Chapter 299: Chapter 226

Translator: “Hakou” Editor: “Weasalopes”

Jayanne, located in a prime location in the entertainment district of the royal capital. It is one of the three most luxurious brothels in the city.

I was walking down the corridor on the second floor of the building, lending my shoulder to Light cruiser-sensei.

「Even though you don’t have to force yourself to see me off」

Enjoying the feel of her black hair against my cheek, I put my hand around her thin willow waist and whispered in her ear.

「No, that won’t do. Besides, I’m fine now. I can walk by myself」

Light cruiser-sensei replied, but her steps were sluggish. Her skin was flushed and her breath caught on my skin was hot.

「Really now?」

With a face as if not believing her, I gently pulled myself away. Light cruiser-sensei’s knees began to wobble and shake, and she almost crouched with her hands against the wall.

「See? Don’t push yourself now alright?」

I caught her just as she was about to fall and lent her my shoulder again.

Light cruiser-sensei was unable to stand up due to the earlier play.

(Her sensitivity is getting better every day)

I started 『One hundred day pilgrimage to Light cruiser-sensei』 by the beginning of this year. I’m still halfway through, but she was clearly getting weaker along the way.

Compared to the first day, it’s incredibly easy to finish. For better or worse, I guess I’ve grown accustomed to it.

I wonder what will happen at the end when I complete the 100-day pilgrimage. Even I’m worried about it.

(Though I hope she would tell me if it’s getting tough for her)

In the first round today, I ended up attacking her until she drowned. She told me later that she had already reached her limit several times midway.

If she had indicated that she was at her limit, I would have stopped immediately. However, the instructor did not do so.

(But her reactions were so cute, I just couldn’t stop myself)

The sight of an innocent woman shyly making noise with her moist eyes. It immediately made me want to go to the next round.

The result was her current 『I can’t walk by myself』 state. Even so, she insisted on going to the lobby to see me off, which was admirable.

「No way, sensei is in such a state」

「I can’t believe him, how could he go that far with her」

These words came from the women we passed by. They were walking side by side with male customers and were about to enter a private room.

Incidentally, Light cruiser-sensei is also called 『Sensei』 even by the older generation. It’s only natural, given her ability and achievements.

Jayanne seems to be thriving today too, and I’m glad that it is.

(Oh?)

From the other side of the corridor, a well proportioned, calm sideline walked up to us. She was holding hands with the middle-aged man next to her in a lover’s grip.

「Thank you for the night the other day」

The person I called out to was not the sideline girl, but the old gentleman next to her. He was the gentleman with a hairy chest I had met at the State Guest House.

「No no, likewise」

The chest-haired gentleman returned my greeting with a smile, then took a glance at the wobbly Light cruiser-sensei next to me.

He shrugged his shoulders and showed a wry smile.

「Good grief, I really am no match for you. I’m going to lose my confidence here, you know」

When I looked at him with an embarrassed smile, I saw the calm sideline staring at Light cruiser-sensei. She looked pale.

The chest-haired gentleman seems to have noticed it and bends one eyebrow. And then he held up his hands in front of me, still clasped in the lover’s grip.

「Look at her. She’s shaking」

“Just what did you do to scare her like that”, he said jokingly, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to say something back, Light cruiser-sensei next to me jolted.

「Ah」

That was my voice. Light cruiser-sensei suddenly clinging onto me while letting out breath from her distorted mouth with her body trembling silently. It seems that it was a bad idea to lend her a shoulder while touching her waist and chest a little bit.

(Uhhmm)

When I looked at the sideline girl, she was hiding behind the gentleman with hairy chest.

When our eyes met, she let out a small shrill and turned her face down.

「How fearsome」

With a troubled expression, the gentleman with hairy chest shook his head. Without saying a word, I headed for the lobby with Light cruiser-sensei in my arms.

「Tauro-sama, you’ve been summoned by the merchant guild」

Right after I went down to the lobby and was seen off by the wobbly Light cruiser-sensei. The concierge approached me to give me a message.

(A summon? Don’t tell me, is it about the State Guest House again?)

Last time, I was summoned to an emergency meeting and participated in Bureikou. I mean, that was interesting, but it isn’t something I want to do continuously.

「I understand, thank you very much」

I thanked him for the time being, left the store and started walking east along the main street.

***

I crossed the central square and arrived at the merchant guild.

Then I went straight to the guild master’s office on the third floor and knocked on the door.

「I was told you want to see me?」

I was used to it by now, and I don’t even need a staff to guide me. It’s like an VIP pass.

「Oh, just in time. Now everyone’s here」

Goblin Jii-chan, the guild master beckoned to me, and I did as he said and sat down on the sofa.

I look around and notice an unfamiliar middle-aged woman.

(This auntie, I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before)

Sitting at the reception desk were the guild master and vice guild master, as well as me. In addition, there was the tough-looking old man who was the chief of the guild, and a mysterious woman.

(Ah right, if I’m not wrong, she was the person in charge of real estate)

I remembered after seeing a big thick book on her lap.

She was the person who helped me find a place to live when I rented my current house. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her.

I bowed my head lightly at her, and she bowed back.

「Now, Chief. Will you tell everyone what the Bishop from eastern country consulted you about?」

The vice guild master, who looked like Santa Claus, said in a low, rich voice as usual. The tough-looking old man replied and began to speak.

「She wants the Saintess to have her first experience in a brothel for women in the royal capital. So she would like to ask the merchant guild to introduce them to a brothel for that purpose. That was all」

Then it’s no wonder that they consulted the merchant guild since it’s about brothel. This is because prostitution business for both men and women is under the jurisdiction of the merchant guild.

Both the guild master and the vice guild master just crossed their arms while stroking their beards and didn’t say anything.

So I said what’s been on my mind.

「Is it okay for such an important event to be done in foreign country?」

A brothel is a social gathering place for ladies and gentlemen. For someone’s first experience, or could be said to be their debut in the social world, doing it in a brothel would not be a bad idea.

However, the fact that it would be with a foreigner in another country didn’t make sense to me.

(Wait, don’t tell me…)

There, a thought occurred to me.

「Could it be that there’s no brothel in the eastern country?」

Thinking back about it, I’ve never heard about it. Even in the preliminaries, the women were nuns and the men were monks.

In response to my question, the guild master shook his head from side to side.

「In that country, monasteries play the same role as brothels. Because of their religious affiliation, their social status is even higher than that of the kingdom」

I nodded my head at the new-found knowledge, but the question remained unanswered. Why a foreign country and not their own?

The answer was given by the vice guild master.

「Perhaps there is a difficult situation because of her position as a Saintess. Because there is no one in their country who doesn’t know about her」

I see, I thought for a moment and understood.

In my previous life, I have heard of celebrities getting a driver’s license overseas. I guess being too well known can cause a lot of inconveniences.

「Can’t we just randomly choose one from the high-class brothels?」

The tough-looking old man made a bitter expression at the guild master’s question.

「About that, sir, it seems they need to have certain characteristics」

「Characteristic?」

I couldn’t help but ask back at the unfamiliar words. However, it seems I’m the only one who does not understand.

Without answering my question, the tough-looking old man continued his explanation.

「It seems that the saint has a crush on someone. However, according to the bishop, he is not a very favorable person」

“So…”, he took a breath and continued.

「Have her experience men who share the same characteristics as that unfavorable person, but are much higher in rank. This would broaden the Saintess’ horizons and refine her eye for men. That’s what the bishop was thinking」

“I see”, the guild master said while stroking his chin. The vice guild master who looked like santa claus nodded and reached for his teacup.

Auntie, on the other hand, closes her eyes and thinks about something.

(So falling in love with someone is no longer her decision alone, huh. Having a high status sure can be tough)

As I was having such thoughts, the guild master asked the tough-looking old man.

「So, what are the characteristics of the person she falls in love with?」

The tough-looking old man picks up a small stringed instrument from under his feet. He holds it out in front of his chest so everyone can see it.

「It seems he likes to play his lute while saying a lot of deep meaningful words」

The place was dominated by silence. In the midst of this, the auntie opened one eye and it shone brightly.

A moment after, it was the vice guild master who spoke up with a cough.

「Well, I remembered doing this when I was younger」

The vice guild master reaches out and takes the string instrument from the tough-looking old man. He holds it in front of his ample belly and plays a single note.

「A four-stringed lute, I see. It’s easy to use, this one」

And he played it skilfully. I don’t know what a lute is, but to me it looks like Santa Claus with an ukulele.

Without losing his serious expression, the tough-looking old man tells the vice guild master.

「She said he was a boy from the same monastery as the Saintess, but he had only recently picked up a lute, and he only knew how to play three chords」

Hearing that explanation, something might have come to his mind. Santa Claus stopped his hand and nodded deeply.

And then he spoke in a sincere tone.

「The four-stringed lute has a narrow range and a small sound. That’s why it’s not suitable for professional performance」

I stayed silent at the sudden change of topic. The guild master listens attentively with an expression of interest.

「In exchange, it has its own advantages. It’s easy to handle, easy to learn, and it’s quick to form a music」

Then he played a cheerful phrase.

「The chords are easy to press, and besides, there are only a few that can be played in the first place」

Next came a phrase that sounded a little sad, and finally a tune that gave the impression of insecurity.

「A chord of happiness, a chord of sorrow, and a chord of anger. The chords that boy learned were probably these three. These are the basics」

Then he starts playing again, and this time it sounds like an actual song.

「See? When combined, it sounds like a proper song, doesn’t it? It’s perfect for an improvised musical performance in a bar」

He happily plucked the strings with his fingers. I know nothing about lutes, but I think he’s pretty good.

The guild master claps his hands in delight.

「Haha, sorry about that, I guess I felt a little bit nostalgic. I’m surprised I haven’t forgotten about it」

Santa Claus smiles shyly as he returns the ukulele-like lute to the tough-looking old man. After receiving the lute, the tough-looking old man opened his mouth.

「The bishop is looking for a slender, gentleman who can play a string instrument well. No need to follow up on the flirtatious line. He just needs to come up with something on the spot」

In front of me, Santa Claus is pressing his hand on his heart. He probably remembered his former appearance in the past.

The guild master glanced over, and then looked at the auntie.

「And that’s where she comes in, huh」

The tough-looking chief nodded firmly.

「Yes, there is no one in our guild who can match her when it comes to brothels for women」

Without a hint of modesty, the auntie silently placed the book on the table.

The book had a large index on it, reminding me of a building code book.

She flipped through the book and stopped at a certain page. When she lift her face from the book, she said in a confident tone.

「The number three in this store, 『Phantom and Shadow Traveler, Kaze』. I think he is the most suitable」

The illustration shows a man with long straight silver hair and feminine beauty. He looks older than a young boy, yet still too young to be called a man.

(Just how can she choose the most suitable person from such limited information? I should say as expected of the person recommended by the tough-looking old man)

Even I think that if it’s this boy, then he might do the job. However, the fearsome ability of the auntie started from here.

「He specializes in sorrowful songs using a six-string lute. Please look at this picture」

The auntie pointed at a picture of Number Three sitting at a window on one knee at night, playing a lute with the moon as the background.

「He questions himself about love, mixed with philosophy while plucking his lute with his fingernail. It would be perfect for a teenage girl」

The auntie smiled, and continued.

「If it’s not necessary to follow up on the lines, he can just make up suitable lines about birth or upbringing」

The image projected in my mind was that of a girl letting out a fangirling shriek while squirming around as the prince of a ruined country told her his story.

Someone like a classmate from the monastery would instantly evaporate from her mind and not even a trace of his image would remain.

(This auntie is terrifying)

What I felt from her was the same atmosphere as Jayanne’s master concierge. She is definitely first-rate.

With a confident look on her face, she gazed at the guild master while sticking out her chest.

「I have no objection to that」

「Me too」

The guild master and the vice guild master answered in succession. Of course, I also have no objection.

「Then, I will immediately make the arrangements」

After he finished speaking, the tough-looking old man glanced at the auntie next to him. She nodded her head and left the room.

She then bowed deeply from the front of the door and left with a large book under her arm.

「Good grief, it seems it’s going to work well somehow」

The guild master stood up while stretching. “I suppose so”, the vice guild master replied. Apparently, this was the end of the conversation.

I had been wondering about something, so I asked the guild master about it while scratching my cheeks.

「So, in the end, what did you call me here for?」

The matter just now was about introducing a brothel for the Saintess. There was nothing I could do to help, and I had nothing to do with it.

The guild master looked at me in exasperation.

「What are you talking about? Tauro-kun, you’re the head of the military division of the merchant guild Knight. It’s only natural for you to attend the executive meetings」

I feel like that makes sense, and not at the same time. I was still not convinced, and made a crease between my eyebrows.

(Even though he called me a Knight Commander, I was just doing what the herbivore mechanic tells me to do)

If you ask me which one of us is the superior, I would say it’s practically the herbivore mechanic.

The guild master then pats me on the shoulder.

「I always say that everything is an experience, don’t I? Even if it doesn’t seem relevant, it’s good to listen to it to broaden your horizons」

I looked over at Santa Claus and he nodded his head in agreement as well.

「I wonder if that’s really the case」

I replied for the time being, and left my seat too.