Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 184: Is It a Crime to Relieve Sexual Desire with My Younger Sister? (1)[R-18]

After a brief moment of "couple's time."

Helen, having finished her shower, leaned back in her chair and asked me to dry her hair.

"...Do you even know what the word 'restraint' means?"

"No, you were the one who seduced me first today, Helen."

"Ugh! O-of course, I was the one who started it... but still, there’s such a thing as moderation!! We were just supposed to enjoy ourselves briefly while Poporing, that self-proclaimed younger sister of yours, was being tested! My legs are still tingling!"

"But she hasn't come back yet, so isn't it fine?"

"That’s...! ...Wait, you're right. Why hasn't she returned yet? It’s been more than enough time for her to finish. No! Don't change the subject again! Apologize first!!"

"Right, right. I'm sorry. I went a bit too far."

Even I had to admit I went a bit overboard, continuing to use her body even after she had lost consciousness.

"Heh... Heaaak♥... S-Stop♥..."

I didn't really intend to go that far, but the moment I picked up the S&P NO.5, my soul felt drawn to it, and I ended up striking Helen repeatedly.

"Ha! Talk is cheap. Even if you say you're sorry now, you'll just lose your mind and keep thrusting your hips again next time anyway."

"...."

"You're not even going to deny it anymore?!"

"Because that would be a lie."

To be honest, now that I had opened my eyes to the new world of SM, I didn't have the confidence to control myself either.

For someone like me, who had always pursued sex ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠based on respecting the partner and maintaining boundaries, this foray into SM was nothing short of a shock.

"G-gentle sex?!? That? I'm honestly speechless... Fine, whatever. Stop drying my hair and sit over there. We have something important to discuss."

"Something important?"

"Yes. You. When can you set up that meeting with the Saintess Candidate I asked for last time?"

"Ah, that? I did bring it up, but Lady Yuris is often called away by the Church, so it might take some time."

"That’s why I’m asking you to do something about it!! If a Saintess Candidate were someone who could be met with a simple appointment, I would have handled it myself! Anyway, I really need to see her now, so make it happen."

Seeing the somewhat urgent look on Helen's face, I asked, "Helen, is something wrong?"

"No... well, it's not exactly a 'problem'..."

As if there was something, Helen began twirling her bangs around her index finger.

"My brothers are acting up. It seems they’re trying to keep me in check now. It’s pathetic, really. If they had joined forces sooner, it might have been different, but they spent all their time pretending to be allies while secretly distrusting each other. Now that my position as the Red Rose Heiress is practically solidified, they’re finally trying to push me out. Tsk, I must look quite easy to them."

Helen’s eyes narrowed.

The new 'flow' her two brothers were creating within the commerce guild was an eyesore, but considering the vast wealth Helen had brought to Red Rose Commerce over the past years, they weren't a legitimate threat to her succession.

However...

'That doesn't mean I should just leave them be.'

Even if they couldn't match Helen, they were still of the Red Rose bloodline.

Their abilities were severely lacking, but in terms of legitimacy, they held the upper hand.

"But what does that have to do with meeting Lady Yuris?"

"Ha! Is that thing on your neck just for decoration... wait, is it? Considering how unnecessarily handsome you are, maybe it is... Ahem! No! Anyway! As I told you before, the land I’m trying to purchase is owned by the Church. It’s a deal my brothers failed to close multiple times. Now, what do you think happens if I successfully close that deal?"

"It shows that our Helen is better than her brothers?"

"That goes without saying! It will make the factions supporting my brothers realize that I have connections with the Church."

"Hmm... So, you're going to buy the land and open a new branch of the commerce guild there?"

"No, I’d love to, but... unfortunately, that’s impossible. Those greedy brothers of mine, despite having no talent, managed to secure the rights to establish a guild branch on that site before the land was even purchased. There’s no way they’ll just hand those rights over. Well, it wouldn't be impossible if I forced the issue... but I don't want to give them any weaknesses to exploit while they're already whispering behind my back."

"...Sorry, I don't quite follow. Why buy land where you can't even build a guild branch?"

"The contract says I can't open a guild branch, but it never said I couldn't open something else."

Having said that, Helen gave a playful smile and beckoned me with her finger.

Slide—

As Ian leaned in, Helen pulled him by the nape of his neck and whispered.

"This is still top secret, so keep it to yourself. I plan to sell 'sex' there."

"...You're building a brothel?"

My jaw dropped at Helen's answer.

While brothels weren't illegal, I never imagined Helen would get involved in that business.

"Hmph! What do you take me for? Sure, brothels make decent money, but considering the damage to Helen Redrose's image, it would be a net loss, not a gain!"

"Wait, didn't you just say you were going to sell sex?"

"Why are you so one-dimensional? Selling 'sex' doesn't just mean a brothel. The S&P series you used earlier is also 'sex' in a broad sense."

"Wait a minute... So, Helen, you're going to buy prime real estate from the Church and open an adult toy shop there?"

"Fufufu! Exactly! You finally understand!"

Helen spoke boastfully, crossing her arms.

"...Will that actually work?"

"If it doesn't, I'll make it work. And I won't be selling them openly. At first, I'll open it as a women-only salon and discreetly introduce the products to the regulars."

If it were the old Helen, this was a business she wouldn't have even glanced at.

No, she wouldn't have even called this a business.

But...

Helen now had the conviction that this business would succeed.

It wasn't just because she had a talent for seeing the 'flow.'

'...Because I've felt it with my own body.'

As she leaned her head on Ian's shoulder and took a deep breath, she felt a tingling sensation in her lower abdomen.

Helen knew better than anyone the power that pleasure and pillow talk held.

Take the 'Rose Brooch,' for example. Even though she knew she shouldn't, the heat rising from her uterus paralyzed her mind, and she ended up lending it to him.

Of course, she was certain that such pleasure was something only Ian could provide.

However, if she could use 'adult toys' to engrave even a fraction of the pleasure Ian gave her into the minds of noblewomen...

And if those noblewomen, beginning to be controlled by that pleasure, could exert influence in the bedroom with their husbands...

'They say men rule the world, but women rule the men.'

If everything went according to plan, the Red Rose family led by Helen ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠might gain political influence exceeding even that of the 'Blue Tulip' family.

'Well, expecting things to go that perfectly is just greed.'

An ideal result would be great, but even if it didn't happen, it wasn't a big problem.

Because Helen's 'true' target was something else.

"I’m going to create a unique system for this salon. We’ll divide members into ranks based on their visit frequency and spending, and increase the products available for purchase at each rank. Additionally, if members bring in new members, a portion of what the new member spends will be credited as points for them to use in the salon. If I had to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠name it... perhaps the 'Staircase System'?"

The goal is to create the 'Red Rose Gallery'.

This was Helen's true intention, something she couldn't tell anyone—not even Ian... or rather, especially not Ian.

Currently, the number of people who can use the ■■ Gallery is extremely limited.

Even Helen, who uses it herself, has no idea how the connection is established.

However, after pouring significant funds and time into research, it has become theoretically possible to implement a 'Gallery.'

Of course, it’s no easy task.

Creating a magic tool that can embed information into mana and spread it like a spiderweb is impossible for anyone but a top-tier artificer. Furthermore, dozens of relay points would be needed to gather that dispersed mana in one place.

'Naturally, the salons will serve as those relay points.'

Due to the cost, it will initially be a Gallery only the upper class can use...

But as the number of 'salon' branches grows and adult toys begin to be released outside the salons one by one, anyone will be able to use the 'Red Rose Gallery.'

'...The problem is where to find a top-tier artisan to make the adult toys.'

Artisans with strong pride wouldn't just say, "Yes! Understood!" if asked to make adult toys.

It would be a miracle if they didn't get furious, thinking they were being insulted.

But Ian had solved that worry as well.

Knock, knock—

"Master. Miss Poporing's evaluation is complete."

"Ah! It’s finally over. Come in."

Seeing Poporing's pouting face, a natural smile formed on my lips.

A stupi—no, an innocent but talented artisan was right before my eyes.

It was hard to believe she was Ian's younger sister, but she clearly had Ian's trust, and wasn't she the granddaughter of that old man?

I hadn't heard the results yet, but if her skills were certain, I had to secure her.

"Report."

"Yes. As you ordered, we evaluated Miss Poporing's skills. To start with the conclusion, Miss Poporing possesses top-tier talent as an artificer. We requested several items, including a 'Mana Circulation Device,' and she went beyond simply finishing them within the time limit—she modified the blueprints and increased efficiency by 1.3 times. It is a remarkable achievement."

"Hyuu?"

Hearing the middle-aged man's words, Poporing tilted her head for a moment, then her lips began to twitch as she spoke.

"I-Ian oppa! Did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you hear that? He said I'm r-remarkable! See! I-I was a remarkable person! Hyuuu! I thought all rich people were bad, but they have better eyes than I thought..."

"However."

"...Hyuu-ing?"

"Compared to her outstanding artifact crafting skills, her business talent is non-existent. The business plan Miss Poporing wrote shows no concept of cost or profit. I can confidently say that even the ten-year-old youngest member of our guild could write a better plan than this."

"Hyuu-ugh...! ...T-Ten years old... or less! Th-That can't be...!"

"Considering the above, while Miss Poporing has the highest talent as a magic tool creator, she is deemed unsuitable to be entrusted with a business."

"Fufut. I thought as much. Good work. You may leave."

"Yes, Master."

Slide—

As the middle-aged man silently left the room, Helen, with a beaming smile, approached Poporing and spoke.

"Now then, Miss Poporing."

"Hyuu-eek?!!"

"From this moment on, I, Helen Redrose, am going to make you an offer you can't refuse."