“Hey, hold on a moment.”

    A rough-looking man with a thick beard and his entourage were inexplicably blocking the carriage.

    “What in the world…!”

    Emil’s expression darkened considerably.

    Already dealing with urgent matters regarding the princess’s safety, he was clearly irritated by these bandit-like individuals obstructing their path.

    “Hey! Aren’t you coming out?!”

    The bearded man bellowed towards us inside the carriage.

    Seemingly angered, Emil picked up his sword that he had set aside and moved to step out of the carriage.

    At that moment,

    “Sir Cyan…?”

    “….”

    I quickly grabbed Emil’s arm as he was about to rush out.

    “I will handle this.”

    With that, I opened the carriage door and stepped outside in Emil’s place.

    In situations like this, I am accustomed.

    Before becoming a businessman, during my impoverished days, I had worked numerous service jobs.

    From convenience stores, serving, kitchen work, selling phones, event hosting, and more.

    I had encountered all sorts of characters.

    Regardless of why they were blocking our carriage, I decided it was more appropriate for me to go out rather than an agitated Emil.

    If a fight were to break out causing unnecessary commotion, it might alert even the Black Magic Sect who had kidnapped Rosaria.

    If the opposing party was looking for a fight, it was better for me to swiftly handle it without making a sound.

    “Are you the leader? …Quite small.”

    As I emerged from the carriage, the bearded man who had blocked our way spoke to me.

    Up close, his physique was imposing.

    Although I was only fifteen, he had a relatively large build compared to the average adult male.

    Visually, he looked like a bandit leader.

    “What business do you have here? Suddenly stopping the carriage startled us.”

    “Haha! It’s nothing much, just that carriages rarely come at this hour. …Where were you headed?”

    His probing question.

    At that moment, I could roughly understand.

    He wasn’t aggressive; rather, he seemed cautiously assessing the situation, like someone wary of the Knight Order.

    In pleasure districts, it’s convenient for criminal organizations to thrive.

    Hence, many knights likely infiltrated undercover as commoners to investigate.

    “Our purpose was to assist in sourcing goods for a known shop.”

    “Sourcing goods at this hour?”

    “Yes. It’s a friend’s shop, and they are busy preparing for opening, so we came to help. The signboard hasn’t even been put up yet.”

    “Hmm….”

    He seemed to be pondering something upon hearing my words.

    “Excuse me! What’s the meaning of this interference!”

    Emil, who had come out of the carriage, approached us angrily.

    ‘Ugh… I told him to stay in the carriage…’

    Seeing the visibly annoyed Emil, the bearded man’s expression soured suddenly.

    “What is your business to suddenly block our path! Come out quickly!”

    “Emil. Hold on a moment.”

    “Sir Cyan…?”

    I blocked the agitated Emil with my arm and took a step back.

    Then, I pulled something out of my pocket and handed it to the bearded man, who was about to lose his temper.

    Upon seeing what was in his hand, his eyes widened.

    It was a gold coin.

    ‘You hardly see gold coins on these streets.’

    Even in areas where trading and peddling occur.

    There aren’t many who can give gold coins as tips. Probably an amount that only high-ranking nobles could casually handle.

    Swiftly, I spoke to him without losing my sales smile.

    “My apologies for any mistakes made by my acquaintance. It seems the urgency of the shop’s situation led to impatience. How may I address you, sir?”

    “…Morris.”

    “Yes, Master Morris. If it’s not too much trouble, could the esteemed Morris, who is the foreman of this place, kindly spare a moment to assist us? We were in a hurry on our way here.”

    “……”

    Upon hearing me, he stared intently at the coin in his hand once again.

    Then, he turned away from me and gestured to the companions who had come with him.

    “Leave.”

    At his word, the companions nodded and began moving back towards the street.

    As he was about to follow them, I hastily called out to him.

    “Master Morris.”

    “…What is it?”

    “Do you happen to know of a tavern with a red roof and a yellow lantern? I heard that an acquaintance is preparing to open a shop in that area.”

    “A red roof… sounds like the Dawn Moon. Probably take a right turn further down this street to find it.”

    “Thank you.”

    With my thanks, he turned back towards his companions and walked away.

    Emil approached me again, looking somewhat surprised.

    “…You’re quite skilled.”

    “It’s nothing special, just the basics.”

    “It’s not just the basics. Where on earth did you learn something like this?”

    “I learned it where I used to live.”

    “Where you used to live…? Where in the world did you live to learn such things…”

    When you make a mistake with a guest, promptly providing service is the best course of action. People naturally appreciate freebies, and most will keep quiet if you offer good service.

    It was wisdom learned from running a restaurant.

    “Anyway, let’s get back into the carriage quickly. I’ve found the way. The establishment seems to be known as the Dawn Moon.”

    *

    As the carriage continued forward, it became apparent that we were delving deeper into the Red Lantern District.

    Perhaps due to lack of funds, the buildings seemed to be constructed mostly from wood, maximizing cost-effectiveness.

    While the central regions of the Liana Empire had a Northern European feel, this outer pleasure district, Dorudom, exuded a strong sense of ancient Japan.

    Streets painted in the light of red lanterns.

    Revelers staggering about in intoxication.

    Women dressed provocatively, gesturing enticingly for patrons to enter their establishments.

    Occasionally, some intoxicated individuals would slow the progress of the carriage with their unsteady steps, but there was no one as brazen as the man with the beard who had blocked our path earlier.

    It was when we had moved a certain distance by carriage.

    Just as the man with the beard had indicated, we could spot a building with a red roof and a yellow lantern.

    We parked the carriage near the establishment.

    Before Emil disembarked, she began to retrieve something from her backpack.

    Curious, I asked her.

    “Do you have something to prepare?”

    “Yes. I’m planning to disguise myself as a man.”

    “As a man…?”

    “The destination is said to be a place selling alcohol and women, isn’t it? If a woman like me goes there, I’ll naturally be suspected.”

    “I see.”

    …A beauty disguised as a man, now that’s quite a sight.

    After taking out men’s clothing from her backpack, she tied her hair into a ponytail.

    As she was about to change clothes… she glanced at me sharply.

    Feeling something amiss, I stared back at her, only realizing belatedly.

    “I’ll turn around.”

    “…Thank you.”

    After Emil finished dressing as a man, we alighted from the carriage.

    “You’ve worked hard. Coachman. We’ll meet you at the entrance when the sun rises.”

    “Understood.”

    Standing in front of the entrance of the Dawn Moon with Emil, we could hear bustling noises beyond the lattice wooden door.

    The building was quite substantial compared to the scattered room taverns around.

    According to the information from the intelligence network Night Raven, Rozaria is supposedly confined somewhere in the depths of this establishment…

    “Are you ready?”

    I asked Emil.

    “I’ve been ready from the start. Let’s go in right away.”

    “Yes.”

    And so, we opened the lattice wooden door and entered the establishment.

    As soon as we stepped inside, a woman in her early thirties, wearing a revealing outfit that exposed her cleavage, greeted us.

    “Welcome. Are you two here for something?”

    Was she the madam of this establishment called Dawn Moon?

    Her businesslike hearty smile exuded a sense of ease.

    “Yes. The two of us.”

    “Would the two of you be dining together?”

    “No, please guide us to separate rooms.”

    It’s more efficient to split up to gather information.

    “Please come this way.”

    I followed the madam who was guiding us inside.

    The establishment was spacious. There seemed to be around 30 rooms, and most of the staff roaming around the place appeared to be young women in their early twenties.

    Soon, the madam stopped at a room.

    “It seems like this room will be suitable for one person.”

    “I will go in.”

    Emil stepped forward and entered the room first.

    The madam smiled slyly, nodded at Emil, and then began walking ahead again.

    I simply followed along.

    Many rooms passed before my eyes.

    Inside, there were women attending to the needs of elderly male guests.

    Even when the trading partners from the previous world suggested going somewhere, I had never come to a place like this…

    It felt like I was doing something adventurous for the first time, giving me a peculiar feeling.

    Let go of unnecessary thoughts.

    Right now, I’m only thinking about saving Rosaria.

    Once again, the madam stopped abruptly in front of an empty room.

    “The young master can enter here.”

    “Thank you.”

    Without showing any signs of tension, I followed the madam’s guidance and sat at the table with cushions in the room.

    Then the madam spoke to me.

    “If you don’t like your partner, feel free to come back to me. Have a good time.”

    – Click.

    The door closed.

    “….”

    I silently stirred the tea placed on the table.

    ‘I’m nervous.’

    Originally, I didn’t want to call the serving woman…

    But if I did that, I might be suspected as a suspicious guest, so I had to entertain her appropriately and then investigate by using the restroom as an excuse.

    That’s how I managed to converse with Emil.

    …After waiting for about 5 minutes.

    – Click.

    The door opened again. Someone walked in.

    “Hello, young master!”

    The person who entered greeted me brightly with a smile.

    Hair tied with a silver flower-shaped pin.

    A small face with a button nose, and fox-like eyes.

    She was a petite woman in her early twenties, looking somewhat bold with heavy makeup.

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