Before the Threat Becomes Reality
Ailene Year 563, March 16th—Saturday.
It had been a fortnight since Daprone's treatment, and here I was at the Adventurer's Guild for the first time in ages.
I, who valued time like gold, was showing up at the guild in broad daylight—not even in the afternoon—all to pay the Guild Master Daprone's ransom.
"Are you really okay with just 300 gold? That's exactly what I paid when I bought her as a slave."
"Doesn't matter to me. If she's selling her own property, who am I to complain? You said she'd get to keep singing by your side, right? That's all I care about."
"Exactly. After hearing Daprone's story, I couldn't just stand by as a doctor. That's why I'm taking her to Gold Territory with us."
"Hmph. Looks all pretty and delicate, but acts like a real man. Speaking of, you're not a baron anymore—you're a count now. How long you gonna keep talking like that? Some new noble tactic?"
Even in the lingering chill of March, the Guild Master of the Frederik Dungeon Zone Adventurer's Guild was dressed in her usual revealing outfit—more skin showing than cloth or leather.
I chuckled softly and shook my head at her words, spat out as she tucked the money pouch into her bosom.
"Think of it as my habit, Your Excellency. Treat me like you always do."
"Hm. The Director gets weirder the more I see him. Well, at least you're not some creepy pervert with a weird fetish, so I won't worry too much."
"Fetish?"
The Guild Master, having pocketed the money, pulled a rolled-up parchment from her bosom and handed it over, continuing.
It was the official slave certificate she'd received from the slaver when she bought Daprone.
"Come to think of it, that wolf boy you bought before was a werewolf, and Daprone's a siren. And you've always had suspiciously deep pockets... W-wait, no way!?"
With the exchange complete, the Guild Master seemed lost in some bizarre delusion.
No point lingering, so I turned to leave the guild.
"Whatever you're imagining, it's not that. Thanks for taking good care of Daprone all this time. I'll be going now."
"You better not do anything weird! Hey?!"
"I'm off."
Stepping outside the guild, Walter spotted me and opened the carriage door.
"It's cold—get in."
"I'm fine, Director."
"Let's go. Busy day ahead."
"Yes, Director."
I smiled wryly at Walter's ever-loyal response and climbed into the carriage. As he followed and fiddled with the crystal orb, the magic carriage lurched toward Beauty Tower.
The Guild Master would never dream that my taking Daprone wasn't just some doctor's principled altruism, like I'd told her.
"We've arrived, Director. Please step out."
"Good work. I've got a meeting in the conference room, so no need for you to—hmm?"
As I stepped out the door Walter held open, a sweet, echoing voice suddenly rang out, making both of us glance around.
"When I open my eyes in the morning, I think of youuu~!"
A powerful yet sweet melody, brimming with emotional appeal. Though out of sight, only one person could sing like that.
"Oh my, what a beautiful voice..."
"Just hearing it makes my eyes water... W-what? Why're there tears?!"
While I'd been at the guild fetching the slave certificate, a full-blown concert had apparently kicked off in front of Beauty Tower.
Before heading out, I'd told Daprone she'd have plenty of chances to sing properly soon, so she should warm up her voice.
Didn't expect her to perform out here. But where's it coming from? I can't see her.
As I scanned around in confusion, Walter pointed into the air.
"Seems like it's coming from up there."
"Pardon? Where... Oh, you're right."
Daprone's true profession was opera singer—a siren opera singer at that.
And there she was, flapping the wings on her back, soaring through the sky and showering the hospital vicinity with her enchanting voice.
They say entertainers have to be attention whores... Guess it's true.
I'd only told her to warm up lightly, but here she was putting on a flying show to play to her siren's strengths.
"Every time I see a beautiful nose, I think of youuu~ Ah~~ Ahhhh~~~!"
"G-Good heavens! Such high notes!"
"W-what? Are my eyes broken? Why won't the tears stop?!"
The crowd gathering around Beauty Tower gasped, hands over mouths, trembling with sheer awe as Daprone effortlessly hit a triple trill high note—explosive yet sweet.
"Where our beauty first began~ Right in front of Beauty Tower... Huh? Director? Directooor!"
With a piercing, vibrant high note that could pierce the clouds, Daprone spotted me, froze mid-air, then plummeted straight down in a vertical dive, gliding right toward me.
"Da-Dapro... ngh!"
"Directooor! I was just warming up, hehe. Practicing the melody and lyrics you taught me—how was it? The technique and tune are so different from my old opera pieces, but it's super fun!"
I barely shoved off the aggressively incoming Daprone and forced a bright smile.
Lots of eyes were on her now. And right now, she needed carrots, not sticks.
Over the past two weeks, I'd adapted timeless hits to my taste, turning them into jingles for the hospital, and had her practice them.
Didn't think she'd nail it this well. At this rate, I'll recoup in a year, not thirty.
As Daprone landed, people crowded closer, eager even for a glimpse, and I could already smell the sweet scent of gold.
And if it meant money, I'd embrace humans, animals, or subhumans like Daprone with open arms.
My emotions must've shown on my face as I beamed at her.
"You're doing great. Looks like you've completely overcome showing your feet to people."
"Yesss! Of course! Thanks to you, Director, I love not having to hide being a siren anymore! Like you said, it's a fact I can't change, so I just play to that strength!"
All those words to boost her self-esteem had been throwaways. Never imagined she'd take them to heart and fly around showing off.
"Um... did I mess up somehow? Your face..."
"Huh? No, your voice is just so good it caught me off guard. I've got a meeting, so I should head in. Keep practicing those songs I taught you, okay? You memorized the lyrics?"
"Yep! Next up, Magic Tower Kilimanjaro."
"Sounds good. Keep it up."
Daprone shot back into the sky with a grin, belting out lyrics sniping Wind Tower:
"Can't come like the wind and go like the dew~"
I headed inside, listening to her song.
Reaching the meeting room in the corner of the first-floor Cash Shop, I found our Gold Territory brains—Cache and Rachel—already there.
"Directooor~ You made it?"
"You've arrived?"
"Yeah, no need to stand. Let's sit and get started."
"Yessir!"
"Yes."
Cache, like vibrant summer with her citrus scent; Rachel, like emotionless winter.
I'd gathered them because it was time for serious preparations.
"Before we dive in, Rachel—handle this first. Backdate it to yesterday."
"Right away."
Rachel, formerly a Frederik Dungeon Zone office clerk, was now Gold Territory's civil servant—and my subordinate.
Handing her Daprone's slave certificate, she forged the paperwork right in front of me: Daprone integrated into Gold Territory, registered as Beauty Tower staff, no longer a slave—dated yesterday.
"Opera singer Daprone's integration into Gold Territory and Beauty Tower staff registration complete. Backdated to yesterday."
"Good work, Rachel."
I could boss her around on a Saturday because, beyond her office job, I'd made her family treasurer—with a fat salary.
The treasurer handled accounting and finances. Perfect for someone who'd vacuumed up territory funds like a black hole.
"Alright, let's begin. Cache, kick off the meeting."
"Got it, Director! Emergency meeting for Gold Territory prosperity—starting now. First, our main revenue is Beauty Tower."
With cheerful energy, Cache rubbed the crystal orb, projecting a screen onto the conference room wall like a beam projector.
"Beauty Tower launched business on Ailene Year 561, July 11th. By absorbing patients from Wind Tower—the sole magic tower in Frederik Dungeon Zone—and focusing on 'beauty' treatments that didn't exist before, it shattered the notion that magic towers equal hospitals equal amputations equal death. It's the one hospital changing perceptions."
Though in the West Continent's boonies, less than two years in, more and more people were flocking to us, just as Cache described.
Nodding as warm money winds tickled my nostrils, I watched Cache pull out a long pointer and continue.
"Beauty Tower's made money not just from treatments, but Cash Shop cosmetics, over-the-counter meds, barber services targeting trend-sensitive ladies and young lords, and even a silver mine. But now, Ailene Year 563 March—Gold Territory faces a massive crisis!"
Tucking away the pointer, Cache turned to Rachel and me with a resolute expression.
"The biggest problem? Black magic and black mages. Without solving this, Gold Territory can't grow further. And I'll explain the solution to overcome it!"
No matter how much money you make, disasters kill business.
Without preparing for the black magic disaster, Beauty Tower couldn't expand.
No—my isekai life itself would be at risk.
So we prepare—before the black mages' threat becomes reality.