Chapter 3: The World outside the Castle
Early in the morning, on the day Celia returned to the Galarc Castle...
“Huff... Huff...”
Takahisa had sneaked out of his room in the castle. And before he knew it, he had slipped past the guards and was climbing the castle’s outer wall.
“Hah, huff, hah...”
Soon, he was over the wall. He was sweating along his brow as he ran frantically through the noble district.
“Hah, hah, hah, huff, huff...”
Even though his Divine Arms was supposed to have been activated, the heaviness in his feet felt as if he were dragging an iron ball. The beating in his chest was only getting faster. He couldn’t breathe properly.
“Hah... Hah...”
He recklessly ran up the ten-meter stone wall around the noble district like a wild beast. At the top of the wall, he looked down across the commoner town.
It was pitch-dark, making it difficult to see the ground. He wasn’t the best with heights, but he grabbed at the parts of the wall that stuck out and descended. Eventually, his feet reached the ground, and he began running away from the castle once again.
The key points of the noble district were illuminated by lights, but the commoner town was dark with very few lights. He continued down the road by relying on the moonlight, walking for two or three minutes before coming to a stop. He gazed at the Galarc Castle in the distance, illuminated by the moon.
You’re the worst, Takahisa.
Miharu’s angry face flashed through his mind. It was the first time he had seen her get so angry, much less slap him across the face.
I don’t like you, Takahisa. I hate you. I won’t be with you. I don’t want to be near you. Don’t show your face in front of me ever again.
Miharu had rejected him with those words. She had told him to return to Centostella and never go near her again. She was clearly furious with him.
No, it wasn’t only Miharu. Lilianna, Aki, Masato, and Satsuki... Everyone had rejected him. As proof of that, not a single person had allowed him to remain in the Galarc Kingdom. There hadn’t been a single person on Takahisa’s side.
The only choice he had left was to wait until morning to board the enchanted airship back to the Centostella Kingdom. However...
“I don’t want to...” Takahisa shook his head in fear, backing farther away from the castle.
No. I don’t want to. I don’t want to go back to Centostella!
He wanted to stay in the Galarc Castle. But no one would allow that. In another two or three hours, the day would break and he would have been forcefully sent back. Unable to accept that option, Takahisa had slipped out of the castle before he knew it.
He was contradicting himself. He wanted to stay in the Galarc Castle, yet he’d run from the Galarc Castle of his own accord.
“Hah... Huff, huff, hah... Hah...”
His calming breath quickened once more as the throbbing in his heart came back with a vengeance. Hours had passed since Miharu slapped him, yet his left cheek still felt like it was stinging with pain.
“Gah!”
In order to take his mind off the pain, Takahisa dug his nails into his left cheek. He then unsteadily resumed walking, disappearing into the darkness of the town.
◇ ◇ ◇
How long had he been wandering around the dark capital city?
Takahisa kept wandering through the dark until he ended up in an alleyway far from the main road. He crouched down at the dead end and hugged his knees.
However, the people of this world rose early in the morning. By the time the sun rose, people were already walking around the city.
Hearing the bustle coming from the main street, Takahisa began to feel uncomfortable. He started moving again, changing locations to somewhere less populated. Eventually, he reached an area that was completely silent. No one should come here. With that thought, Takahisa crouched back down in another alley. He didn’t want to see anyone. He didn’t want to speak to anyone. He wanted to be left alone.
He didn’t want to think about what was going on at the castle. He didn’t want to think about his current situation. He didn’t want to think about what he would do from here. He wanted to stop recalling how Miharu had slapped him. He didn’t want to face reality. He wanted to stop thinking altogether.
Yet... Was the castle in an uproar now that it was morning? Would everyone be even more mad at him? Wouldn’t it be better to go back? Such thoughts crossed his mind one after another. He wanted to clear his mind, yet he couldn’t. Each time that happened, Takahisa strengthened his grip around his knees.
But it hurt to keep recalling those unwanted thoughts. Thanks to that, his mental state was a mess, dulling his ability to think clearly. He could dismiss the unwanted thoughts as unwanted thoughts without staring directly at reality.
Thus, Takahisa simply waited for time to pass in the deserted alleyway.
◇ ◇ ◇
At some point, the sun had begun to fall again. It was proof that over half a day had passed since Takahisa left the castle. At the same time, the silence that had continued during the daytime came to an abrupt end. As early evening approached, the number of people walking through the streets increased. Takahisa initially ignored it, thinking it was temporary, but the silence never returned.
He slowly stood up in preparation to relocate again. But when he stepped out of the alley and onto the street, voluptuous women in revealing clothing were walking before him.
“Wh—”
And there were just as many men around, ogling at them. Takahisa gasped and froze where he stood.
He was in the red-light district. It was an area that bordered the slums of the capital, and was known for being one of the capital’s more dangerous areas.
It seemed that most people here started working as dusk approached. Some people were proactively calling out to the opposite sex, while others that had already reached an agreement were walking arm in arm intimately.
Furthermore, there was a vulgar man with a sharp look in his eyes hidden at the corner of the main road. He was closely observing the people walking the streets, and he spotted Takahisa standing around in a daze after leaving the alleyway.
“Hmm?”
The man gave Takahisa a measuring look. There were brothel workers beside him, so perhaps he was a manager of a brothel? The man didn’t appear to have come to the red-light district to play around.
What is this place...?
Meanwhile, the scent of sweet perfume wafting in the air finally made Takahisa start thinking again, and he realized what kind of place he was in. Immediately feeling uncomfortable, Takahisa stepped into the road with the intention of leaving the red-light district right away. But before he could do so, someone called out to him.
“Hey, hey.”
“Huh?”
It was a young woman. She was one of the brothel workers who had been beside the man observing the road from the corner just now. She appeared to be the same age as Takahisa, and she clung to his arm while calling out to him sweetly.
Takahisa paused and looked at the girl silently. There was no vitality in his gaze.
“Oh...” The girl gulped, feeling intimidated.
“What?”
“Oh, um...” She had probably approached Takahisa as a brothel worker seeking work, but his reaction was more indifferent than she had expected. She was at a loss for words.
“If you don’t need anything, leave me alone.”
The usual Takahisa would have shown a more innocent reaction, but he shook her arm off him curtly and tried to leave.
“Ah! H-Hey! Wait! Didn’t you come here to enjoy yourself?”
The girl hurried after Takahisa and clung to him, pushing herself up against his arm in a way that exaggerated her cleavage. The sweet scent of perfume and soft sensation of her skin invaded his senses.
“I did not.” Takahisa finally shook his head with an awkward look.
The glimpse of a reaction fitting for a man his age made the girl exhale quietly in relief.
“But surely you want to enjoy yourself? You’ve got money, right?” she said, seducing him resolutely.
“I don’t,” Takahisa immediately replied. He had lived without the need to use money from the moment he came to this world, and he’d left the castle with only the clothes on his back. That’s why he naturally didn’t have a coin to his name.
“You’re lying! You’re wearing such nice clothes, you have to be from a rich family. Are you a noble?”
“Huh? Oh, this...” Takahisa looked down at his body and the clothes he was wearing. It was the outfit the royal family had ordered for the kingdom’s hero. Of course it looked expensive.
In fact, he stood out blatantly. Under the sun that was yet to completely set, Takahisa drew all the attention in the red-light district. Even now, the people operating the brothels were eyeing him like he was an easy mark with a lot of money. That was also why the girl had called out to him in the first place.
“Well? Come have a good time with me, yeah?”
The girl strengthened her grip around his arm and continued her seduction. She then shot a glance at the man hiding at the street corner to check his expression. The man jerked his chin as though to tell her to seduce him more assertively.
“I said I’m not here for that. I didn’t know what this place was, and I wouldn’t have come to a place like this if I’d known.”
“A place like this, huh? Right. A young and privileged person like you wouldn’t waste your time with a woman like me working ‘in a place like this’...”
“I’m not privileged,” Takahisa said in a vexed tone. “I really don’t have any money on me. Besides...” He trailed off midsentence.
“Besides?”
“I have someone I love already...” he mumbled with a bitter frown.
The girl caught her breath. Perhaps she didn’t understand the reason why someone would say they loved someone with such a pained look.
“That’s how it is, so...” Takahisa shook his arm free again.
“Ah...” The girl tried to reach out again, but Takahisa had already started marching away. The vulgar man was still hiding at the corner of the road, glaring angrily at the girl who called out to Takahisa with bloodshot eyes.
“H-Hey, wait! Wait up!” She hurried after Takahisa again, grabbing his hand from behind.
“What?” Takahisa was confused. He hadn’t been expecting her to call out to him again.
“You came to a place like this because you were lost, right?”
The tone of the girl was oozing with desperation, as though she was at her wits’ end.
“Well, yeah,” Takahisa replied vaguely. He hadn’t had a destination in the first place, so he wasn’t quite lost.
“And the streets around here are kind of complicated, right?”
No sooner had the girl said that, she started walking while insistently pulling his hand. Takahisa was completely bewildered by her somewhat high-handed attempts to guide him.
“H-Hey. Wait a minute, what are you doing?”
“You have no business here, no? I’m showing you the way.”
When the man hiding at the corner saw the two of them leaving the red-light district, he quietly started following them. The girl led Takahisa off the main road and down a quiet street. Takahisa, who was worried about the eyes on him because he hated standing out, was mildly relieved to see there were fewer people walking about.
“H-Hey, hold on a second. Where are we going?” Takahisa shook off the girl’s hand and came to a stop to question her.
The girl glanced at the entrance of the alley they’d come down to check no one was following them. She sighed in relief before answering him. “Where... You wanted to leave, didn’t you?”
“That’s not what I said. I never said I wanted to go home...”
“R-Really? Do you want to have some fun with me after all?” The girl’s eyes widened, but she quickly took the chance to seduce Takahisa again.
“I do not. Enough of this. You don’t have to show me the way, just leave me alone.” Takahisa rejected her with a tired sigh, showing wariness towards the girl.
“You know, I’ve actually been ordered by a scary man to make you a customer no matter what. If I go back like this, he’ll do terrible things to me. Can you help me out by coming to my room?”
The girl leaned against Takahisa flirtatiously and revealed her reason for seducing him so assertively. Her hand was trembling faintly, although it was unclear if it was because she was trying to appeal to his sympathy or because she was actually scared of the man who’d given her the order.
“Even if you tell me that... There are plenty of people walking around who can be your customer. It doesn’t have to be me.”
After saying that, Takahisa tried to pull away and leave, but the girl wouldn’t let go of him so easily. She pressed his arm against her chest and held it there tightly.
“He probably wants to make a good customer out of you because you seem to be really rich. He said the younger the woman the better, so he ordered me to go since I just so happened to be free...” she said, continuing to explain her situation.
Now that I’ve talked to him, I get it. This guy is super naive and kind. Maybe he thought he’d be an easy mark?
She thought to herself, guessing the other reasons for the order. Naive men were the easiest to win over and turn into regulars. If they were rich on top of that, then they were the best business partners for a brothel worker.
“I’ve already told you I don’t have any money.” Takahisa sighed for the umpteenth time.
“That’s a lie.” The girl didn’t believe he didn’t have money, which was only natural—the clothes Takahisa was wearing were of a truly high quality.
“I really don’t. You can even search me if you want,” Takahisa said, feeling around in his pocket with his free hand.
“Really?” The girl took a step back from Takahisa and stared at him up and down skeptically.
“Go ahead.” Takahisa lifted his arms to allow her to search freely.
“Then...” The girl touched his body and checked for a wallet. Once she realized he truly wasn’t carrying any coin, she clutched her head and sank to the ground.
“Y-You’re kidding me. You don’t have anything on you? Why don’t you have any money when you’re wearing clothes like that...?”
“Well, I’ve never needed to use money...”
“Huh? Never needed to use money?! That can’t be possible! Just what kind of life were you living?!” The girl raised her voice in strong refutation.
“Uh, well... Yeah, you’re right...” Takahisa frowned with a guilty look. He had avoided reality until now, but having no money was indeed a problem when on the run. Perhaps talking to this girl had helped him calm down a bit, allowing him to finally think clearly. However, he still intended on running from reality for as long as he could.
“Anyway, you get that I can’t be your customer now, right?” Takahisa tried to end the conversation with the girl. But...
“What should I do... How do I explain this to him?” The girl was too busy trembling at the thought of the man who’d ordered her to listen to Takahisa’s words. She looked rather pale as she worried about how to explain things to him.
“Is he that scary?”
“He is—he’s the top brass in charge of the entire red-light district. Everyone calls him the young master. He’s got a violent temperament and treats the brothel workers like disposable goods. If he finds out I let a super rich-looking man like you get away, he’ll definitely fine me for it. This is the worst,” the girl said, sighing heavily.
“I’m sorry to hear that... You should just quit a job like this,” Takahisa said as a perfectly sound argument.
“Ugh...”
The girl trembled with her whole body and pouted. She then opened her mouth to say something, but—
“Ah!”
She spotted a man turn into the alley they were standing in and quickly threw herself at Takahisa, clinging to his chest.
“Huh?” Takahisa blinked in shock, unable to comprehend her actions.
“Th-This is the worst! He’s here to keep an eye on me!” she whined bitterly.
“Who...?” Takahisa’s back was to the entrance of the alley, so he had no idea who was coming.
“The young master!” The girl informed Takahisa who it was. “He’s checking if I seduced you properly,” she added, explaining why the young master had followed them into the alley. Takahisa tried to turn around and check for himself.
“S-Stop! He’ll think I said something strange!”
The girl grabbed Takahisa’s face and stopped him from moving. She brought her face close to him as though to kiss him. Takahisa was tall, so she had to stretch and look up at him.
“Hey...” Takahisa stiffened and reflexively tried to back away, but the girl wouldn’t allow that. She wrapped her arms around his back and continued to cling to him tightly. Takahisa felt the warmth of the girl, making him freeze even more.
Then, the girl seemed to come to some kind of decision as she hugged Takahisa. She took a deep breath without removing her arms.
“Come with me,” she said, entangling her arms with his.
“Huh? What? Where to?” Takahisa was utterly bewildered.
“My room,” she stated shortly.
“H-Huh?!” Takahisa’s voice-cracking shriek echoed through the alley several seconds later.
◇ ◇ ◇
Takahisa marched through the streets of the red-light district with a girl he didn’t even know the name of. They had been walking for two or three minutes.
“Here we are.” With Takahisa’s arm still clutched against her chest, the girl stopped before a building.
“Where...?” Takahisa asked nervously, glancing around at their surroundings.
The building was located on a backstreet away from the main road of the bustling red-light district. There were fewer people around than on the main road, but there were still couples walking intimately together here and there.
“This is the brothel I work at. My room is in here,” the girl said curtly.
“B-Brothel...?” In contrast, Takahisa’s voice cracked with nervousness.
“Of course. This is where I work”
Takahisa’s thoughts seemed to have come to a halt, as he looked up at the brothel without saying anything. The four-story stone building had the appearance of a high-class store.
“It’s a high-class store. It might not be as fancy as the buildings nobles live in, but it’s still impressive, no?”
“Wh-Why is there a high-class store in a backstreet...?”
“We’re high-class, so we’re on the backstreet and not the main one. The better clients prefer stores that are out of the public gaze. Now, let’s go in.”
“W-Wait...!”
“It’s fine. Keep quiet or they might get suspicious.”
Takahisa tried to protest, but the girl dragged him along by the arm. They entered the store together.
“One new customer coming in,” the girl said to the man at the counter of the store. She made quick work of the process to check him in. The receptionist at the counter stared sharply at Takahisa, who averted his gaze nervously.
“Enjoy yourself,” he said, welcoming Takahisa with a chuckle.
“This way please, dear customer. My room is on the second floor.”
The girl entwined herself around Takahisa’s arm and began leading the way in an overly flirtatious tone. Her manner of speech was also different, but that was probably because the receptionist was watching.
Takahisa was taken aback.
“Come now, let’s get to my room quickly.”
The girl pulled Takahisa’s arm and led him to the stairs. They went up to the second floor and turned into the corridor that stretched from left to right. There were around eight rooms on the second floor.
There was no one else to be seen in the silent corridor. But just like how the sound of a clock was more noticeable in a completely silent room, the faint sound of coquettish moans and creaking beds sounded exaggeratedly loud to Takahisa.
On top of that, the smell of sweet incense he’d noticed when he entered the building had grown noticeably stronger. Whether it was because the scent had an aphrodisiac effect or because it was combined with the sounds leaking from the individual rooms, one couldn’t be sure.
Takahisa felt his entire body flush with heat; there was even a blush on his face that was clear to any onlooker. The softness and warmth of the girl embracing his arm was keenly felt through his clothes.
Guh...!
Miharu’s pure smile flashed across Takahisa’s mind. In addition to the awkwardness and shame he had suppressed until now, his guilt started boiling like magma.
“H-Hey. I’m going to go back after all.” Takahisa turned around and tried to leave, but the girl wouldn’t release him.
“You can’t. Like I told you before we came in, I’ll cover the fee. You just have to stay here until time’s up.”
“Why would you go as far as paying for yourself...?”
“I already told you why. The penalty for letting you escape would cost me more. I’d be better off covering you with my own money. I was doomed the moment the young master ordered me to make business with you.”
“That has nothing to do with me though... And how do I know you’re not trying to trick me? You could just say you won’t pay once the time’s up...”
“Oh, right. I could’ve done that.”
“See! I knew it!” Takahisa tried to distance himself in a hurry, but the girl still wouldn’t let go.
“If I was thinking of doing that, I wouldn’t have admitted it so easily. And I couldn’t even think of that myself, so you must be really smart,” she said, in awe of Takahisa.
Takahisa was still skeptical as he looked at the girl.
“Okay. Then as soon as we enter my room, I’ll give you the money before anything else. That should solve things, right?” the girl suggested with a sigh.
“Well... I suppose...”
Although he still had his doubts, Takahisa nodded a little less reluctantly. When the girl noticed that, she resumed dragging him by the arm.
“Come on, my room’s this way.”
And so, the two finally entered a room.
“Go ahead.” The girl unlocked the door to her room, turned on the light, and invited Takahisa inside. As soon as he stepped in, he stood still and glanced around the room restlessly.
“I’d prefer you didn’t stare so closely... This room is my room for both work and living. Is there anything strange about it?” The girl peered at the side of Takahisa’s face with a somewhat uncomfortable look.
“Oh, sorry. No, it was just bigger than I expected... It’s a nice room.”
In fact, it was a very nice room. There was easily over fifteen square meters of space, allowing a comfortable layout for a single person with limited furniture. The only things placed in the room were a double bed, wardrobe, bath bucket, and water clock to measure the time, so there was plenty of space left.
All the furniture was of good quality, and the space was neat and tidy. It seemed true that this was a high-class store. However...
“A nice room, huh...” Self-mockery with a trace of gloom showed on the girl’s face.
“Hmm?” Takahisa sensed something and observed the girl’s expression curiously. But the girl quickly turned around to face away from him.
“Like I said, this is a high-class establishment. And that makes me a high-class brothel worker—though I’m still a novice,” the girl said proudly, before walking over to the wardrobe. There was a safe inside, from which she took out a single coin.
“Here,” she said after returning to Takahisa’s side, holding out the coin.
“Huh?”
Takahisa tilted his head and looked at the dark gray coin.
“The fee for this place. One hour is one large silver. We agreed I’d give it to you as soon as we got to my room, remember?”
“R-Right...”
Takahisa finally understood why the girl was holding out the coin to him. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out to accept it, but he noticed the girl’s hand was trembling.
“What’s wrong...?”
“This large silver is about two weeks of my salary. And yet... Yet...”
It seemed the girl was reluctant about handing Takahisa the large silver coin.
“Two weeks of your salary is the fee for one customer?”
Takahisa didn’t know how many customers she had in a week, but wasn’t she being exploited if two weeks of her salary was the same as what one customer paid? That was what Takahisa was implying.
“Even if a customer pays one large silver, I don’t get even ten percent of that. The rent for this room, the cost of clothes for work, the handling fee the brothel charges, the various debts to be repaid... A lot of it gets deducted for many reasons.”
“I see...” Takahisa seemed to feel sorry for her, as he hesitated to take the coin.
“Go on, take it.” She grabbed his hand herself and placed the large silver in his palm.
“You sure?”
“Of course I’m sure, I’m the one who suggested it. But a promise is a promise, so you have to stay in my room until the entire time is up.”
The girl released the hand she pushed the coin into and spoke as though she was trying to convince herself as well.
“All right.” Either way, he had nowhere to go. Takahisa nodded sluggishly.
“Ah... My precious large silver...”
The girl sighed and moved to the water clock beside the bed. She started measuring the time before returning to the wardrobe. Then, for some reason, she began to remove her dress.
“Hey! Wh-What are you—?!” Takahisa turned his back to her in a hurry.
“These clothes are tight around the chest, so I get tired wearing them. You’re a guest, not a customer—I should be allowed to feel comfortable in my own room, no?” the girl explained as she changed. She revealed her naked body in front of Takahisa without any concern of him seeing her.
“Uh...” Takahisa gulped at the sound of rustling fabric behind him.
“You can look if you want,” the girl said with a chuckle, still naked.
“I won’t!” Takahisa stubbornly kept his back turned.
“Hmm. I mean, I knew it already, but you’re a virgin after all.”
“What?!”
“Wanna lose your virginity with me?” the girl asked impishly.
“D-Don’t joke around like that!”
“Did you consider it for a moment?”
“I did not! I’ll do those kinds of things with the person I love!”
“Hmm. Right, you did say you have someone you love.”
Takahisa remembered Miharu again and bit his lip with an extremely pained look.
“How odd. You look like you’re in pain when you think of the person you love.” The girl came around Takahisa’s front, stooping over to peer up at his face.
“Wha...” Takahisa startled for a second, thinking she was naked, but the girl had finished changing already. Unlike the sexy negligee she wore earlier, the dress she wore now was more like old rags. The fabric was rough and there were permanent stains everywhere.
Takahisa, who had been exhaling in relief, did a double take at the change in the girl’s appearance and atmosphere. He looked at her with round eyes.
“Oh, did you just think I looked shabby? Nothing like a high-class brothel worker?” the girl asked, seeing through him.
“No, I wouldn’t think that...” Takahisa shook his head with a sigh.
“Really? Some of the girls buy expensive clothes and accessories with their salary, but we never get to wear them outside our rooms. There’s no one to show them off to, so I’m fine with this. I’d rather save the money and leave this place sooner,” the girl said, looking down at her clothes as she explained how she’d gotten the dress she was currently wearing for free. She seemed to be rather fond of her well-worn dress, as it was obvious her smile was genuine.
What am I doing here...?
Just two or three hours prior, he had been in the most luxurious place in this kingdom. Yet now he was in the room of a brothel neighboring the slums with a brothel girl he didn’t even know the name of. It was a bizarre situation.
Just then, the girl tugged Takahisa’s hand.
“Hey, are you just going to stay silent until time’s up? Be my conversation partner for a bit. Let’s sit down on the bed first.”
The girl sat Takahisa down on the bed, then sat herself down beside him. They were close enough for their shoulders to touch.
“You’re too close,” Takahisa said, shifting aside so there was a one-person-wide space between them.
“Really? I don’t mind.” The girl giggled, then stared at Takahisa’s face.
“What...?”
“You’re really handsome, you know. We don’t see your kind of facial features around here, though.”
“What are you saying...?” Takahisa, who had been replying curtly out of his wariness towards the girl, blushed at the sudden compliment towards his appearance.
“I’m just telling the truth, you know? You’re handsome, your clothes are fancy—you’re just like a prince. You look like you would give a girl everything she wants. Yet you’re cute and naive.”
The girl listed off her impression of Takahisa and smiled impishly.
“I look pathetic, I know. You don’t have to make fun of me.” Takahisa, who was still heartbroken, furrowed his brow in a self-deprecating way.
“I don’t think that at all. But for someone who’s blessed in appearance, clothing, and everything else, there’s something even you don’t have.”
“Huh?”
“Confidence. You don’t have any.” The girl accurately guessed what Takahisa was lacking.
“...”
“Oh, and money. I assumed you were in the red-light district to get your first time over with, but you weren’t after that at all... Honestly, why were you in the red-light district?” the girl asked with a wry smile, looking at Takahisa.
“I told you already, I was lost.”
“Someone dressed like you, lost alone in the red-light district? Where were you trying to go in the first place?”
How could one have so little sense of direction? The girl gave Takahisa’s reaction a searching look as though to say that.
Takahisa averted his eyes and fell silent with a guilty look.
“It definitely seems like there are special circumstances going on... But whatever. Does it have anything to do with the girl you love?”
“Wh...”
“Oh, bull’s-eye?”
Takahisa’s face fell, transforming the girl’s hunch into a conviction.
“She rejected me... She told me she hated me to my face.”
The fact he was talking to a stranger seemed to make it easier for Takahisa to confide what’d happened.
“Oh my... That must have been hard for you.”
As soon as the girl said that, she sat back down right next to Takahisa and hugged him.
“You’re close...”
Takahisa slowly tried to stand up to distance himself from the girl.
“Do you hate it?” the girl asked, tightening her grip around him.
Takahisa neither agreed nor disagreed. He didn’t try to stand up from the bed he was sitting on again either. However, he still seemed embarrassed about touching a girl he didn’t know, as he turned to face away from her and leaned away too.
“Heh heh. So you can be honest about your feelings too. Come to think of it, what’s your name? You still haven’t told me.”
The girl patted Takahisa’s head gently and asked for his name.
“Takahisa...” Takahisa mumbled quietly.
“Takahisa? That’s not a name you hear around these parts, but it sounds lovely.”
“That’s not true...”
Takahisa.
Miharu’s voice calling his name must have echoed in his head, as Takahisa curtly denied the girl’s compliment with a bitter look.
“Looks like quite the wound, huh? But at the very least, it’s a lovely name to me. It sounds like a prince’s name.”
“If it’s not a name you get here, why do you think prince?”
“Dunno, I wonder why?” The girl giggled and petted his head even more gently. Takahisa finally seemed to gain an interest in whom he was talking to and quietly glanced at the face of the girl hugging him. But he must have felt embarrassed, as he quickly looked away and fixed his gaze on the corner of the room instead.
“You must really be in love with that girl,” the girl said with an exasperated sigh.
“Why do you say that...?”
“Because you won’t make a move even when I’m hugging you like this. Am I really that unattractive?”
“That’s not why... Like I said already, I’d rather do that kind of thing with the one I love.”
In other words, the one Takahisa loved was not the girl sticking firmly to his side. The one he loved was a third party who wasn’t here...
“See? It makes me a little jealous. Besides...”
“Besides?”
“I asked for your name, so isn’t it only polite as a man for you to ask mine?”
“Right... That’s true. Sorry. What’s your name?”
“It’s Julia.”
“Julia... Julia. Okay. I won’t forget that.” Takahisa spoke as though he was carefully considering her words.
“Oh? Should you be making such a declaration so lightly? You know there are countless men who’ve said that to brothel workers then forgotten their names anyway.”
It was common to get customers who passionately whispered their love during the act, then forgot their partners’ names as soon as they were done. Julia laughed teasingly, explaining that was just how men were.
“It’s okay, I won’t forget. I’m good at remembering the names and faces of girls.”
“Oh my, and here I thought you were naive. That’s quite the pompous thing to say.”
Honestly, depending on the time and place, those words could have sounded quite creepy. Julia’s eyes widened in surprise as she informed him of that.
“Ha ha... There was a period of time where my head was completely blank. During that time, I completely forgot the name of a girl I saw every day, even though she always treated me with so much kindness... I realized it was really rude of me, so I swore to myself I’d never forget again,” Takahisa said, explaining the reason he’d decided to never forget a girl’s name. Incidentally, the girl whose name he had forgotten was Lilianna. He was referring to the period of time right after he was summoned into this world.
“Pfft! You said such a lame line just to protect that overly serious vow of yours?” Julia burst out laughing.
Takahisa pouted. “So what if it’s lame?”
“Right. By the way, was that girl the girl you love?” Julia asked, looking at the side of Takahisa’s face.
“No, she wasn’t...” Takahisa turned his face away and denied it with a guilt-ridden look. There was a brief pause before his answer during which he recalled what he had last said to Lilianna.
“You’re in love with me, aren’t you? Aren’t you saying such horrible things for the sake of your kingdom, because you don’t want me to be with Miharu?”
He had made Lilianna cry and incurred Miharu’s fury with that fatal line.
I’m the worst... Why did I say such a thing...?
His fear of being separated from Miharu again—of being alone again—had made him get emotional during their argument and run his mouth without thinking.
No... That’s not what I truly thought. Those weren’t my true feelings.
When he recalled that moment, Takahisa was tormented by a tremendous amount of guilt and regret. But it was too late now. He couldn’t take back what was already said.
Besides, shouldn’t the words he uttered at the peak of his emotions be his true feelings? Could he honestly say he had never felt Lilianna’s affection for him before? Hadn’t he faintly suspected Lilianna was in love with him all along?
Takahisa reflexively shook his head furiously.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing...”
“You poor thing. You’re trembling so much.” Julia patted his back like she was soothing a child.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, back when Takahisa and Julia had just entered the room on the second floor, a rough-looking man entered the brothel building through the entrance. He appeared to be around his early thirties.
“Young master!”
The receptionist who was easily in his forties stood up from his chair and bowed deeply in greeting.
“Hey. Julia brought a customer here just now, right?” the young master asked, cutting straight to the chase.
“Yes. He seemed like a kid from quite a rich family.”
“Was there anything strange about that kid?”
“Strange? He did seem oddly serious...and rather ignorant about the ways of the world. I assumed he snuck in here to lose his virginity...”
It wasn’t rare to get those kinds of customers. As a high-class brothel, many of the clients were nobles in hiding.
“Is that all?”
“Well, if I had to say, then I guess it was strange how he didn’t look like he was born in this country either. He was clearly an immigrant.”
“That’s right...”
“Is there something about that kid bothering you?”
“No... He was wearing quite the fancy clothes, you see. Young nobles sneaking out aren’t a novelty around here, but I’ve never seen one walking about unarmed without any guards or company. That’s why I’m curious about his background.”
The young master explained the reason for his curiosity.
“You sure his guards weren’t just hiding somewhere?”
“I thought so too, so I had some people circle the place several times.”
“As expected of the young master. Nothing gets past you.”
The receptionist expressed his awe for the young master with a shrug.
“I’ve never heard of any immigrant families in the royal capital with that much money. But it’s possible that an immigrant married rich and had a son. That, or he’s a rich kid who’s temporarily visiting the capital.”
“Incidentally, what are you planning on doing if the kid really doesn’t have any guards?”
“Nothing. No matter how serious he looked, he’s a perv that sneaked out to visit a brothel. Once he experiences a woman, he’ll become a regular here. Depending on his fetishes, he could even become an underground client. For the sake of his future patronage, we’ll let him go home feeling good about the whole thing. However...”
“However?”
“I’d like to learn a bit more about him for the sake of our future association. Be it his fetishes, background, or anything else,” the young master said suggestively, rubbing the stubble on his chin.
“Then I shall probe into it on his way out,” the receptionist offered.
“No, he’ll be a good customer to us. I’ll see to it myself.”
The young master firmly offered to deal with it himself. Either he had high hopes of Takahisa becoming a cash cow, or it had something to do with his unknown identity.
“They won’t be coming out of that room for another hour at the least. I’m going to spend that time checking the surroundings once more.”
With that, the young master temporarily left the brothel again.
◇ ◇ ◇
One hour later, the water clock in the room indicated that the allocated time was up.
“It’s about time.”
“I see...” Takahisa said quietly.
In the end, the two had sat on the bed and slowly conversed with each other for the entire hour. They hadn’t discussed anything serious, merely sharing their ages to discover they were the same age, then filling the rest of the time with small talk and trivial thoughts.
Neither Takahisa nor Julia pried into the other’s situation by asking questions. Takahisa hadn’t revealed he was a hero, and Julia hadn’t said anything personal about herself either. Prying too deeply into the other’s situation would create depth and weight to their relationship. And while that could sometimes become an opportunity, at other times, it could become a risk. Fearing that risk, they had kept their distance. But even without any prying, they had felt each other’s warmth in their embrace. That warmth must have been very comforting to Takahisa in his current state. The fact he had met someone easy to talk to, whose silences weren’t weren’t awkward to endure, had probably played a role.
“Thank you. I feel a little calmer after talking to you.” Takahisa thanked Julia with a thin smile on his face. He was still in low spirits from the mistake he had made at the castle, but he had regained some of his composure.
“Really? Good for you,” Julia replied bluntly. She then sighed dramatically. “Ugh, why do I have to pay out of my own pocket to satisfy someone else?”
She was still clinging to Takahisa, possibly to hide her face out of embarrassment.
“Sorry...” Takahisa lowered his gaze out of guilt.
“It’s not something you have to apologize for, okay?” Julia softly placed a hand on Takahisa’s shoulder and extended her arms, creating distance between them. In doing so, the scent of her sweet perfume tickled Takahisa’s nostrils.
“R-Really?” Takahisa hadn’t tried to look at Julia the whole time he was being clung to, but the scent drew his gaze towards her.
“I was the one who dragged you into my room.”
“That’s true...” Takahisa agreed with an amused chuckle.
“Besides...I should thank you.” Julia averted her strong-willed eyes and suddenly thanked him bashfully.
“Huh? What for?”
“You’re the first person to leave without doing anything but talk. It’s the first time I’ve felt like I was treated with respect in this room—the first time I had a proper conversation at all. That’s what for. I’m surprised there are men like you out there,” she said with a cute smile fitting for her age.
“I see...” Enchanted by Julia’s smile, Takahisa’s eyes widened.
“Well, it could just be you’re a loser, considering you didn’t make a move after all the clinging and seducing I did.”
“Sh-Shut up... Wait, you were seducing me?” Takahisa asked, startling with a red face.
“I did wonder when you would push me down. I was clinging to you so much, I was basically asking for it. Didn’t you notice?”
Takahisa swallowed his breath, speechless.
“Oh, are you regretting not making a move sooner?”
“I-I’m not! That’s why I didn’t push you down onto the bed!” Takahisa denied the accusation angrily, face still flushed red.
“That’s right. You didn’t.” Julia suddenly moved her hand and touched Takahisa’s cheek. She stared into his face from up close.
“Wh-What?”
“Nothing. Just getting a final look at the face of a prince.”
“I told you I’m not that important...”
“You’re in my room as a guest, so the least you could do is leave with some confidence. I’m saying I’m settling for you, so you should be proud. Got it?” Julia pinched Takahisa’s cheek and pulled it.
“O-Ow, that hurts. What are you settling for?”
“You as my prince. I’m saying you’ll do.”
“Wh—” Takahisa flinched at the glare Julia shot him from so close up.
“Well? Do you feel a little more confident?” Julia looked at Takahisa affectionately.
“Wh-What do you mean by me being your prince...?” Takahisa asked with a gulp.
“Stop right there. Time’s up.” Julia pressed the index finger of her left hand to Takahisa’s lips to force them closed. She then pointed at the door of her room with the index finger of her right hand.
“Dream time is over,” she said.
Takahisa reflexively opened his mouth to say something, but after a brief moment of hesitation, remained silent. Was it because he didn’t want to say goodbye yet? Was he reluctant to leave after he had entered the store so unwillingly? Did he want to remain in this dream for a little longer?
“I’m sure you would’ve guessed this, but extending the dream will incur an extra fee. I have no intention of paying that as well, okay?” Julia said teasingly, then sighed in exasperation. That seemed to snap Takahisa back to reality, as he slowly got up from the bed with a wry smile.
“Right... That’s understandable. Let’s go.”
“Yeah...”
Was it just his imagination, or did Julia’s eyes tremble with a glimpse of sadness when she nodded just now? At any rate, the two left the room. They walked down the corridor and descended the staircase.
“Yo, I’m back.” A man was just walking through the front door.
“Ugh, it’s the young master...” Julia whispered just loud enough for Takahisa to hear.
The young master...
Takahisa looked over at the man who’d entered the building.
“Welcome back, young master. Our guest was just on his way out.”
The man at the reception bowed his head at the young master and looked over at Takahisa and Julia, who had just reached the bottom of the stairs.
“I’m back. My business can wait; make sure you tend to our guest first.” The young master shrugged, made his way to a corner of the lobby, and leaned against the wall.
This person...
Takahisa stole a glance at the young master. According to Julia, the man they called the young master was one of the leaders of the organization that managed this area of the red-light district. Takahisa swallowed nervously at the realization the man was probably from the equivalent of the mafia or yakuza on Earth.
“What is that outfit, Julia?” the receptionist asked, staring at Julia’s clothes. The brothel had rules about stipulated outfits, but Julia was wearing the ragged dress she normally wore off the clock. However...
“This was the customer’s request. He said he prefers his girls in shabby outfits.”
The exception was if it was a customer’s request. With her arm linked with Takahisa’s, Julia looked up at his face and smiled mischievously.
“I see.” With a vulgar smirk, the receptionist gave Takahisa a look of understanding. The young master had a similar smirk of delight on his face.
“Ha ha...”
The corners of Takahisa’s eyes crinkled as he laughed awkwardly.
“Now, the customer is leaving,” Julia said, asserting dominance.
“I shall run the bill, then. For the standard fee with no extensions or bonuses, your total will come to one large silver.”
Tch. He doesn’t look like the type to go over the top on his first time, but Julia should have been able to wring more out of him...
One large silver. When the young master heard Takahisa’s total, he clicked his tongue in his mind. As Julia had explained to Takahisa in advance, one large silver was the base rate for this brothel. Wealthier clients would spend several times this amount on extensions, ordering food and drink, and extra requests.
“Here.” Takahisa placed the dull silver coin he’d received from Julia down on the counter.
“The total has been received.” The receptionist side-eyed the young master for his reaction as he picked up the coin.
“Well, then...” Julia said, pulling Takahisa through the lobby by the arm.
“How was it, kid? Did our Julia manage to satisfy you?” the young master said at the same time, speaking over her loudly.
“Huh...? Um, yes. She was very nice.” Takahisa blinked in surprise before answering falteringly.
“Is that so? I’m glad to hear that. If you have any special requests, feel free to make them on your next visit. Our establishment will do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer as long as the right price is met. We could make this one even shabbier, if you so wished,” the young master said with a vulgar grin, watching Takahisa for his reaction.
“Wha...” Takahisa was rendered speechless by how far those words were from his own common sense and sensitivities.
“I’m going to escort our customer outside now,” Julia said with a quiet sigh, ending their conversation there. She proceeded to drag Takahisa by the arm.
“Huh? Ah, yeah. Okay. Let’s go...” Takahisa snapped back to his senses and went with Julia.
“We look forward to your business again,” the young master said to Takahisa without breaking his customer service smile.
Tch. That damn Julia...
Angered by how Julia had interrupted their conversation, he glared at her back as she walked to the door. However, he didn’t call for her to stop, and the two left the brothel. Outside, the sun was completely set, making the time way past evening.
“This is goodbye, then.” As soon as they stepped outside, Julia released Takahisa’s arm.
“Right... Goodbye...” Takahisa nodded reluctantly. He hesitated over whether to just turn away.
“Hey, Takahisa.” Julia grabbed both of Takahisa’s hands with a look of determination.
“Huh?” Takahisa flinched.
“Do you remember what you said about how you wanted to do those kinds of things with the person you love?”
“Y-Yeah, I do.” Takahisa tilted his head for a brief moment, wondering when he’d said that, but he quickly remembered. They were the words he’d used to brush Julia aside each time she tried to seduce him.
“I agree with that. I’m not that easy of a woman, you know? If I had a choice, I would only do those kinds of things with the person I loved—or at least someone I liked. If it weren’t for my job, I would never try to seduce others.”
For some reason, Julia started confiding in him about her sense of virtue.
“Right... Yeah. I get it.”
Takahisa had been wide-eyed at the sudden confession, but he nodded happily at how they shared the same values.
“That reaction tells me you don’t get it.” Julia sighed tiredly.
“Hm? What don’t I get?”
“I seduced you, didn’t I? I even paid myself to bring you into my room. Do you know what that means?” she asked, looking up at him flirtatiously.
“Huh? Oh...”
Julia brought her face close to Takahisa’s ear. “I thought you were kind of nice. Do you get what I’m saying?” she whispered.
“Uh...” Takahisa looked down with a blush and froze. Julia grabbed Takahisa by the shoulders and forced him to turn away from her.
“Okay. Now go. Don’t come back to a place like this ever again. If you go straight forward from here, you’ll exit the red-light district.”
She slapped him on the back and urged him forward.
“H-Hey...” Takahisa immediately turned back to her.
“Bye-bye.” Julia waved insistently, a hint of sadness in her smile as she expressed her intent to part ways.
“Yeah... See you later.” Takahisa nodded after a long pause, then bid his farewell as though they would see each other again.
“Later...” Julia’s eyes widened before she replied with a happy smile. Thus, Takahisa finally put the brothel behind him. But after walking less than ten meters, he was struck with the urge to turn around. However, if he lingered around any longer, he would only cause more trouble for Julia.
What should I do...
While facing forward, Takahisa thought about what he would do from here. Thanks to Julia, he was a lot calmer than when he’d left the castle before. Which was why...
I don’t want to return to the castle, but...
Realistically speaking, he had no other choice but to return. After all, he didn’t have a single coin on him. At this rate, he wouldn’t even have a place to sleep for the night, much less a means to secure food or drink.
But that didn’t mean he was about to return to the Galarc Castle. He could foresee the huge scolding he would get for leaving the castle if he went back. Knowing that it would also lead to his forced deportation to the Centostella Kingdom made the thought all the more depressing.
I just...
Just what? What did he want to do? What could he do that he would be content with?
The first thing that came to mind was, of course—
Miharu... Miharu...
The empty space in his heart that was created by not having Miharu by his side.
“Ugh...”
Takahisa gritted his teeth and grimaced, tears threatening to spill at any moment as he thought about being rejected by Miharu.
He wanted salvation. Salvation that could fill this hole in his heart... The next person to come to mind after Miharu was Julia, whom he had just bidden farewell to.
It was strange. He had only met her today, only spoken to her properly for one hour, yet there was a part of him that sought her.
Just one last time...
That’s right, shouldn’t it be fine to turn around just one last time? If he saw her face one last time, he’d be able to do his best a little longer.
With that thought, Takahisa turned around.
“Huh...?”
He was met with the sight of the young master grabbing Julia by the hair and dragging her into the alley beside the brothel. Takahisa froze for a long moment in doubt of what he saw.
◇ ◇ ◇
Just a few moments earlier, while Takahisa and Julia were bidding each other farewell before the brothel, the young master observed them from the shadows of the brothel entrance.
He couldn’t hear what the two were saying, but he could tell from their expressions that the two were happy in each other’s presence. He could tell Julia had a firm hold of Takahisa’s heart.
That kid’s completely head over heels for Julia. Yet that stupid woman...
Displeased with something, the young master clicked his tongue with a frown. His sour mood was clear just by looking at his back.
“Scary...”
It made the man at the reception counter tremble. In the meantime, Takahisa finished bidding farewell to Julia and began to walk out of the red-light district.
Julia watched Takahisa leave without saying anything. The young master glared at the reluctant look on her face.
Don’t tell me that woman...
His eyes widened, sensing something.
Hmm, perfect. Time to put on a performance and teach Julia a lesson.
With a smirk on his face, the young master left the brothel. He approached Julia without a word, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and yanked.
“Wha...?”
Julia was stunned. Her world was suddenly shaking, and she had no idea what had happened. The pain that came after a delay made her realize she was being pulled by the hair.
“H-Hey, that hurts! Stop! What are you doing?!”
Julia protested against the young master with a sharp glare.
“What am I doing? I’m punishing you, you stupid woman. Now come. The customers could see us here.”
With Julia’s hair grasped in his fist, the young master started walking towards the alley beside the brothel. In the distance, Takahisa had just turned around. He watched on as the young master walked into the alley with Julia in tow and froze in shock.
“Ah...” Julia made eye contact with Takahisa. When she realized Takahisa had witnessed her current situation, she paled and averted her gaze.
“Hmph.” The young master smirked. As soon as he entered the alleyway, he released Julia’s hair and threw her to the ground.
“Gah! Ugh...” Julia rolled across the ground. She immediately tried to use her hands to push herself back to her feet, but the young master approached her and grabbed another fistful of her hair.
“Hey, Julia. You got that kid to fall for you pretty hard, didn’t you?” The young master crouched down and leered at her. Julia glared back at him.
“S-So what if I did? That shouldn’t be a problem!”
“There’s a big problem—you. What do you mean you only earned one large silver from an ignorant rich kid head over heels for you? You could’ve squeezed him for more!”
“H-He was so ignorant, he didn’t know how to use his money.”
“That’s wrong. If he doesn’t know how to use his money, then it’s your job to teach him. A single large silver is barely anything. Stupid woman.”
“H-Huh?! A large silver is two whole weeks of constant work for me. It’s plenty of money!” Julia argued, her voice brimming with emotion.
“Huh? Your pitiful income is because of the debt your parents left you. Do you realize how much money went into training you to be a high-class whore? What’s wrong with trying to get back the money I spent on you? You should be grateful we trained your talent. It’s your job to dedicate yourself to the brothel and earn money from the customers. Am I wrong? Huh?”
The young master criticized Julia with a rapid succession of questions and yanked her hair harder.
“I-It hurts. Let go...” Julia struggled to turn her face away. Her earlier spirit was completely crushed by fear.
“Hey, look at me!” The young master forced Julia to meet his eyes by pulling her by the hair.
“Eek...”
“You got in my way when I tried to question the kid, didn’t you?” he asked with a sneer.
“H-Huh? What do you mean?”
“You’re stuttering. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? You took him out of the brothel as quickly as you could because you didn’t want me to talk to him.”
“Wh-Why would I do that?” Julia asked, voice cracking.
“I’m the one asking you. My guess is that it has something to do with the reason you didn’t wring that boy for all the money you could. How devoted of you, hmm?” the young master asked as though he could see through her, sneer widening.
“What?! I-I have no idea what you’re on about!”
“Don’t tell me you fell for that noble kid... Or did you get your hopes up thinking that ignorant boy would redeem you? Which is it, huh?”
Julia cowered with her gaze fixed on the floor.
“You wore those ragged clothes so he’d pity you, didn’t you? Did you think he’d be more likely to redeem you if you showed him your shabby side?”
“N-No!”
Unable to endure the young master’s wicked conjectures, Julia raised her head and denied them. But just then...
“H-Hey, what are you doing?! Please stop that!” Takahisa had entered the alleyway and called out to the young master’s back.
“Oh? If it isn’t the boy from earlier.” The young master’s mouth curled upwards in satisfaction. He released Julia’s hair and stood up, then spread his arms as though to welcome Takahisa.
“T-Takahisa... Why did you come back...?” Julia’s expression was telling him he shouldn’t have done so.
“Oh, so the kid is named Takahisa? That’s a unique name.”
“What are you doing? I heard Julia scream.”
“As a brothel owner, I’m merely disciplining my worker,” the young master said, grabbing Julia’s hair once more and lifting it to show Takahisa.
Julia’s face twisted in pain. “Ah...!”
“Stop it!” Takahisa yelled in alarm.
“Stop it? But why?” Without releasing Julia’s hair, the young master tilted his head in question.
“Wh-What do you mean, why...? Julia’s clearly in pain!”
“That’s because it wouldn’t be discipline if it didn’t hurt, no? Besides, it’s her fault she took a rebellious attitude against me. I have to discipline her to put her in her place.”
The young master sneered defiantly, knowing he had no reason to be criticized.
“J-Just because you’re her employer doesn’t mean you can do that! Violence is a crime! Use your words, not your actions!”
“Pfft! Ha ha, ha ha ha! Crime? Use my words?” Hearing Takahisa’s words made the young master burst into loud laughter.
“Wh-What’s so funny?”
“Pardon me, I just couldn’t believe you’d say something so off the mark... Listen here, kid. This woman is a slave. The collar around her neck is proof of that. Weren’t you aware of that?”
“Huh...?” Takahisa was stunned to hear Julia was a slave.
“This woman’s parents took out an enormous loan, so she became a slave to pay it off. The brothel owns the rights to this woman. Although there are some laws that protect slaves, this much discipline isn’t considered a problem. That’s why there’s no crime going on here.” The young master released Julia’s hair roughly.
“Guh...” Julia fell to the ground heavily.
“Stop it!” Takahisa roared angrily.
“Oh, how scary. Hey Julia, the kid’s mad at me because of you. What are you gonna do about it, huh?”
The young master made a show of kicking Julia while she was down.
“Ugh...”
“I said stop it!” Takahisa’s emotions took control of him as he marched towards the young master.
“Whoa there. That look on your face is no joke.” The young master drew the dagger he kept at his waist for self-defense and pointed it warningly at Takahisa.
“Wha...” Takahisa faltered at the weapon and stopped with a gasp. The young master quickly sheathed his dagger again.
“Now kid, I understand getting heated over the first woman you sleep with, but this brothel worker doesn’t belong to you. Got it?”
“I know that much! That goes without saying!”
“You don’t, which is why you’re losing your composure right now. No?”
“You’re wrong. I’m just telling you to stop being violent with Julia...!”
“And I’m saying you have no right to be ordering me around. This slave belongs to our brothel. We operate completely within the law, you know? As long as she completes her work, I won’t hurt her without reason.”
The young master put a little more strength into the foot he was using to step on Julia. Takahisa was trembling from head to toe as he glared angrily.
“Good grief. Are you that devoted to Julia?” the young master said with a smug sigh, finally moving his foot off Julia. “Then how about this—why don’t you become her master instead?” he asked Takahisa.
“Huh...?” Takahisa looked at him in confusion, unable to understand the purpose of the question.
“You can redeem her. I’ll give her to you for three hundred gold.” The young master suddenly started talking business by bringing up a price tag for Julia.
“Three hundred...gold...?”
It was an amount even a noble would hesitate to pay, but Takahisa didn’t show much surprise. Part of the reason was because he didn’t know the market price of redemption, but he also had no idea how much three hundred gold coins were worth. He could only tell that it was a large number—which was why the young master believed he could make a sale if he pushed a little harder.
“D-Don’t listen to him, Takahisa. Forget about me and go...!” Julia tried to put a stop to the business talk in a panic.
“Shut up. Objects have no right to speak. I’m talking to the kid right now.” The young master stepped down on Julia again.
“Ow...!”
“Stop it!” Takahisa yelled angrily once more.
“All you have to do is become her master. Then she’ll become yours. No one else will be allowed to touch her.”
“P-People aren’t objects!”
“People aren’t, yes. But a slave isn’t a person.”
“What...?!” Takahisa was lost for words.
“You like to make yourself sound good, but you paid money to buy this brothel worker too, no? Just like buying bread to satisfy your hunger. What’s the difference?”
The young master looked like he was truly confused with why it was wrong to buy a brothel worker to fulfill one’s desires.
“I-It’s not... It’s not the same at all. There’s no point talking to you. In the first place, I...!”
He hadn’t bought Julia. He had only gone to her room because she’d asked him to. The one who had paid was Julia herself—these were the words on the tip of Takahisa’s tongue, but he swallowed them when he imagined Julia being punished if he said them.
“Be honest with yourself, kid. You may fancy yourself earnest and upright, but at the end of the day, you snuck out to visit a brothel. You’ve got desires you’re holding back from those around you, don’t you? If you admit your desires honestly, I’ll prepare exactly what you want.”
The young master drew close to Takahisa and threw an arm around his shoulders, leaning in to whisper tempting words into his ear.
“I don’t have any such thing!” Takahisa reflexively tried to brush the young master’s arm away, but the young master held on firmly with his large body and muscular arm.
“Just between you and me, I’ve had the opportunity to assist a number of rich men like you before. Our organization runs most of the red-light district, after all. If you leave things to me, there’ll be no limit to what you can do in the red-light district. Of course, it won’t come free—but you could even use this woman however you wanted.” The young master dragged Julia before Takahisa.
“I wouldn’t do such a thing! Julia is a person, not an object!” Takahisa said with a frown.
“Come on, kid. If you’re going to enjoy yourself in a brothel, you have to learn not to trust the words of the workers. Their job is to show men a dream. In order to do that, they’ll say whatever they need, to whomever they need, without batting an eye. I don’t know what this one said to you today, but none of it is what she truly thinks.” With his arm still around Takahisa’s shoulder, the young master sighed.
“Y-You’re lying!” Takahisa argued, body trembling with anger.
“I’m not. I’m giving you this advice with your well-being in mind, kid. Every sweet word she whispered in your ear today was a lie to make you like her. She was hoping you’d visit the brothel again, and possibly even pay off her debt for her.”
“You’re wrong. She would never do that!”
“I see you’ve fallen quite hard for Julia. I suppose that means she has done well as a brothel worker, but...if you’re so insistent about it, you may as well redeem her for three hundred gold coins, no?” the young master said, suddenly returning to the topic of her debt.
“Wha...?” Ignoring how taken aback Takahisa was, the young master grinned.
“Hey, show him your face, Julia. You should be begging your beloved Takahisa for this yourself. Be the shabby woman he wants and ask him to redeem you. Today could be your last day as a brothel worker, you know?” he said, urging Julia to speak.
“Eek...” Julia flinched and trembled. She raised her head fearfully and met Takahisa’s eyes, but she closed her mouth without saying what she was going to say. “Ah... Uh...”
“Ha ha ha! Look how terrified she is. Maybe she thinks you won’t buy her if she pleads the wrong way. Well? Doesn’t it arouse you? You like them shabby, don’t you?” the young master asked with an amused smirk.
“Sh-Shut up!”
Takahisa used his strength and forcefully shook the young master’s arm off him. In doing so, he lightly shoved the young master away.
“Tch, that hurts... And here I was humbling myself. How annoying.” The young master clicked his tongue with a displeased frown. Takahisa flinched, taking a small step back. The young master saw that and snorted.
“Oh well. Hey Julia, the kid says you’re not worth three hundred to him,” he said to Julia in an exaggerated tone.
Julia hung her head weakly, completely defeated.
“Th-That’s not true! I just don’t have that much on me right now!”
“I’m not asking you to pay on the spot. You can go and fetch the money, you know?”
“Th-That’s...”
Takahisa awkwardly fell silent. Even if he left, he didn’t have three hundred gold coins either way. Lilianna might have paid for him if he asked, but what right did he have to ask her that now? Would she even pay for him anymore?
“Well, that’s only natural. I wouldn’t buy this woman for that much either, and I’ve never heard of a man crazy enough to buy the first woman he meets in a brothel. But if you like Julia that much, you’re free to come back and play again. Now stand, Julia.”
The young master seemed to have determined that Takahisa had no intention of paying up. His attitude suddenly turned blunt and he picked Julia up from the ground, forcing her to stand.
Although Julia got to her feet, she made no attempt to look at Takahisa. She kept her gaze fixed downwards as though she was avoiding looking directly at a harsh reality.
“Do you understand now, Julia? No one redeems a brothel worker so easily. There’s no prince who will come to save you. You’re showing men dreams, not dreaming for yourself.”
The young master made a show of drawing Julia into his arms and speaking to her in an encouraging tone. He started to lead the two of them out of the alleyway.
“Ah...” Takahisa weakly tried to reach for Julia. Was this really okay? Could he really leave her like this? What would happen if he let Julia leave like this?
“Now, how about I comfort you in the kid’s place tonight? I’ll pay you the full large silver too, since that’s how much you’re really worth,” the young master said, disparaging Julia further to devastate her while she was down.
“Grr...!” Takahisa lost his cool and impulsively started marching forward. He shoved the young master with force and pulled Julia into his arms.
“Whoa!” The young master stumbled forward.
“T-Takahisa...?” Julia looked up at Takahisa’s face in a daze.
“Hah... Hah...” Takahisa was breathing heavily, as though he was overly excited.
“Hey, that one actually hurt a lot. No joke.”
The young master was completely enraged. He drew his dagger from the sheath at his waist and pointed it at Takahisa with a glare. This time, it was no longer an intimidation tactic—he was very much on the verge of attacking.
Takahisa faltered slightly, but that was only for a brief moment. He moved Julia behind himself to create distance between them, then prepared himself to face the young master.
“You’re an ignorant fool for visiting the red-light district unarmed and without a single guard. Did you think you’d be spared for being a noble? No one will know if you disappear here, you know?” the young master said sharply, marching straight towards Takahisa in long strides.
“Please stop. I don’t want to fight!” Takahisa glared back and tried to stop him with his words.
“You’re the one who picked the fight first!” The young master aimed a strong kick at Takahisa’s abdomen. Takahisa gasped and leaped to the side to avoid the kick, but the young master followed him.
“W-Wait! Please wait, young master!” Julia grabbed the young master’s shoulder in a panic, trying to stop him before things got worse.
“Shut up!” It was too little, too late. The young master swung his arm violently, shaking Julia off.
“Ow!” Julia fell backwards and landed on her backside. She immediately tried to get back up, but she appeared to have twisted her right wrist painfully when she fell.
“J-Julia!” Flames of rage blazed in Takahisa’s eyes. He clenched his fists and tried to surrender himself to the struggle with his emotions. However, whether it was because he wasn’t used to fighting or because of his strong aversion to violence, there was a glimpse of hesitation in him.
“Hey, what’s wrong?!”
The young master seemed to be experienced with starting fights more often than not, as he showed no reluctance to act violently towards another person. There was no hesitation in his movements as he swung his dagger, throwing out punches and kicks like he was truly familiar with fighting.
However, Takahisa had a certain advantage as well—the fact his physical body was enhanced by his Divine Arms. He darted about swiftly and frantically, avoiding all the young master’s attacks.
“Argh, this damn brat! Is dodging all you can do?!”
“Hah, hah...”
The red-light district was a world where the authority and status of a hero had no power; Takahisa was fighting for his life for the first time ever. Perhaps that was why his breath was so heavy even though his body was enhanced, and why he was gradually being pushed back into the end of the blind alley.
“Huh?!” Takahisa ran into a bump on the unlevel ground and fell backwards. His loss of balance created a large opening.
“Hah!” The young master smiled and took the chance to charge at Takahisa. He braced the dagger in his right hand dramatically.
Am I going to die?
Those were the words that flashed through Takahisa’s mind. The blood drained from his face, fear belatedly replacing his emotions.
N-No! I don’t want to!
Takahisa’s instincts stirred his body into action. In order to stop the young master’s approach, he held his hands in front of him like he was bracing a sword. At the same time, light gathered in his palms and transformed into a divine-looking sword with a reddish glow to its blade: it was Takahisa’s Divine Arms.
At that moment, there was less than two meters’ distance between him and the young master. From the young master’s point of view, the tip of a sword had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, creating a wicked and lethal trap.
“Wha?!”
The young master’s eyes widened, but it was too late for him to react. Unable to stop his body from moving forward, he impaled himself on the sword Takahisa held before him. As a result, a blunt and heavy impact shook Takahisa’s arms.
“Ah...” Takahisa recoiled in horror, letting out a cry as though he had been crushed.
“Huh?”
The young master stopped moving and looked down at his abdomen. The Divine Arms sword Takahisa clutched in both hands was mercilessly pierced through the man’s chest, exactly where his heart was.
“Gah...” Takahisa’s face twitched with fear as he reflexively backed away. Naturally, the sword in his hands went with him, sliding out of the young master’s body.
“Urgh...” He let out a pained groan.
“Ah...” Realizing he had essentially made a follow-up attack, Takahisa came to a reflexive stop instead. But blood was already traveling from the wound and down the blade, dripping onto the floor.
“A-Ah...” With the sword still in his hands, Takahisa began trembling.
“Y-You...” The young master glared harshly at Takahisa.
Julia’s legs had given out from under her in shock. She sat and stared in a daze.
Drip, drip. The sound of spilling blood didn’t stop. A red puddle accumulated at the end of the blind alley.
“Aaah...” Takahisa looked between the Divine Arms in his hands, the puddle of blood on the ground, and the young master’s chest, wracking his head for a way to undo what had just happened.
“I-It’s no good...”
Indeed—it was completely hopeless. Murder was the only thing that was absolutely out of the question, yet...
“U-Urgh...”
It was too late; the young master threw up a large amount of blood. His eyes were unable to hold their hateful gaze on Takahisa.
“Eek...!” The brief eye contact made Takahisa scream. At the same time, he pulled away from the dying man as though to flee. This time, Takahisa’s sword slipped completely free of his body.
“Ugh...” The young master fell heavily to the ground. Blood poured out of his wound, causing the puddle at Takahisa’s feet to grow.
The young master became a silent corpse. He had died so simply and abruptly, it almost seemed like a lie. The Divine Arms in Takahisa’s hands eventually disappeared.
Thus, Sendo Takahisa became a murderer.
Although he had lost all memories of Rio, Takahisa had once cursed him for murdering in the past. He had stronger feelings towards murder than the average person, yet he had killed someone.
“Ah... Aaah...”
Takahisa looked down at the young master’s unmoving corpse in terror, until—
“Takahisa!”
The one who snapped back to their senses first was Julia. She endured the pain in her sprained right hand, stood up, hurried over to Takahisa, and grabbed him by the hand.
“Eh...?” Takahisa’s face was as pale as a ghost as it distorted with fear. He could only give a half-hearted reply when Julia grabbed his hand.
“This way! Quick!” She pulled his hand and ran away from the alley. She first poked her head out of the alley and checked for any witnesses.
“Guh... Hold on a minute. I’ll be right back!”
After hesitating with a fiercely conflicted look, she hurried inside the brothel for some reason. The next moment, a strong downpour started falling.
Unable to shake off the shock of killing someone, Takahisa stood in the rain in a daze. Less than a minute later, Julia burst out of the brothel.
“Let’s go, we have to run!”
She grabbed his hand and started running down the backstreets of the red-light district like a fleeing hare.
“H-Hey Julia! Why are you in such a rush?! Where did the young master go?! H-Huh... Is that the kid from before?” The receptionist of the brothel came outside in time to witness Takahisa’s fleeing back as Julia dragged him away.
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