Orario, Entertainment District.
Unlike other parts of the city, this district, which lay close to Southeast Main Street, was cold and deserted during the day, with almost no one coming or going.
However, once night fell, it became even livelier than the bustling districts elsewhere because it was the Entertainment District—the only place in Orario where the establishment and operation of brothels were legally permitted.
Unlike anything seen in the rest of Orario, the architectural styles here could be considered unique.
Some buildings were Eastern-style structures with open upstairs layouts, while others were Western-European structures painted in vivid colors.
Some were heavy stone buildings, while others were wooden courtyard houses.
Architectural styles and aesthetics from all over the world bloomed here together, creating a strange and exotic atmosphere.
Of course, scenery and spectacle were only secondary since what truly drew attention here were the people.
With amazonesses as the majority, this district steeped in decadence carried an indescribable air of frivolity, whether it was humans, beast-humans, or even demi-humans like pallums and elves.
Every man looked around restlessly, staring at the women, the lust in their eyes nearly spilling over.
Every woman wore revealing and provocative clothing, their bodies swaying enticingly as they walked, firmly capturing the men’s gazes.
At times, they would call out to men passing by, or be grabbed by them instead, and then, with flirtatious smiles, the two would walk closely together into a nearby building and disappear.
Here, there was no distinction of race and no difference between gods and mortals—there were only two kinds of beings: men and women.
At one corner of this alluring, incense-filled district stood a row of wooden buildings constructed with red pillars and red walls.
Each of these wooden buildings stood at least three stories tall, and their exteriors were bright and splendid, with rare red tiles used for both roofs and gates—materials seldom seen in Orario.
In addition to magic stone lamps, lanterns were hung everywhere, giving the place an atmosphere distinctly different from the rest of the Entertainment District.
In the Far East, this place was known as ’Yuukaku.’
All the women from Yuukaku wore traditional attire from the Far East, standing in the buildings, smiling as they pointed and chatted about the pedestrians below, occasionally covering their mouths as they giggled.
Naturally, this tempted the men on the street, who unconsciously revealed lecherous expressions.
In such a place, in front of the largest building of all, Riezel and Raul appeared.
"Is this the place?"
Riezel first looked at the building before him, then asked Raul beside him.
"...If you’re looking for a golden-haired renard woman, then this is it."
No one knew where Raul had gone to gather this information, but he looked utterly drained, as though he had been tormented by some old acquaintance he did not want to see—even his reply sounded weak and lifeless.
"What’s wrong with you?" Riezel asked with mild concern. "Don’t tell me you got caught by an old flame?"
Raul immediately fell silent.
"...No way, right?"
Riezel had only been speaking casually, but seeing Raul’s reaction, he was genuinely startled.
"Don’t say it, please..." Raul said with a miserable expression. "I’m happy I can help you, really, but I’m not nearly as familiar with this place as you think. Every time I came here before, it was only to see her, so if I wanted to ask around for information, I could only go to her, right?"
"So?" Riezel asked with a subtle expression. "You got tangled up by that bad woman again?"
"Pretty much..." Raul replied weakly. "Didn’t I say I stopped coming? Because of that, she started suspecting that I’d found someone new..."
Riezel fell silent for a moment, then reached out and patted Raul on the shoulder.
"Thanks for the trouble. I’ll buy you a drink next time."
Hearing this, Raul finally seemed to perk up a little.
"If anything, I should be the one treating you," Raul said while scratching the back of his head, smiling with complete sincerity. "I’d already be happy enough if you were willing to accept."
"Don’t say that," Riezel said with a chuckle. "If we’re being honest, you’ve been in the familia far longer than I have. You don’t need to be so polite with me."
Raul’s position as the leader of the Loki Familia’s second strings was not merely due to Finn’s high regard for him but also because his seniority was genuinely considerable.
He was already twenty-one years old, only a year younger than Bete, yet he had joined the familia earlier than several of the executives, including Bete.
Ais had joined the familia at the age of seven and was now sixteen, meaning she had been with the familia for nine years.
Raul had joined at thirteen and was now twenty-one, having spent eight years in the familia.
Bete, Tiona, and Tione, on the other hand, had only joined the familia five or six years ago.
In other words, Raul’s seniority was actually greater than that of Bete, Tiona, and Tione.
Anakitty had joined the familia around the same time as Raul, which meant that the famed ’Alchat’ was also a veteran member.
In the Loki Familia, aside from the three top executives, the only person with more seniority than Raul and Anakitty was likely Ais.
For that reason, Raul and Anakitty had taken on the roles of second-string leaders, becoming the reliable right and left hands of the familia executives.
Faced with such a senior veteran, Riezel did not look down on Raul simply because of his unpromising demeanor.
However, while Riezel did not belittle Raul, Raul greatly underestimated himself.
"You’re a familia executive. Even if you’re a rookie, a First-Class Adventurer is still a First-Class Adventurer," Raul said while waving his hands repeatedly, looking extremely humble. "Your level is higher, and your strength is greater. I can’t use my seniority to act high and mighty around you."
"Your level isn’t low either," Riezel said with a shrug. "You’re already Level 4. You’re not far from becoming a First-Class Adventurer, right?"
"No, I’m still far from it," Raul said with a bitter smile. "Someone like me... even if I did become a First-Class Adventurer, I’d probably be the weakest one in the familia’s history."
At this point, Raul’s tone was filled with inferiority, which made Riezel find himself unable to respond for a moment because he truly did not know how to refute that.
Raul Nord was a human youth whose position was genuinely awkward.
Although the top executives of the familia, with Finn at the forefront, had always valued him and believed he could become a successor for the next generation, in reality, Raul had long carried an uncomfortable reputation in Orario.
He was already a Level 4 Second-Class Adventurer, yet he possessed neither magic nor skills, making him a complete blank slate who could only fight using basic abilities.
In gaming terms, he could only perform normal attacks, with no other combat options, and had no trump card that could turn the tables in desperate situations.
Simply put, he was ordinary to the extreme.
What made it worse was that all his basic abilities—STR, END, DEX, and AGI—were at most ranked C.
Even though that was one rank above the minimum D required for leveling up, it was only one rank above, leaving him stuck in an unremarkable middle ground. As such, even if he was not the weakest among Level 4s, he was only marginally stronger than the weakest.
In others’ eyes, he was an ordinary adventurer in every aspect—especially when placed among the many geniuses of the Loki Familia.
Anakitty, who had joined at the same time as him, was universally recognized as a talented individual both within the familia and in the eyes of outsiders, enjoying the unique alias of ’Alchat.’
As for Raul?
He had been labeled by various gods with the alias of ’High Novice.’
Not a true novice, yet only barely touching the threshold of a First-Class Adventurer as a Level 4, while remaining mediocre in every aspect.
’A man who surpasses mortals, yet remains mortal’ was the evaluation Raul received.
On top of that, the Loki Familia’s First-Class Adventurers were all geniuses, and even the second strings around him had their own strengths—Anakitty, in particular, stood out as exceptional, noble, and composed.
All of this further fueled Raul’s tendency to look down on himself, making him timid and insecure.
If he truly did reach Level 5, he might very well become the weakest First-Class Adventurer.
Having low-rank basic abilities, no magic, no skills, and unremarkable combat techniques, even if such a First-Class Adventurer existed, they would likely be looked down upon.
Of course, outsiders had no way of knowing these details.
An individual’s detailed status was familia confidential information, so no one could say for certain that Raul had no magic or skills, nor could they know his potential ability.
However, Raul had fought in front of others before, and he had never displayed any standout traits—no magic, no triggered skills, which was more than enough for many to grasp his true level of strength and, as a result, look down on him.
Given that, it was not hard to understand why Raul lacked confidence and remained so humble.
"Don’t overthink it," Riezel said after some thought. "I mean, the Captain thinks highly of you, and Mr. Gareth always thinks of you first whenever something needs to be done, which proves you have the ability."
"Ahahaha..." Raul scratched his head. "I’m just afraid I’ll end up disappointing the Captain and the others..."
"I think you’re the one overthinking it," Riezel said, shaking his head. "I saw you commanding the second strings and lower-ranked members during the last expedition. Trust me—you’re far more capable than you think."
He then shifted his tone.
"Of course, that is as long as you stop skimming expedition earnings to support bad women."
"I-I’ve already turned over a new leaf!" Raul shouted, his face instantly turning red.
"Well then, I’ll go in first," Riezel said with a smile, ignoring Raul’s embarrassment. "You don’t need to wait for me. Honestly, since you’re already back here, if you’re not going to see that bad woman, finding a good one instead wouldn’t be bad either."
"No way!" Raul shouted again, dark lines forming on his face. "I’ll wait right here! Just remember to come back quickly. I don’t want to get killed by them."
What he meant by ’them’ was Ais, Lefiya, or Anakitty.
Just thinking of the warnings those women had given him before he left, Raul shuddered helplessly.
"Oh, right. I don’t know what kind of magic the person you’re interested in has, but if she has magic, that means she’s received Falna, right?" Raul added another reminder. "A woman living in the Entertainment District who’s received Falna is most likely a member of the Ishtar Familia. Try not to cause trouble, and don’t use force, or it’ll turn into a huge problem."
Hearing this, Riezel paused just as he was about to enter the building.
Ishtar Familia—it was a large familia that controlled the Entertainment District and possessed both top-tier strength and vast influence.
Even though it was categorized as an exploration-type familia, it effectively operated the entire Entertainment District, so calling it a business-type familia would not have been inaccurate either.
Yet if it truly stood as a business-type familia, its territory and combat power would definitely be excessively strong.
Most members of the Ishtar Familia were amazonesses, with a gender ratio of one man to nine women, and due to their control of the Entertainment District, most members were prostitutes who sold their bodies, and nearly all of them were combatants—an adventurer group known as ’Berbera.’
Most of its members were above Level 3, and its captain was a Level 5 First-Class Adventurer.
Because of this, the Ishtar Familia’s rank had reached A, making it one of the top familias in Orario.
In terms of territory alone, controlling the entire Entertainment District allowed it to be considered the strongest familia in the city.
Faced with such a powerful familia, even Loki Familia was unwilling to provoke them without reason.
It was just that...
"Actually, the relationship between our familia and the Ishtar Familia isn’t exactly good..." Raul sighed. "In the past, the Ishtar Familia’s captain once had a conflict with Miss Ais. I’ve heard she still holds a grudge against Miss Ais even now."
"Don’t worry," Riezel said calmly without turning back. "I don’t plan to start a conflict with the Ishtar Familia."
At least, not for now.
As for the future, that was another matter.
===
Within Yuukaku, the building Riezel entered was the largest of them all—it was a complex formed by several interconnected structures of varying heights.
Outside the windows lay an elegant courtyard with a pond, and within the building, fireflies wandered, emitting a soft green glow. At first glance, the scenery was genuinely pleasant, which would make someone unfamiliar with the place mistake it for a refined retreat rather than a brothel.
Walking through the building and strolling along its corridors, Riezel’s presence inevitably drew the attention of many women along the way.
"Isn’t that guy the Loki Familia’s monster rookie?"
"Huh? It really does look like him..."
"He actually came here?"
Some recognized Riezel and reacted with both surprise and excitement.
Especially the amazonesses, famous for their uninhibited nature and lack of restraint regarding matters of sex, were especially blatant—their eyes gleamed as they looked at Riezel, as though they could not wait to rush forward and drag him into a private room.
Amazonesses loved powerful males, so from this perspective, Riezel—the city’s strongest magic swordsman—was undeniably one of the most alluring males in their eyes.
Some amazonesses even licked their lips sensually as they gazed at him.
Riezel, however, paid them no mind and soon arrived at a specific room by following the information Raul had gathered.
"Hmm, this should be it."
Looking at the paper sliding door before him, Riezel slowly pulled it open, then—
"Thank you for your patronage, sir."
A soft, sweet voice reached Riezel’s ears.
"Tonight, Haruhime will serve you."
Before Riezel, a woman wearing a dignified red kimono greeted him while kneeling properly before him, bowing deeply until her head touched the hands placed on the floor in front of her.
Sanjouno Haruhime was her name, a renard woman who possessed a gorgeous face, long golden hair that flowed down her back, and fox ears and a fox tail of the same color.
Riezel’s target was none other than her.
===
[A bonus Chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
[Support me and read next Chapters early at: /VALRRR]