“You know my name?!”

I instantly went on guard. I took a small step back and rested my hand on my sword hilt.

“This is a place for pleasure, so I hope you won’t resort to violence, Mr. Ojer.” He smiled at me, not the least bit afraid despite his plump face.

“……”

A place for pleasure, huh.

I glanced around, lowered my hand, and spoke in a cool voice.

“Sorry for barging in, but why do you know who I am? I don’t think we’ve met before.”

I looked him over again. His short, stout frame was squeezed into a tailcoat that clashed completely with the medieval style, and he wore a tall hat of some strange design. A sleazy grin that made you want to punch him was plastered across his face at all times.

He looked like a perverted gentleman through and through. If I ran into someone like him on the street, I’d definitely walk around him.

“Well, you certainly haven’t met me, but I’ve heard of you.”

He paused, took off the ridiculous hat on his head, and bowed deeply to me.

“Nightingale sends its regards, Mr. Ojer.”

“!!”

Nightingale?!

Was this one of their establishments?

“You… You run a place like this?” I softened my tone. The occasional coquettish sounds drifting from nearby rooms made me feel a little awkward.

“Of course. We got our start in less-than-savory business. When the kingdom brought us under its wing, it turned a blind eye in return.”

Brought them under its wing? Got their start?

“Wait, aren’t you an intelligence agency established by the kingdom?”

“...It seems that girl Night Twelve didn’t explain things clearly to you.”

He stroked his beard, wearing a thoughtful smile, and led me toward the end of the corridor.

“Let’s sit down and talk, Mr. Ojer. It seems you don’t know much about us.”

“……”

The look in his eyes as he said it was as if he’d spotted a particularly choice cut of meat. That uniquely merchant-like expression made me feel a little sick.

I’m not used to dealing with merchants…

“All right, let’s go. Maybe we can become friends.”

Still, broadening my sources of information and making a friend couldn’t hurt.

Especially since his establishment dealt in this sort of thing.

Brothels, pleasure houses, bars, the Red Court—and, to put it bluntly, whorehouses. These places had always been hubs of information, and the bigger the establishment, the stronger the backing behind it was likely to be.

The last kind in particular was a great place to gather information. There were plenty of customers, and the more upscale the establishment, the higher their station: businesspeople, politicians, all sorts of high society types. It was easy for them to let slip information, even trade secrets, to the seemingly delicate women whose bodies they used.

People have a desire to conquer. Satisfying a woman’s needs can be one way to satisfy that desire in yourself.

And anyone who could open a business in an underground district like this and claim a share of its enormous profits was no ordinary person.

Either he was powerful enough to stand against everyone who wanted to swallow him up,

or he had powerful backing, strong enough to keep the area safe.

Well, that was all beside the point for now. The place was fairly large and nicely decorated, but it was still a long way from an upscale hotel.

I wondered how much help he could actually offer me.

I felt the two ancient gold coins left in my pocket. Beneath my visor, my jaw formed a frightening smile.

We passed a string of rooms filled with gasps and moans. At the end of the corridor stood a wooden door carved with delicate reliefs. After exchanging a few polite gestures, I pushed it open and went inside.

It was a parlor, with soft sofas and bright lighting. The light fragrance in the air made it easy to relax without even realizing it.

“Please, have a seat.”

I nodded slightly and squeezed onto the sofa in my armor. The fat merchant sat opposite me, still wearing that strange smile.

“So…” He got straight to the point.

“Did you happen to wander into our establishment, Mr. Ojer? Looking to have a little fun? Or is there something you’d like to ask about?”

He gave me a sinister grin as he said it, then offered me a glass of wine.

I raised a hand to decline the drink, which was no use to me, and took an ornately engraved gold coin from my pocket.

“I want to know about ancient gold coins.”

“Oh my, so you really are from abroad.”

He glanced at the coin and stroked his beard.

“As for their value, the going black-market rate is sixty gold coins each. Of course, some collectors are willing to pay well over a hundred. But in terms of the material itself, the coins aren’t worth all that much.”

He raised one finger and explained in an eerie tone,

“What we want is gold that has perfectly absorbed natural energy and settled for a hundred years.”

“In other words, red gold!”

“Red gold?”

I repeated the words, running my fingers over the coin in my hand. A ring of brilliant golden light covered it.

“That’s right. Red gold. You see, gold is known as ‘the iron blessed by the gods.’ Legend has it that the Divine Realm of the goddess who now governs trade and wealth—the Coin Maiden—is a ‘Golden City’ built from countless pieces of red gold.”

“Ordinary gold already has excellent magical conductivity. It’s just about the best material for channeling magic, but that’s as far as it goes.”

“Gold has its limits, so people thought of saturating it with natural energy to make it ‘super-conductive.’ Coins made from this kind of gold are what we call ancient gold coins.”

“Ancient gold coins are beloved by collectors and those mages from Babel Tower. They take at least a hundred years to cultivate, so production has always been pitifully low. Prices have been trending upward over the past decade or so.”

“Does that answer your questions?”

He gave me a greedy smile, waiting for my response.

I nodded and gave it a little thought.

What was Babel Tower, that organization he’d just mentioned?

I’d use it as leverage—and as the first deal between us.

“Heh.”

I chuckled and tapped the ancient gold coin against the porcelain tea table. Its clear chime was like a feather brushing at the heart. Then I slowly pushed the coin toward him, drew my hand back, and crossed my legs.

His grin grew even more sinister. I could tell he wanted to keep the coin for himself.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m satisfied with what you’ve told me. And this is what you want, isn’t it?”

I added,

“I exchanged an ancient gold coin like this at White Night Bank for sixty gold coins. How much are you willing to offer me?”

“Heh~~”

He whistled, then threw his head back and laughed.

“Hahahahaha! You’re a remarkably straightforward man, sir! I like doing business with people who get right to the point!”

I spread my hands and spoke casually.

“I’m neither a merchant nor a thief. I don’t like wasting time on pointless talk. It’s all empty words, you understand? I like people who get straight to the point and get things done.”

“And I think what you said was clear and simple, and suited my needs. We can become good friends, can’t we?”

“Good! Well said! Then I’ll do you a favor, too! I can buy this ancient gold coin for seventy-three gold coins. How does that sound?”

Do me a favor?

But seventy-three gold coins was a full thirteen more than Nightingale’s so-called “black-market rate”…

So the coin was probably worth over a hundred gold coins in reality…

Nightingale sure knew how to squeeze people.

I waved away the offer to show I was turning it down.

“Think of this ancient gold coin as a gift. I’m not here to sell it. Just take it.”

The smile vanished from the fat merchant’s face, replaced by a complicated expression.

Heh. That was exactly the look I wanted, and it put me in a good mood.

The information he’d given me about ancient gold coins proved he wasn’t bluffing. And his offer hadn’t been low, either. It was a perfectly fair deal.

But now that I was offering it to him for free, he hadn’t just failed to get what he wanted—he’d ended up owing me a favor.

And a favor couldn’t be measured in money. I figured I could get plenty of information out of him for free now.

He was probably weighing up whether he’d come out ahead or lost out.

I watched him closely, then dealt a heavy blow, tipping the balance of victory in my favor.

“I have a few more ancient gold coins on hand, and I haven’t been able to find a good way to sell them. If you satisfy me, I might come to you to sell them from now on.”

At that, he grinned broadly, excitement written all over his face.

“Excellent! Here’s to a successful partnership!”

The fat merchant agreed without hesitation, stood up, and shook my hand.

“Here’s to a successful partnership. By the way, what should I call you?”

“Just call me Jack.”

“That’s an alias, anyway, right?” I shot back.

“Hahahaha! I like you more and more, sir! If you need anything, come find me! I’m always here!”

“All right. First, I need you to put together some information on Babel Tower, this country’s political system, and a map of the world. I’ll come pick it up in a few days.” I didn’t hold back; I went straight to my request.

“No problem! It’ll be my pleasure!”

“All right, then. I’ll be off.”

I turned to leave, but he called after me.

“Wait a moment, sir.”

“Hmm? Is there something else?”

He gave a couple of sly chuckles and snapped his fingers. The doors on either side swung open.

Twenty beautiful women of every sort emerged from hidden doors and lined up, bowing slightly to me.

I stared in shock.

There was someone for every taste, from a half-elf with pointed ears to delicate young women and even voluptuous older women with perfectly proportioned figures. They were all dressed in outfits designed to stir a man’s instincts, and each wore a thick iron collar around her neck.

Slave collars. I’d heard about them at the guild.

“Since you’ve come all this way to my little establishment, why not have some fun before you leave? These are the finest women we have. You can do whatever you like with them.”

The fat merchant chuckled and casually groped the rounded bottom of the woman beside him.

“It’s on me. Why not relax a little?”

As he spoke, a black-haired beauty behind him winked at me and lifted her ample breasts, clearly trying to tease me. The other women struck all kinds of arousing poses. Paper-chan was practically leaking infinite plasma.

That’s right—Paper-chan was the one watching for me.

After all, I was back to being completely blind.

[Goddammit, Paper-chan! Just turn my vision on! Can’t you let me feast my eyes for once?]

【No. Lewd images are an original sin. Let this system bear that sin for you!】

[You’ve gotta be kidding me…]

Never mind. Out of sight, out of mind. The women’s fragrance and the faint, breathy moans in my ears were already making it hard to control myself.

“No thanks. I still need to go back and get some sleep.”

Even so, I replied in a completely emotionless voice.

“Huh…?”

One of the women let out a disbelieving sound. Maybe it was the first time a man had ever turned them down with such beauty right in front of him.

The fat merchant seemed a little surprised, too, and asked again.

“Are you sure you don’t want to have a little fun, sir? It’s on me—a token of our friendship. Ordinary people don’t get to touch the finest women in our establishment.”

He was so annoying…

That was what I thought to myself.

“No. I have a younger sister.” I turned him down again.

The fat merchant: “……”

The women: “……”

Paper-chan: 【……】

Every sound vanished in an instant. The whole room fell into an icy silence.

Me: “???”

Did I say something weird? Eileen really is cute—cuter than any girl here. I can just go back and pinch her little cheeks.

After a while, the girls began whispering among themselves. Even though everything before me was pitch-black, I could still feel their sharp, scumbag-looking-at-you glares.

What’s with them…?

“Ahaha, well…”

The fat merchant cleared his throat, as if he’d overheard something he shouldn’t have, and hurriedly put on an apologetic smile.

“You really are… Well, I’m not sure what to say. If you’re ever in need, you can come by anytime. I guarantee the girls here will give you the ultimate pleasure.”

“Mm. Maybe some other time.”

I nodded and got up to leave the room. The fat merchant quickly ushered the girls back, then trotted after me and saw me to the entrance.

The night was deep, the moonlight quiet and clear.

Beneath the dim rune-lamp, the fat merchant and I shook hands again, sealing the deal.

“If there’s anything you want, I’ll do my best to get it for you. Or, if you have that kind of need, you can come by anytime. You can take your pick of the best girls in the shop.”

“Mm, I appreciate it. Maybe before long I’ll need some ingredients that aren’t available on the market. I’ll be counting on you then.”

“Hehehehe. Leave it to me.”

He tipped his top hat, and I nodded back before leaving the shop.

But I didn’t see what was happening at the street corner, dozens of meters away.

By a window on the second floor of Fei'er Inn,

a pair of scarlet eyes and a head of silvery-white hair vanished in an instant.

【This system thinks it might be necessary to book you a bed in the orthopedics ward.】

I pushed open the inn’s front door, but Paper-chan’s words nearly made me stumble.

[What the hell do you mean, an orthopedics ward?! Eileen really is cute! She really is!]

【Hiss— (leans back tactically)】

[….What’s that supposed to mean? And you took, what, a hundred photos? Toss me a few later.]

【All right. But you can’t do anything, okay?】

[I know! I just want to look, okay? No matter what, I’m still a man. Even turning into a skeleton hasn’t blocked those kinds of thoughts. Keep holding them in forever and I’ll go crazy.]

【Fine.】

After that, I stopped outside a room on the second floor, straightened my armor, gently pushed the door open, and went inside.

Eileen was still asleep in the inner room. She looked fast asleep.

“Mmm…”

What should I do tomorrow…?

As I wondered, I prepared to head back to the hall and keep reading.

First, I’d turn in the quest. Then I could rank up to Black Iron. After that, I’d stop taking exploration quests from the guild, use the money to get Eileen an identity document too, and explore the third underground level on my own.

I’d heard there was a place like a dungeon nearby, too. Only Black Iron-ranked adventurers could explore it. I wonder…

Just as I was thinking about what to do the next day, I heard a soft rustling behind me.

I turned around and met a pair of bright scarlet eyes in the darkness.

Like a blood-red moon hanging in a starless night sky.

“Eileen…?”

“Master.”

She lay on the bed, hugging her teddy bear and staring straight at me. Her eyes looked a little misty.

For a moment, I didn’t know how to react.

The girl parted her lips, and her soft, sweet voice made my heart tremble. An inexplicable sense of guilt rose within me.

It felt like getting caught after doing something bad.

“Where were you tonight…?”

“What were you doing?”