I Own a Brothel in Another World

Chapter 194 – A King’s Abode

For a little while, Shino trots to join Paul and the rest of the Heroes as their main strategist calls for a quick briefing. I do the same, retreating to Ressia and the girls. The commanding wolfgirl is overseeing her subordinates as they bring in and prepare horses, loading a few things into the saddle packs.

As I stop next to her, she tries not to show any reaction on her fierce face, acting like the proper, undistracted captain, but naturally fails to fully get a hold of her swishing tail. I hold back my smirk so as not to jeopardise her efforts and watch the swinging appendage only from the corner of my eye. It’s way too cute not to, in the end.

With everything ready, Yuru the pure-blood Leopardkin brings me my own horse and the ladies gather for our quick pre-journey meeting too. I’m not surprised that all the animals are more or less the same colour, dark grey in this case. Save for mine.

Yeah. They couldn’t just simply get me the same, could they?

So, I end up with a pure black steed and accept their gift respectfully, showing my appreciation to the short beastgirl through the gentle ruffling of her fluffy hair and ears. A few other women stare at me with longing gazes, even though the vast majority of the squad is missing such special features atop their heads.

I might have been spoiling them too much with my pats recently.

But hey, when you are surrounded by so many Beastkin girls it kind of becomes a habit. One that I’m not regretting.

Ressia gives me a glance and I nod at her. I’m here mostly to observe so she should assume most if not all responsibilities of the leader during this expedition. In the end, I won’t be accompanying them every single time. I might try whenever I’m able to, of course, but there are plenty of other things to take care of. Anything related to my lovely wives takes priority.

Therefore, I listen to the short speech my canine second-in-command gives, admiring her attempts at motivating the others. It’s not like she needs to do that as they are all fired up to prove themselves, but she still seems to hit a few good notes when addressing each person, showing that they are a tightly-knit family already. They have gotten quite close during training and it was time to show just how much in real situations.

Paul’s group is done around the same time as us and we all jump on our respective horses. Shino takes a regretful peek at me and I show her a warm smile. There’s no doubt she wanted to join me in the saddle but the others must have talked her out of it, most likely to keep the professional appearance. She has her group while I have mine.

As for our formation, we mix our members to achieve the best result.

Kamil, Marcia, Yuru and Catherine take the front in a chevron whenever possible. Natalie, Paul, Fullen, Suna, Ressia, and Shino stay in the centre as the core of the team. Then, Oniri, Besfi and Vanessa take the back with me. That way, there’s a tank on both sides while the ranged and support members are safe and sound.

Naturally, this might change depending on the road or path we will take, tightening the formation a little as a result. But, everyone knows their role and things should be fine. Paul can spot most of the dangers and threats from the middle thanks to his sharp eyes while I spread my senses from the backline. I’m technically the highest Tier here, additionally boosted by a great number of great ladies, so I’m kind of a jack-of-all-trades amongst them.

Without delaying too much, we move out and ride at a decently fast pace. Thanks to Natalie’s Symphony of Wind and Besfi’s healing spells, our horses can comfortably push themselves close to their limits without straining their strength and stamina. To the onlookers, we might be dashing like mad, but we know that it’s nowhere close to what we can achieve if the ladies really put their all into making us go fast.

Because, while moving quickly is all good, we aren’t pressed on time. Arriving too early would be an issue too. Plus, we might be safe, but the other people on the road might not be. It would be a pity to trample some poor traveller and scare the horses of some random caravan by zooming past the cart or carriage like a bullet.

Thank gods there are no speeding tickets in this world.

We cover a good distance during the day, uninterrupted by any random events. Honestly, it would have been a shock to stumble on some kind of trouble less than a day of riding away from the capital. The last time, we had to reach a more or less remote village for that to happen. The kingdom is relatively safe and well-protected.

And least for Humans.

But, we are making good progress on the other races too.

When the evening comes, Paul announces rest time and no one argues with him. I can tell that my girls can easily ride a day or two more thanks to everything they get from me, but we aren’t alone on this trip. And I’m glad to see that they aren’t straight-up crazy about showing results, instead showing proper restraint and moderation.

Stepping off the busy road, we find a decent spot for a camp. The moment we agree on it, my squad jumps off their horses like one man and starts setting up the tents. Only Ressia remains by their animals, dutifully finding them a nice place to graze and tying them up to the trees. She makes sure that the knots are rather easy to solve. Good thinking.

And well, I might have said tents, but after turning back to the team again, I find all five of them popping out multiple metal frames and rods, creating one single pavilion the size of a small circus consisting of three main sections. Even Paul and the others just stand there while watching them move with practised precision. It doesn’t take the girls longer than ten minutes to finish creating a camping masterpiece with a solid skeleton, purple material walls, and even soft lanterns illuminating both outside and inside. It’s just something you could expect a very pompous noble to bring on their trip.

Yet, when they all run to stand in two rows in front of the parted entrance, it becomes clear that this noble would have been me. Someone has clearly thought this out very thoroughly. And only a few someones are capable of bringing up such ideas to the minds of these ladies, who have certainly lived quite poorly for a decent chunk of their existence in this world.

I will need to have a word with their instructors after we are back.

Since it would be rude to have them stay bowed in wait for too long, I try to not show my shock and confusion as I walk the purple carpet leading inside. Curious about the interior, Shino follows me shortly, and after my squad doesn’t react, the others give in to their curiosity too.

The moment I pass through the thin, see-through veil protecting the entrance from the assault of bugs and other nosy intruders, I get a tad dizzy. This entire thing is fully furnished. Starting from the front, you enter the main area, the main lounge you could say, with plenty of sofas, chairs, benches, tables and other stuff. In the very middle, a sizable firepit stands proudly. Thanks to the cascading, two-part roof above it, the fumes can easily escape through the gap in the shape of a ring.

Now, this area has three more exits. Left, right, and back.

To the left is what seems to be a communal bath. I can spot a bunch of tubs, chairs, buckets, and other wooden furniture and appliances. Some steam escapes through the privacy curtain already, so it’s obvious that everything is prepared for use.

To the right, they set up a kitchen. Some simple counters, cupboards, utensils, and so on. There’s a smaller fire in there, with a hanging grill above it, so it’s pretty clear that the central one is mainly for aesthetics and to keep everyone warm. It’s hard to see, but I bet the kitchen is fully stocked and I can expect someone to come and ask for requests in just a moment.

As for the last compartment, it looks to be an additional bedroom in case someone didn’t want to crash on the comfortable rugs and couches around the giant bonfire. The very familiar bunk beds peek out of that section. I have a feeling that it’s also enchanted with the Hall of Serenity, providing the tenants with uninterrupted rest.

I can imagine at least one boisterous use of the central section right now. And if even I can, there’s no doubt it has been preemptively planned.

“Where the hell did all of this come from?” Marcia is the first person to question this incredulous sight.

My girls walk to the middle and turn to us. They all expose their necks if anything covers that part and bring up the necklaces they have decided to wear as their dog tags. Rather than the standard, quite blocky, oval shape, their two badges obviously resemble a heart with horns and a tail each. The core is shiny purple while the edge is encased in black wood or some other material. From what I can tell, one dog tag is metal and one is crystal.

Ressia holds the crystal one between her fingers. “Each of us carries a spatial storage capable of fitting an entire warehouse of goods and items, courtesy of Mistress Sirgia. We are equipped with plenty of camping utensils and housing arrangements. This is just the main marquee intended for the use of Master and his troops during special circumstances. Without his presence, we can raise a much simpler structure that will fit our basic needs, or a similarly grand pavilion for a VIP or other important person we might be escorting.”

“I don’t know who you would need to escort to need something this grand,” Catherine comments next, looking around in awe. “I can proudly say that I had a chance or two to march alongside the King and even he didn’t camp in something this complex and well-equipped.”

“Sensei deserves nothing less.” Shino nods to herself and my ladies follow suit in full agreement.

I sigh while rubbing my eyes. “It would have been nice if someone warned me about this, honestly. I appreciate the gesture, though. Since this thing is so big, should we just all use it together? I don’t think there’s a point in you all putting up your own camp. Is that alright with you, Ressia?”

The Wolfkin bows politely. “Of course, Sir. We can take our quarters for the night while the others can rest in the main section. If anyone requires a separate compartment, we can quickly set it up in a matter of seconds.”

Glancing at Paul’s team, I see them shaking their heads. “Great. We’ll share, then. And one more thing. I have a feeling that your instructors insisted on all of this being brought out only when I’m around. Personally, I think it would be a waste so feel free to use this camp formation whenever you feel like it. You girls deserve the best too. That’s an order.”

The six of them look at each other before the captain nods. “Yes, Sir. We shall keep that in mind. Now, please make yourselves comfortable while we prepare the food.”

We do exactly that. I also planned to talk all of them out of acting like servants, but they have clearly thought ahead and only three people get delegated to the aforementioned role while the rest join us in touring this magnificent structure. Ressia is one of the three. She serves everyone drinks while Fullen and Suna take care of cooking.

No one knows what they want when asked about preferences so we all agree to simply let the pros bring us their best and the ladies quickly come up with a variety of dishes. They don’t prepare too much, clearly mindful of not wasting the ingredients. That’s a good sign. I would have been disappointed to see them prepare a lavish feast just for me. But, it looks like they have been taught well, even if still a bit too much in some areas.

As I’m sipping on some chilled orange juice and enjoying the gentle massage Yuru gives to my shoulders from behind while purring adorably into my ear, Catherine breaks out of the encirclement of Heroes. She walks up to our spot, taking a seat next to me. Even though we are all out of our armour and outer apparel, she still has this militaristic, regal aura in her very posture.

Yuru eases her kneading and pauses her purring but doesn’t shy away just yet. She regards the woman with an inquisitive glance before refocusing on me. It’s kind of sweet how protective and serious this bundle of cuteness can get when it comes to my person. She’s usually so withdrawn and timid, save for when she fights with her life on the line.

“So, the legendary teacher of the Heroes. I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s an honour to finally meet someone this respected in the flesh,” Catherine begins calmly with a faint hint of a smile.

I smirk back at her. “Then you hold an advantage over me. I know almost nothing about you. But, I guess it’s not that much of a problem as I’m fairly sure everything you’ve heard was grossly exaggerated.”

“The Heroes claim otherwise. Each of them does nothing but sing your praises all the time. A few might be much more enthusiastic than others, of course.” She glances back at her group.

I mirror her motion, singling out Kamil amongst the crowd. It’s of no surprise that Shino and perhaps Marcia sing me a litany of compliments, but she very clearly indicates that all of them do. Our relationship might have somewhat recovered, but I wouldn’t have ever imagined hearing anything too kind from his lips. I guess that’s good.

“Still, exaggerated,” I reply. “I was no one in our world. I was no one at the beginning in this world too. What I taught them has barely any impact on them in this new life of ours. Thus, I can’t really call myself the Teacher of Heroes. They were no Heroes when I assisted their education.”

“Some of us are just late bloomers,” Catherine answers with a shrug. “From what I’ve been told, you never really stopped being their guardian and saved them a bunch of times, still trying to impart wisdom in their young minds. You aren’t going to say that they are still your responsibility after jumping worlds and training for a year to become monster hunters, are you?”

“Old habits die hard, I guess.” I chuckle wryly. “They are all full adults already. They might not attend my classroom anymore but I just can’t help myself from acting like a teacher. Even though they might be more experienced in these topics than I am.”

The conversation stops for a moment as we simply enjoy the mood and watch the others mingle around. Marcia is slowly getting drunk while hanging off Kamil and Paul and the other three ladies sit together to gossip most likely. Shino, Natalie, and Vanessa seem to find each other’s company quite relaxing and comforting. That’s great since the latter certainly has a lot of heavy baggage and needs someone to just be out there, available to listen and simply interact. 

Meanwhile, I can already tell that Marcia and Kamil are going to interact quite intensely in just a few mugs more. Hopefully, they’ll take the bath since no one is currently using it. Otherwise, the girls would most likely need to add one more compartment to this setup. She might be quite open and lively, but others might not wish to witness everything.

“So, how do you find yourself in your new party?” I ask, deciding to talk a little more with the battle-hardened lady.

“Rather well, I must say.” She sighs softly. “I certainly had doubts, even though the first impression they left on me and my subordinates was nothing but bad, but it turns out that I didn’t have to stress over it too much. Yes, the group has one or two individuals with tendencies to run wild, but the others are capable of reigning them in whenever necessary. It’s clear that Paul has a great grasp on their strengths and weaknesses, efficiently and effectively leading those even much stronger than him without a hint of hesitation.”

“Yeah, you can say he came prepared.” I snicker, remembering his hobbies from Earth. “It took a moment for him to adapt, but Naharren gained a valuable commander on that fateful day. Sometimes I feel like his mind is playing multidimensional chess during the fight.”

“I agree. He is very smart and attentive, keeping his attention on all the pieces across the board no matter the situation. He has knowledge and some experience but isn’t arrogant. He easily defers to others and their own wisdom, taking all the advice and introducing it into his plans. At the same time, he isn’t scared of rushing to the frontlines and fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with his comrades. He does prioritise his role as the commander but doesn’t put himself on a pedestal of protection, stepping away from safety when that action is logically the most effective, even if dangerous,” she continues praising him and I smile to myself.

“Yep. All in all, he is a great guy. He is a man who knows who he is and what he wants. A rare breed even in our world.” I nod along.

“Indeed.” Catherine stares into the distance, though I don’t miss what is located in that distance.

“Because of that, you will have your work cut out for you,” I say and she pauses for a split-second.

It’s not as significant as a jerk or freeze, due to her intensive training, but I’m also quite experienced in these matters already and can distinguish the signs. The past me would have most likely missed it. She has quite a good control of her reactions.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.” She turns her collected face to me.

“He is an amazing guy on all accounts, but everyone has their weakness,” I continue casually, swirling the cup with my tasty juice in front of me. “His turns out to be social and intimate interactions. Specifically with women. While his beliefs and values are honourable and impressive, they do hold him back a lot and make him quite unapproachable. One will have to put in quite a lot of effort to prove to him that they are the one he is looking for.”

“I’m afraid I still don’t follow why we are talking about this,” she says, doubling down.

“Are we really going to do this?” I smirk at her knowingly. “Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Out of everyone I’ve met since the day he walked into my classroom, you have the highest chance to succeed. I’ve honestly never heard him bring up a woman’s name out of his own volition during random conversations. Yet, he often speaks of you during training with my other subordinates, and I myself got to know a few bits about you during my meetings with the Heroes. So, in all honesty, if you really are serious about this, I think I can give you my blessing to try.”

We stare at each other in silence for a few long seconds and I start expecting her to deflect for the third time, but I catch her faintly relaxing, finally deciding to let it go.

“And who are you to give me your blessing to pursue him? I thought you were no longer his guardian?” She shows a sign of a light smirk.

“Sensei is the new Demigod of Lust, after all.” Shino makes an appearance behind our sofa, right next to the cute Leopardkin girl.

Her sudden arrival manages to catch Catherine off-guard and the military woman twitches a little. As far as this goes, I can consider it a win. At least before her eyes snap to mine and they widen briefly, soon narrowing back to their natural state as things clearly click in her mind.

“So, that’s what the whole capital was buzzing about. I guess I should have gone to that introduction,” she says cooly.

Shino giggles and slides her arms down my chest, resting her chin on my shoulder. “As the appointed God of Love, I think Sensei is right where he needs to be to offer his blessings to future couples. Besides, we still view him as our legal caretaker in this world. We have no one else. Sensei stood up for us, going against a real king to assure our wellbeing. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been viewing Sensei as a kind of parental figure. Well, maybe not exactly parental, but…”

The heavy blush on her soft cheeks as she tries to backpedal from the hole she’s dug herself in makes me chuckle quietly. Her love for me has never been quite filial and she knows it. But, we know what she meant to say.

“In the future, I might be able to grant actual blessings of this kind, but unfortunately, I’m currently limited to ones ensuring fertility and stronger sensations. I’m fairly sure you don’t necessarily need either right now.” I wink at the military woman. “Though, if you’ll even find yourself having a hard time keeping up with a Hero, I can at least offer you a good boost to stamina.”

Even the quite stoic lady seems affected by all that intimate talk as the hint of rosiness tinges her skin. She looks away to save her face and I try my best to keep Shino from getting to tease our new friend unnecessarily. I’d rather she doesn’t ruin the rare chance of Paul having someone he might actually be able to end up together with.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Catherine surprises us both by not fighting back but instead openly admitting everything through those few seemingly insignificant words. “Thank you.”

With a firm nod, she gets up and slowly walks away. We notice that she’s heading in the direction of Paul and the others just as Marcia drags Kamil away for an obvious reason. I meet Shino’s eyes and we grin at each other, silently rooting for her to succeed. They seem like a good match. 

After that, the needy samurai rolls onto my lap for some belly rubs and kisses while we wait for the bath to be free again. It might take a while, judging by the noise. Someone forgot to activate the silencing barrier before they began and we can now hear almost everything here, though they might possibly have not been aware of that function of the tent. 

Nevertheless, no one seems to be bothered too much as Shino’s group must be quite used to it. My girls do glance my way a lot and my Japanese girlfriend continues to grin at me teasingly, spotting their faint blushes and nibbled lips.

When the raunchy duo is done, the women take their turn. That means Natalie, Vanessa, Catherine, and Shino, who reluctantly leaves my lap. But, I don’t remain idle for too long after she is gone. Yuru becomes a bit bolder with her affection and starts gently biting on my ear while her fingers wander under my clothes. With the obvious interest of the others too, I excuse myself to their quarters as my squad hastily follows.

What follows next is rather obvious. Ressia first politely requests my aid, for me to enhance them for the trip so that they can be stronger and fulfil their roles better. I let them know that they don’t need excuses and show some appreciation to the brave captain first, remembering to silence our surroundings.

We break in each of their bunk beds with the respective owners in what ends up as a quick and very animated orgy. I’m surrounded by horny ladies all along, brushing and rubbing their heated parts against me even as I pound one of them into the bouncy mattress. Everyone gets the fill they deserve after a day of hard work. Since we are still on a mission in the wilderness, I don’t tire anyone out to the fullest. That would be rather stupid.

I do ask about who is watching over the camp after we are done if all of them are here, lying on top of me as a heap of naked, sweaty bodies, and Oniri assures me that she’s set up plenty of traps and alert artefacts around the perimeter to know when a fly gets anywhere close to us. No one has to keep watch for the night with this, but Ressia still volunteers to do it. I don’t discourage her and she receives one more round for her sacrifice, getting jealous looks from her colleagues, who wonder if that was her plan all along.

Letting them rest for a moment longer, I dress up and get back to the main section. Confirming that Shino and the ladies are done, I let my girls know and join the others on the side. As we are chatting about random things, they suddenly stop mid-sentence and their eyes widen to the brim. Confused a bit, I look over my shoulder and freeze.

All six of my female mercenary squad members parade out of their quarters buck naked and head for the bath, various marks and light bruises very apparent on those who do possess visible skin, alongside some other evidence of what has transpired just recently staining their bodies, especially near the bottom parts. They nonchalantly walk forward with towels in their hands as the other women gaze upon them in disbelief and consternation, Shino pouting at me heavily, clearly disappointed for missing out on fun time while she was bathing.

Somehow, the next half an hour passes by in a rather noticeable silence and I can’t really blame anyone for that. Save for those naughty six. They thankfully get out in their underwear and I jump in next alongside the guys. Surprisingly, Kamil offers me a fist bump with a knowing smirk as we soak all together so perhaps things are slowly mending together.

For the night, I end up sleeping with everyone in the central segment, taking one of the side sofas for myself. I would have gone with my squad but Shino insisted on staying by my side, or rather on top of me, so I granted the clingy samurai her wish. We doze off together while the rest also find a good place to crash down either solo or in pairs.

In the morning, we eat a light breakfast and pack up. My girls deconstruct everything in about ten minutes, shoving all the parts and things back into their spatial storages. It’s quite a sight watching them touch stuff and then making it disappear in front of your eyes. But, I’m definitely much more used to that than Paul’s party. We are back on the road in a flash.

Again, the road ahead is rather peaceful and we pass only a bunch of other people travelling both ways. It gives us a chance to chat a little with our neighbours. It’s always a pleasure to listen to the happy stories from the girls’ lives or how their respective communities usually function. Naturally, not all of them led comfortable lives before their capture, but some do, and either kind still seems interested in sharing their experiences with me.

About half a day later, I can see Vanessa discussing something with Paul and he signals for us to stop. Gathering close around him, we all listen to what the duo has to say.

“Vanessa mentioned to me that she knows a different path to her home, a slightly less populated trail but still as civilised as this one. According to her, we can cut some time if we use it and go easy on our steeds, taking one or more breaks along the way,” he explains.

“I see no problems with that if there are no problems with the path itself,” I reply as my group looks to me as their leader. “It might be good to verify alternatives while we can so that there’s at least one backup plan on our way back.”

“I agree.” He nods. “Everyone?”

No one seems to confront the idea and Vanessa instructs the front on where to go and which turn to take. The change comes an hour later and we move off the main road. The path we take is still quite wide and paved but the trees are definitely much closer and the forest is very lush in this area. Hopefully, we won’t stumble on any wild beasts. But, I guess Vanessa would warn us if there really were some dangers here.

As it starts getting darker and darker, we slow our pace a bit more and start looking for a decent resting spot. It’s a much harder task now with the space between trees being narrower than before. We could technically cut or uproot them with ease, but why should we damage nature? Unless we really don’t find anything, it’s better to just wait a little longer.

When the sky almost fully loses all colour, we finally spot something. But, it’s the orange glow of a campfire somewhere to the side. That means a few things. First, there are other people around. Second, they have taken a camping spot for themselves. Third, there might be more space out there than they need.

After a brief discussion about it, we agree that approaching them peacefully and asking is better than setting ourselves up in close vicinity and making someone potentially stressed about our unexpected presence. So, we lead our horses towards the light, following a bunch of deep tracks going off the path. They seem to be new so we might be dealing with merchants and their loaded carts and wagons.

Our guess proves to be somewhat right as we find an encirclement of big wooden carriages resembling those prison transports from fantasy and wild west fiction, sporting a single barred window in the front and back. Seven coaches make up the formation as a bunch of people walk around the inner part where a big fire has been started. They have strategically left one length of a coach open and that’s where we show up, making sure that they see our approach.

Some tension fills the air as they observe our group which almost matches their numbers. I take the lead and jump off my horse first, wanting to reassure them a little.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Apologies for the interruption. We are simply passing by and looking for a good spot to settle down for the night. Noticing your fire, we decided to see if there isn’t a bit of space next to you. The more the merrier as they say, and strength certainly lies in numbers.” I smile at them while spreading my arms. “We are a fresh mercenary company heading to Ronerulle for a private request. If you agree to share this place with us, we can offer you protection for the night. Unfortunately, I don’t think you would be able to match our pace with your wagons so I can’t extend it further onto the road even if we were moving in the same direction.”

We wait for their reply as the few guys who seem to be the leaders exchange glances with their subordinates.

“We could use a few strong horses,” someone whispers in the back but my keen hearing easily picks it up.

“Right. The cargo is heavier than we expected. Might be a good idea,” another person replies.

I can see some men trying to nonchalantly lean onto the coaches while eyeing us up. Whenever they are sure that none of us are watching, they edge closer to either the front or back. Things seem a little strained for a group of merchants and I don’t think they take us for bandits in disguise. In the end, our gear is quite fancy and flashy. I let Shino and my girls know to be wary.

Then, as one of those sneaky guys almost reaches his assumed target, the cart behind him rocks heavily from side to side with a few loud thuds, making him jump in fright. I’m fairly sure I hear growling and scratching from the muted interior.

“What’s that?” Paul asks as all our attention shifts to the naughty carriage.

“Nothing,” the assumed leader answers quickly. “A barrel must have loosened up during our travels. We’ll check it in a moment.”

A metallic click echoes through the air, coming from the other side of the formation, and we watch as one of the caches opens up in the front with a squeaky noise, the entire panel swinging out like a door. In an instant, a dozen or more dogs rush out of it while snarling and barking, locking right onto us.

“Poachers!” Vanessa shouts. “Show those bastards no mercy!”

A javelin of earth follows, spearing the dude who opened the carriage into the wooden structure, and everyone takes that as a signal to begin.

Oh, well. I guess I shouldn’t have mentioned that we are a fresh company.

Their loss.