The Red Flower Garden
I heard a grumbling voice from behind me. “Why the hell am I even here…?”
Since I did feel a little bad about it, I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard a thing.
“Lord Leoric, would you care for some tea?”
“Mm. Yes, please.”
Inside the rattling carriage—which somehow still delivered a surprisingly smooth and comfortable ride—I sipped the tea Neria had brewed for me. The sweet flavor tickled my tongue as I gazed out the window at the passing streets. The tidy, orderly buildings were gradually transforming into something far more ornate and luxurious.
“Are we almost there?”
“Yes, my lord. Just a little farther.”
Zeke, seated across from me, answered with a distinctly uncomfortable expression. He clearly wasn’t thrilled that I’d decided to come all the way out here. Still, dropping by once in a while wasn’t a bad idea.
“Um… why exactly am I here with you?”
“Hahaha.”
We’d run into Isabel on the way. It really had been a coincidence. Today must have been her day off. Instead of the practical adventurer outfit I’d seen her wearing at the guild, she was dressed in light, everyday clothes.
“Today’s your day off?”
“……Yes.”
“Where were you headed?”
“…………The, the market.”
I spotted the small envelope in her hand. The moment my eyes landed on it she flinched and tried to hide it, only to freeze mid-motion.
Neria, Zeke, and Chloe all turned their gazes toward her. Isabel let out a tiny sigh and reluctantly held the envelope out. Chloe took it, thought for a second, then immediately passed it to me.
Grinning, and with permission granted, I opened the envelope and pulled out what was inside.
Rustle.
“Oh.”
A pair of white panties decorated with a small bear. The high-quality fabric was small enough to fit in my palm, incredibly soft to the touch. A cute bear illustration had been printed right on the slightly puffed rear.
I’d thought this for a while, but this world definitely wasn’t medieval. What the hell was this mysterious advanced technology?
When I glanced at Isabel, her face had turned a deep, burning crimson.
“These are Veluti, right?”
“Veluti?”
“It’s an underwear brand,” Neria explained, pointing at the bear design. “They’re very popular with the younger crowd lately because they’re so cute.”
“Ah, got it.”
She said they were priced so even commoners could afford them. Buying them regularly was difficult, but people saved up their pocket money or wages to wear them as special “battle panties.”
“Sigh.”
Zeke turned to stare out the window with the face of a man who had seen something he never wanted to see. Isabel kept her head down, cheeks still flaming. Only Chloe and Neria continued examining the panties with me.
“Does Chloe wear things like this too?”
“……”
The glare she shot me was anything but friendly. Even now, the skirt-wearing Chloe was going commando underneath. Whoops.
“What about you, Neria?”
“As embarrassing as it is, I’m wearing the underwear prepared by the castle.”
From hair ties to daily necessities, we were only allowed to use items supplied by the castle. Personal belongings were reserved for the servants alone.
“Really?”
“Would you like to see?”
The moment Neria playfully lifted the hem of her skirt, both Chloe and Isabel recoiled in horror. Zeke remained steadfastly focused on the scenery outside.
“No, that’s fine.”
Was it my imagination, or did she look slightly disappointed?
Chloe sighed and pointed at the panties still spread open in my hand.
“Must you stare quite so blatantly?”
“Whoops. Sorry.”
I’d been looking for too long. I carefully folded the panties so they wouldn’t wrinkle and slipped them back into the envelope. Of course. Panties are sacred.
After neatly repackaging it, I handed the envelope back to Isabel. Still blushing furiously, she accepted it with both hands and clutched it tightly to her chest once more.
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine.”
She now wore the expression of someone who had simply given up. I smiled at her and told her our destination.
“The place we’re heading to now is the red-light district.”
“The red-light district? …Is this related to security matters?”
Isabel’s face instantly switched to full adventurer mode. Now that she was responsible for maintaining public order, she oversaw three main areas.
The first was the adventurers’ guild. While multiple guilds operated there, it primarily managed magic-wielding adventurers who drifted between regions, making it one of the biggest threats to local security. That was why she had come under my direct management, just like when we first met.
The second was the castle gate. It functioned like a military checkpoint. In fantasy novels it was usually shown as the place where travelers got their luggage inspected or IDs checked—often portrayed as pitiful characters who got robbed by protagonists or villains. In reality, that never happened. Because it screened for magic users and criminals while verifying identities, soldiers and knights (who held positions similar to modern military officers) rotated shifts there. In some ways, it was actually safer than inside the castle itself. I occasionally worked in the office nearby.
The third and final area was the red-light district. It was an entertainment street visited by ordinary citizens, travelers, adventurers, and all sorts of people. While it carried the general atmosphere of a “dark street,” here it fell under the lord’s direct jurisdiction. The organizations run by those underworld “big brothers” did operate most of the shops, but everything was legal. These were proper, officially registered businesses. The prostitutes were legitimate workers who paid their taxes.
There were several reasons I personally oversaw a place like this, but the biggest was sexually transmitted diseases. Once an outbreak began, it was nearly impossible to contain, and tracing the infection route was extremely difficult. Merchants and adventurers traveled between many regions, so if a disease spread it could paralyze the entire territory and devastate the economy. Healing required pouring in enormous amounts of magic power—something only knight-level individuals could manage—and the number of such cases was strictly limited. Even nobles found it difficult to force the issue.
That was why every employee working there underwent regular medical examinations, and the organizations that managed them were under tight supervision. They could compete with each other freely, but crossing the line meant direct punishment from me.
The second major reason was magic power holders. Since more than half the customers were adventurers, children with magic sometimes resulted. Contraception was left to the prostitutes’ discretion; as long as they took proper responsibility for any child born, we didn’t interfere. The organizations wanted adventurers’ blood precisely because of the chance of producing magic users. When such a baby was born, the organization was required to report it to the territory immediately. Hiding the child to raise it as their own power would constitute treason, so everything was run quite cleanly.
“We could handle the inspection ourselves,” Zeke said. His words carried exactly that meaning. It was important, but not somewhere I needed to visit personally. Occasional inspections by officials were usually sufficient.
“You’re not curious about the prostitutes, are you?” Chloe asked, giving me a look that said she hoped not. I felt Zeke and Neria’s eyes on me as well. Even Isabel, tucked away in the corner, stared with open curiosity.
“No, it’s not like that, okay?”
Curiosity wasn’t the whole reason. Though I had to admit it made up about half.
“When I head to Muller I’ll need to clean up the red-light district properly, so it’s good to take a look at least once.”
Is that so hard to believe? Stop looking at me like that. Especially you, Chloe. Why does it feel like your opinion of me keeps dropping?
“We’ll arrive shortly.”
At Zeke’s words I looked out the window again. The slightly grimy street was becoming neat once more. No—luxurious was the better word.
“They’ve invested quite a lot here.”
“The red-light district generates decent tax revenue. The soldiers visit frequently as well.”
Made sense. Just as Zeke said, the taxes collected from this place were nothing to sneeze at.
“How often do adventurers come?”
I turned to Isabel.
“Third-rate adventurers come with whatever pocket change they have left after eating for the day. Second-rate adventurers come with whatever’s left after setting money aside for equipment. First-rate adventurers come with whatever’s left after they’ve saved some coin.”
“So basically every adventurer ends up here.”
They really lived day to day. Did they all think with their lower halves? …Chloe. Why are you looking at me like that again?
“There must be quite a few female adventurers too, right?”
“Not many, but yes, there are some.”
“Do they visit the brothels as well?”
“There are plenty of establishments that cater specifically to female adventurers.”
I see. …I was only looking at Isabel while we talked. Why are all of you staring at me like that?
“I’ve never been to one,” Isabel added quickly.
“…I didn’t even say anything.”
I swallowed the urge to grumble. A brief silence fell over the carriage before it rattled to a stop.
“We’ve arrived.”
Following Zeke’s announcement, I looked at the view outside the window. This was the largest organization in the district. A striking red building with impressive interior design stood before us—the tallest and most luxurious structure in the area. A high-class establishment frequented by major merchants and the district’s influential figures. Even among adventurers, only a handful of first-rate ones could afford a single woman here.
The Red Flower Garden.
The street had grown strangely quiet. Several knights stood guard around the carriage with strict formality. I stepped down slowly.
“Welcome.”
At the entrance, numerous women greeted us. Among all the gorgeously adorned ladies, the most brilliant one of all—elegant rather than vulgar—approached. A blonde woman wearing a dress that boldly revealed her chest. The beauty mark near her eye was captivating. I’d heard she was past thirty and nearing forty, yet her appearance made it impossible to guess her exact age. The madam of the garden, a woman so desired that even money could no longer buy a night with her.
“I am Beatrice, madam of the Red Flower Garden.”
“So you’re the famous flower of the garden, known as the most beautiful and seductive woman here. Nice to meet you. I’m Leoric Franz.”
This is going to be a good night.