The toast concluded, and the guests began to circulate through the room. It was time for me to join the fray.
Glass in hand, I surveyed the venue. My eyes first settled on a table where two of the elders—Griselda and Elmira—were seated together.
"Griselda, Lady Elmira. My apologies for interrupting your conversation."
As I spoke, the two of them paused with their glasses halfway to their lips and turned their gaze toward me. Griselda wore an amused smirk, while Elmira favored me with a seductive smile.
"Oh? To think we’d be your very first stop. I expected you to go running off to the younger girls or the male merchants."
"Lady Elmira was the first to speak to me earlier. I felt it was only proper to pay my respects to you first as a matter of etiquette."
"Is that so? What a dutiful lad. But you realize I run a brothel, don't you? A boy like you surely has no business there yet. While I’m delighted you went out of your way to see us, I doubt this will lead to any profit for your firm."
As I offered my honest reason, Elmira hid her mouth behind a folding fan, her tone teasing.
"That isn't true at all. In fact, among everyone in this room, I believe you are the one with whom my work is most likely to intersect, Lady Elmira."
"Heh? And how do you figure that?"
"It’s simple: the improvement of the hygienic environment. If you utilize my Laundry Shop, you can easily clean not only the clothing of your workers but also bulky items like bedding. Maintaining cleanliness is not just a matter of comfort; it prevents illness and, should an outbreak occur, helps suppress its spread. I imagine the volume of laundry produced by a brothel—depending on its popularity and turnover—is incomparable to that of a standard inn. Wouldn’t you agree? Managing such a massive amount of washing must be a significant burden."
She looked at me with clear skepticism, but I had expected as much.
"Most of the girls take several customers a day," she replied. "The rooms are made up and reset every single time, so naturally, the laundry piles up like a mountain. It’s true that a brothel has to be meticulous about hygiene. However, a brothel isn't just a place where women sell their bodies; it requires a whole team of people behind the scenes to support them. Laundry is one of those tasks. Those backroom jobs provide a living for aged prostitutes or children who aren't old enough to work the floor yet. As a business owner, cheap and fast service is tempting, but is it right to steal those people's livelihoods?"
"That would be a matter for your discretion, Lady Elmira. Backroom work isn't limited to laundry. And you mentioned 'children's work' just now, didn't you? Will those children eventually work in the brothel themselves?"
"Not all of them, but that's generally the way of it. And before you ask—no, we don't buy children. They are all born to the women who work for me. No matter what precautions you take, when you're in this business, nature takes its course. If a girl says she wants to keep her child, I allow it. I look after them reasonably well once they’re born. In some shops, if they find out a girl is pregnant, they’ll beat the child out of her with a rod without a second thought. I like to think I treat my girls and their children with a modicum of decency."
"That is wonderful. Given that management policy, what if you used the time freed up by the laundry service to provide those children with an education?"
"An education? Be specific."
"I cannot say for certain what is necessary for your profession, as I lack the experience. However, I have heard adventurers mention that for a high-end brothel, it isn't enough to simply perform the deed. Is that correct?"
"Now that you mention it, I heard you were an adventurer yourself... It's true. For a woman at a high-end establishment, a pretty face and a good body aren't enough. Plenty of men are satisfied as long as they can get their rocks off, but those customers go to the cheap houses or deal with street-walkers. Demanding a premium price means providing a premium experience. And the men who can afford those prices are usually of high standing or possess the wit to earn them—in other words, they are educated. To entertain such men, a girl needs enough culture to carry a conversation without causing offense. Some of the girls who are bought out to become the wives of aging nobles actually end up more refined than many a true noble lady."
"High-level refinement cannot be acquired overnight," I countered. "But if you provide intensive education during the time previously spent on manual labor, you could increase the number of girls capable of working in your high-end rooms, thereby increasing your long-term profits. Furthermore, as you said, life in a cheap brothel is often brutal. Giving these children the opportunity to rise to a position where they can avoid such a fate would be a significant advantage for them as well, wouldn't it?"
"Hmm... put that way, it does have its merits... But can it really be that simple?"
"The results of education depend on the individual's effort and a long-term investment, but freeing up the time for study is certainly possible. In fact, many of my current customers are doing exactly that."
"Truly?"
"Indeed. For example, there are apprentice craftsmen who use my shop to handle their chores so they can spend more time honing their skills. Or housewives who sell handicrafts made in their newly found spare time, earning more than the cost of the laundry itself. They are essentially buying time with money. This method of use has become quite popular... Thanks to that, we’ve been busy regardless of the season."
"I see..."
Elmira looked as though she were considering my proposal. However, I suspected this woman had already thought of these possibilities. If she had heard rumors of my business, a woman of her caliber would have immediately spotted the utility of a shop that provided cheap, professional hygiene management.
In fact, the idea of a brothel owner at this level not considering such things was a terrifying thought. I had the feeling she had framed her questions specifically to lead me toward these points, observing how I would handle the topic. Her goal wasn't just to talk business; she was testing me.
"Furthermore," I continued, "if you recommended the service to your customers, it would be mutually beneficial. My shop gets a new customer base, and your establishment remains safer if your clientele is cleaner. No matter how careful your girls are, the risk of disease remains high if the customers are unhygienic, right?"
"You're not wrong, but changing a man's habits isn't easy. It wouldn't mean anything with just one or two. You'd have to change the awareness of the entire city, or the whole duchy."
"True... For instance, one could spread the obvious notion that 'clean men are more popular with women,' then subtly guide them toward the Laundry Shop. It will take time. It might even result in a long relationship—perhaps even for the rest of my life."
Elmira let out a soft, knowing chuckle at my choice of words.
"A long relationship, is it? We certainly seem poised to see a lot of each other. But don't worry—maneuvering customers is what my girls and I do best. Within the Jamil Duchy, it won't take a lifetime to change their minds. Provided you're serious about cooperating, that is."
"And what would that involve?"
"Men who come to my shop looking like they just crawled out of a gutter usually just don't care, or they find grooming too much of a chore. My girls can handle the prompting, but for the habit to stick, your shop needs to be accessible."
"If we want it to be convenient enough to stop at before a visit to your establishment, we could expand our branch stores... Actually, it might be better to open a specialized branch store right in the district where the brothels are clustered. My shop's management core is the maintenance of the slimes used for the washing; as long as the employees strictly adhere to those principles and build good relationships with the neighborhood, I'm satisfied. If you could introduce me to the people currently working behind the scenes for you, we might be able to open without any local friction. At least, that's my take... Oh."
I glanced toward the corner of the room; my assistants were watching us with rapt attention.
"I've done a lot of talking, but the reality is that I focus my efforts on slime research and practical application. I leave the actual business operations to my capable staff. I brought two of the people in charge of the Laundry Shop with me today. May I bring them over?"
"By all means. We could have done this another day, but having them here now is much more convenient."
I signaled to Calm and Carla. I didn't even have to wait; the moment the permission was granted, the two of them were already making their way over with practiced efficiency.
Just after I introduced them to Elmira, Griselda—who had been watching from the sidelines—called out to me.
"You handled that well enough."
"...Was it okay? I wasn't lying, but I was definitely moving with the momentum of the conversation."
"This isn't a formal negotiation; it's a first meeting. The point is to let her see what kind of person you are. Since you're naturally like that, it's fine. Now, on to the next one. Time is limited; don't spend it all talking to an old hag like her."
"Wait, we were just getting into the details of the shop—"
"Didn't you just say you were leaving that to those two? Then let them handle it while you keep networking. The right person for the right task, remember? Now go on, move!"
Griselda thumped her staff firmly against the floor and shooed me away with her other hand. Noticing this, Elmira spoke up over her fan.
"Lad, I'll be borrowing these two for a while."
"In that case, I'll continue my rounds."
With that final push, I gave a polite bow and left the table, turning my eyes back to the crowd to find my next partner.