Chapter 80

“Sorry to disturb you.”

The old woman who was led to the reception room of the Yuritania Palace, Aurence, said bluntly to Yuri as soon as she entered the room.

Aurence’s lack of civility towards the lord of the country made Shaula, who had led her here, blatantly frown. From Yuri’s point of view, it was nothing to be concerned about.

“Welcome, Aurence. What can the head of the Hayes Chamber of Commerce want from me?”

“Baboon……. I’m sure you know I run the brothel, don’t you?”

“What can I do for you?”

Yuri smiled and brushed aside Aurence question.

At first glance, I could tell that this person was not as good as Rubetta or Ados, but she was still definitely a shrewd merchant.

Showing your emotions to a crafty old person like this may be harmful, it won’t do any good. So Yuri decided to respond with a pasted-on smile and a poker face.

“And you’re not as old as you look.”

“Well, there’s no denying that. Still, I think you’re younger than Aurence, don’t you?”<br />(TN: The RAW and TL confuse me so I just go with it…)

“Hee hee. You must be young compared to this old hag.”

The old woman smiled in amusement at Yuri’s words.

Seeing this reaction, Yuri felt an honest fondness for Aurence.

As was the case with her beloved grandfather, people who have aged well are not ashamed of their age. The smile on Aurence’s face showed some humility, but it also showed the pride of a person who has lived long.

“By the way, what can I do for you today? I’d like to remind you that, as you know, I do not accept gifts from merchants.”

This has been the case since the time I was working at the Lord’s House in Nildea before I moved to Yuritania. As the lord of the country, Yuri was visited by many merchants who came to her with gifts and schemed to get her to do something for them.

It soon became too much trouble to deal with them all, so Yuri announced to the citizens through a broadcast that ‘merchants who come to the lord’s mansion with gifts will be beaten up’.

After the announcement, the merchants who came to the house with gifts were thrown out without exception. If this is the case with Aurence, then of course Yuri is going to do the same.

“You’re fastidious, aren’t you……? Well, I’m sure it’s ideal for the head of state.

I just came to thank you today. I wanted to bring you at least one thank you gift, but I couldn’t because I was afraid I would get kicked out.”

“That’s a wise decision. If you had, I’m sure you would have been kicked out.

By the way…… what is this thank you thing you’re talking about? I can’t think of anything that Aurence should be thanking me for.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. You’re the one who’s been bringing in more customers to the brothel all of a sudden since about half a month ago, aren’t you?”

“…… What makes you say that?”

“The number of women who come to the brothel is not uncommon. But they are a very small minority. If dozens of them started coming to the brothel every day, even I would feel strange about it.”

“Oh…… that’s right……”

The former secret agents of the kingdom were all women. Originally, there were men, but they were used to feed the children of the <Kuroyuri>, so not a shred of flesh remains.

“But how did you know it was one of mine?”

“Most of the female patrons had a distinct kingdom accent in their speech.

At first, I thought that the kingdom’s secret agents were planning to come to Yuritania and gather information in the brothel, but…… I don’t think the kingdom can afford that. So I thought it would be more natural to think of them as former soldiers of the kingdom who are now being used as pawns by the lord of this country.”

“With that much information? Aurence is a person of great wisdom.”

“Ha! Nothing good will come from praising this old hag!”

Aurence itches to say this as if she is not used to being praised.

Yuri’s grandfather had often reacted that way, and Yuri was rather pleased with her.

“It’s true, though, that the brothel has been able to stay afloat thanks to this. At one point, it was so bad that I almost couldn’t afford to pay the girls I hired……

Thank you, you’ve been a great help.”

“Aurence was so polite to come out here to thank me.”

“Running a brothel is a world where everything is based on human relations. It’s not an easy world for someone who can’t even make sense of others to keep going.”

“Hmmm…… That’s very interesting.”

The words of a merchant who has been in the brothel business for many years carry a lot of weight.

A brothel is indeed a place where people interact deeply with each other, both physically and mentally. If you’re going to make a business out of it, you need to have the appropriate integrity and philosophy on your side, or you’ll find yourself quickly turned off by customers.

“I’m glad to know that Yuri-sama took the trouble to support a business that’s as hated by the public as we are in a non-gratuitous way.”

“I don’t care if it results in you finding out.”

“Hee hee, no doubt!”

Yuri responded with a shrug.

Seeing this, Aurence shook her shoulders with a chuckle and an amused smile.

“I don’t have any prejudice against prostitutes, and if you’ve been watching, you know that I have an eye for the ladies. I’ll at least support you.”

“I see……. Then you should come to the brothel sometime. I’ll make sure you get plenty of service from my young ones.”

“Hmm. I wonder if it’s possible to pick you up at the brothel?”

“………………What?”

Aurence rolled her eyes at Yuri’s words.

“If you’re going to make a joke, make it a little more clever……. It’s a little hard to smile when you say something like that out in the open.”

“But wasn’t Aurence quite beautiful in her youth?”

Even to a Japanese Yuri, Aurence looked to be in her late 70s. Her back is straight and her body lines are intact despite her age.

If it weren’t for the countless wrinkles on her face, she would be quite beautiful. At least, that’s what Yuri’s sensor, which has assessed many of the same sex, has determined.

“Well…… you know, 50 years ago, I’d have thought I’d have looked a certain way.”

“Then there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll make you look young again.”

“You’re not joking, are you? There have been rumors in the merchant guild for some time now that some of the merchants in business with the state are getting younger, is that true?”

“Oh, if you know, then you can talk quickly. I’m the one who rejuvenated Rubetta of the Rostine Merchant Company and Ados of the Tormark Merchant Company, as Aurence said. Well…… to be exact, it was due to the effects of a potion made by my childer.

―――Aurence, I have a suggestion. I’ll prepare a [Rejuvenation Potion] for you, and I want you to be mine. Of course, it can be used for business purposes or personal use.”

Aurence, a shrewd merchant who lacks the intellects of Rubetta and Ados, is a rather attractive opponent to Yuri.

Because there are plans to set up brothels in the “Tourist Resort Section” and “Labyrinth Dungeon Area” of the new city, I can say that I want her to be there.

And to be honest, I’m not sure if I want to push down Aurence now that she’s a complete old woman. But when Yuri imagined Aurence in her youthful state, she is very interested.

So, even in a ‘personal and private sense’, she would like to have her.

Well, Yuri welcomes any woman, young or old, so she doesn’t mind if she stays old. Yuri’s way of loving is quite intense, so the thought of holding an old woman scares her from a safe point of view.

Even the children of the <Shirayuri>, who are constantly working out, will be so exhausted that they won’t be able to get up for a while the next morning.

“Hehe. Some devils in this world would offer a woman a deal for her youth.”

“You’ve lived a very long life, haven’t you? Maybe you should give up your life to the devil for once and find a new kind of pleasure.”

“Oh my God, that’s horrible. ―――By the way, I have a few good friends who are prostitutes of the same age, and I started as a merchant when I started running my brothel to make sure they weren’t mistreated.”

“Oh, you’re a good friend. That’s nice.”

“If you can get my best friend what you call a [Rejuvenation Potion].

If you’re willing to do that, I’d be happy to be yours.”

―――How can you prepare such a precious potion for so many people?

The expression on Aurence face clearly said so. From Yuri’s point of view, the [Ochimizu], a rejuvenating medicine, is an item that is stockpiled in such large quantities that it can be called a bad inventory, so it is not something to be spared.

“On that condition, then, do I need to sign a contract?”

“Hehe, I don’t need one. I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me. I don’t know how I ended up in this mess.”

“It’s a shame you got caught by the devil.”

“Oh, dear. If the devil is the main god, this world is finished.”

Aurence smiled her most amusing smile to date as she said this.

Yuri also broke into a smile, happy to have a new partner she could trust.