“Jacob, do I really have to come with you?” Aurora asks, looking greatly reluctant.   

“Yes, I already told you that I don’t have any money; I lost all of it. That’s why it’s necessary for you to come with me,” I say with a shrug.   

“But I could just give you the money, can’t I?” She asks, throwing a disgusted look behind me.   

“Well, you can, but I am not sure how much it’s going to cost, you see? It’s better for you to come with me,” I answer.   

“Can’t you just… Can’t you just go alone and ask them the price first? You can come back to me and I will give you the money,” Aurora says.   

“Hmm? So, you don’t mind standing here all alone, waiting for me to return?” I ask, raising my hand to gesture at the area in front of me.   

Right now, me and Aurora are standing outside the entrance of the red-light district. Against the darkening sky, the sex shops and brothels are lit dazzlingly, readying themselves to face the busiest hours of the day.   

Though there are scarcely any men in the district yet, the streets are still bustling with prostitutes and street-sellers, trying to take all the good spot where the influx of the crowd is going to be greater.   

“…”   

Aurora silently looks at the street filled with prostitutes, her eyes looking calculative. It’s obvious that she knows what’s going to happen in just half an hour or so…   

“This… This brothel you were talking about, is that place really safe?” she asks, doubtful.   

“Yup, it’s the best brothel there is, the security is really heavy. You will be perfectly safe there,” I assure her.   

“W-Well then, I guess I will go with you,” she says with a small nod before shifting close to me and grabbing my arm tightly.   

And like this, with a small grin on my face, I steer Aurora inside the red-light district. As expected, the moment the prostitutes see me, all the cheap ones that are not affiliated with any brothels gather around— shouting out their prices and flashing everything inside their skimpy clothes.   

Giving out a small voice of revulsion, Aurora buries her head against my shoulder to shield her eyes from this scene. Fortunately, it seems like the prostitutes thought of this as an act of claiming me as her customer, because the next moment, all of them starts scattering back to their places, looking disgruntled.   

“How far is it?” Aurora asks, her voice muffled.   

“Just a couple of more minutes…” I answer in a distracted sort of way.   

As I reach close to my destination, a new fear starts occupying my mind.   

Hey, Black, you are sure that this will work, right?  

{Yes, master. I believe that the combination of those two things will certainly result in a favorable outcome… at least for a certain period of time.}  

… I hope so.   

What I am going to do now is the most important part of my plan. This phase was supposed to be executed over the span of at least a week, but due to the time limitation I have set upon myself, some major changes were made.   

And honestly, these changes were not at all well thought out. There is no way I could have achieved any chances of success following them. And now that I think about it— there was no actual solution to go through this phase at all.   

Well, until I discussed my revised plan with the Black system, that is…   

Black told me about this new discovery it made recently, devised from closely studying my skills and the past incidents that happened to me, that could be just the solution I was looking for.   

To me, it sounded too good to be true. And even looking factually, this is just a theory, it’s not guaranteed to work out practically… But now, I have no choice but to take a risk.  

{Master, you should hurry up. It’s close. It’s coming.}  

I know…   

“We are here,” I say, lightly shaking Aurora’s shoulder, who instantly looks up.   

Currently, we are standing in front of a luxurious-looking, widely spread out three-story building, magnificently outshining every other brothel in the red-light district: The Nux.   

“This one does look better than every other thing in this place combined,” Aurora mutters, clearly relieved just by the grandeur of the brothel.   

The large painting of a beautiful woman winks at me seductively as we start to move inside. Once again, the interior of this place greatly impresses me.   

But what impresses me, even more, is the gorgeous woman sitting behind the receptionist’s desk. She seems to be in her late twenties or early thirties with long black hair, enticing blue eyes, and an hour-glass figure.   

And just like last time, she’s wearing tight clothes, clearly for alluring the costumers.   

“Hello, sir, thank you for choosing us once again. How may I—”  

She stands up from her chair to greet me but abruptly stops— noticing that Aurora is with me.   

“I am sorry to inform you, sir, but we do not allow women from other brothels inside our establishment,” she tells me as politely as she could.   

“I am not a prostitute!  We are here together as costumers,” Aurora says coldly.   

“Oh… I am— please forgive me for assuming,” she apologies while bowing a little, looking surprised.   

Well, I cannot blame her…   

“So how can I help you today, sir, madam? Some of our women are reserved, but there are still many available. If you are looking for a male prostitute, I am sorry to say but that service is reservation-only as we don’t keep men in our establishment permanently,” she tells me.   

“Yeah… Eh… No, you see, we wish to speak with Evelyn Carson first— the owner of this place,” I say.   

For a couple of seconds, the receptionist stares at me and Aurora like we are some mildly interesting creatures, before speaking up again.   

“I am Evelyn Carson. How can I help you, sir?”   

““…””  

“You are the owner of this place!?” I ask incredulously.  

“I certainly am,” she answers.  

Fuck…   

“Oh… Oh, well, I— I heard that the owner of this brothel is incredibly beautiful. And you are, obviously,” I say, a bit nervous from this unexpectedness.   

“Thank you for your kind words, sir,” she says, giving me yet another bow.   

“So… So, I was wondering if I could buy— I mean, hire your service for me and my friend tonight,” I say.  

“Ah, unfortunately, I don’t work as a prostitute,” she replies with a smile, unperturbed by my request.   

“Oh, money is not the problem, you see,” I add.  

“I am not a prostitute, sir. And no amount of money will change that,” She says, a little stern now.  

Shit…  

That bastard Ryan told me that the owner of the Nux is really sexy and she will readily sleep with you if presented with the right amount! (He himself heard about this from someone else though.)  

Fuck! What should I do now!?   

…   

Oh! Wait a second!   

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a great idea clicks into my mind.   

“But still, I would like you to share a bed with me and my friend for tonight,” I repeat, gaining some confidence.   

“Sir, I don’t think you understand, but—”  

“I clearly understand what you are saying. But as it happened, a few days ago, a certain harpy showed up at my doorstep. She claimed to my ex-girlfriend that she’s carrying my daughter inside her womb. And needless to say, the “ex” was added after that little fiasco. I never knew that a high-class brothel like this allows something like that to happen,” I lie, without even flinching.   

“I-I am really sorry for that, sir. Even though we do not hold control of that Harpy anymore, we are ready to take full responsibility for it,” She apologizes, flustered.   

As I thought, Evelyn knows that if a blunder like this becomes public, the reputation of her brothel will be greatly damaged. Even if it’s not their fault at all.  

“Then take responsibility for it with your body,” I say with a shrug.   

Damn… Pink system would have been proud of this line.   

“…”  

Evelyn looks troubled now.   

“Sir, I-I would like to fulfill your wish at all costs, but please reconsider. I can provide you with any number of women as you like, just not me. As strange as it may sound, but I am greatly inexperienced in sex. In fact, I have only had a couple of sexual encounters in my entire life, and that too with women only. I don’t think that I will be able to satisfy you or your friend,” she says.   

…   

For real!?   

There’s got to be some reason behind this, though I don’t have time to ask her now…  

“W-Well, you don’t need to worry about that. I want to sleep with you, and you only,” I insist strongly.   

…   

Once again, Evelyn falls silent for a few seconds. It’s easy to tell that she’s trying hard to think of an excuse. But after a few seconds, unable to find a way out, she makes up her mind.   

“Very well then, please follow me,” she says, coming out from behind the receptionist’s counter and starting to walk further inside the brothel.   

Immediately, Me and Aurora follow her. Aurora, a bit reluctantly.   

{Master, you just have around twenty seconds left now. Please hurry up!}  

Wait, what!?   

Twenty… Twenty seconds!?  

{Yes, master.}  

The fuck!? Why didn’t you told me earlier!?   

{You were having a serious conversation, master. I am sorry.}  

… Damn it!   

Right now, we are passing through a corridor, at the end of which, I remember, is the grand room I was in the last time, having sex with Nina and the three prostitutes.   

We must be going there…   

Quickly, I grab Aurora’s hand and move forward towards Evelyn to grab hers as well. Then, ignoring their surprised expressions, I break into a run, dragging them along with me towards the end of the corridor.   

Fortunately, the door of the room is not locked, making it easier for me to kick it open and push both the women inside, before closing the door shut behind.   

{Master, quick!}  

“Beast’s scent, Acti—”  

Black miasma erupts in front of my eyes.   

 

[Beast Awakening]