Chapter 12: The Port City of Quaran
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12: The Port City of Quaran
Quaran was a port city at the southernmost tip of the continent. A semicircular wall began at the coast and wrapped around the city, fronted by a moat that reeked of its dark brown water.
A river running through the city collected all its filth, carried it to the moat, and then emptied it into the sea. It served as both a defense and a sewer system.
As we crossed the arched stone bridge over the moat and passed through the gate, the salty, fishy smell of the sea grew stronger.
The city was a dense collection of buildings made from wood, plaster, and brick. Sailors with sunburnt skin moved through the main roads and back alleys.
The people of the manor had been worn down by time, their expressions rarely changing. The city dwellers, however, were animated, their faces shifting with every little event. The latter seemed so much more alive. The difference, I supposed, stemmed from freedom.
I rode my horse along the river. My swordsmanship teacher and knight, Roland, led the way a few paces ahead of me.
“I thought you’d lost interest, Sir Roland.”
“How could I? Bedding a woman is something one never tires of. However, I’m drawing a salary without doing much work, so how could I not be mindful of Sir Maxim?”
“But my father has been gone for a full four months, hasn’t he?”
“My, my. I see I can’t fool you, Lord Allen. To be honest, there’s another reason. Take a look around. Don’t you think the crowds have doubled since before?”
Quaran was a remote port city with nothing to its name, yet today it was bustling with people. The strange thing was that most of them were well-dressed men.
“Is there some kind of festival going on?”
“A festival it is, in a way. A festival where men compete to win a single woman. You must know that a princess recently arrived to become the castellan of Quaran. The king’s only blood relative, and a woman rumored to be a peerless beauty.”
“The Blood Princess?”
The mention of a princess in Quaran brought a name to mind—a memory from my past life.
Roland stopped his horse and looked back.
“Pardon? What did you say?”
“So all these people have gathered to win the princess’s heart? And you’ve been restraining your womanizing because you’re interested too?”
I skillfully changed the subject. Roland tilted his head, then continued his explanation.
“It’s a chance to strike it rich, isn’t it? If one could truly capture the princess’s heart, rising through the social ranks wouldn’t be just a dream.”
“And yet, today you suggested we go to the brothel again?”
“Ah, well, about that. You have to see the girl to even have a shot, don’t you? But the princess has locked herself in the castle and won’t even show her face. I hear even her vassals only see her from a distance.”
Roland shook his head.
I couldn’t tell how much of what he said was true and how much was a lie. On the surface, he seemed like the ultimate idler, but the problem was that he had appeared the moment I provoked Sophia.
In truth, I should have been suspicious from the start.
My father had wanted to hire a swordsmanship teacher for me but couldn’t find a suitable candidate. That’s when Sophia stepped in. With the help of a baron who was a relative of hers, she found a knight.
That knight was Roland.
Roland taught me about women before he taught me about swordsmanship. He piqued my interest with lewd jokes and then dragged me to a brothel. As I was at an age where my libido was exploding, I fell for it easily.
He bore some responsibility for my growth into a scoundrel. And yet, I had considered him someone I could open my heart to. Thinking back on it now, it was absurd.
Come to think of it, I remembered Roland had accompanied Sophia as her guard when she went to a party hosted by a baroness in the capital. It was something that had happened several times.
He claimed it was to earn his keep, but was that really true? Once I started doubting, one suspicion led to another.
“So you’re back to chasing women?”
“How can I stay still when I hear a beauty who rivals Lucy has just arrived? And she’s from the East, no less…!”
“A beautiful prostitute from the East, you say.”
Honestly, I wasn’t interested. The quality of a prostitute working in a small city on the continent’s frontier was obvious. In contrast, I was in a position where I could ravish Aenya, who would grow to become the most beautiful woman on the continent, as I pleased.
“By the way, what happened with Neri?”
Roland asked in a casual tone. It seemed the talk about the prostitute was just an appetizer for this question.
I curled the corners of my lips into a thuggish smile and changed my way of speaking to that of a typical scoundrel.
“Aha, that bitch? She was completely clueless. Just because she was a serf working in the mansion, she must have thought she was someone special. Can you believe she bullied my sister with some ridiculous excuse? Damn, it’s ridiculous even thinking about it now.”
I worried he might see through my act, but Roland seemed more interested in the content of my words than my appearance.
“My, my. That serf must have been completely out of her mind. But haven’t the other servants been a bit like that in the past? As an outsider, I felt it wasn’t my place to interfere, so I pretended not to see it a few times.”
“Did you think I didn’t know the servants were ignoring my sister?”
A strange light flickered in Roland’s eyes.
“Then why…?”
“I don’t care if they bully her when I’m not around. But to bully my sister when I’m with her—isn’t that a sign of disrespect toward me?”
“You weren’t like this before, were you?”
Allen smirked.
“Before when?”
“Pardon? Well… hmm?”
Roland seemed to finally remember. It had been quite some time since I had started dining with Aenya.
“So, how long do you plan to keep me standing in this alley? Weren’t we going to see that girl from the East?”
“Ah, let’s go at once. I’ll lead the way.”
Roland resumed walking, having stopped without realizing it. We had paused in front of a massive building that looked like a gymnasium. A channel broke through the side wall and connected to the river, endlessly spewing greasy, dirty water.
The air inside was even more humid. The source was a giant hot bath in the center of the building.
The place was filled with people wearing just enough to cover their private parts. Men and women mingled freely in the bath. It was a brothel disguised as a bathhouse.
“Zaken, I heard a pretty new girl came in?”
Zaken, who was guarding the counter, rose from his armchair. He was a middle-aged man with a belly like a mountain. A long scar ran diagonally across his face, and his exposed forearms were covered in tattoos.
“My, Sir Roland, you’re really something else. You don’t even live in the city, yet you hear the news faster than the citizens.”
“Cut the chatter. I heard she’s that pretty. Is it true?”
“Pretty is an understatement. Being from the East, she’ll have a special flavor, too.”
“Is that so.”
Roland grinned lecherously.
“But, will it be alright? She hasn’t received a customer yet. As you know, the first time always has a special value.”
“Hey, are you spouting such nonsense even though you know Lord Allen? To Lord Allen, that’s just pocket change. Isn’t that right?”
Roland turned to me. I was always the one who paid the courtesan’s fee. I had always thought it was natural. Roland was just a salaried knight, while I was the heir to the domain.
But now, Roland might be Sophia’s pawn. I was not an idiot who would pay for an enemy’s whore.
“Sir Roland, why are you asking me?”
“Pardon? What do you—”
“Isn’t it proper for the one who suggested coming to pay the fee? I thought that was the case since you invited me.”
Roland, who had been wearing a dumbfounded expression, laughed awkwardly.
“Where would a salaried knight like me get that kind of money…”
“So you were planning to use my money to pay for your whore? Well, I don’t know what kind of rudeness this is.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“Then?”
Unable to admit he was planning to leech off me, Roland eventually paid for my fee as well, groaning all the while. Of course, he couldn’t afford to call for the new girl he had been anticipating, as her fee was too high.
“Lucy! Come on out! Lord Allen is here.”
At Zaken’s shout, Lucy pushed aside the beaded curtain and emerged. A slender beauty with dark blonde hair and tanned skin, she possessed a glamour that didn’t belong in this small city.
For the past three years, I had been completely infatuated with Lucy. The money I had spent on her was probably equal to the manor’s entire annual budget.
“Oh, Lord Allen! It’s been so long. Why haven’t you come to see me? Don’t tell me you’ve grown tired of me, have you?”
But why did she feel so repulsive to me now? And that was putting it mildly. I only guessed the reason after she naturally linked her arm with mine, acting cute.
Filthy bitch.
A foul odor emanated from Lucy. This was an era where the superstition that frequent washing caused infectious diseases was prevalent. If Aenya, a knight’s daughter, believed it, there was no need to mention others.
At least she wasn’t a complete mess, thanks to the brothel being a bathhouse. The problem was that she was a prostitute.
Leaving Lucy behind, I entered the changing room, undressed, and examined my body. Fortunately, I didn’t seem to have contracted any STDs. In an age without proper treatment, STDs were often life-threatening.
It seemed I had benefited from using only Lucy. It had been worthwhile to mark her as my exclusive partner from the moment she started working. It had cost me a fortune, but at least I hadn’t become impotent, right?
Roland, who had entered the changing room with me, was already gone. I found him again in a shadowy area near the changing room.
But he wasn’t alone.
“Sir Roland. It’s been too long, don’t you think? Are you upset with me?”
Lucy was clinging to Roland.
Was it thanks to the addition of another person’s experiences? I began to see things I hadn’t before. Her sparkling eyes as she looked at Roland’s face, a vibrant smile different from the one she showed me.
Anyone could see it was the face of a woman in love.
Roland, for his part, made no move to avoid Lucy’s affections, even though he knew full well she was his student’s mistress.
When had it started? Perhaps from the very beginning. After all, it was Roland who had recommended this place to me.
Was it too much to think that a mere prostitute and a knight of no standing had conspired to manipulate me?
The moment I saw Lucy again, I knew my feelings for her had cooled, but what was unbearable was the feeling of being insulted.
There was no longer any need to confirm whether Roland was Sophia’s pawn. He was clearly disrespecting me, and he would have to pay the price. Lucy, too. I had made my decision.
“I didn’t realize you two were so close.”
“Lord Allen…?”
The two startled lovers hastily separated. But I had already seen everything there was to see. I smiled at the two of them, who couldn’t hide their panic, and continued.
“Sir Roland, I’m quite disappointed. What is there to hide between you and me? If you wanted to have Lucy, you should have told me. I would have gladly given her to you. Well, I suppose it’s not too late now. I was feeling bad about what happened earlier, but now I can rest easy.”
I pushed away Lucy, who was clinging to me again, and shoved her toward Roland.
“Sir Roland…”
Unlike the increasingly flustered Roland, Lucy seemed pleased, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Stupid bitch.
Did she not know why she, unlike the other prostitutes, could adorn herself with silk clothes and jewelry and didn’t have to entertain clients she didn’t want? It seemed I had expected too much from a mere prostitute.
“Haha. Lord Allen. It’s a misunderstanding. Lucy and I have known each other for a long time, so we were just having a brief chat.”
Roland belatedly tried to do damage control. I waved my hand.
“It’s fine even if it’s a misunderstanding. I’ll give you Lucy as a token of my apology.”
“Then, Lord Allen, you will…”
“Me? Right. I’ll meet that new girl you mentioned. Oh, and don’t worry about the money. I’ll pay for my own.”
Roland’s expression turned troubled. It worsened when he saw Lucy, oblivious to the mood, gently tugging at his arm. Still, it seemed Roland’s mind was working.
Not that he was much better than Lucy.
“Well then, I’ll see you later.”
I turned my back on the two of them and sought out Zaken.
“That new arrival from the East, can I meet her now?”
“If you have enough money, why not? But what about Lucy? Even for you, Lord Allen, monopolizing both Lucy and the new girl from the East would be a bit much.”
A strange expectation gleamed in Zaken’s greedy eyes. I knew what he was thinking and smirked.
“Why? Are there many who have their eyes on Lucy?”
“Hehe. They say the grass is always greener on the other side, don’t they? Plus, since you’ve been keeping her, a rumor has spread that Lucy is a truly exceptional courtesan. So there’s a whole crowd of fools eager to bed her at least once.”
“Her fee must be set quite high, then?”
“Of course. It’s a price comparable to when she was a virgin. So, what are your plans…?”
I pretended to think, dragging out my words.
“Hmm, it’s true that monopolizing both of them is a bit much for me. And after enjoying her for three years, I’ve grown a bit tired of her.”
“Then…”
Zaken’s face instantly brightened. I let out a deep sigh filled with feigned regret and nodded.
“My monopoly on Lucy… I will relinquish it, effective immediately.”
Freed from my protection, Lucy would soon fall into the hands of all sorts of men and be used like a tool, just like the other prostitutes. Having been claimed by me from the start and only ever worked in comfort, could she really endure it?
I was skeptical.
Lucy would surely come to regret this. When that time came, who would she ask for help? Her beloved Roland? Could a mere errant knight save her? No, would he even want to?
I remembered the look in Roland’s eyes when he looked at Lucy. It was not the look of a man gazing at his beloved.
Stupid bitch.
“Hehe, an excellent decision. Ah, I shouldn’t be standing here. I’ll bring the new girl from the East right away. Please wait just a moment.”
Zaken moved quickly, afraid I might change my mind.
Left alone, I thought about how to deal with Roland. The talk of the new girl from the East had already left my mind.
I had no time to waste on some prostitute whose value was likely inflated due to an “Eastern premium.”
“You are Lord Allen? I have heard much about you.”
That was why, the moment I came face to face with the new girl Zaken brought, my mind went blank. It wasn’t because she was a beauty who far surpassed my expectations. I knew her.
Godmother Jin.
She was one of the named characters from the game.