my mouth to quip back but stop myself. I think it’s quite possible that my little, shy dwarf has turned into a lewd girl due to my influence, and what Ria is implying right now. I roll my eyes, making her chuckle lightly.

“What now? Any more places to visit?” I decide to move the conversation ahead instead of arguing further.

“Since we promised Mari to wait for her answer, I think we should stop here for now before scouting more people. I’ll need to prepare everything for her and Gusler too. Mind me, I’m not a lawyer or law expert so it will take a short while. I know a lot thanks to my position and what my old boss has put me through but I’ll need to get in touch with a few friends of mine to make this plan completely foolproof. I will not leave a single opportunity for that bastard to weasel his way out of this,” she explains while squeezing her fist again.

I step closer and pull her strained hand between mine. “And I will do whatever you need for that to happen. We are bringing that bastard down, right? You know I have quite powerful connections. They are yours to use.”

She smiles at me warmly. “I didn’t plan to in the beginning but he is certainly making it hard not to. I wanted to just forget but it looks like I’m not destined to. Let’s ruin that sick pig. Together.”

I nod. “Alright. Before that, let’s grab something to eat. Do you maybe know a good place, girls?”

Emi slams into my back and her face appears next to mine. “Emi knows! Humans there don’t look weirdly at Safi and Emi! They even come to visit sometimes!”

“Great. It’s my treat then. Do you mind?” I glance at Ria.

“Are you asking this old lady on a date?” She smirks at me slightly, fixing her glasses on her nose.

I shrug. “If you consider your date with two other women then sure.”

“I’ll let you know that I have quite the appetite.”

“And these two have no limits to how much they can consume. Sorry, but you stand no chance.” I point my thumb at the jelly duo.

She chuckles a little. “We’ll see about that. Lead the way then, girls.”

Emi peels herself off me and joins Safi's side to guide us to the destination. After a few minutes of walking, filled with some casual chatting between me and Ria, we arrive in front of a quite sizable restaurant. It looks decently high-class too.

My Slime beauties stroll into the place like they own it and the patrons all turn their heads to look at who has just made their entrance. A moment later, a single wave of cheers rolls through the dining hall as Emi proudly puffs her chest out and Safi makes a little wave with her iconic, motherly smile.

A male waiter hastily approaches us and greets the bouncy ladies, recognizing me fairly quickly too. He takes us to what looks like a VIP spot and hands us two menu cards, asking Safi and Emi if they would like the same as usual. They confirm and he scurries away. Looking at each other curiously with Ria, we pick something light on our own and await his return.

“Sorry that we aren’t chatting much together and I just keep talking to Ria about things. I wanted to take you two out for some fun but I think I failed a little.” I smile wryly at the colourful duo sitting opposite us.

“Please, Master, don’t say that. We don’t need to chat with you to enjoy our time together. We don’t talk much. It’s with you that we use the most words to express ourselves, mostly while replying to you,” Safi says while shaking her sapphire head.

“Safi is right!” Emi beams at me. “Emi enjoys walking with Master a lot! Master doesn’t have to worry about talking, Emi loves just going around and sometimes helping whenever Emi can! It feels the best!”

“I guess I’m overthinking things again.” I chuckle quietly. “I love hanging out around you two too.”

Then, the waiter comes back and places two plates down, one in front of each Slime lady. He takes our order and escapes again as we take a glance at what they have received. The dish is hidden under a silver lid. I remember them mentioning that they don’t taste foods the same way as Humans do so I’m really curious about what they enjoy here.

Safi and Emi raise the obstruction together and I freeze.

On their plates, lies a literal… jelly. Green for Safi and blue for Emi. It has the shape of a wide and low pudding, covering the entire available space. On the flat top, each of them has a portrait of the girl associated with the corresponding colour. So, Safi has Emi’s jelly while Emi has Safi’s jelly.

Now I understand why they like this place. Either the management or the chefs are their complete fanboys. I have noticed a special jelly mentioned in the menu but only glossed over it. If this is actually part of their product line then damn. I might have turned Safi and Emi into literal idols.

They happily consume their meals while our more common-looking orders finally arrive. Safi eats her portion with elegance while Emi chomps onto each spoonful with a wide smile. We can see the food jelly dissipate inside their body jelly and it’s quite a funny sight.

After sweeping our plates clean, we call the same waiter and pay up. He doesn’t accept payment for the Slime ladies, saying that they earn so much thanks to their themed desserts that it could cover their expenses hundreds of times over.

Slightly anxious, he asks me if it’s fine for them to do so and I give him my full approval as long as he mentions where they come from somewhere in the menu or something. If he wants, they can release more themed foods, boasting that our establishment has given them permission.

He is thrilled to hear that and swears to make it more than obvious where the jelly duo lives, mentioning that pretty much everyone here already knows that and that they naturally didn’t forget to credit us. Our patrons make up quite a chunk of their customers.

We stroll back home with Safi and Emi taking my arms. I pepper them with mana-filled pecks now and then, and pats, of course. There’s never enough affection for the charming, precious girls. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without them.

Right after stepping past the doorstep, I get rid of my clothes to comply with the current rules and regulations. Ria smirks at me from behind her glasses and excuses herself to start working on her master plan after giving my junk a few glances.

Let her stare as much as she wants. She’s seen such a thing plenty of times as she’s a very mature woman. If she enjoys the sight, it’s all hers in all of its glory.

Safi and Emi accompany me in the mansion too as I help various girls prepare for the working night. We step by Nyfile’s place to inform her about the results of our trip and hand her some of the materials we purchased. She accepts them and lets us know that she doesn’t mind waiting for the new person to come so she can hear their opinions on the equipment we need so that I don’t have to hurry to purchase it.

Honestly, I’m a little excited. I haven’t overlooked the night for quite a bunch of days now. I have a feeling that the atmosphere has clearly changed. For the better, of course. I can’t wait to see and experience it.

Most of the girls are quite eager to open too. They are even more energetic than I remember. It warms my heart to see them enjoy themselves so much. Who would have thought that they could be this happy in this profession? But I guess not all brothels have so many interesting side gigs like our role-play services, Pleasure Chambers, fantasy version of Fake Taxi, social banquets, and so many more.

Since our old residents know perfectly what they have to do, I focus more on assisting our new arrivals alongside Cornelia and Elea, especially those girls who have decided to already join the lewd services tonight. It’s mostly the women who are experienced. There’s one person amongst the Elf girls who is still up for her first time and I would like to give her the experience she deserves so she opts out, for now, happy to have me.

That also means our Nereid friends are out of the menu still. I’m not going to step on their precious offer and request to take them first. I should do that soon. They surely would like to start catching up on the mating time they have lost due to their mischief. I don’t want it to be rushed so I’ll visit them whenever I can before the next night.

I’m honestly a little curious about how they feel. I might be getting a little bit too much into experiencing what different races have to offer but it’s just so enchanting. I better make sure I don’t plunge into the dark side of lust and pleasure.

The hour to open arrives and I join our cute receptionist, meaning Elise, of course. Cornelia watches from the sidelines today. I wink at the charming girl, evoking a little flush from her and step away to save her from the unnecessary flirting. I’m not that kind of a boss.

One thing hasn’t changed at all. A crowd of people flocks into the mansion right from the start. They politely greet the residents and each other as they spread around, clearly knowing what they want to do and where they want to be.

Some groups form and begin socialising all around the main lobby. Cliques of noble and not-so-noble ladies head for the Pleasure Chambers, often accompanied by one or more of our girls. There’s also a line to the reception, made of people who want to book a pleasant evening with one of our bombshells. If their desired beauty is busy, they move to the sofas to wait patiently while partaking in the social side, or just hide somewhere until their time comes.

Things move quite nicely. A bunch of men and women approach me to talk a bit and welcome me back after my business trip. Teffith watches over the place in her magnificent suit, actually accompanied by Garrena in a similar one, who stands on the other side of the reception.

She has no weapon but looks like one badass bouncer while holding her hands together in the front. Her brown hair and tribal locks go so well with the uniform, which slightly emphasises her buff shoulders and arms. She steps away whenever someone requests her but returns to enforcing compliance with the rules right after. It seems that she’s grown to like this job.

Time flies and I get to see a few carriages drive away and back. The girls taking them look so alive, so dazzling after their rides. Of course, some of them sparkle with some sweat and not just their energy but one doesn’t impede the other. It really is as Cornelia and Elea said.

Then, about halfway through, a guy walks in.

A lot of eyes are drawn to him, not just mine. He’s quite short and clearly a little round, perhaps in his thirties or forties. Not much as his belly isn’t comically large but you can tell from how his uniform is a little stretched here and here.

And from his clothes, I can already tell that he isn’t a good sign.

He wears a small violet top hat and something that closely resembles the casual, royal clothes Ross sometimes uses. They don’t look as good on him, though. Plus, he has a weird, fluffy cape of a similar shade. His clothes revolve around white and purple, mostly. A cane rests in his hand.

Let’s see what kind of fuckery we can expect from this guest.