kscans

Chapter 36 - The Manmaden and the Little Person

"Sakura!"

"Oh my. Welcome back, young lady."

Upon arriving in the city of Yarmouth, Chihiro headed straight for the Manmaden as soon as she reached her temporary residence. As always, Sakura was out front, beckoning customers. Today’s attire could be described as ancient Egyptian in style. Her ample bosom was covered by a single cloth draped from her neck, and she wore a thin silk garment that was sheer to her upper knees, along with sandals. Barefoot, of course. In their culture, it was normal to go bare-chested, so in a way, this was a modest outfit, but…

Glancing over at the knights, she saw, as expected, a group of men standing there with expressions as if they had just chewed on a whole nest of bitter bugs.

A hahaha. Well, from a Frontier common sense perspective, that’s how they’d react.

"You look beautiful today too. Is that a Middle Eastern style?"

Sakura’s eyes softened as the little girl ran up to her.

"You always know so much. Outlandish outfits are more popular with the gentlemen, you see. Are you here for a meal today?" With a light shrug of her slender shoulders, Sakura offered a bewitching smile. Her thin lips curved into an arc, a truly bewitching sight. The knights, while thinking it indecent, couldn't look away. Sakura possessed that much charm. Above all, they knew the real Sakura. The one in her geisha attire. Their feelings must be complicated, Chihiro thought, glancing at Dolphen and the others, before getting to the point.

"I’m not here for a meal today. I have something to discuss with the owner. Is it possible to buy out Sakura’s contract?"

At the little girl’s words, the surroundings fell silent, shin. The knights’ eyes widened to their limits, and Sakura was dumbfounded.

It was surprising enough that the little girl understood the Manmaden was a brothel, but it was doubly surprising that she even knew how it worked. There were brothels in Frontier, but they didn’t solicit customers as flamboyantly as in Yarmouth. In fact, they had traditions similar to the old-fashioned flower districts, where first-time customers were refused. Unlike the hidden brothels of Frontier, the brothels of Yarmouth were unrestrained.

How much would it be? I don’t know the going rate, but maybe I can afford it if I spend all my money?

To buy a woman. And in the form of a buyout. In a sense, it was human trafficking. However, it was also legal. Debt slaves, criminal slaves, and various others. The primary reason for the frequent kidnappings was the existence of human trafficking. There were people who wanted to buy, and people who wanted to sell. Naturally, it was an established business. There was no legal recourse like in modern times. Even in Frontier, awareness wasn’t that high. It was merely better than medieval times on Earth, and personal debt was one’s own responsibility, regardless of the reason. If you were a victim of kidnapping, it was a different story, but being sold into slavery for monetary reasons was legal. There were no such things as human rights. Once you were bought, you were the same as livestock. A slave was a thing.

Perhaps that was why the temperature around them plummeted as soon as she mentioned a buyout.

"Young lady, who put you up to this?"

Sakura’s eyes narrowed, and her sharp gaze pierced the Little Person.

"Nyah, I just want Sakura for myself. If you come to my house, you can be in charge of the Japanese food staff meals."

The surrounding adults were left speechless by the little girl’s bright smile.

In the end, it’s about food?!

Ignoring the crowd who were all thinking the same thing, the Little Person passed through the doors of the Manmaden to meet the owner.

"I understand your request. However, I’m afraid I cannot accept."

In the reception room she was led to, the Little Person faced a beautiful woman. She introduced herself as Banri and looked at the Little Person with a perplexed gaze. The woman, with her glossy black hair tied up, listlessly smoked a kiseru pipe, and exhaled a puff of purple smoke from her red-painted thin lips like a sigh.

"This is something only the Frontier royal palace knows, but the chefs and geishas here are exiled criminals."

Thinking it would be fine since she was royalty, the owner began to speak of the Manmaden’s secret affairs. The Kilfan Empire, located southwest of Frontier, was a country with many islands surrounding a small continent. Although it took the form of an empire, it was actually a federation formed to protect the small countries on the small islands.

Surprisingly, Kilfan had no Master’s forests and had a culture that had never relied on magic.

Occasionally, someone with high magic power would be born and be able to use magic, but they were very few. The land did not receive the blessings of magic, and it was a country that had spent thousands of years with that as the norm. It had only been in the last few hundred years that they had started to interact with the large continent far away. Although they knew of the existence of magic, Kilfan, where its absence was the norm, took advantage of the chaotic period when the world lost its magic to establish relations with many countries.

"This, for example. It seems to have been a good business. We are still making money from it."

In her hand was a long, thin tube made of wood. Unlike the knights who stared at it curiously, Chihiro instantly identified what it was.

Banri packed a new portion of tobacco into her pipe and slammed the long, thin tube forcefully against the table. A faint wisp of smoke rose from the tube, and an ember had formed on the inner rod of the double-layered tube. A Fire Piston.

It was a simple fire-starting tool that could be made from scraps. As long as you understood the correct principle, anyone could make one. As she used the ember to light her new tobacco, Banri suddenly sensed a different kind of gaze. When she showed this, most people were surprised and would ask to buy it or learn how to make it, but the young child before her, though amazed, was not shocked. In other words, she was surprised that it was here, but not surprised by its existence. It was the gaze of someone who knew what it was.

I see, interesting. She certainly doesn’t seem to be an ordinary child, just as Sakura said. In fact, she resembles those people who visit Kilfan.

She was very curious, but that was a different story for now. Banri continued her explanation.

"My country does not have the death penalty, which is the ultimate punishment. So, we make them cross the sea and earn money for eternity in the world of suffering. This is our ultimate punishment. I cannot sell a prisoner in a cage, even if you ask me to."

Chihiro understood. It was natural to make criminals work to earn money. Managing and operating a prison also cost money. They couldn't use tax money for criminals. The quickest way was to send them to work elsewhere. By lending them out to other places, you could meet supply and demand and easily make money. However, that also gave them a chance to escape, so they probably made them earn money in a way that cut them off from the outside world, like a brothel. In a brothel, it would not be easy to escape. It wouldn’t be strange for there to be strict guards and security. They could create a simple prison without arousing any suspicion from the outside. Moreover, Frontier was an exceptional constitutional state in this world. Identification was required everywhere, and even if they escaped, they could not settle down or find a job. At best, they would be reduced to begging. On the contrary, if they were reported to the authorities, they would end up being pursued by the soldiers who maintained public order. But that was only possible because Frontier was a particularly advanced constitutional state.

"So, there are Kilfan prison brothels all over the world, not just here?"

Would it work in other countries? Surely one or two prisons aren't enough, right?

Chihiro voiced her question.

"…There aren’t. This is the only one."

As if she had hit a sore spot, Banri’s face twisted as if she had bitten into a bitter bug. Then, with a dramatic sigh, she glanced at the knights standing behind the Little Person. Realizing the meaning of her gaze, Chihiro instructed the knights to leave. They protested loudly, but after it was agreed that Pochiko-san and Dolphen would stay, they reluctantly left the room.

"Is this good?"

Banri looked at Dolphen with a fixed gaze, but then nodded with a look of resignation.

"If I don’t explain, you seem like the type to find out the truth on your own. I’d rather just tell you than cause a big scene. But what’s said here is strictly confidential. Got it?"

Banri glared not at the Little Person, but at Dolphen, to make sure he understood. He nodded and looked at Chihiro.

"He will never do anything against my wishes. I guarantee it."

There was not a single shred of doubt in the young child’s sincere eyes.

To already have a subordinate she trusts so completely. What a terrifying young lady.

As if she had made up her mind, Banri told the Little Person a top-secret matter that she hadn’t even told the Frontier royal palace.

It was a simple but complex story.

In short, the people in the Manmaden were nobles whose lives were in danger.

They had many supporters and could be made into figureheads. Or their lineage was too good, and they could be used by existing nobles, or they could be killed out of jealousy. It was a kind of refuge for people with such problems. Since they were sentenced to life imprisonment, hard labor was their duty. There were proper prisons and mines for forced labor in Kilfan. However, if they treated the people here in that way, it would apparently cause a carnival of loyal retainers trying to save them from their hard labor, and on the other hand, assassins trying to eliminate them. Therefore, they were isolated far across the sea in Frontier, a solid constitutional state.

"For people of status, being a servant or a prostitute is plenty of hard labor. Unless they’re truly heinous criminals, a life of retirement here is a fitting punishment. And it makes money."

Different places, different circumstances.

No wonder Sakura and the others had such refined manners. They were also skilled conversationalists and didn’t seem inferior when facing the knights. It made sense if they were originally nobles.

"So, for that reason, a buyout isn’t possible. Sorry about that."

Chihiro nodded obediently at the frowning Banri.

"Okay, I get it. Then I’ll rent."

"Huh? Rental? What’s that?"

Oh? Is that not a concept here? I thought there was some Japanese involvement, but maybe not?

Tilting her head at Banri’s genuinely confused face, the Little Person briefly explained.

"So… you pay money to borrow them? Hmm."

After hearing about the rental system, Banri thought for a moment.

"Sakura is a top earner. She makes five large silver coins a day. Are you saying you’ll pay that?"

This world’s sense of time was no different from Earth’s. A week was ten days, but a month was thirty days. A rough calculation showed that Sakura’s rental fee would be fifteen gold coins a month. Considering the average monthly income for a commoner was seven to eight large silver coins a month, one could understand her exceptional earnings. But in this world, there were always those with more.

"How about a round twenty gold coins? And I’ll take one of the Japanese-style chefs too. I’ll pay ten gold coins for them."

A total of thirty gold coins. That was ten days’ worth of pure profit for this brothel.

Her destination was the royal palace, her employer a princess. It was the safest, most secure workplace imaginable.

Banri, who had been calculating on her mental abacus, threw up her hands in surrender.

"You’ve got me. Very well. Thirty gold coins, including the provision of seasonings and ingredients. Is that acceptable?"

"Yup."

As long as it made money, the brothel didn’t care. It was all pure profit to be sent back to their home country anyway. An increase was more than welcome.

The Little Person had settled the matter directly with money.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. For her, who earned about a hundred gold coins a month from her Little Person brand sweets and honey, it was not a large sum. Furthermore, she had a public allowance as a princess, and since she didn’t live a life of luxury, the Little Person’s pockets were always warm.

A Japanese person who saves through frugality does not skimp when it counts.

Japanese food, secured!

Like a gem from some game, the Little Person did a strange little dance as she went home. The knights, though their MP hadn’t been drained, felt their energy sap away as they watched her.

Performing a little Bon dance, pyoko pyoko, the Little Person is doing well today.