“Educate.”
The brothel owner spoke as soon as she entered the room. Then the person supporting her immediately asked back.
"Are you talking about the kid who joined today?"
"Then is there anyone else to educate besides her?"
She, who had been acting all high and mighty like a noblewoman while speaking with elegant manners, revealed her true colors for the first time in a while.
"Unless they crawled in on their own accord, they need an education. You know that, right?"
"Yes, that is true."
“Do it now.”
“Right now?”
"Why do you keep asking me again!"
"Usually, you would have conducted a bit more background checks. You might have even tried to persuade them with words..."
"She's a kid with nowhere to go."
She cut off the conversation abruptly and picked up a cigarette. Her hand holding the cigarette trembled. Her throat felt like it was burning, so she stopped smoking and gulped down her drink.
The reason she sent the coachman away and went to find the woman was to exchange a few more words and find out about her surroundings, for example, whether she had a family to look for her if she went missing.
But there was no need for that.
The coat she was taking off had her back to her, the numerous pockets hanging inside. It was a sight that made it instantly understandable why she had been unable to take it off, even while enduring the heat.
She knew the taste of misfortune well. The habits of those driven into a corner are known only by those who have been driven into a corner.
The taste of misfortune floating in the void was sweet.
"Don't scratch it. It's worth 5,000."
"Understood. Shall I add some anesthetic and aphrodisiacs?"
"You have to do that if you don't want to hurt yourself. Control the amount properly. Don't make a fool of yourself for no reason."
Then, she asked as if she were revealing something she didn't want to reveal.
“Who is he?”
The employee standing by the door immediately answered her question.
“He went out.”
"Did you confirm that the carriage is gone?"
"Yes, I confirmed that it is heading toward the Ritz Hotel."
She nodded and gulped down the strong liquor.
It did feel a bit unsettling.
It's not like he wanted to have sex, so was he overflowing with a sense of chivalry and wanted to save the woman?
That doesn't seem to be the case either.
Although she felt extremely uneasy about the man being unidentified, if he had intended to do something, he would have already done so. That is why she was more anxious than usual. She was also worried about what the woman might be doing after hearing the word "brothel."
"Start the girl's education right now before she pulls any stunts. Educate her in the room, then load her onto a wagon and send her to Lot before dawn."
"Yes."
"Hide her well and bring her in when I tell you to. As I said before, control yourself well. The moment she becomes a wreck, the bastard who made her that way becomes exactly the same. Understand?"
"All right."
She drank another glass of strong liquor. As the alcohol began to take effect, her heart, which had been racing with anxiety, gradually calmed down.
"Yeah, it's no big deal."
Tonight was passing by without incident, and the woman was not taken away.
It seems that suspicion grows as one gets older.
By the time her hands, which had been trembling like aspen trees, had completely calmed down, she looked elegant again, like a head lady-in-waiting at the royal palace.
***
And around that time, dozens of wolves were gathering silently toward the beautiful mansion standing against the backdrop of the Daub River.
The patronage of a magnificent brothel shrouded in darkness.
There was a shadow moving leisurely through the gaps in the black shadows of the garden trees.
The unidentified VIP, known to have left the mansion, was strolling in the backyard of the red-light district. With his hands in his pockets and his back relaxed, that posture made his dear mother shudder.
Oscar completely erased the lingering image of his mother that had briefly occupied his mind, as if crushing a cigarette by stepping on it.
Even so, he strolled among the garden trees like someone who enjoys a night walk.
The dense grass obscured the sound of footsteps, and the swirling wind concealed any presence. The thick leaves of the garden trees hanging overhead shielded her fixed gaze.
Oscar, moving toward the woman's room like a predator approaching its prey, stopped at a suitable spot and leaned his back against a tree.
The woman's room was visible straight ahead. It appeared to have drawn its curtains. A single ray of light was visible between the curtains, and occasional movement could be seen.
"It is said that King Felphe has already received a report."
Oscar clicked his tongue softly at Simon's report, which had come a step closer.
He tried to block the report regarding the treasury from reaching King Felphe, but it was too late.
Felphe.
A city-state that falls short of even a decent duchy in terms of land area or population.
Despite the turbulent modern history of Norfolk, Felphe ultimately did not lose its status as a kingdom. While there were several reasons why Felphe was able to retain its kingdomly status, the decisive reason was the bank.
Royal Felphe Bank.
Four centuries ago, Felphe Bank, the first bank to open on the continent of Norfolk, was famous for never leaking customer information. Regardless of who opened the vault, the vault owner's information was treated as top secret, and there was never a history of leakage, even at the request of a foreign King.
When entrusting money, the source of the funds is not asked, and information regarding the owner of the money is confidential.
It was only natural that all sorts of illicit money from the continent of Norfolk flowed into Felphe Bank. Recently, there were even rumors that hidden funds from the fallen royal family of Polia had flowed in.
Felphe became, in itself, a massive vault for the powerful figures of the Norfolk continent. To protect their respective secret funds, the powerful treated Felphe's banking laws with great reverence.
A representative group is the Norfolk Royal Alliance.
The royal families of various nations, who just a century ago would fight tooth and nail like packs of dogs over control of each other's territories, now ridiculously sought friendship under the guise of alliance. It was a stark example that the era in which status and land guaranteed power had come to an end.
However, illicit money itself could serve as a pretext for assassination. Before the Banking Act was enacted, there were numerous cases where children killed their parents to seize the rice fields stored in their safes.
Ultimately, those in power exerted significant influence over the Felphe Banking Act to protect their money and their own lives.
In short, the Felphe Banking Act was a law that had no limits on the amount one could withdraw, but imposed enormous restrictions on the amount one could retrieve.
The safe may only be opened by the person who opened it or an heir who has inherited it through legitimate means. Even if someone possesses the key, they cannot open it if they are not the rightful owner.
However, in preparation for the case where the person who opened the safe dies without going through proper inheritance procedures, the right to open it is granted to the person who acquired the key 20 years after the date the safe was opened.
Safe No. 5555 was in this case.
To protect the personal safety of the person holding the key, the bank issues a Certificate of Acquisition to the person who brings the key. The Certificate of Acquisition is a document signifying that one becomes the owner of the safe in the event that the owner does not appear, and the issuance of the certificate is limited to once per certain period.
The acquirer is subject to a rigorous screening process and is recognized as the temporary owner of the safe while the verification process is underway. This means that although the safe cannot be opened immediately, it is protected by the Felphe Banking Act. If the acquirer disappears for any reason during this period, even if a key is found, the safe will be locked for the next 20 years under the judgment that it is involved in a crime.
The woman was issued a certificate confirming her right to acquire the key, and this fact was reported to King Felphe, who regards the Banking Act as his life.
This meant that the woman had become the living key.
Simon held his breath beside Oscar.
Oscar was immersed in silence, staring obsessively at a single spot.
The woman was unlucky.
It was extremely unlucky to become Oscar's target. Although it seemed fortunate that the certificate of ownership was obtained in advance before he could do anything, it would have been more beneficial to hand over the key for a large sum of money rather than become a target like this.
Just then, Oscar, who had been leaning diagonally against a tree trunk, lifted his back. Simon reflexively looked up at the mansion. An agent, pressed against the window on the floor directly above the woman's room, was pointing downwards with his finger.
Oscar glided through the darkness like a moving moon shadow. Wolves, having secretly burrowed throughout the mansion, watched Oscar with bated breath. The path was cleared in advance so that no stones would trip the master as he walked along.
Oscar sauntered up the stairs, rounded the landing, and when he reached the hallway, the men guarding the woman's room were being driven away by wolves. A large, burly man named Dol was being dragged away, yet no sound was heard.
Oscar arrived in front of the room, passing by the men being dragged along.
Oscar, who had been quietly looking down at the doorknob, looked up and stared at the door.
From beyond the thin door, faint moans, a strange smell, and a vile laugh heavy with excitement were leaking out.
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