I Own a Brothel in Another World

Chapter 207 – Through the Eyes of Another: The Magician Returns

Leaving the dining hall, I head for the stairs leading to the upper level. A group of Beastkin girls, both pure-blooded and half-blooded, politely step aside to let me pass, showing gentle sides while respectfully lowering their heads. It’s been a while, but I still haven’t fully gotten used to this level of appreciation. Save for Lianne, the King, and perhaps a person or two in my old research group, most people would look down on me and anyone else below their station with pure disdain. Sometimes even on those above them too.

But, here, it was completely different.

“Good morning, Lady Cornelia,” a half-blood Rabbitkin greets me kindly and her friends quickly echo her words.

“Good morning to you too, girls.” I nod at them and reciprocate the gentle smiles they direct my way. “Heading down for a snack?”

The fairly voluptuous pure-blood Deerkin lady chuckles a tad shyly. “You caught us, Lady Cornelia. After last night, some of us got quite a big appetite that hadn’t been sated during breakfast. Our apologies for being so voracious.”

“Don’t apologise.” I wave at them dismissively. “Lest Al hears you say blasphemous things like this. You don’t want another lecture from our dear manager about doing what makes you happy here, do you? So, go on and stuff yourselves full to your heart’s content.”

“I prefer much more when Master is the one doing the stuffing.” A half-blood Catkin giggles impishly, getting smacked on top of the head by the rabbitgirl the next moment.

I just snort at her dirty quip. Can’t even blame them for it as Beastkin are much more open about their desires than Humans for example. And they are positively smitten with Al, of course. Turning into a God of Sex certainly didn’t help the issue.

“I’m sure someone is still in the kitchen, and even if they aren’t, you know who to ask,” I continue as if nothing happened. “And, good work, girls. We are proud of you. Always. I know that two of you are still new to this but you are doing amazing adapting this quickly after living most of your life hating Humans.”

“It helps that Master and you are so kind to us, Lady Cornelia,” the deergirl replies. “We are thankful for having a place we can call home and not worry about all the troubles of the world. I know this might sound selfish, but I personally don’t care about what some races did in the past or still do as long as I can be happy and safe. And being always sexually satisfied or pampered by such a gentle yet strong male? It feels like a blessing.”

The other two nod eagerly, at least partially agreeing with what their friend said.

“Again, don’t apologise, or feel bad about it.” I place a hand on her shoulder. “If this is your idea of a perfect life, no one can tell you otherwise. You aren’t hurting anyone in the process. Not everyone is fated to fight against the evils of the world. Most never should have to, honestly. So, be content with your peaceful life full of delicious food, entertaining activities, and lots of passionate mating. If you ever change your mind about your future, just let us know. We’ll arrange for it as soon as we can.”

Surprisingly, she steps forward and pulls me into a cordial hug, tickling my nose with her short fur a tiny bit. But, I manage not to sneeze and pat her back in return. Our embrace doesn’t last long and she withdraws, looking at my face from up close.

“Thank you for everything, Lady Cornelia. You, Master, and all your sister-mates have saved me from an unspeakable darkness after the loss of my beloved mate. I will never be able to repay all your goodwill but I can at least try to work this debt off a little in your service.” She squeezes me one more time before showing a loving smile. “You’ll be a great mother, My Lady. I envy your offspring so much.”

My whole body instantly grows hot as I try to step away from her grasp. “Shush it, you! Get your asses in the kitchen before I snitch on you to Al and lock the four of you in a room for three days so he can make sure you never again feel apologetic about what you deserve!”

The girls chuckle together before hurriedly scurrying down the stairs. The Deerkin turns around to give me one last glance and I glare at her until she finally disappears after her companions. Taking a deep breath, I exhale heavily and shake my head. Coincidentally, my gaze ends up on my belly and I slide my palm over it softly.

Realising that I’ve spaced out for who knows how long, I jolt slightly and quickly look around. Thankfully, no one seems to be in the main hall so I hastily smooth my clothes out and jog up the stairs before I stumble on any more of those cheeky vixens.

A great mother? Me? Maybe in your dreams. If not for Ria, I wouldn’t know the first thing about it…

The door to my destination appears in front of me all of a sudden. Stopping before I walk right into it, I do my best to recompose myself again and grab the knob. Entering the relatively small but very tidy and neat office, my eyes roam over the two figures already waiting for me inside. Ria offers a motherly smile from behind her desk while Elea smirks my way cryptically, leaning onto it from the side.

Don’t let her get to you this early… She’s just a tease of a Dark Elf and you know it…

Clearing my throat, I nod at them in acknowledgement. “I see that I’m the last one. Sorry about that. We can begin now.”

“Stop it. Or do I have to lock you up with our dear husband for the night?” She raises a curious brow at me.

Of course, she heard that somehow. Why else would she be so smug right from the start?

“Perhaps you should.” I grin at her while crossing my arms over my chest. “I’ll never say no to more one-on-one time with Alastair. Especially when it puts me right before your scheduled slot again.”

The two of us squint at each other until Ria lets out a quiet chuckle. “I swear, the two of you have never been at it so badly before. Your hormones add you quite some bite, my dear Cornelia.”

I look at the busty accountant with a frown. “Ria, I’ve literally just been impregnated! It’s going to be weeks before I get affected in any way by it and you should know it perfectly well! I! Do! Not! Have! Mood! Swings! Yet! Besides, my mother took pregnancy really well. She was a saint compared to her friends.”

The two of them exchange a look before chuckling again together.

“You are just so precious to tease,” Elea admits with a smile.

“Can’t blame a woman for being a tad jealous, can you?” Ria winks at me.

“Seriously, the two of you are going to be the death of me if it’s like this already…” I rub my eyes while sighing deeply. “Maybe I should really move back into the castle for the upcoming months…”

They snicker once more before their expressions mellow out a bit, letting me know that they are dropping the act for now.

“So, how are things on your side? What’s Al up to now?” I ask, walking up to the desk to rest my lower back against it too.

“Everything fits in the estimated predictions so far.” Our masterful accountant shuffles through a few pages of numerical data. “The recent attack in the middle of the city brought the flow of customers down by quite a lot as everyone was worried about walking the streets, but it’s slowly recovering. People know our girls are great to help them with their stress and worries, not just physically. A good listener after a great sex can work wonders. I’m actually thinking about reaching out to an old colleague of mine who could teach our ladies some about real counselling.”

“I guess it’s not that bad of an idea.” I tap my fingers over the hard wood. “Not sure about other races but Humans do tend to open up after a good climax. We shouldn’t make it a point in our menu of services, though. It could get weird when lots of people start flooding here just for counselling sessions.”

“I agree. It’s good to broaden our repertoire, but for such big things, it would be disastrous without delegating it to another place like with the mercenaries. It should remain subtle and known only to our guests. There’s no doubt they won’t casually prattle about it to everyone since this is a very personal thing, often shared only with those considered close,” Elea comments. “As for our lovely husband, I believe he is still discussing commissions with Lyona and her girls. It took him a moment to reward everyone properly for a job well done. Three days, was it? All I know is that he was starting to prepare for his trip with Sirgia.”

“Good. Perfect. Keep him busy for a while.” I nod to myself.

Ria and Elea look at each other before the former speaks up. “You still plan on going?”

“Of course. I’m one of the best people for this job. And we need all of them on the case yesterday. This is important,” I respond.

“And so are you,” Elea says. “I still think you should just let him know.”

“What?” I spin around to face them. “All of us know exactly how that would end, don’t we? No, I’m not going to make him constantly worry about me because he knocked me up a few days ago. The moment a word about this reaches his ears, he is going to drop his plans and insist on coming with me or he will do whatever he can to convince me not to go. Goddess, I’m not six months in!”

Ria laughs gently. “He can be a bit overprotective, true, and I can imagine how stronger it gets after his fatherly instincts kick in, but he knows how strong you are. How strong he made you. Made us.”

I smile back at her warmly. “You are right. He would most likely relent after a good chat. But, that doesn’t change the fact that he is a big softie inside and his heart will be aching the entire time he is away. I want him to focus on Sirgia. My time will come in a few months. This is not a big deal and everyone knows it.”

“You do you. We aren’t going to stop you. And we aren’t going to give you away either. Unless he specifically asks about the operation, already learning a thing or two about it somewhere else. None of us are going to lie to him,” Elea states firmly.

“I don’t want you to.” I shake my head. “He asks, you tell him, it’s only right. I’m not requesting you to cover my ass. Just don’t bring it up unnecessarily. Hell, he might notice where I am and what I’m doing tomorrow and this whole discussion might be pointless. But, as I said, there’s no need for Al to be stressed about nothing, even if he would act like it doesn’t bother him.”

“We are still in agreement, then.” Ria stands up to squeeze my shoulder. “Leave everything to us and focus on your business. In the end, we are all in danger if they don’t get stopped.”

“We can’t let them affect our businesses, can we?” Elea grins a bit before her expression turns caring too. “If you need assistance with anything, just give us a word. Our family is strong. We can depend on that strength when in need.”

“Don’t make it sound like I’m going to war.” I snort at them. “But, thanks, I know. Same goes for you. I’ll come back the moment you need me.”

We talk a little longer about various matters related to the brothel, the temple, and the mercenary company, though the least about the last since Lyona is currently not with us and she’s the one holding a hand on the pulse of our questing girls. Things aren’t perfect, and everywhere you look there are small hurdles to overcome, but we can’t complain about such things when much worse stuff is happening all around the world. That doesn’t mean we aren’t doing what we can to take care of our issues, of course.

Soon enough, we part ways and I move back to our bedroom. The sight of a napping Astrea coiled into herself atop the sheets brings a chuckle out of me, which is not missed by her sharp ears that flutter slightly at the noise. Those who don’t know her would easily think she is the laziest person in the mansion, doing nothing but sleeping and wandering around, but they couldn’t be more mistaken. I think only Hecate is more active than her when it comes to activities outside of our home.

Letting our charming catgirl sleep peacefully, I walk up to my personal wardrobe and quietly open it up. My eyes quickly find the thing I’m looking for and I let my fingers rub the smooth fabric of a very familiar purple robe.

“It’s been a while since I wore this…” A reminiscent smile sneaks onto my lips as I bring out my magician outfit and press it against my body. “I wonder, would I still look good in these robes with a visible bump?”

My eyes widen as I realise what I’ve just said and I click my tongue, starting to change.

“What the hell am I even thinking about?”

“I think Master would find your belly alluring in those clothes,” Astrea says quietly from behind.

I freeze mid-motion and turn around to the bed. “Stop eavesdropping and go to sleep!”

Pulling the rest of my robe over my head, I look at her but can only see her back as she has turned around in the meantime, already returned to her nap.

“Goddess, give me strength…” I let out a light sigh.

~We all know you don’t need it.~ A cordial giggle echoes through my mind, making me shiver.

Right. This is now a thing. I really need to start being more careful with addressing Lumina like this.

Done turning back into the Assistant Court Magician that I once was, I give myself a quick look in the nearby mirror and nod in approval. I’m sure Al would love to see me in these robes again, but that would only make him wonder why I brought them out. He might buy the excuse that it’s just for him, but better safe than sorry. 

Maybe I’ll put them on for our next time. It might be fun reenacting the beginning of our relationship.

Shaking my head, I turn to a more open space in the room. “Diana, would you mind?”

In a blink, the huge wolf Al somehow tamed emerges from a nearby shadow. I smile as she brings her muzzle closer, letting me brush her fur softly. Receiving a careful lick in response, I rub her snout a little and hop onto her back as she lowers herself to the floor. After checking on me, Diana daintily dives back into the same shadow.

Alastair doesn’t know it yet, but it looks like we can be carried through the shadows too. Only the full and direct Partners, of course, but that’s plenty already. It’s perfect to avoid getting one of our carriages when you need to be stealthy.

A few seconds later, we emerge inside the castle. Diana lays down to let me slide off her and I caress her big ears for a moment in silent thanks. As she stands up to return to what she was doing before I called for her, she gives me a long look, then glances down at my belly, and steps forward to bump her nose into it with tender gentleness.

I roll my eyes while scratching her snout and politely pushing it away. “Not you too. Just my luck that I had to run into another doting mother. Ah. Sorry.”

I catch myself a bit too late but Diana gives me one more lick to convey that she doesn’t feel hurt by my thoughtless comment. I really should be more careful with how much she’s gone through not that long ago. With one last glance, the big and ominous wolf disappears in the shadows, leaving me alone in the corridor.

Turning around, I approach the ornate double doors and knock on the wood gently. Not waiting for an invitation, I slide inside and lock the entrance behind me. Once more, two people greet me. This time it’s Lianne and Lyona. The former has her iconic grin on her lips that prefaces something sly or mischievous while the latter appears as neutral as usual.

“Cornelia! Come, come! I assume everything is ready on your side?” The Queen urges me forward and I join them on the fancy sofa.

“Yes. We can now focus on the task at hand. You already filled everyone in on my temporary return, right?” I ask.

“Yep. To make it more believable, you might want to visit your old colleagues at least once. It will be good for the spies we discovered among us to pick up on it. Less suspicious than you suddenly coming back and then not bothering with anything in the castle,” she responds, then shows a faint smirk. “You sure about not telling Al? He will definitely be angry about his pregnant wife snooping around the dangerous cult.”

I groan while lightly pushing her away. “I can’t even be considered pregnant yet. It’s only thanks to his magic that we know. Don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same thing. I’ve heard from the old maids how often you argued with them and your late husband about doing anything other than lying down while carrying Ross under your heart.”

“Guilty as charged.” She giggles, showing no remorse.

“Alastair once jokingly said that it’s easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission,” I continue. “It might not be his style, but I guess I’m going to test that theory out.”

“It certainly helps to have a great way of making it up to our great husband.” Lianne wiggles her brows at me.

“Oh, shut up!” I snort at her. “Stop thinking with your pussy for five minutes!”

“It’s a well-known fact among many races that males tend to be more forgiving when their females offer them their bodies while seeking pardon,” Lyona chimes in with a calm tone.

“Saving the discussion about that being true for later, we all know he isn’t that simple.” I squint at the Vampiress. “Let’s move on. Things are set on our side. How about you two?”

Lianne doesn’t prolong this pointless teasing and properly switches into her serious mode. “I’ve gone through the list with Lyona and we picked up a few households that should be good for our first strike. They have a low standing in the cult and seem to be involved in a lot of criminal activity so no one will think too much about them being taken out by the kingdom. It might not be much, but we are hoping to learn more from whatever information they have. We shouldn’t rely only on Madeline’s testimonies, even if they are certainly all true.”

I scoot closer to the petite lady next to me and put my arm around her shoulders. “And how are you holding out? If it’s too much, it’s nothing shameful to say so.”

She leans into me with a tired sigh. “The first time I went there, I almost tore her throat out with my bare hands. It’s too easy to forget that I’m no longer just a small Human girl at a decent Tier. Thankfully, Ross managed to stop me, though not without having his wrist snapped in three places.”

Using my other hand, I brush through her white hair tenderly.

“I almost broke my word to Alastair. I promised him not to harm her. I was this close to disappointing him and ruining everything,” Lianne continues.

“Yet you didn’t. That takes a very strong will. He would be proud of you.” I try my best to soothe the distraught Queen as her eyelashes flutter to fight off the incoming tears.

“And it takes courage to face your enemy without a shred of fear or doubt,” Lyona adds. “Not many can boast with similar mental fortitude to yours. Especially not many females.”

“She is right. You have always been a tough nut, Lianne. We all have our moments of weakness but you do amazingly well pushing through yours,” I continue.

Lianne nods weakly and we stay silent for a moment, letting her regather her wits. The new member of our ever-growing family gets up and prepares us a cup of tea each. We take a sip and exchange looks to let each other know that it’s time to get back on the case.

“I used my family connections to check out a few names from the list. My relatives are still investigating various households as we speak,” Lyona begins her side of the story. “No one is going to suspect anything as nobles often mingle with each other without any specific reason. And since our lineage is rather established, it will appear as an opportunity to gain influence for many.”

“Vampires might be perfect for operations like this,” Lianne says with a tiny smile. “Your charming abilities are almost made for infiltration and manipulation. Perhaps only Succubi could rival or best you in that field, but we currently don’t have an army of them at our disposal.”

“Please, don’t even paint that image in my mind.” I shudder a little. “We all know what’s going to happen when Al frees Lilith from her self-imposed prison.”

“All the slumbering Succubi will awaken and join their Allmother for her to lead them,” the scarlet-eyed lady acknowledges. “And she in turn will be in Lord Alastair’s service to repay him for helping her. There’s no doubt about that.”

“I said don’t.” I send her a light glare. “But yes, more or less that.”

“Nevertheless, you can count on us, Your Majesty. I didn’t even have to reveal who my mate is for the elders to support our plans. We don’t wish for this kingdom to fall as it has become a home for our kind in recent generations,” Lyona adds with a hint of a smile touching the corner of her mouth. “With our Human-like appearance, it’s not as easy to hide or live amongst most other races. And we believe that with the changes you are slowly introducing, it might become something more.”

“I will personally make sure of that.” Lianne’s face takes a resolute form. “It’s my King’s dream, and so it is mine. Everyone will be able to live comfortably in this nation, no matter what race they are.”

“I believe you.” Our new friend nods appreciatively. “Let’s work on that goal together.”

Since it looks like Lianne is now back in the right state of mind, I pat the petite Queen on the head a few times while standing up. “I second that. And there’s no better time to start than the present. I’ll check up on the Magical Research Department and meet you at the place of our first raid, alright?”

“I’ll send you the location mentally. Is an hour enough?” Lyona inquires, moving her piercing eyes to me.

“More than enough. See you in an hour. I’ll grab a few useful things from my old lab in case things go down badly.” I grin at her, already excited about the few trinkets I never bothered collecting from there.

Lianne hops up to give me a parting hug and I leave the chamber, heading straight to the workshops. I haven’t been in touch with anyone after quitting so I’m partially curious to see how they are doing without me. It’s not like I was the only person doing anything there, of course, but all of us played a significant role in our respective fields of research. I bet someone was thrilled to get promoted and take my spot. I wonder who the lucky person is.

Fifteen minutes later, I enter the department’s allocated wing and already start attracting curious and surprised gazes. It’s not that shocking after showing up in my formal robes after being gone for quite some time. I ignore the whispers that take place behind me as I pass people, with a small smirk finding its way onto my lips. They wouldn’t be so bold if they knew just how much better my hearing has gotten in recent months.

Reaching the correct place, I touch the solid metal gate with my palm and send a pulse of mana into it. With a bit of focus, I confirm that the spiritual signature has changed at least a few times during my absence so I technically don’t know the password to enter. But, knowing the pattern used for its creation and being supported by quite an impressive magical might from achieving a rather impressive Tier, it takes me only a minute to crack the code.

The thick plate slides into the floor and I step into a spacious room filled with a multitude of scholarly devices and contraptions, releasing a plethora of noises into the air alongside fumes and other extractions. The person closest to the entrance takes a glance at who has just entered and goes back to their work, only to make a double take after seeing my face.

“What?” The young man blinks in confusion, and like a chain reaction, the dozen or so people turn to me too.

“Hello.” I wave at the stunned crowd, propping my other hand on my hip. “Looks like not much changed here while I was gone. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing considering that we should lead the magical inventions of the kingdom. At least it doesn’t seem like something exploded here, which is nice.”

“Cornelia? What are you doing here?” A guy with shoulder-long black hair and round spectacles frowns visibly. “How did you even get in here in the first place?”

“I have a bit of spare time to burn so I accepted Her Majesty’s request to come back for a while,” I reply honestly. “As for your second question, I think my first project after returning is going to be coming up with a more sophisticated lock as its current iteration is way too simple to break. Truly, we’ve been frogs sitting at the bottom of a well this entire time, unaware of how much bigger are the fish in the pond right next to us. Tier four is no longer the pinnacle.”

They all look like they don’t believe me but it’s fairly natural. I was like that too. These are peaceful times, the war was won, Humans are at the top, et cetera, et cetera. It will take too much time changing their beliefs but I can at least sow some seeds of doubt in their minds.

“It’s great to see you again.” A mature woman with frizzly dark emerald hair approaches me. “Many of us missed your input and great leadership.”

I let out a quiet snort. “You all hated how I bossed you around. Even if it was for your own good. Who is the current head now?”

“I am,” she replies proudly. “That was a big pair of shoes to fill, but I think I’m doing fairly well. Are you going to take back your position?”

“No, don’t worry about that.” I shake my head. “I’ll happily let you keep the charge. I have enough of it back at home.”

“You changed.” An older man chuckles weakly. “Before, you would have never passed on an opportunity to move higher and reap the benefits for your personal research.”

“Not like she has any right to even be here,” someone comments from the back.

I look for the owner of the voice and find a twenty-something guy with short blond hair crossing his arms with a crease in his forehead as he glares my way.

“And what’s his problem?” I raise a brow at my old colleagues.

Before anyone can respond, he sneers and pushes his way through the bodies blocking his path. “You got Ruther kicked out then bailed on the team soon after realising how much your stupidity has weakened the team, running away to look for greener pastures now that you've ruined your old ones.”

“Excuse me?” I clench my teeth as he comes face to face with me. “That was my fault? Not the man’s who picked a bone with the Hero summoned here by the Goddess? Who the fuck you even are? I don’t remember your face from anywhere.”

“I was Master Ruther’s direct disciple,” he answers while trying to appear taller. “I was selected to fill his spot after his unjust banishment. Someone who abuses their connections with Her Majesty to blow the issue out of proportion is not fit to lead this department.”

“Of course, it would be his pampered golden boy to stand up for him no matter what. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.” I scoff to the side. “Did you inherit only his twisted views or did he pass on to you his irresistible charm too?”

“Watch it, woman!” He snatches my wrist and brings it up.

My blood immediately runs cold and it’s not because of fear or anxiety.

“DO NOT DARE TO TOUCH ME!” I yell at him as a wave of frost rushes from my position.

His eyes go wide to the brim as I effortlessly yank my arm back, scowling at him. The frigid wind quickly picks up. Ice expands from my feet and consumes the stone floor as light snow starts floating around in the air. I can see my skin turning blue and my hair white in the reflection of a nearby alchemical kit. He tries to take a step back but his feet are already frozen to the ground and only squawks in panic.

My hand shoots to his throat to keep him from falling. “There is only one person who is allowed to get even a glimpse of my skin and you are not him. If you value your new position, which you should be thankful to me for creating an opportunity for you to step forward, you are going to behave like a proper man should while in my presence. I don’t need Her Majesty’s aid to handle you. If you step out of the line or I learn anything unsavoury about you, I’m going to deal with you myself.”

Peering deep into his frightened eyes to emphasise how serious I am, I watch him struggle to claw at my hand uselessly. He doesn’t seem to figure out that he has no way of escaping my grasp no matter what he does. The longer he fights, the more his throat freezes in return. This should be enough to keep him in check.

“You know what? No, I’m not going to let you get on my nerves in the future for hurting your pitiful ego or some petty revenge. Being constantly stressed because of your shitty behaviour won’t be good for the baby. I’m ending this right here, right now. Blame your own foolishness for not being able to see past your teacher’s fake persona.”

With one good tug, I break his feet out of the gathered ice and slam him onto the nearby table, sending a bunch of books flying to the floor. As I send a bigger string of mana into the ability, bluish crystals emerge from the point of contact and crawl over his entire body at an incredible pace, crackling beautifully throughout the entire process.

In less than five seconds, he is frozen solid, the table turned into a makeshift coffin with a see-through lid. I pull my arm back with no resistance as if I’m moving it through water and the gap fills up in a blink. Taking a look at his face stuck in total horror, I sneer at him for the last time. Perhaps it should, but this won’t kill him. I’ll defrost him after we are done or if I feel like it.

Shaking my head from those intrusive thoughts, I take a deep breath to compose myself and glance up at the others, seeing them lightly coated with a fluffy layer of snow and huddled together a few steps away from us.

“Ummmm… Congratulations?” The mature woman smiles wryly, a little pale on the face.

Well. Maybe it really is already starting to affect my emotions.