by Fujino Omori
I can’t exactly tell every detail of what happened in the Pleasure Quarter. Same thing goes for the fact that I got lost on Daedalus Street on the way home after Haruhime led me out of the red-light district.
The only option left is to earnestly deny everything at once.
“Wh-what I’m trying to say is, I didn’t do anything like that with anyone!”
“Is that sooo?”
The goddess narrows her eyes at me. Lilly must be on the same mental wavelength because she chooses that moment to hold up a small bottle.
“Then you mind explaining this?”
The goddess takes the bottle from Lilly and thrusts it in front of my face. It’s a clear glass bottle about the size of a chess piece, filled with red liquid—an aphrodisiac.
Lord Hermesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!
My soul screams in anguish.
That damn bottle has gotten me into so much trouble since last night. I can still see that dandy smile of his in the back of my mind. But now it feels more like a plague than anything else.
I want to tell Lady Hestia everything about how that bottle came into my possession.
However, “I’d like you to keep the fact I was here a secret between us. Agreed?” I can still hear his voice in my head.
I don’t have the courage to break a direct promise with a god.
No matter what anyone says, the gods need to be respected and their orders obeyed.
I’m trapped between the promise and Lady Hestia’s icy death stare. CRICK! My head slumps like a puppet whose strings have just been cut.
“…How should we proceed, Lady Hestia?”
Lilly looks away from the pitiful pile of human flesh I’ve become and turns to face the goddess.
“…No one can lie to a god. Bell is telling the truth.”
Lady Hestia pauses for a few excruciatingly long moments before saying that and letting out a long, deep sigh.
Relief rushes through me. I look up at her, my face filled with joy for the fact that my pleas had reached her. However, those angry eyes reappear almost immediately.
“However, I cannot forgive you for spending the night in the Pleasure Quarter! I can’t forgive the fact you’ve even shown interest in that wretched place!”
Fixing my posture, I want nothing more than to quell the anger pouring out of her, convince her it’s all a big mistake.
But those icy, sharp eyes won’t let me speak. The words evaporate from my mind as I hunch back toward the floor.
“You will spend the day serving a punishment as I see fit. That will give you enough time to think about what you’ve done. Well?”
“Yes…”
That’s the only word that can slip through my dry throat.
I caused a major incident in the Pleasure Quarter, the territory of another familia. I made us look bad. I’m the leader; this familia’s reputation is based on my actions. The goddess’s hands are tied—it would look bad in front of the other members if she didn’t punish me.
Her role as head of the familia complete, she turns and exits the living room, leaving behind the pulsing aura of anger in her wake. Lilly follows suit.
“My most sincere apologies, Sir Bell…”
It’s finally over. I’ve been sitting in this position so long that my legs are completely numb. I try to move, but the pins and needles force me back to the floor. More blood fills my legs as Mikoto walks over to me.
I tell her not to worry, that it was all my fault because I was the one who followed her. “You don’t have to apologize,” I say, forcing a smile.
“You really okay? You had us worried.”
Welf walks over to me with a grimace on his face.
After we were separated last night, they apparently heard that a group of Lady Ishtar’s Amazons was chasing a rabbit. In fact, they almost got caught up in it after my pursuers lost sight of me at one point. They had no way of knowing and retreated before the Amazons saw them.
I made everyone worry…I can’t express how sorry I am about that.
“Don’t think I have to tell you, but listen to Lady Hestia. Don’t go back.”
“…”
“You saw something you wish you hadn’t, right?”
I break eye contact with Welf and look at the floor.
That’s right—Haruhime……
“…Oh yeah, Mikoto, why did you and Chigusa go to the Pleasure Quarter in the first place?”
Desperate to change the subject, I turn to face Mikoto and ask her.
She explains everything to me.
“We heard there was a prostitute residing in the Pleasure Quarter who resembled someone from my homeland…We went there to look for her.”
The moment she says this person had been missing for years, my eyes shoot open.
No way…The dots start connecting in my head.
Both Haruhime and Mikoto are from the Far East.
“Hey, Be-ell!! I haven’t got all day!”
My train of thought is derailed by the goddess’s angry voice calling me from outside the living room.
I force myself up toward her voice. This must be how little kids feel when parents pull them away from something interesting.
My punishment turned out to be community service.
Basically, I go around the area, greeting everyone I meet and helping anyone who needs it.
I say my name and familia, then assist with any odd jobs waiting to be done or try to solve their problems.
“Sorry for the trouble, Little Rookie! Couldn’t have done it without you!”
“My pleasure!”
Sweeping the backstreets, replacing magic stones in the lamps, carrying boxes…A friendly middle-age man thanked me for everything as I set off to find more people.
It’s important for familias—which are composed of people from different countries and cities—to present a friendly image to our neighbors. And at the very least, they get to know our faces and think of our goddess in a good light. Being accepted into the community is the first step to adjusting to our new home.
We’ve had our hands full just living our lives until recently…But Hestia’s own words, “Love thy Gekai neighbor,” describe her extremely well.
This punishment is probably her way of getting all that off to a good start.
“It’s the Li’l Looky!”
“Oh wow, he is!”
I make my way down a street with my arms full of plywood when a little boy and a little girl point at me.
Who would have thought the War Game would have this much impact? Two kids remembered my title! Their eyes are sparkling with wonder and admiration.
This is awesome…! How should I respond, though?
I’ve been working really hard all morning. My limbs are tired and covered in sweat, but I do my best to wave back at them.
“He’s all shaky.”
“So weak!”
I never knew innocent words could be so merciless. The smile dissolves from my lips.
I’m not out fulfilling a quest right now. My Level 3 Strength is being used on errands and repair jobs for free. Those kids may be right…
I greet person after person, do job after job, and wind up on West Main Street before I know it.
“Whitey, do your best for us, meow!”
“Sorry about this, Mr. Adventurer!”
The cat person Ahnya grabs my attention as I pass in front of The Benevolent Mistress. She asks for my help to repair the leaky roof of a nearby building.
Ahnya and one of her human coworkers, Runoa, call out to me as I ascend a ladder to the problem area.
At this rate, should I just start my own business…?
“This is saving us a whole lot of time, Mr. Adventurer!”
“Once you’re done with that, meow, I’ll give you my panties as a thank-you, meow!”
“Keep them!”
Another cat person, Chloe, appears next to Runoa. My face turns beet red as I yell back to her.
T
he three of them look up at me from the street level. A fourth person, the elf Lyu, walks up behind them and slaps them all across the backs of the heads with one swift motion. “““UGGHA!””” All of them wince in unison.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, I set to work. The first thing I have to do is pry up the rotting wood with the back of a hammer and then slide in fresh plywood before nailing it all into place.
Haven’t done anything like this since I lived with Gramps! These skills are finally coming in handy. I admire my work for a moment before descending the ladder. Lyu and Syr, another waitress at The Benevolent Mistress, are there waiting for me.
“Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Cranell. I apologize on behalf of my colleagues.”
“Taking time away from your busy schedule to fix our roof…Sorry, Bell.”
“Ah, it was nothing.”
I give a light bow. They’ve helped me out so much in the past, I really can’t complain.
Lyu’s sky-blue eyes slowly blink as she returns the gesture. Syr’s blue-gray hair swishes when she smiles back at me.
“You’ve become quite the household name, Bell.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes. Adventurers, regular customers—everyone’s talking about you.”
Syr tells me that I’m becoming very popular.
In fact, there hasn’t been a day since the War Game that my name hasn’t come up at some point at their bar.
A few people recognized me after I ranked up to Level 2, but nothing like this…Those kids from before…now I find out people are talking about me over beers? It almost doesn’t feel real.
I scratch my chin and look away from her. She’s giggling at me, too.
“Mr. Cranell, please have lunch at our café.”
“Are…are you sure?”
Lyu waited for a break in our conversation to invite me to The Benevolent Mistress. This is too good to be true.
“Yes. You repaired our roof, so I’m sure that Mama Mia will allow—”
Lyu suddenly stops speaking.
She’s standing about an arm’s length away from me, but she takes a step back and tilts her head to the side.
“I know this, but where…?” Her eyes narrow as those words quietly roll off her tongue. Syr must’ve noticed something was strange, too, and takes another step closer.
She leans in real close. I can feel my cheeks burning again. Her nose flares open as she takes a big whiff of my shirt.
“This smell…”
With those words, my face instantly goes from burning hot to ice-cold.
A smell on my body—a shower, fresh clothes, and a morning of hard work didn’t get rid of the musk from last night?!
“S-sorry, forget about lunch! We—we have something else to attend to!”
Their backs were already turned before they started speaking. The two girls make leaping steps past the other waitresses.
I turn to leave, but I can feel Chloe’s sad eyes boring into me. It’s time for a quick exit.
“…Haaa~.”
I could’ve had a nice lunch, but instead I run away rather than try to clear my name. Pitiful, absolutely pitiful.
I join the flow of demi-humans traveling down West Main Street underneath the clear blue sky.
I didn’t think I’d have to skip lunch as part of my punishment…but I’d forgotten all about the Pleasure Quarter while doing my volunteer work. Haruhime was finally out of my head, but everything came flooding back when the girls noticed that smell. Now I’m just depressed.
There hasn’t been a chance to get any of this off my chest, and now the weight is back. If only I had someone to talk to.
I keep putting one foot in front of the other, afraid that I’ll drown in this whirlpool of dark emotion if I stop moving.
Absentmindedly drifting down West Main—Adventurers Way—my ears only vaguely notice the noon bells in the distance. The flow of traffic guides me into Guild Headquarters.
“Oh, Bell.”
Eina sees me from her spot behind the reception counter the moment I walk to the main doors of the mostly empty Pantheon.
She’ll listen to me. She’s always had advice for me and never let me down. I’ve gotten this far because of her.
But what can she do? I ask myself as I drift forward. The Guild knows what’s going on in that district…It’d probably just cause more problems when all is said and done.
Is this really a good idea? My feet come to a stop in the middle of the lobby. Eina’s still looking at me from behind the counter.
She stands up, says a few words to some coworkers, and walks out to greet me.
Coming right up to me, she doesn’t wait for any “hellos” and says:
“Shall we go to a consultation box?”
Right away.
“Ummm…”
I stutter, but she just smiles back at me.
“You’ve got something on your mind, something important? I can tell.”
She says it’s written all over my face.
Her soft emerald-green gaze meets mine through her glasses.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Come to me for advice on anything. I’m your adviser, it’s my job.”
A sudden candlelight flickers within me.
That’s when I know I should talk with her. Eina has always been kind; she’ll guide me through this.
She’s offering me help before I’ve even explained what’s going on. I’d have to be an idiot to refuse.
There she is, smiling and waiting patiently for my response. I give her a big nod.
I’ll trust her!
“A brothellll?”
The smile from a moment ago has disappeared, replaced by a stare of contempt.
I knew it…I admit to myself, crying on the inside.
We’re inside the consultation box. This place is soundproof so that adventurers and their advisers can discuss matters without worrying about being overheard. So with that in mind, I started talking about what happened in the Pleasure Quarter…The moment the word brothel came up, Eina’s demeanor went cold real quick.
Her perfectly trimmed, thin eyebrows stand on end as anger blasts from her eyes.
The lenses of her glasses flare from the other side of the desk between us before she stands up. SLIDE. Her chair slips backward across the marble floor.
“So you’re saying that you spent the night with one of those women?!”
“N-n-n-n-n-n-no! Not at all!”
She accuses me with veins pulsing in her red face.
I don’t know if it’s because she’s a half-elf, but she’s looking at me like I’m some pile of garbage. A particularly revolting pile of garbage she’s angry with for some reason.
Coming back to herself, Eina shakes her head back and forth and looks off to the side.
“W-well, you are an adventurer and a man, after all…It’s only natural that you’d be curious about that kind of thing at your age…But…but, to actually…”
The tips of her short elfish ears turn bright pink. Struggling to find the right words, she practically spits them out.
“But to actually go~~?!”
She yells at me with both her eyes clenched shut.
“I forbid you to go to another brothel, ever! Understood?!”
“Eh, ah, but—”
“EV-ER!!”
“Y-YES, MISS EINA!”
She threateningly leans over the table. With nowhere to run, I desperately nod my head up and down, completely overwhelmed.
Backing off, Eina sits back down in her chair. She’s always felt like an older sister to me, mature and knowledgeable. But right now she’s pouting like a little girl.
Great, now someone else is mad at me. She still won’t look at me, arms crossed and ears beet red.
I really shouldn’t be asking women for advice on this sort of thing. Too late now, though.
An awkward silence continues for far too long…I feel so tiny in this chair. At long last,
I work up the courage to ask her a question.
“Um, is there anything you can tell me about Ishtar Familia…?”
She thinks that my head’s full of visions of fun nights with prostitutes. But at long last, she looks at me from behind the side of her glasses. The anger’s still there.
Members of that familia spent most of last night chasing me through town. Whether I like it or not, I have a history with them now and they might try to find me again. I should learn as much about them as I can. I try my best to convey what happened last night to Eina, and that I wasn’t trying to scout for my next “adventure.”
She watches me in silence for a few moments before letting out a light sigh.
“I’ll be back in a moment.”
She finally decides to believe me, and leaves to go get a file from her desk.
“Ishtar Familia…As you know, they’re a highly influential Dungeon-prowling familia whose territory encompasses all of the Pleasure Quarter.”
Eina brought back a small pile of folders and thumbs through them as she speaks.
I hang on to every word she says. There’s no telling when I might need this information.
Most members of the familia are Amazons, and 90 percent of all members are female. Although they earn a great deal of money working in the Dungeon by day, 40 percent of their income is generated from the Pleasure Quarter in the third district of Orario.
“A group of Amazons within their ranks have become known as the Berbera. Most of them are at Level Three, the exception being their leader, ‘Androctonus, the Man Slayer.’…Phryne Jamil is a top-class adventurer at Level Five.”
Level 5—a cold chill runs down my spine. Memories of what I saw last night are going to give me nightmares.
Just as I thought, Phryne is one of the elites. With that much strength and speed, how could she not be?
And her given title, Androctonus……It’s scary how much that makes sense.
“Uh…Is there any information on an Amazon named Aisha and a renart called Haruhime?”
“Actually, Aisha Belka is rather well known. While she is listed as Level Three, there are rumors that she’s right on the cusp of Level Four. As far as Level Three is concerned, she’s the cream of the crop.”
Eina also tells me that Aisha’s title is “Antianeira.”