Chapter 10: Would You Become the Next Boss?

For the moment, I was technically the acting boss of the Cotton Family.

However, I would eventually have to return to Flumen.

I was currently interacting with the executives every day while searching for my successor, but… why was it? Everyone seemed reserved, as though they were taking one step back. They could be much more aggressive about it.

“Thank you for your hard work, Aisha. Do you have a moment?”

“Leading Candidate. Thank you for yours.”

This was the Family’s satellite office in the pleasure quarter. It handled the management of taverns, brothels, gambling dens, and similar establishments, and the woman in charge of the entire operation was an executive named Aisha.

Until about ten years ago, she’d apparently been a thoroughly active, high-class prostitute—a formidable woman who toyed with men and controlled this city from the shadows. Impressive, wasn’t it?

These days, she put that experience to use by working energetically behind the scenes. Her ability stood head and shoulders above the rest, so I wished she’d become the next boss.

“Aisha, I believe you mentioned before that you wanted to improve the prostitutes’ working conditions. I brought several ideas of my own today, so I’d like to discuss our policy going forward.”

“Understood. What are the details?”

“Right. First, I’d like to build a large bathhouse.”

As I spoke, I spread out a map of the pleasure quarter.

“You said one of the problems was that only a handful of high-class prostitutes can bathe every day… In that case, I thought we could build a new bathhouse exclusively for prostitutes.”

“Thank you. However, where would it be located?”

“What if we asked the Anemone brothel here to relocate? Naturally, we’d move them to a prime location. I don’t think they’d object if it were at the entrance to the pleasure quarter.”

Aisha looked troubled by my suggestion.

“I appreciate your proposal, Leading Candidate, but brothels have ranks of their own. Every establishment lining the prime locations that serve as the face of the pleasure quarter is a high-class brothel… If we put a low-ranking establishment like Anemone out front, it would unquestionably look out of place. Nothing good would come of it, either for Anemone or for the other brothels.”

I see. So the matter wasn’t that simple.

This was precisely why one should consult an expert.

“Hmm… Why is that prime lot vacant in the first place?”

“An old, prestigious brothel closed its doors. The location is certainly excellent, but when rank is taken into account, every other brothel hesitates to establish itself there.”

“I see… Then perhaps we should simply build the bathhouse on that prime lot itself. It would be a waste to leave such a large property unused.”

Aisha frowned at my words.

“I’d prefer to build the bathhouse as far toward the rear as possible.”

“Yes, I understand. Once the women soak in hot water and clean themselves, their makeup will come off as well. With customers around, they’d want to make the trip discreetly, wouldn’t they? In that case… what about something like this?”

I withdrew a piece of black cloth from subspace and used it like a veil to conceal my face.

“A large bathhouse on a prime lot in the pleasure quarter. It would be divided into three areas: one for ordinary men, one for ordinary women, and one for prostitutes. Ordinary customers would pay an admission fee, while prostitutes could enter for free. We’d also lend them bathing clothes with veils that conceal their faces, allowing them to travel quietly between the bathhouse and their brothels… How does that sound?”

“I see. That would make it easier for the prostitutes to visit. Some men also wish to clean themselves before returning home after they’ve finished enjoying themselves. I believe there would be demand.”

“Then shall we proceed with considering that general approach? May I take responsibility for this property?”

It wasn’t a facility intended to turn a profit, so perhaps I could experiment with various ideas. If things went well, it might also provide new employment for retired prostitutes.

Heh, heh, heh. My mental image was a super sento.

Installing magic tools would make the facilities more convenient. Operating it would take work, but that would create more jobs in turn. Most importantly, I’d get to construct another new building. What sort of building should I make this time? I was getting excited.

“By the way… Aisha, would you become the next boss of the Cotton Family?”

“No.”

“What?”

Why was she so opposed to it? This was troublesome.

Now then. After leaving the pleasure quarter, I came next to the city’s workshop district—to a pottery workshop operated by an executive named Arjira.

He supervised the city’s pottery industry and also practiced pottery himself using Earth Manipulation magic. He had a stern face and a stubborn air, but the potters trusted him deeply. Wouldn’t he become the next boss?

“Thank you for your hard work, Arjira. I came to see how things were going.”

“Yes, sir. I was just thinking I ought to show you, Leading Candidate. We’ve finished several prototypes.”

With that, he led me to a spot directly beside the firing kiln at the back of the workshop.

Many Clay Slimes inhabited regions with dense miasma. They ate soil and excreted clay. As a result, although the frontier’s land had become poorly suited to agriculture, it never lacked the clay required for pottery.

“Still, Leading Candidate, I never thought firing clay mixed with monster-bone ash would turn it into something so completely different… This is the same kind of ware they excavate from ancient ruins. Where did you learn something like this?”

“From an old book. Just as you said, Arjira, it was commonly made during the ancient kingdom period, but the production method was lost.”

The articles lined up before us were similar to what my previous life called bone china. However, they weren’t limited to the translucent white vessels I’d often seen in my old world. Depending on the monster bones used, their colors varied considerably. Naturally, these were still prototypes, so many of the colors couldn’t exactly be called beautiful.

I’d also discovered this information deep within a noble’s library, but apparently, the Spirit Temple had restricted the manufacture of this ware. White vessels in particular reminded people of the “Sacred White Vessel” described in spirit scripture, so the Temple had thoroughly stamped them out as blasphemous—for reasons I couldn’t understand at all.

“Yes. This white porcelain is beautiful, but the Temple may make a nuisance of itself, so let’s avoid it… This jet-black one, and the subdued pieces with strong green, red, and blue coloring. I suppose those four varieties are the ones we can release as products. The calmer shades seem best.”

“Yes, sir. We’ve recorded the proportions of monster-bone ash, so I’ll try adjusting them for better colors. They’re plain at present, but I reckon we could paint patterns on them with glaze as well.”

“I’ll leave that to you, Arjira. Once you’ve completed prototypes you’re satisfied with, I’ll take them to the lord. If this can be established as a new industry, I’ll have you supervise it. I’m counting on you.”

When I told him that, his eyes grew moist as though he’d been deeply moved. What was this? That impressive, stern face of his was going to waste.

“…Back when it was the Sapojira Family, they always mocked me as a useless man who couldn’t do anything except play with clay.”

“I see. In that case… this time, let’s perfect that clay work and show everyone who mocked you. I can tell. This ware will undoubtedly become popular.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Yes. I couldn’t help wanting a person who worked as earnestly and stubbornly as he did to be rewarded. Though he was still a member of a yakuza family.

“By the way, Arjira. Would you become the next boss of the Cotton Family?”

“I can’t, sir.”

“What?”

Why not? Everyone kept rejecting me.

After holding various conversations like that with the Cotton Family’s executives, I came to the territorial castle today.

The knights of the Silva Frontier Territory were a remarkably elite group.

In terms of mana grade, even their weakest members were Intermediate. Their captains from noble families were Special-grade, and since the monsters on the frontier were powerful, their training was severe and their overall skill appeared high.

“Thank you for your hard work. Is the knight commander here?”

“Sir Crow, please wait a moment. I’ll summon him at once.”

The knight who received me responded briskly. Hmm… I somehow had the sense the knights were afraid of me. Why? Ah, could it be because I’d submitted a large number of Sapojira Family heads? Tee-hee.

Now then. I was shown into a reception room, and some time passed.

The person who appeared was an elderly knight I already knew.

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting, Sir Crow.”

“Not at all. I came today because I wanted to discuss that matter.”

We began our discussion with the easy atmosphere of two people chatting over tea. However, its subject was extremely important to the city of Dasilva.

“We had our people gather information from the Adventurers’ Guild. Just as you feared, Sir Crow, the number of monsters is increasing. The miasma has also grown considerably denser… Could this perhaps be…”

“Yes. We can safely regard it as the precursor to a monster disaster—a stampede. I hear it hasn’t been long since the previous occurrence, but the miasma concentration rose abruptly because of that incident.”

“Hmm. Then accelerating the repairs to the city’s outer wall was the correct decision.”

A stampede was a disaster in which monsters appeared in vast numbers and began rampaging, something that occurred periodically on the frontier. Naturally, the knights would lead the defensive battle. When the time came, the Cotton Family would also mobilize its full strength and fight alongside them.

The knight corps, territorial army, temple army, mercenary corps, and a volunteer corps gathered from ordinary civilians. The yakuza were also treated as part of the volunteer corps.

“We’d like the Cotton Family to lead the civilians skilled in battle, with adventurers at their center. It will form the volunteer corps’ core unit—approximately one thousand people. We want to entrust you with defending the northern gate, where the greatest number of monsters attack.”

“Yes. I believe that’s a reasonable decision.”

Each corps had its strengths and weaknesses.

The knight corps was an elite group whose members possessed high mana grades, but only about five hundred served as military officers. Their principal duty was to deploy broadly across the battlefield and maintain the chain of command, which left relatively few of them as direct combatants.

The territorial army was a standing force of approximately three thousand. However, their ordinary work involved maintaining order inside the city and fighting fires, so they weren’t particularly skilled at fighting monsters. They would be deployed broadly at the eastern, western, southern, and northern gates, primarily handling miscellaneous duties.

“For adventurers, a monster disaster is also a major opportunity to earn money. It gives them a chance to display their abilities and establish themselves. It’s only natural to place the core unit led by the Cotton Family among the volunteer corps as the main force at the northern gate.”

“Indeed. I’m sorry to entrust you with such a dangerous position.”

It wouldn’t be long before this battle began. We’d have to close the cotton-production site for a while as well. Our inventory of cotton thread had grown considerably, so suspending operations briefly wouldn’t cause any problems. The employees’ safety came first.

In that fashion, preparations for the defensive battle steadily advanced.