episode_0045

It was the day before the hunting competition that marked the beginning of the harvest festival.

At noon, the Duchy of Nisse was strangely lively. It was full of people.

Due to its geographical location bordering the wasteland, Nise was crowded with illegal adventurers. They illegally entered the wasteland, illegally collected herbs, and hunted monsters.

Adventurers were illegal beings in every way except breathing, but there was a reason the Principality of Nisse left them alone.

This was because they were scouts of the wasteland. They reported the movements and weather of the wasteland forces, and the public authorities turned a blind eye to this.

In addition, it was possible to achieve the minor additional effect of controlling the population of wasteland monsters.

Time is money, and these adventurers, who love money to the point of putting their lives on the line, were somehow gathered at a tavern at this hour and just wasting their time.

“Soon now?”

“Yeah, shit. I wish they’d just weed them out quickly. It’s almost the critical point, and I don’t know what those higher-ups are doing.”

There was a reason why they were just wasting time with their glasses in front of them.

The population of wasteland monsters has grown to unmanageable levels.

Now, wherever you went in the wasteland, there were only monsters.

“No matter what, going out into the wasteland now is suicide.”

“Unless you’re really crazy, it’s right to just wait for the subjugation.”

“Or, just wait for those monsters to invade here.”

There was a reason why the number of monsters in the wasteland increased.

Those monsters were targeting the stone walls of Nisse’s territory.

They were the ones who would destroy the stone walls that had stood for centuries and trample on the skin of human beings.

They make flags and drums out of human skin, fill their bellies with flesh, and make armor and weapons out of bones, and march towards the next human adult.

That was the monsters’ instinct and reason for living.

and

Now that the monsters have multiplied, it is time for adventurers to flock to the city.

After the monster invasion was over, all that was left were the loot.

Running through an empty wasteland, collecting the corpses of monsters and the plants that grew from their blood.

From then on, the wasteland was money and gold at your feet.

That is why the Nisse Territory, while in the most critical condition, was more vibrant than ever.

It wasn’t just adventurers that the Nisse Territory deliberately turned a blind eye to. The territory had slums as large as the illegal immigrants.

Beneath the shabby stone roofs clinging tightly to the walls of the castle that bordered the wasteland, countless poor people were living their own lives.

They were poor beings without civil rights or human rights, and without any freedom guaranteed.

As money accumulates and wealth gathers, poverty is also bound to emerge.

There was a way to evict them all and build decent public housing in their place, but this would have been tantamount to killing all the poor.

However, it was impossible to distribute houses to the poor for free.

‘I wanted to do that too, but the council declared it heresy.’

The Duchess walked through the slums, covered from head to toe in a black robe.

And he looks down on the poor with a pitiful heart.

I had complicated thoughts.

The people of the dukedom were all like children of the dukedom. It was heartbreaking to see them starving and sick and left to their own devices.

If the gods heard such thoughts, they would surely say bluntly, ‘No, those poor people are not human. Your pity is a waste.’

Still, when looking at it from the perspective of a human looking at another human, it was heartbreaking. It was a bitter sadness that the authors, who were drinking wine in that warm and safe mansion, had never felt before.

There was no other reason why the Duchess was wandering around this slum after decades.

It was a kind of errand.

It was an errand given by Harry Bar and Blushu.

The story was that in order to be selected for the interception team by showing impressive performance in the hunting competition, you had to prepare a ‘costume’ that matched it.

And the fact that the costumes were being prepared in the costume shop that Harry Bar had pre-arranged.

‘I usually follow everything Mr. Harryba says, but this time I don’t understand.’

The idea that if you dressed appropriately you would be selected by the interception unit was advice that was hard to accept.

“Still, since Mr. Harryba prepared it with Blueshoe, I have no choice but to go and see it myself.”

‘Of course, uh, I never would have thought that there would be a costume shop in this slum… .’

She was simply preparing a costume to look good at the hunting competition, so she did not bring along any attendants or bodyguards. If the other vassals or soldiers heard that the Duchess was visiting the slums, there would surely be an uproar.

It was obvious that he would send soldiers to search the slums and inspect the poor.

I didn’t want you to go through such a hardship.

The word for these dirty alleys was ‘slums’, but not all of them were poor.

Because it was an area where taxes were not collected, many stores were operating by taking advantage of loopholes in the law.

It is difficult to conduct normal business in this place where public safety and customer quality are poor, but money tends to accumulate in places where the government cannot reach.

The place was crowded with dirty people who gathered to find opportunities.

‘Thanks to you, I was able to explore the slums for the first time in a long time, and it was rewarding… .’

The Duchess was wearing a robe that covered her entire body and was pulled up to her mouth, leaving only her eyes exposed.

I look at the people in the slums and even say hello to them.

Even though the entire body was covered, the body’s lines and volume could not be hidden.

It attracts the attention of the slum people.

It wasn’t just the gaze.

Criminals gather to prey on outsiders who accidentally enter the slums.

“Kikkikkik.”

“It looks delicious.”

“Don’t you think he has a lot of money? Just looking at the material of the outerwear he’s wearing, it’s shiny and doesn’t look ordinary?”

“Let’s empty your pockets and eat your body, and then sell it.”

These vagabonds’ targets were easy girls, women with enormous bodies that were difficult to hide under robes.

And the Duchess, who had been walking through the slums for a while, arrived at the red-light district without realizing that she was being followed.

“… Ah.”

It was the Duchess’ first time visiting the place.

The culmination of the sex industry that naturally arises when money and criminals come together.

The red-light district in broad daylight, noon, had lost its glamour and was dead and ordinary. It was empty, but the glamour of the night could be guessed from the ornately decorated lights and the wet advertisements on the floor.

And the Duchess’ destination, the costume shop, was located in this red-light district.

“Wow, I didn’t know such a fancy building was in a place like this.”

The building where the clothing store was located had an exterior as splendid as the salons of some nobles. The building, which seemed to be seven or eight stories high, was so extravagant and luxurious that it made one wonder if taxes should now be collected from the slums.

Of course, the buildings in other red-light districts were also flashy, but they couldn’t compare to this building.

The Duchess steps cautiously and opens the stained glass door and enters.

It was my first time entering a building in a red-light district like this, so I was cautious.

“Welcome, Customer! Welcome!”

“Ah, uh, yes.”

Receive unexpected hospitality.

An employee who had been waiting in the building lobby ran over and bowed his head to the Duchess.

The staff member had strangely dark skin and long, sticking out ears.

“Dark Elf?”

“Yes, sir, my name is Yurio, the guide here. Nice to meet you.”

“I never thought I’d see a dark elf again… . And in the slums… .”

“Oh, is the dark elf a little uncomfortable? I’m sorry. Customer, please have another employee take care of it immediately… .”

“Oh, no. It’s okay! It’s okay. I’m just surprised.”

Dark Elves were a discriminated race. An impure race with original sin inherent to the race itself.

The discrimination got worse the further you went into the slums. That’s why I was surprised that people in these slums were still working and having decent jobs.

“Then let me show you again. This is a paradise for all women! A place for those who know what beauty is and who truly know how to dress up!”

The dark elf continues his explanation in a tone that seems slightly pleased, as if he is full of pride in this place and building.

So, this was a store frequented by prostitutes and dancers.

From the first floor to the top floor, it was filled with beauty salons and clothing stores.

“I, I will be booked under the name of Blueshoe.”

“Ah, Blueshoe! Of course. Just a moment… .”

The dark elf at the information desk looks over the reservation list.

“Oh, yes, it’s here. You can go to the costume shop on the 4th floor.’

On the map that the dark elf pointed to, the name of the 4th floor costume shop was written in fancy cursive.

“You’re more hardcore than you look, customer. It’s really rare for someone to come here on their first visit. Hehe♡”