Chapter 4: The Perverted Dragon Girl Reina and the Kind Black Witch

Orbie’s new residence was a house suitable for two or three people. It wasn’t a grand mansion fit for a noble, but rather a home for a well-to-do, upper-class citizen, complete with a tidy wall and barred windows for minimal security. Its location was far from the guild and close to the brothels, so opening a window at night would invariably let in the scent of women—but for Reina, this was just perfect. Even though the city itself was old, people constantly came and went. The thriving brothels meant money was circulating, so the streets were kept rather clean. The brothel district, in particular, was lavishly decorated, which suited her red hair perfectly.

‘Cleanliness, huh.’

Reina recalled yesterday’s advice. Not wanting to get sick and finding visits to the church a hassle, she started her morning in high spirits by soaking in a warm, wooden bathtub as soon as she woke up, all while reliving the humiliation she’d endured the day before.

A potion to cleanse the body, fragrant herbs to maximize her allure, magic powder to help ward off illness, and a single, favorite drop of an arousal potion were all mixed into the bath, making her feel as if she were in heaven.

‘Ahhh-♡’

The pleasant fragrance wafted to her nose, stirring her simmering lust. Just a single drop of the arousal potion was enough to tickle her inverted nipples from within and make her hooded clitoris stand erect, stimulated by the gentle currents in the water. Gripping the edges of the tub, Reina let out pleased breaths. She desperately wanted to touch herself, but she suppressed the urge, savoring the delightful moment as she waited for the potion, herbs, and magic powder to fully absorb into her skin and seep into her private parts.

‘Maybe I should go out today aroused, without masturbating? It seems like it’d be more fun to be a little worked up~!’

Hehehe.

A vulgar laugh for a woman echoed in the bathtub, but she didn’t care. The city soldiers were supposed to be living off the nation’s payroll, yet they were in such a pathetic state. The thought of what the guild and clans—the very places those weaklings had warned her about—would be like filled her with unstoppable anticipation.

‘When I stopped by before, saying I was moving here, I had to meet the Guild Master in secret, so I couldn’t afford to bump into anyone or look around. I had no idea what it was really like.’

Hoping it would be a place that suited her tastes, just as they’d said, she raised her expectations. She got out of the tub and wandered around the room naked, looking for something to wear. Unlike her usual favorite gear, she put on some shabby, ill-fitting brown clothes, layered leather armor on top, and gripped a worn-out axe. The belt-style skirt was short, and she wore no underwear. As she looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror, she saw that the ill-fitting gear exposed the undersides of her breasts, but for Reina, this level of exposure was perfectly acceptable.

In other words, ‘Even better.’

“With this getup, anyone would see me as a bottom-tier adventurer, right? My beauty stands out, of course, but in a district overflowing with prostitutes, maybe it’ll blend in a little?”

It was an arrogant statement, but it was true.

She had flawless skin, a strong-willed face, 120cm breasts with the undersides completely exposed by her ill-fitting gear, thick thighs, and a plump ass. With such a short skirt and no panties, anyone with sharp eyes would realize she wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“I’d like to increase the exposure even more, but then I’d just be treated like a prostitute, and that’s no fun… Besides, it’s much more enjoyable when you’re forced to wear such things… Uhuhu…”

It was certainly revealing, but it wasn’t uncommon to see female adventurers wearing bikini armor while on the marriage hunt. Compared to those women desperate to get married, her outfit was still relatively tame. Besides, Reina knew of far more extreme outfits.

‘Cursed armor is so much more extreme… It’s so embarrassing just looking at it… Th-that said, maybe I’m a little envious…?’

Her point of comparison was a bit off, but since she planned to eventually go that far herself, she wasn’t entirely wrong. Deciding to be satisfied with her shabby and moderately revealing outfit for now, she checked herself over several times before finally leaving the house. Since her street was adjacent to the one where the prostitutes lived, the stone-paved road was neatly maintained, and her worn boots made a cheerful sound with every step.

“Mmm~! Mmm~! What a lovely daaay~!”

Strolling down the street under the brilliant sunlight, which seemed to be cheering on her new life, the refreshing air felt like it might cool her aroused body. It didn’t actually cool down, of course—it was just a figure of speech. She stretched pleasantly, and as she wondered which way to go, something interesting caught her eye. As she happened to turn onto the street of the red-light district, she was surprised to see people either relaxing comfortably or working to keep the area clean.

There were prostitutes cleaning up the lanterns from the night before; prostitutes seeing off men who were leaving in the morning after a late night; a prostitute with a weary face asking a priest for healing; and others who were already drinking, gossiping about the previous night’s bedroom affairs. Merchants came to sell them flowers and fruit, some of whom were so captivated by their allure that they sold their goods for a pittance. The place truly had a multifaceted atmosphere.

‘So just because it’s a red-light district doesn’t mean there are bitches spreading their legs first thing in the morning.’

Prostitutes have lives, too; they need time to spend the money they earn. This was especially noticeable with the most popular ones, those in the prime of their youth, who were all decked out in flashy adornments. It was ironic that they seemed more greedy for precious metals than she, a dragon, was.

‘They’re wearing so many decorations. Is it because the miners and jewelry craftsmen flock here? Maybe I’ll buy a few myself when I have time…’

Looking closely, she spotted a man selling precious metals in a corner. Judging by his short stature and thick beard, he didn’t seem human like her, but he appeared to be from a race whose craftsmanship was guaranteed, making him quite popular. The mines were close, jewelry craftsmen were present, and laborers were plentiful, so the city swarmed with prostitutes ready to comfort them and take their daily wages. And since there were only weak magic beasts and monsters in the vicinity, it was a strange city that attracted low-level adventurers who didn’t quite fit the scene.

‘A delicate balance.’

It looked like a shithole, but wasn’t quite one—an ambiguous place.

‘A red-light district… It’s a brighter place than I thought…’

The red-light district wasn’t exactly a pleasant place, which made her wonder if the area with the guild was an even bigger shithole than this. If so, that would be hilarious. A place darker than the supposedly sordid red-light district? Even though she’d been there once, she couldn’t imagine it. Wondering if she was only seeing the district’s good side, she narrowed her eyes and pressed on, when her deliberately thick, artificial ears twitched, sensing danger.

‘…Hnng?!’

In that instant, her body shot forward, even though she herself wasn’t in any danger.

“Whaaaaaah~!!”

While she was observing the street, a woman who had been tending to the lanterns for the night was falling as her ladder collapsed. The woman’s loud scream alerted the other prostitutes, but it was too late for them to save her. That’s why Reina moved. In a world of her own where time seemed to slow, she used an explosive burst of speed to close the distance and position herself directly beneath the falling woman, her arms outstretched.

Thump!

“Huh?! Oh, my? What the…?”

‘Thank goodness. If I hadn’t caught her, she would’ve died.’

Perhaps because of her time with the Hero’s party, she was sensitive to such things. The woman, looking somewhat dazed, glanced around before realizing who had saved her and offering a faint smile. Despite the danger she had just been in, her blank face seemed to lack any sense of crisis, possessing a quality that could make even the sharp-tempered Reina feel drowsy.

“Ah, you saved me… Thank youuu… I never expected the ladder leg to break there……”

“Are you hurt?”

“Nooo… The wonderful cushion saved meee… Phew…”

Of course, she didn’t have a single scratch, having landed on Reina’s prized 120cm breast-cushion. Still, a normal person would have been seriously injured or even killed from that height, yet this woman got up with an almost excessive leisureliness. It was as if she had been enjoying Reina’s huge breasts, burying her face in them before taking a breath and getting up.

‘…Was that a chill?’

Wondering if it was just her imagination, she tilted her head and looked the person she’d saved up and down. She was clearly a worker from a nearby brothel, dressed in a black negligee despite it being broad daylight. Her messy black hair and hollow, tired eyes made her look somewhat sickly. Nevertheless, she was clearly a beauty. Reina’s first impression, based on her style, was of a dark woman who seemed to have many obsessions.

‘She’s pretty stacked herself.’

She had just praised Reina’s chest, but she herself possessed a considerably large bust. They weren’t overflowing like Reina’s, to be sure, but her own large, rocket-shaped breasts swayed as she finally managed to stand up. With her nails and toenails painted black, she seemed to have a preference for drab colors. She bowed her head slightly and spoke again in that sleepy tone of hers.

“My apologies… I am the madam of the Black Brothel… They call me the Black Witch…”

It was obviously not her real name, but a work alias, just as hosts don’t use their real names. Reina was momentarily dumbfounded, not expecting a brothel-style greeting from another woman, but she snapped back to her senses when the madam calling herself the Black Witch slyly poked her chest.

“Are you an adventurer~?”

“Ah, yeah, Reina… I mean, Reinare.”

“Heh, Miss Reinare… I haven’t seen your faaace around~? Have we ever had such a beauty here~?”

“I just moved to Orbie, and I was looking around the streets when I saved you. Hey, can you stop poking my chest while I’m talking?! It’s rude, even if we’re both women!”

“I’m sorryyy… But I thought you had such a nice body, I did it without thinking…”

“You press on someone’s chest ‘without thinking’?”

“I’m a madam, you seeee… I have a habit of checking the new girls’ bodies by touch… Ehehe…”

“You’re lying.”

“It’s truuue… It’s not a bad habit at all, you knooow~? Ehe…”

The Black Witch tilted her head languidly and grinned. With her tired appearance and drawn-out speech, just a short conversation was enough to make Reina feel sleepy. The woman was completely in her own world. Even though she could have been seriously hurt, she seemed more focused on thanking Reina and admiring her chest than on any fear from the accident. Her silly grin marked her as one of the strangest women Reina had ever met.

“But your looks are too good to waste on being an adventurer… Your chest, too… It’s a bit much to say this to my savior, but if you were a prostitute, I think you could become our ace right awayyy…”

“You just have a thing for breasts, don’t you?!”

“Weeell… maybe a little, but I’m not lyinggg… The adventurers who come here are famous for having no talent… So there are often cases where they quit adventuring to get a job at a brothel rather than cling to a job with no future… Ah… I was just trying to recruit you without thinking, wasn’t Iii~? This is a bad habit… a very bad habit… I got scolded for it last time, but I just can’t seem to fix it……”

The Black Witch tapped her forehead twice and changed the subject. Her gaze still flickered between Reina’s chest and face, blatantly revealing her interests. Judging by her thoughtless recruitment attempt and the wry smiles from the other prostitutes passing by, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

“I appreciate the compliments on my looks, but I’m doing this for my own reasons, so I don’t think I’ll take you up on that offer just yet.”

“Is that so… What a shame… But since you saved me, if you’d like some refreshments, please stop byyy~? As thanks for saving me, I’ll treat you to the refreshments our brothel is so proud offf~!”

‘What the hell are “refreshments our brothel is so proud of”…’

It was a bafflingly powerful phrase. But in a place swarming with women, it was certain they’d have a rich variety of refreshments, so it wasn’t entirely unbelievable. Reina promised the Black Witch she would visit when she had time, and the woman pointed out the location of her brothel with her index finger before asking again.

“Well then, my dear adventurer savior… You said you just moved here, did youuu…?”

“Yeah. Why, got something to say?”

“I was just wondering… walking through the red-light district at this hour… are you just looking around, or are you heading to the guild…?”

“Both. I was planning to look around the red-light district and then head to the guild to pick up my first quest.”

“Pardon me for asking… but your raaank…?”

“Iron Ore.”

“……”

“Staring at me like that won’t make me become a prostitute.”

After Reina’s second refusal, the Black Witch scratched the side of her head with her black-painted nails and averted her tired eyes. She looked like she had a lot to say, but held her tongue so as not to offend her savior. Reina, on the other hand, was once again reminded of how Iron Ore-rank adventurers were treated in this city.

“Is there a problem?”

“Nooo… If you’ve made up your mind, then it’s fine… In that case, you must not know anyone in this city, or the rumors, I take it~?”

She nodded.

“Then let me tell you something as thanks for saving me… Miss Reinare, you seem to have a wild streak, so I think you’ll be in trouble if I don’t tell you thisss…”

“What is it?”

“Well, you see, a dangerous-looking group of bandits has appeared near Orbie recentlyyy… They’re not enough of a problem to disrupt the city’s operations, but they’ve been causing too many incidents to be ignored… I heard a subjugation order has been posted on the Adventurer’s Guild request board……”

‘Bandits… It hasn’t been that long since the Hero’s party brought peace to this country, but there are still guys like that roaming around?’

She wasn’t calm on the inside, but the Black Witch continued her one-sided advice.

“So?”

“But there are rumors that these bandits have ties to the guild… and they’re not the kind of rabble you’d expect around here, they’re very strong… Most of the adventurers who went after them never came back, and the ones who did refuse to talk about it…… So I hope you’ll be careful, Miss Reinare, so you don’t fall victim to them…… There are also rumors that female adventurers, in particular, end up in terrible situations or join dangerous organizations shortly after……”

“Are you saying that because I’m Iron Ore rank?”

“Please don’t be offended… If my savior from today were to fall to some lowly bandits, it would ruin my sleep…”

When the Black Witch puffed out her cheeks, Reina relaxed her shoulders.

“Alright… Sorry for being rude. You weren’t looking down on me, just worried, right? In that case, I’ll gladly accept your advice.”

“Ehehe… Is that so… I’m glad to hear it… Hehe…”

She was the first connection Reina had made in this city, and she didn’t seem like a bad person, so Reina offered a small word of thanks as well. She still hadn’t seen the whole street, so she couldn’t talk for long, and the Black Witch seemed to have things to do as well, bringing out a different ladder to replace the broken one and waving as she climbed.

“If you have any questions about the streets, or rumors, or anything at all, please come and ask meee~?”

“Okay~! You be careful not to fall again, too~!”

“Ehe… No matter how unlucky I am, there’s no way I’d fall twice…… —Ah.”

“…Ah.”

There was a small incident before she left, but…

Still, the more favors you do for others, the better.

Having formed a connection with the Black Witch, the madam of the Black Brothel, Reina used the ominous rumors she’d heard as kindling for her excitement, raising her expectations to the fullest as she headed for the guild.