episode_0053

“Wow, your skill at training ladies is truly excellent.”

“Haha! It’s basic, isn’t it! If someone so pretty doesn’t have some sex appeal, it’s no fun.”

“…”

It was rude and unpleasant that the customers were looking at my body that way.

But I was prepared for this much.

They didn’t make me do anything particularly extreme.

I decided to ignore it and move on.

Again, they drank heavily and talked among themselves for several hours.

Gradually, the atmosphere suggested the customers were ready to leave.

“Hehehe. Good work. Take your tip.”

Ten gold coins dropped onto the table.

“Thank you, customer.”

I reached out to pick up the tip, but suddenly a thick finger covered the gold coins.

“Hey. Do a ‘good service’ for me one last time. Then I’ll give you 30 gold.”

“Huh? ‘Good service’?”

“It means you get naked and receive the tip.”

“!”

He meant he’d give me more money if I took off my clothes right here.

Everyone’s eyes were on me.

Their faces were expectant.

They were anticipating the sight of me shedding these thin clothes and becoming naked.

“Th-that… I can’t do that.”

“What? This is disappointing. Your service is completely awful. You weren’t seriously planning to just pour drinks and immediately take 10 gold, were you?”

The customer took back five gold coins.

Now only 5 gold remained on the table.

He demanded again.

“Alright. You don’t have to take off your clothes. Instead, if you want the 10 gold, grovel in front of me and beg, ‘Thank you for the tip, Master.’ You have to do at least that, right?”

“…”

Like a servant would do.

No, worse than a servant… it was a demand for a complete posture of submission.

I wasn’t a servant, a prisoner, or even a slave.

Did I have to do something like that to fully receive a 10-gold tip?

I couldn’t.

“I won’t do it.”

“You won’t even take 10 gold? Haha! I heard you guys pay 5 gold to this bar every day, right? Then if you only take this tip, you won’t even break even. Is that really okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“You’re going to earn it from other customers? Fine. I’ll go outside right now and spread the rumor that this bitch’s service is trash, so don’t nominate her.”

“Huh? That’s…”

The man smiled sinisterly.

“Think carefully. If you ignore all the customers’ demands like that, who will nominate you? If you came here to earn money, use your head, you stupid bitch.”

A stifled laugh.

“Hahahaha! Isn’t his teaching a bit too strict?”

“It’s pathetic to see women who sell their bodies for a living being so stubbornly arrogant for no reason. This kind of trouble happens because they’re coddled.”

Even though I was standing right in front of them.

Even though I was listening.

They talked as if they were discussing an animal that couldn’t understand human speech.

They ridiculed and ignored me.

I was so angry… I clenched my fists tightly.

And I stormed out of the room.

I didn’t want the tip those people gave.

If I took it, it would mean I admitted I was a ‘woman who sold her body.’

I didn’t want to sell my pride for a few paltry coins.

That day, I wasn’t nominated until dawn.

Even though there were more customers than usual, no one looked for me.

When the bar’s business hours ended.

I had to take the usage fee out of my pocket.

In the end, I didn’t earn a single coin today, and instead spent 5 more gold.

As I was about to return to my lodging, a male staff member called out to me.

“Did you earn anything today?”

“No…”

“You didn’t earn a single coin, did you? I know. A rumor spread among the customers. That you were rude.”

“No! On the contrary, the customers…”

“It’s usually better to grant the customers’ requests. I heard you even refused a very minor order?”

“Minor? You mean the order to grovel on the floor and call him ‘Master’?”

“What’s wrong with that? It’s better than a demand to have sex with you, isn’t it?”

The male staff member grumbled in a voice that suggested he couldn’t understand.

“Think carefully. De Clasio Bar is highly regarded for having excellent employees. We strictly manage ‘water quality,’ so if one loach muddies the water, we tend to cut them out immediately. We can’t let it cause trouble for the other employees.”

“Does that mean… you’re firing me?”

“Normally, yes, but since you’re new, I’ll give you one more chance. Important customers have appointments tomorrow. Serve them with all your heart.”

“…Alright.”

This bar was starting to feel more and more terrifying.

* * *

Day 3.

The ‘important customers’ the staff member mentioned were rich and arrogant men.

They seemed quite famous in this establishment; as soon as they appeared, the employees rushed to welcome them.

“Alright, line up, you bitches. I’m going to pick one by one.”

“Yes, customer!”

Twenty employees lined up in a row.

The male staff member gestured with his chin towards me.

Left with no choice, I went to the very end of the line and stood quietly.

“Let’s see… Is there no decent-looking one?”

The man examined each employee, as if picking out clothes.

He held their chins and turned them this way and that, or touched their buttocks and breasts.

Despite this, the employees waited silently, hoping to be chosen.

Several times, he passed by without a word.

“You.”

“Thank you!”

“You.”

“I’ll serve you with the best service!”

Two employees were chosen.

The women who weren’t chosen sighed regretfully.

I also sighed.

A sigh of genuine relief that I wasn’t chosen by such a man.

I turned my head, intending to do some cleaning.

“Wait, there. You.”

The customer’s voice came from behind me.

“…Huh? Me?”

“Yes. You. With the red hair… You seem like you’d be fun. You come along too.”

I followed the customer into the room.

Other men were already sitting there, having a drink.

I filled a glass to pour him a drink.

But strangely, there were more glasses than customers.

As expected, the customer instructed me.

“Drink.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It’s only fun if we drink and play together.”

“I… don’t really like alcohol…”

“Oh, just drink it! Why are you like this? How much do you want? Here! 2 gold for each glass you drink!”

Clink.

2 gold coins were placed.

But… I had never drunk alcohol before.

Suddenly, the male staff member’s words came to mind.

‘It’s usually better to grant the customers’ requests.’

Right. It’s okay.

It’s just telling me to drink alcohol, that’s all.

Besides, if it’s 2 gold for every drink… even if I only drink 10 glasses, that’s 20 gold.

With trembling hands, I picked up the glass.

“Alright, yes! Gulp it down!”

“Ugh.”

I chugged the beer.

I winced at the bitter taste that filled my mouth.

Why do adults drink such tasteless water?

I couldn’t understand what was so good about this bitterness that they’d spend money on it.

Gulp, gulp.

When I held it in and swallowed it all, the men threw 2 more gold coins, telling me to have another glass.

I immediately drank another beer.

Another 2 gold coins fell.

I chugged it down again.

My head thumped.

Ah… How many glasses did I drink?

…Five glasses? No, no… was it seven?

I don’t know if it was eight…

My head is spinning.

“Come here. That’s right.”

Hehe… Warm…

I like being held…

“Look at this. This young lady’s eyes are completely gone, aren’t they?”

“That’s because you made her chug so much alcohol, you bastard!”

“Oh dear. If you don’t sober up, this old man will – touch you like this?”

“Hehehe…”

Customers… keep touching me.

My leg? My waist? I don’t know. Anyway, it feels good…

“Hey, red-haired lady. What’s your name?”

“Ti-Tia…”

“Wow-. Tia, you have good hips-. You’ll give birth well later, huh?”

“Hey, why are your lines like that? You sound like a creepy old man. Hahaha!”

“It’s rude not to touch the backside of such a young and virtuous lady when it’s right in front of you. Hehehe. Shall I check if our Tia’s chest has grown well?”

A soft thump.

Warmth touched my chest.

Inadvertently, I looked down and saw a large hand resting on my chest.

“Oh. It’s a little smaller than I expected, but there’s definitely something there.”

The moment my chest was pressed down.

My hazy mind suddenly cleared.

What… am I doing right now?

“!”

Startled, I yanked my body away.

The customers were equally surprised.

“What? Why, why are you like this?”

“Ah…”

“Oh come on. Can’t even touch your chest? You’re being difficult. How much is it?”

“Th-that… This isn’t about money-”

“Alright, alright. Take it.”

Clink!

10 gold coins were scattered on the table.

“…I’m quitting.”

I immediately stood up from my seat.

It wasn’t about the money.

The problem was that the customer tried to touch my chest without my permission.

The man shouted.

“Hey! You’re quitting? Does that make any sense right now? How much money have I spent on you, and you’re throwing a fit just because I touched your chest once?”

The people around tried to stop him.

“Stop it- dude, aren’t you too drunk?”

“After taking so much in tips, you’re quitting! This is a scam!”

“Leave her. Just file a complaint with the owner here, and that’ll be the end of it.”

“Tch. I went to the trouble of picking her, and she refuses service just because I touched her chest? Is it characteristic of ‘red-haired’ women to all be so arrogant?”

The customer kept yelling at the top of his lungs until I left the room.

As I came out, a male staff member who happened to be passing by in the corridor recognized me.

“What? Why did you suddenly run out?”

“Th-the customer tried to touch my chest without permission. I wanted to request refusal of service…”

“No way. Did he try to touch you without a tip?”

“No, he did give me a tip, but…”

“Then what’s the problem?”

The staff member sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Look, miss. Your chest isn’t even a sensitive area. Was there really a need to refuse when you could just take the tip and let him touch it for a bit?”

“…”

“Don’t talk about refusing service; just take this.”

A bottle of wine was placed in front of me.

“Take this and politely apologize to the customer.”

“Why should I apologize…”

“Just do it if you don’t want to get fired.”

It wasn’t a suggestion.

It was an order.

The staff member gave me an annoyed look, then left to go back to his own work.

“…”

I gripped the wine bottle tightly and took a deep breath.

Yes. It’s for Ritsu.

This much is nothing.

I approached the room.

I could hear the men laughing inside.

The moment I tidied my clothes and raised my hand to knock.

A low voice came from inside.

“‘Annihilated’?”

“That’s what they say. A textile merchant caravan crossed Mes Road this morning, and they found a completely crushed tribute escort at the halfway point. All the tribute was plundered, and many people died.”

“Hmm. No wonder the tribute acceptance ceremony kept getting postponed. So that’s what happened.”

“…Was it bandits? But those bandits there were already taken care of, weren’t they?”

“The exact details will come out with time. Of course, everyone has probably already figured out whose will it was.”

It felt like my breath caught in my throat.

“Who was dispatched with the tribute escort?”

“Robert. A body believed to be his has arrived. Naturally, his family is in an uproar. It must be chaos right now.”

“Ha! That insufferable noble who always prattled on about honor is finally dead! As expected, if you underestimated His Majesty…”

“Watch your mouth. We just need to acknowledge that Robert died well and then swallow the iron goods he controlled.”

“Ah, with such good news, I need to clear my bowels. I’ll be back.”

The door swung open with a thud.

The man, about to open the door and casually step out, was startled when he saw me standing in front of him.

“Gah! What the-?”

“…”

No thoughts came to mind.

The tribute escort was annihilated?

Lord Robert is dead…?

It hurts.

Enough to rip my chest apart.

It hurts.

Enough that I couldn’t even breathe properly.

But…

Why were these people laughing and chatting?

Why?

“Died… well?”

The man furrowed his brow.

“You bitch, were you eavesdropping on our conversation?”

“Answer me!”

My heart pounded wildly.

My body was so hot I felt like I was going crazy.

“Get out of the way!”

The man swung his hand, but I grabbed his arm and put all my strength into throwing him to the floor.

Crash!

“Choked gasp!”

I seized him by the collar, as if snatching him.

I couldn’t control my strength.

I don’t know how tightly I held him.

The man pinned beneath me choked and wheezed.

“Lord Robert was a good person-!! But why!! Why did you…!!”

“St-staff! Come quick and do something about this crazy bitch!”

People rushed over.

The men dragged me out.

I think I kept screaming as I was dragged away, but I couldn’t remember.

Thud!

The only thing I remembered was.

Being thrown onto the alley floor like trash.

The male staff members yelled at me.

“How dare you not only eavesdrop on a customer’s conversation but also injure them?”

“It’s a good thing those gentlemen were kind, otherwise you’d already be dead, you bitch!”

“Don’t even think about coming back here again.”

They took all the money from my pockets.

They only roughly threw my belt and short sword, which I’d brought to work.

They violently slammed the bar’s door shut.

I lay sprawled on the alley floor, looking up at the sky.

It was completely dark with ominous clouds.