Chapter 28: Victory Style Fiiist!!

"What is that getup?! We can’t allow shamelessly dressed women like you into the city!"

…Nope. That didn’t work.

After drifting down the river on a raft and reaching the area near the city entrance, we thanked the old boatman and disembarked at a pier used for lumber deliveries. From there, we tried to enter the city through the proper gate set into the surrounding wall—only to be stopped immediately by the guards.

"This is awful, y’know—! Us succubi wear being naked as our uniform. We have to be ready to respond instantly whenever a lewd opportunity pops up—that’s the succubus mindset!"

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. At least pretend to be human while you’re in the city."

As I tried to calm Scarlet while she vented her frustrations, Ririka stepped forward to reason with the guard.

"Sorry, nya. I’ll buy her proper clothes and make her wear them, so please let us into the city for now, nya. We’re carrying a letter from the village chief of Taliya Village, nya."

"What are you talking about?! All four of you! Look at those legs—your chests are practically falling out! Are you trying to seduce men?! You there—just because some skin’s covered doesn’t make it acceptable! Don’t go wandering around in your underwear! Put on proper clothes! And that elf—he’s just a child, dressed like that! Don’t you have any sense of shame?!"

We were escorted to the guard station behind the gate, where Ririka paid a fee and the guards purchased clothing for us. Only after we were forced into extremely mob-like, low-exposure, dull-colored outfits were we finally allowed into the city.

"Nyaah… this outfit isn’t cute at all, nya. This is way too strict, nya… Even the princess of Granseal wore worse things than this, nya."

"Other places are other places; this place is this place. We’ve received orders to crack down strictly, since the morals of this country are considered completely broken. If you have complaints, take them up with the people running the government."

Once inside the city, a quick look around confirmed his words. Everyone on the streets wore similarly drab clothing that showed almost no skin. It was hard to believe this world had originally come from a game that once tried to market itself with half-baked erotic appeal.

"Ugh… wearing clothes this dowdy is embarrassing, y’know… And the people here are just packed full of pent-up energy. Being unable to seduce men in a place like this is torture…"

Dragging along Scarlet—who fidgeted awkwardly in her unfamiliar outfit—we moved through streets filled with people dressed just as plainly as we were.

For the record, our horns were hidden beneath cloth head coverings, and our tails concealed by long skirts. As for wings, they could apparently be freely shown or hidden, much like body markings. A convenient racial trait.

After passing through a main street that somehow felt devoid of liveliness—likely due to everyone’s uniform modesty—we arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild.

We hadn’t seen a single adventurer anywhere in the city, and sure enough, none were inside the guild either. The building was completely silent.

Ririka approached the lone, worn-looking receptionist seated behind the counter—a woman dressed just as plainly as everyone else—and presented the letter we had brought.

"We’ve brought a letter from the village chief of Taliya Village requesting that the goblin-subjugation quest be withdrawn, nya. Please take care of it, nya."

"Ah… there weren’t any adventurers willing to take that request anyway. Now it’s being withdrawn as well… I wonder if this branch is basically finished. I’m the only staff member left… I hope I’ll still get paid…"

"It feels pretty deserted, nya. Haven’t any other adventurers come by, nya?"

"Just as you can see. One came by a little while ago, but that was all. This city used to be lively with adventurers, you know."

As we watched the receptionist sigh and slump her shoulders, Natsumi added matter-of-factly,

"The surface quests around Larentia only go up to about level fifty. With the game already depopulated—and service termination announced—it’s no surprise there aren’t any players left in that range."

"Impermanence of all things."

"More importantly, ask about a place where we can do summoning! In a city full of humans this pent-up, my whole group could eat well here!"

Prompted by Scarlet, Ririka turned back to the receptionist.

"Um, actually, that girl’s acquaintances—with their companions—are thinking of starting a small business, nya. Is there anywhere in this city suitable for that, nya?"

"Well, this is technically the Adventurers’ Guild, so that’s outside my area… If it’s business-related, maybe the Merchants’ Guild. Or rather, shouldn’t you first obtain permission from the city’s lord—Count Godart?"

"A count? There’s someone like that here, nya?"

"Of course. Even in a kingdom, the Queen doesn’t govern everything personally. That said… the count doesn’t have a very good reputation. I wouldn’t recommend girls visiting him alone."

"Hmm, but if permission is required, we can’t simply avoid him, nya. Please tell us where he lives, nya."

After receiving directions to the count’s mansion, we set off for our next destination.

The mansion stood in a secluded part of the city, its grounds enclosed by tall hedges and iron fencing. A large, white-painted estate loomed before us, practically screaming that a wealthy noble resided here.

"Feels a bit late to say this, but this really doesn’t seem like a city that would let us open a brothel."

"Yeah… there aren’t even any adventurers, and the whole city just feels plain."

Considering the guards’ earlier remarks and the deliberately modest attire worn by the citizens, it was obvious that morality here was being strictly regulated. The atmosphere was nowhere near permissive enough for a pleasure business.

"This is bad, y’know—! I can’t go back empty-handed when everyone’s starving. And I can’t stand staying dressed like this either. I want these clothes off already!"

"If the lord of this mansion is the one enforcing these morals, we should at least speak with him, nya. I don’t like the idea of an erotic shop either, but this city has gone too far, nya. I’m worried what kind of hardliner is running things here, nya."

When we informed the guard stationed at the mansion gate that we wished to speak with the lord, he slowly dragged his gaze over all four of us, as if licking us with his eyes.

"Huh? So that’s how it is… Fine. Go on in."

With that, he casually allowed us through the gate.

"That guard felt really unpleasant, nya. The guild lady said the lord had a bad reputation, nya—but if his soldiers are like that, the lord himself might be even worse, nya."

"This doesn’t bode well. Let’s stay alert."

As we walked through a garden filled with colorful flowers and neatly trimmed greenery, we spotted a group enjoying tea beneath a parasol, a table set elegantly on the lawn before the mansion.

Was the count among them?

"Ohh? New girls again, buhi? Four at once makes me very happy, buhi—but I’ve just finished one round in this chair, buhi. I’ll dote on you properly tonight, buhi."

It wasn’t elegant at all.

A fat, middle-aged blond man dressed in what appeared to be expensive clothing from the waist up sat astride a completely naked woman on all fours, his lower half fully exposed. He snorted noisily as he sipped tea from an equally expensive-looking set. Nearby, women who appeared to be maids or attendants stood at attention—every last one of them wearing nothing but naked aprons.

"W-w-what are you doing, nya?!"

Ignoring Ririka’s outcry, the pig-like man set his teacup down and praised the elderly man standing behind him, who seemed to be his butler.

"Hoh? Quite a fine lineup of beauties, buhi. Excellent work, Sebastian. You have my praise, buhi."

"I am honored by your words, Count, but these women were not arranged by me."

"Is that so, buhi? Then they came of their own accord for money, buhi? Either way is fine, buhi. I wish to see them naked, buhi. Show me their naked bodies, buhi."

What the hell is this pig?

This is the count?

And what was with that way of talking? Wasn’t this guy basically an orc?

"You there! Did you not hear Count Godart’s command?! Hurry up and take off your clothes and show His Excellency your naked bodies!"

The butler barked the order, but we had no intention of obeying something like that. The clothes we’d been more or less forced into at the city gate suddenly felt like a blessing—plain, shapeless, and mercifully unexposing in front of this pig.

"Don’t screw with us, you white pig! Save your jokes for that filthy gut and ◯◯◯, you ◯◯ bastard!!"

The cross-dressing shota elf, infamous for his hair-trigger temper, snapped instantly—and this time, I almost completely agreed. Ririka seemed to feel the same.

"This isn’t a joke, nya! Ririka and the others are adventurers, nya! We came here to talk, but we’re not going to follow orders from someone doing something like this, nya!"

"Scarlet! Don’t take anything off! I can’t stand doing something that makes these people happy!"

"Like I’d do that even if you didn’t say so, y’know. That fat old man and the geezer behind him don’t have any pent-up energy at all. Looks like all you’d get out of them are a few drops of weak leftovers—total turn-off."

We took a step back, bracing ourselves, as the exposed pig watched us with a smug, greasy grin.

"Buhihihihi… You’re defying me, buhi? A little attitude can be entertaining now and then, buhi, but don’t get cocky just because you’re adventurers, buhi. Just yesterday, some idiot came demanding I release the women, buhi, so I crushed him instead, buhi."

"P-please, don’t oppose the Count…!"

When the naked woman beneath him begged, the pig’s expression darkened. He slapped her bare buttocks with a sharp crack.

"Who said you could speak, buhi? The only sounds you’re allowed to make are moans, buhi. A chair should stay quiet and behave like a chair, buhi."

What a monster.

This was the man ruling the city that enforced such absurdly strict moral regulations?

"So you crack down on the townspeople’s clothing, but bring women into your mansion and do whatever you want. You’re practically a textbook example of a corrupt lord."

"Buhihihi, don’t misunderstand, buhi. I hate that ridiculous decree too, buhi. It’s an order from the capital, so I make the people obey, buhi. But nobles like me aren’t affected by that sort of thing, buhi."

"That’s awful! Lewdness belongs to everyone! All living beings should have an equal right to be perverted! Lewdness is the brilliance of life! Hoarding lewdness means falling to the dark side of perversion!"

Coming from a succubus who literally fed on the vitality of others, that argument might have been questionable—but the exposed pig before us, dangling his shriveled filth and oozing foul fluid from its covered tip, was wrong on every conceivable level simply by existing.

"This one’s going to need some very harsh punishment."

"I completely agree, nya. He’s an enemy of women. Unforgivable, nya."

"There don’t seem to be any soldiers around right now. This is our chance."

"We’re taking back the freedom of lewdness from this limp-◯◯ bastard!"

To keep the women from getting involved, Ririka dashed forward first, aiming a direct kick at the exposed fat man.

But just as she closed in, the pig leapt backward with surprising agility. He grabbed the hair of the naked woman he’d been using as a chair and yanked her upright in front of himself. Ririka skidded to a halt at the last possible moment.

"Ugh! Using a woman as a shield is dirty, nya!"

"I told you I crushed a foolish adventurer just yesterday, buhi! I won’t lose to the likes of you, buhi! Magic Missile, buhi!"

From behind the woman, the exposed pig thrust out his arm. A glowing projectile erupted from his palm and slammed straight into Ririka. She barely managed to block it with both arms, but the explosion sent her flying backward past the rest of us. She caught herself with her hands and somehow landed on her feet.

"Buhihihi! Born a noble and blessed with magical talent—clearly I’m a genius, buhi! Authority and magic combined are unstoppable, buhi! You lot! Protect me from these women, buhi! Or are you fine with your families starving back in the city, buhi?!"

At his command, the naked-apron women who had been standing behind him stepped forward, forming a human wall in front of us.

"N-naked women?! We can’t attack with magic like this!"

"Someone who’s just finished venting their desires won’t respond to my charm at all, y’know!"

"Buhibuhihi! This is power, buhi! Authority! A force you insects can’t oppose, buhi!"

From behind the women, the exposed pig continued firing glowing magical bolts one after another, while Natsumi desperately blocked them with a hastily formed magical barrier.

"T-this spirit shield isn’t a very strong defensive spell! It won’t last much longer!"

"Damn it… I don’t want to use guns against humans, but if I can thread the needle and shoot just that fat bastard…?"

"Then we’ve got no choice but to knock everyone out and put them to sleep!"

"Nya… looks like that’s the only option, nya…!"

Ririka and Scarlet regrouped at the front, bracing themselves to strike through the women—but just then, I noticed something glinting sharply along their path.

"Don’t rush in! There’s something in front of you!"

As Ririka and Scarlet leapt back in panic, something thread-like shimmered in the sunlight, swaying with a faint shrrrk.

"Oh? You noticed… You have quite sharp eyes."

The elderly butler stepped forward to stand beside the women shielding the exposed pig. He flicked both hands clad in black leather gloves, and thin threads with a metallic sheen—razor-sharp by the look of them—quivered in the air.

"P-piano wire, nya…?"

"That kind of weapon exists here…? Isn’t that a little off for the tech level…?"

"A rare concealed weapon crafted by the ancient dwarves. My steel wires, the Count’s magic, and a wall of living flesh. Do you truly believe reckless adventurers such as yourselves can break through?"

"Buhihihi! Excellent, Sebastian! Slice apart everything those women are wearing and strip them bare, buhi!"

We’d underestimated them. What we thought was just a half-naked fat man and an old servant turned out to be far more troublesome opponents.

What now? Should I call Erika?

But even Erika might struggle to hold back enough not to endanger the women being used as shields.

"…Those threads won’t cut through my suit. I’ll jump in and deal with the wires. After that, we’ll force the women aside and beat down that fat bastard."

"A-are you sure, nya? You won’t get your face cut, nya?"

"But there’s no other way…! The barrier won’t hold!"

"Let’s do it! Succubi wear nakedness as their uniform! We don’t need clothes to begin with!"

Just as we steeled ourselves to act, someone burst from the thick hedges and garden greenery, lunging straight toward the Count, who had been momentarily left exposed behind the women.

Mid-leap, the figure tore off a black cloak.

A red headband tied tight. A sleeveless white martial arts gi. Red fingerless gloves on both hands.

That silhouette was unmistakable—

"Victory-style Fiiist!!"

Crouching low and twisting the entire body into the motion, a jumping uppercut smashed into the Count’s chin, while a knee driven forward simultaneously buried itself into his gut. The exposed pig’s body lifted cleanly off the ground.