I Own a Brothel in Another World

Chapter 248 – Half the Woman

Helping out the ladies with their descent, I put my hands on my hips and shake my head.

“I knew this would happen one day but not as fast…” I say, eyeing the new decorations. “Would you mind tending to our new floral arrangements while I check with the staff?”

Mev didn’t raise any alarms while we were with Sirgia’s family, but there’s always a chance she forgot about her new communication options, as she was new to those abilities.

“It’s alright, Master.” Sirgia cracks her knuckles with a devious grin. “Leave manual labour to your loyal maids.”

Chuckling, I ruffle through her hair and give our new friend a light nod. Passing the two bound Dwarves on the sides of the entrance, I slowly open the door, noting that it’s not locked. Peeking through the gap, I spot no immediate trouble. Moving fully inside, I confirm that the shop is still in perfect shape, with no signs of fighting or struggle.

However, Mevana is nowhere to be found, so I follow the connection we now share and march to her workshop at the back. It’s unlocked, too, and I easily peer inside, finding the short, shapely woman deeply focused on analysing her craft. She’s been studying some of Sirgia’s simpler designs and practising her skills on wooden cylinders to learn the basics of all the different shapes.

Not wanting to spook her, I gently tap on the doorframe, which still makes the focused girl flinch a little. As her head whips towards me, a charming smile blossoms on her plump lips and she places her current project aside.

“Welcome back, Master. How did it go? Did Sirgia stay behind?” She tilts her head curiously.

“More or less fine, and no, she’s out front with a friend we’ll introduce in a moment. However, I would like to ask you the same. How were things here in the meantime? Any trouble?” I raise a brow at her as she trots to stand before me.

“I’m making progress.” Mev blushes as she takes a glance at the plethora of lewd toys. “Slow but steady. I’m afraid I won’t be able to match Sirgia’s technique anytime soon but I’ll do my best. And there was no trouble. No one bothered me while you two were gone.”

“You sure?” I snicker, crossing my arms over my chest. “What about the four guys bound to our storefront?”

“The what?” She blinks at me in shock and confusion.

Gesturing at her to follow, I slip back into the main area. As the two of us fill in, Sirgia just finishes dragging the last body inside. Niel closes the door behind them while peering outside with a slightly anxious expression, most likely looking for any individuals who show too much interest in the unavoidable scene they have created. I also notice that the Lilies sit on a nearby counter, their flowers most likely waiting outside.

“Who are they?” Mevana scratches her cheek.

“Master!” Both halves of the Liliraune grin at me and run up to us to place synchronised pecks on my cheeks.

“We caught the bad guys!” Lilia giggles sweetly and twirls cheerfully.

“Did we do good?” Lilie bats her eyelashes at me expectantly.

I catch them both and give their soft rears a decisive squeeze, pulling them closer. “You did great. Care to explain how did it come to this, though?”

“They were snooping around the shop!” the first plant girl answers excitedly.

“We monitored them from hiding until they tried to look inside!” the second one adds. “Before they could bother your friend, Master, we took them down!”

Their actions might have been a bit hasty, but I guess it’s better to shoot first and ask questions later in the situation we have found ourselves in. Thankfully, they used non-lethal ammunition.

“There’s a chance they were sent by Stockhawkers so we should interrogate them before anything.” I stroke my chin ponderingly. “We haven’t done much to catch their attention yet but even if their previous attempts weren’t the most successful, that doesn’t mean they are totally incompetent.”

“As you wish, Master!” The Lilies laugh softly.

One of them snaps her fingers and the vines restraining the four men extend to her hand. Holding onto them like a pack of leashed dogs, she drags the unlucky Dwarves towards a spiralling staircase at the far end of the room, a new addition that appeared while we were out. Some muffled grunts and moans escape the group as they bump against every single step, their mouths gagged with more wooden tendrils.

Soon, the gorgeous green-skinned ladies disappear into the upper floor, leaving our trio alone in silence. And amongst a bit of earthen dirt and dust that rubbed off the previously buried spies. Mev sighs quietly and turns around to head for a broom, but I stop her with a hand on her shoulder.

“It might get dirty more so let’s take care of introductions first.” I bring her back towards Sirgia and Niel. “This is Mevana Shaftmiller, our talented woodworker who is going to become the backbone of this little store. And this is Niel Forgegraver, from what I’ve heard, a skilled artisan-turned-maid due to circumstances. I hope we can all get along.”

The two ladies exchange polite curtsies and share a brief smile. I don’t think I need to worry about the last part.

“Is this the shop’s new uniform, Master?” Mev asks as she scrutinises Niel’s clothes.

“That’s my family’s servant getup,” Sirgia chimes in. “Our new clothes are still in the making.”

“I see.” Mevana nods. “Is she joining us, then?”

I look at the purple-haired woman. “That depends. What are your plans now that Sirgia is back? It’s been said that returning to your previous position might be difficult, but we’ll do what we can to support you if you would like to become a disciple again now that you don’t need to focus all your efforts on consoling Lord Giacolo and Lady Siriel.”

She makes a show of mulling over it, peeking up at me a few times, still a bit shy and awkward about me. “And what if I didn’t want that anymore…?”

The glances she’s shooting at Sirgia too are very telling. She is afraid of getting separated again.

Her clan sister comes to the rescue. “Then you could join us. The more the merrier and we would definitely find a use for another pair of hands here. A clerk is needed to watch the shop and talk with the customers while Mev works in the back.”

“Or, considering your skills, someone to help with decorating and final touches, making Mev’s products even better,” I add to give Niel more than just one single path to take. “As long as neither proves to be an issue for the Forgegraver family servant.”

“It won’t.” Niel waves her hands. “I’m assigned to Sirgia’s parents and they can do whatever they want with me, within the law and guidelines of course, so I can be delegated to spend all my time outside of the compound if that’s their wish.”

“Convenient.” I realise the full extent of them urging Niel to stay by Sirgia’s side without fully cutting ties with them. “What do you say, then?”

“Ummm… I’m not sure how well I can do with the customers, but I can try… And I would love to help with the process… If I’m capable enough…” She squirms a little, a familiar touch of uncertainty taking over.

They might not be blood-related, but it clearly runs in the family.

Honestly, not that surprising. Sirgia and Niel were both thrown into deep water and spent many years under pressure and perhaps abuse. They both lost a lot of confidence during that time, and the fact that they weren’t too confident in themselves in the first place didn’t help. We’ll have our work cut out for us if we want to bring her out of her shell. But, I can tell Sirgia knows it too and is already thinking about ways to make her friend’s life much brighter.

Who knows, maybe Niel is the trustworthy person we have been looking for to operate our gateway in this region. Naturally, to achieve that, she would need to join us for real, but we’ll see how things are going to develop. I don’t want to suggest anything too early considering her earlier bout of courage in throwing her everything my way to save Sirgia. I feel like she’s a person who goes to incredible lengths to please those she loves. She would do pretty much anything I ask if it makes my cute mate happy.

I thought about looking for someone with a higher standing, but ultimately, we can simply elevate hers as far as we need. The matter will still need to be discussed with the Dwarf ruler, obviously, but we should be in possession of a few decent aces in our sleeves. While the teleportation array will be our private method of transport, nothing stands in the way of a few individuals getting regulated access to it under specific conditions.

In any way, these are matters of the near future. First, we have more pressing events to focus on. Starting with our new employee.

Smiling warmly at the hesitant girl, I gesture at the workshop. “Why don’t you join us in the backroom and see for yourself if there’s anything you are interested in helping with? I bet you’ll get an idea or two while we explain and show you the details.”

“Good thinking, Master.” Sirgia nods eagerly and hugs her friend’s arm to her chest. “Come, Niel. Let’s see how Mev is doing.”

We move into the workshop and the purple-haired lady roams her curious gaze over all the equipment and devices filling the artisanal chamber. It’s nothing as insane as Sirgia’s personal forge, but for what’s going to be crafted here, it’s much more than enough. No one is going to make a realm-splitting sword in here. All the gear will partake in a different kind of splitting.

Niel’s intrigued eyes land on the surface where Mevana previously busied herself with her formal training. They widen slightly and her gentle cheeks warm up at the sight of a plethora of wooden cocks in various stages of crafting. It’s not her first time seeing these toys today, but that doesn’t change their slightly embarrassing nature.

My dear wife nonchalantly approaches the spot and swipes one of the products into her dainty fingers. “Very good. Very solid. As expected, your handiwork is impeccable. And the core is untouched, allowing us to weave an enchantment or two into these. Of course, not all will be magical. We want to start slow. A heating crystal here, a vibrating gem there, nothing too fancy.”

“I’m glad.” Mev beams at her, picking up and affectionately stroking one of her creations. “Some of these are going to be challenging, but I like to push myself in pursuit of perfect wood sculpting.”

Sirgia lets out a tiny snort. “Challenging? These? They are just basic models. In a week or two, I’ll have you making this.”

With a flourish, she materialises a row of fancy dildos, varying in colour, material, size, and complexity. While Mev has been working mostly on phallus-shaped products, now she stands before a showcase of the more creative choices women tend to lean toward when they truly let their urges go. Both she and Niel gape at the display in incredulous silence.

I can’t blame them. The first time you encounter these, you ask yourself a few questions, like oh god why, or do these even fit?!

The very same thought seems to float through Mevana’s head as she stops her examination at one particular toy resembling a wiggling tentacle with an impressively thick base, thinning out towards the top only a bit. She picks it up, rotates it a few times to observe the recreation of suction cups on one side and scaly texture on the other, then lowers it, but not back onto the workbench.

Instead, she positions it in front of her, bringing the flat bottom in line with the apex of her thighs, widening her stance just a bit. All of us here understand what she’s doing that for without the need to ask questions. The disbelieving look she gives the appendage that reaches almost up to her sternum serves as more than an answer.

Then, those wide eyes move onto us.

“Are you trying to kill someone?” Mev asks in disbelief. “This is a torture device, not a toy!”

An amused giggle escapes Sirgia’s lips as she places a hand on the other Dwarf’s shoulder.

“It’s not exactly meant for the smaller races, but you would be surprised by how much can fit in back there. This isn’t even half as big as the longest actively pursued products in our repertoire at home.” She pokes the perverted tendril, making it wiggle like an antenna.

Mev’s shapely behind clenches firmly at the very thought of letting such a monster slip inside her other hole and I spot Niel subconsciously bringing her hands to protect her rear too. Hell, I can feel myself straining up a tad now that my small lover touched on the topic. No offence, whatever gets you going, but I don’t think any of us would enjoy being stuffed this hard.

They say Human body is made up of like sixty-five percent of water, but with something like this inside your ass, that would immediately fall to thirty. More plastic than in the whole ocean.

“We might need to scale some of these down for the local ladies,” I say to break the growing silence. “Just don’t get too crazy. We don’t want to scare the customers away. They should get horny at the sight of the toys, not terrified for their life.”

“That’s the plan, Master. I just had only Human-sized ones on me. It will be nice to craft smaller ones for our kind.” My smart mate helps Mevana put the lethal object away. “We’ll need a lot of testing to find the right dimensions, though.”

She sneaks a flushed peek my way, undoubtedly hoping that I’ll assist with those. In the end, it’s clear who the tester is going to be. It could be a bit tough taking accurate notes while drilled anally into a puddle of melted pleasure, no matter how prodigal of an artificer one is.

Her brown eyes travel to the other artisan questioningly and the bodily girl nibbles on her bottom lip under the given attention, trying to show indecisiveness but failing, her cheeks turning rosy too as she peers up at my face.

“Well… Since I’ll be making these alongside you… It’s my responsibility to verify the quality of the product, right?” Mev states matter-of-factly, totally not looking forward to having me explore her depths with some neat creations.

Looks like I’ll have my hands full in the upcoming days.

Literally and figuratively.

Could be worse.

Turning to Niel, I rub her back reassuringly. “Don’t worry. That won’t be part of your job obligations. Unless you want to. Nevertheless, any inspirations?”

She tries to give me a brave little smile and directs her focus to the rows of toys. “I’m fairly sure I should be able to craft some of these after a bit of coaching. But, I’m more confident in… prettying them up?”

“How?” Sirgia tilts her head curiously.

“They already look great, but I think I can achieve better colour and details by using the paints I came up with. They are water resistant, so they should… work with… that… too…” Niel’s face heats more as she squeezes her thighs together.

Pussy juices.

She means female pussy juices.

“That’s an interesting idea.” My thoughtful mate grins at her. “I did my best to mix exotic pigments with the materials used for the toys but it doesn’t always work perfectly. If you could adorn them with brighter dyes and even add some finishing touches to make them look more real, that would be fantastic. One of Master’s wives is a talented painter. Perhaps you two could exchange some pointers and create something new. She mostly uses mana to enhance her works, but she has to be an expert on dyes too.”

“Sounds intriguing,” I agree with her. “We’ll see about setting up a meeting.”

“Or you can just add her, Master,” Sirgia suggests, a hint of excitement in her voice.

I give it a thought before answering. “Maybe. But it should be an informed choice. You should properly explain the nature of the connection first. We’ll talk about this option after that.”

“Will do.” She nods, turning to Niel. “We still need to have a proper talk about lots of stuff.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

They stare at each other fondly. The short time they had during our trip back definitely wasn’t enough to cover even half of the conversation they would have loved to have. Thankfully, they will have many occasions to continue.

A faint chuckle captures our attention and we glance at Mevana playing with some other tools Sirgia has previously pulled out of her spatial storage.

“I still can’t believe there’s so much more to this than just that simplistic phallic tube the Stockhawkers appropriated and I copied. So many options.” Mev shakes her head. “I’m starting to feel a little bad for the men. We women can satisfy ourselves with such a wide range of toys while they are limited to pretty much two options, either their hands or the real thing.”

Before I can comment, Sirgia gives me a somewhat conspiratory look, a tad hesitant about something, which stops me briefly. Coming to a decision, she moves to stand next to Mevana and clears some space on the countertop.

“Well… There are actually three… But since there was a chance it could slightly interfere with the second one, which our business focuses on… I haven’t yet introduced it…” She pulls something out again and steps slightly aside, abashedly dropping her gaze to the ground so as not to look at me accidentally.

As for my gaze, it lands on… a slim female torso.

An utterly naked womanly body resting on its back on the wooden surface. It’s missing a head, arms, and legs, but unsurprisingly, doesn’t skimp on the actually important parts like modest but tender breasts tipped with sensual nipples and an intricately crafted bare slit that definitely hides a depth more sophisticated than this artistic depiction should.

Of course.

Because it’s such a normal thing for Sirgia to have a premium-tier sex doll in her pocket.

But, the more my eyes wander over this gorgeous torso, the more it’s starting to feel familiar. It’s slender but athletic build with a flat stomach hinting at lots of sport-like activity. The dip of its waist and the delicate depiction of the petite folds pressed together in a tight seal. Those dainty but shapely breasts that would perfectly fill my palms if I cupped them up while leaning over—

Then, it strikes me like a lightning bolt.

~SHINOOOOOOOOOOOO!~

~Eeep!~ An undignified squeak arrives in return to my bellow, shivering from the intensity of my call. ~S-Sensei?~

Squinting heavily, I take a deep breath through my nose. ~Care to explain what exactly I’m looking at over here?~

The depraved samurai girl takes shorter than a second to share my sight before flinching away.

~Sorry, Sensei! I’m in the middle of a fight! Talk to you later!~ She cuts and mutes the connection as much as she realistically can, running away from my senses.

Groaning heavily, I rub my eyes.

Yes, I could pull her back easily and ask why exactly a Shino-shaped sex doll exists in this world, but I decide to let her off this time. There’s another who can answer my questions here. But, I won’t forget this if that’s what she’s hoping for. This damn troublemaker is in for a lengthy conversation the moment I’m back.

“Sirgia.”

My tiny lover shudders, still locked in a staring contest with the floor.

“I-It was her idea…” she quietly replies.

“Figured out that much.” I walk up to her and kneel in front of my talented mate, lifting her chin. “When did you girls start dabbling in such an interesting project?”

Sirgia can tell that I’m not angry at her and some shadows of pride swirl in her downcast eyes as she blushes even harder. “A few months. It came up randomly one day. It was such an intriguing idea that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. One thing led to another and…”

And we have a life-sized Shino copy resting on the countertop. Minus a few limbs.

Well, considering the fact that I’ve been surrounded by copies of my cock, it was inevitable for a counterpart to show up at some point in time. Still, I thought it would have been something I would be aware of and perhaps partake in the process, but the ladies worked on it in secret, possibly afraid of what I could say.

As we talk, Mev saunters closer and pokes the torso with her finger to examine the fake flesh and gives one of the petite breasts a delicate slap, making it jiggle pretty realistically. Curiosity gets the better of her and she slides her fingers south, prodding at the puffy pussy lips, her expression taken over by awe and a hint of a flush. Spreading them a bit, she reveals the stimulating pink insides, quickly taking her hand off to seal that stimulating sight away, letting the artificial lips smack together.

Rolling my eyes, I place a warm kiss on Sirgia’s forehead. “It’s beautiful. But, I don’t think I would be comfortable having it as part of the service menu.”

My mate hastily whips her head from side to side. “No! We would never! It’s meant for your use and only yours! We thought that we could—umm… We thought…” She interrupts herself before fully voicing their intentions.

“You thought what?” I ask softly.

“That you would let us watch as you use them…” Sirgia answers almost silently.

Not gonna lie, a certain part of me can’t help but twitch at her enticing words.

But, there’s something else my brain catches on.

“Them?” I frown gently.

Getting Mev to move aside, she gestures again, and one more torso pops up next to the first doll. It’s noticeably smaller, more petite, and delicate. This time, I recognize it immediately, and I’m not the only one.

That’s her.

As I loom over the cute thing with a disbelieving smirk, she studies my face intensely. Not finding any negative thoughts and emotions, the crafty vixen glances away, which coincidentally puts her in line with her best friend’s gaze. Their eyes meet and an unspoken understanding passes between the women.

Like one man, they both explode in crimson, almost steaming from embarrassment. Shino’s body might have been fine, but with Sirgia’s fully exposed figure lying out in the open air, they can’t control their inborn shyness. I’m sure they’ve seen each other naked not just once, but not like this.

Niel’s in for a rude awakening if she’s considered her idol pure and proper.

Mevana twirls her fingers next to me, less flushed than the duo, but still sporting a fine blush. “So… You going to test these?”

Sirgia freezes.

I would lie if I said I don’t want to, especially with how real they look, but I’m thankfully still able to think clearly and consider the presence of one additional female who isn’t used to us just getting all frisky in a random flash of desire.

“Sure.” I shrug, enjoying the sight of their somewhat anxious but also very expectant expressions. “But not today. We aren’t alone. And while it’s an interesting idea for the future of the establishment, it’s not a priority. We’ll discuss the matter of templates at a later date. This could prove useful for the local market without having to start an entirely new branch and recruit ladies. Yet, I bet these aren’t easy and fast to put together. Still, an additional trump card against the Stockhawkers is more than welcome. Good job, Sirgia.”

Blinking at me through the lengthy and convoluted praise, my lover smiles brightly and rushes to hug me lovingly. I can’t really stay or even begin to be mad at this cutie pie.

Shoving both replicas into my personal storage, I turn us towards the other women.

Just to keep an eye on these copies, of course. Certainly not to examine them in detail later. No, sir.

“So, that’s it more or less. There’s still a bit of the day we can use. Any plans or ideas?” I ask around.

“The upper floor needs new furniture. It’s nice and cosy but it’s been abandoned for a good while.” Mevana leaps at the chance to change the topic and the atmosphere.

“Yeah, we should take care of it before Niel moves in. Our mansion won’t always stay here.” I nod approvingly, evoking some confusion from our newest ally.

“A trip to the city sounds good.” Sirgia agrees too. “Niel needs clothes and daily necessities. And whatever else she would like to.”

“I don’t want to be a burden…” the person in question admits.

My mate trots up to her and takes her palms. “You aren’t and never will be. Our small family wasn’t able to spend a lot of money on both of us, but now that we are part of Master’s family too, we don’t need to worry about funds. You deserve this.”

“Alright. Let’s see what Lilia and Lilie learned from our guests and we are good to go,” I add, glad she’s already working on the other girl’s insecurities.

We leave the workshop and approach the spiralling staircase. It’s topped with a heavy door separating the two areas, which is nice. Right now, it’s unlocked, so we step inside a musky and dusty apartment. As expected, it’s the same size as the floor below, just divided differently.

There’s one more thing that tickles our noses and it’s an extremely sweet scent that comes from the plant girls, who seem to just be finishing with the last guy, his eyes glazed and his mouth hanging open unconsciously. But, contrary to the other three who are blacked out in a pile to the side, he is able to form slurred words, giving more information to his interrogators.

Spotting us, they wrap it up, puffing a bit of pollen into the dude’s face, knocking him out instantly. The Lilies rush towards me and crash into my chest with massive grins. Then, as we explore the floor, they fill us in on what they learned from our assailants.

This party of mercs has been assigned to watch the shop for a while already. The client feels like an intermediary, and it’s obvious he came from the Stockhawker payroll. After the attack and the trashing of the store, they wanted to know when the owner returned, interested in Mev’s actions and reactions.

Reconnaissance was pretty much their only goal, but after reporting the shop’s repairs and first kindlings of a reopening, they were tasked with finding out more. That’s when they have been caught by the Lilies and the traps the girls laid out in front of our locum. If not for that, they would have most likely bothered Mevana a lot, instead stopped before they could get inside or even see her.

Unfortunately, there’s not much else the ladies managed to get out of them but that’s okay. No one expected to find all the dirty secrets damning the clan in the hands of some common thugs. The leaders are smarter than that.

We debate what to do with the group, bouncing ideas off each other. The Lilies offer to turn the spies into fertilizer for our new flowers and other plants. While it’s an intriguing idea, it seems to terrify Niel so we skip it. They technically haven’t done anything serious to us yet, and the Lilies confirmed that they are small fry incapable of being a bigger threat to society, so we decide to let them go.

But not without a few doses of magical powders the Liliraune produce.

Our green friends assure us that the perpetrators won’t remember the interrogation, their memories stopping at being captured. While that will tell their client that something is going on around here, anyone can see this much simply by walking by. They haven’t figured out how our defences work, only that the systems are quick to react.

So, the Lilies drag the bodies outside and employ the help of the Oreads to transport them away. Meanwhile, we group up in front of the entrance and prepare to depart before it gets dark.

“Is no one staying? Maybe I should keep watch like the last time?” Mevana offers with a hesitant glance back.

“You saw what happened to those poor guys. Our companions keep an eye or a dozen on our new home at all times.” I reassure her with a few headpats.

To give Sirgia and Niel some more time together, I suggest we split up, taking Mev with me. They get Diana for themselves and ride away to have fun shopping for necessities and chatting on the way, but not before our loyal wolf uses her ability to transfer one of her pack to accompany us. It’s a female too but a much smaller one, and we gratefully hop on, our ride starting to trot the opposite way.

Mev brings me to a few more spots she knows around the city and we finish our quest for furniture in a flash. Picking up some other stuff for work, we then spend a bit of our time alone sightseeing. She shows me the main facilities of the Stockhawkers, which look like true merchant headquarters. I thwart my urge to infiltrate, which should now be a piece of cake thanks to my new perks from advancing, and we continue on, visiting a bunch of other important locations, including the main keep where the big man resides.

I might need to start looking into securing an audience. We shouldn’t forget about the things we found in the passage.

We end our little date in a charming restaurant, snacking on tasty desserts. It’s obvious from the pleased smile and dreamy expression that Mev hasn’t experienced the joys of such meetings a lot in her life. Sure, she might or might not become one of my most important mates that fill the inner circle, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve to feel appreciated and cared for. Or even loved.

As we leave, she thanks me with a lovely kiss on the cheek, snuggling into my chest the entire ride back, the happy grin staying on her luscious lips. Making it home before the other two, we clean the upper floor and set the furniture down. Afterwards, Mevana looks at the whole place with an elated gaze, fully taking in the fact that this is going to be her new life from now on.

Sirgia and Niel arrive much later than we expected, giving us enough time to break in Mev’s fresh bed not once but twice. Or maybe Mevana was just that much into it, exploding repeatedly from the slightest touch. Can’t blame her after the show in the workshop.

For late dinner, we finally descend into the suitcase. The girls snicker at Niel’s reactions as she goes through all the steps of wonder, disbelief, amazement, and incredulity. It will take a moment to comprehend all of this, especially the part where her treasured friend is the creator, but I’m sure Sirgia will manage somehow. We split for the night too, forming the same pairs. Mevana is more than happy to sleep by my side while the other two reconnect through a sleepover in a different bedroom. It’s been a while since they held one.

The next day, I spot a small change in our new companion, and it’s not the fitting casual clothes she’s wearing, which give her the pretty girl next door vibe, albeit a bit short since she’s a Dwarf. She keeps sneaking glances at me with visible interest whenever I’m not looking her way, still slightly timid but not as nervous. Sirgia must have shared a lot and her mind is now overfilled with information that she might be inclined to confirm herself through observation.

As we are milling about all over the store trying to figure out our respective roles and tasks, someone knocks on the door. It turns out to be a servant from Sirgia’s household informing us of her mother’s request to visit. The two of us decide to check it out while Mev and Niel get accustomed to each other’s presence and discuss some business matters. Utilising Diana’s shadows, we make it to our destination in a blink, stopping by the front gates just in case.

We are led to a different part of the complex this time and enter what looks like a hall of numerous doors hiding a great number of personal workshops. Number seventy-two is the one we enter, finding Lady Siriel deep in work on her most recent project. Spotting her in a pair of coveralls in the form of suspended pants and a rough t-shirt is like looking at a mirror image of my dear artificer wife.

Who is currently still wearing her maid uniform, unbothered by the onlookers.

“Good morning, Mother,” Sirgia greets her mom loud enough to push through the clang of metal.

The sweaty Dwarf woman smiles at us happily. “And morning to you too. I thought you would be a bit busier. My apologies. There’s a letter for you.”

They meet in the middle and she pulls out an envelope from one of her inner pockets. Sirgia checks it out immediately while myself and her mom peer over her shoulder. I catch only a few sentences before my quick-reading lover finishes with a snort and a roll of her eyes.

“Is there a problem?” her mother asks pensively.

Sirgia waves her concerns off. “No. This is just a list of categories for the Heir Showdown. I knew the Patriarch wouldn’t show favouritism, but it looks like my bold claims have convinced him to put some challenge into it. Pretty much every test belongs to a category I struggled the most at during my education.”

Siriel’s brows furrow deeply. “That’s not some small challenge to humble a cocky student, he’s rigged the entire contest against you! I won’t let that stand! If he thinks he’ll take my beloved daughter away from me a second time, he will quickly change his mind with my hammer shoved—”

“It’s okay, Mom.” My mate squeezes her mother’s shoulder affectionately. “The keyword here is during my education. That period ended long ago. I might not have gotten any official titles or papers, but I’m not the same person as I was back then. Much has changed.”

She gives me a knowing look and makes the letter disappear into her storage.

“But, it will be easier to show you. I’ll stay here for a while, Master. You can return to the shop.” Sirgia stands up to her tiptoes to present me with a dainty kiss and turns around. “What are you working on right now, Mother?”

As the two ladies fall into a craftsman trance, I excuse myself out of the room, well aware that my presence is as gone from their minds as that fancy envelope, no matter what I do. Leaving through the door, I walk into Giacolo leaning against the wall next to the entrance. He peeks inside while I hold it open, then finds my eyes with his full of understanding, and we share a hearty chuckle.

Unfortunately, he’s only come to check on his wife and make sure she takes proper breaks, with what I can completely sympathise, so we don’t get time for some guys’ talk yet. I ride back to the store and rejoin the other ladies.

The next two days pass uneventfully. Sirgia spends most of the time in her mother’s workshop, not that she needs to put too much effort into her submissions for the showdown. Whatever she cooks up in there will be nowhere close to the peak of her abilities, but she enjoys surprising her mom with all she’s learned during and after her journey.

As for the rest of us, we keep taking care of the preparations to properly launch the store. Mari finishes the uniforms, which I pick up through a swap right away, and pass them onto the ladies. These came out incredibly well. They are a tad more modest than our flashy outfits and the colour balance between black and purple is much closer. Mevana and Niel give the clothes their approval, complimenting the comfort, durability, and utility. There are many hidden compartments where they can hide things for self-defence or whatever else.

Mev even gets a dedicated work outfit that’s kept in the same theme so she doesn’t have to slave away in a maid uniform in the workshop, which is nice. I order a few more copies for Niel and any other artisans we might recruit.

By the end of the third day, we are ready to open for real, stocked on a decent chunk of dildos made by our fresh two contractors. Niel’s artistic sense pimped them up a level, making their creations even more captivating. There are a few magical dicks with glowing runes along their shafts that are supposed to guarantee a magical experience. This and a few other extra visual augmentations riddle the first batch.

Dwarves love artificing, no matter if they dabble in it or not.

My job will be to handle the marketing, but I already have something in my sleeve, courtesy of Neira and a number of other girls. 

But, we aren’t starting just yet. Today is an important day. The day of the Heir Showdown. And all three of us find ourselves on a bench inside a spacious rectangular arena resembling a miniature coliseum, just not oval and without all the arched openings. The seats are fairly full and five challengers stand proud in the middle of this theatre, each in front of their own marked strip where targets for their tasks will most likely appear. There’s a raised stage behind them, where the Patriarch and the Elders watch over the show from up close.

Sirgia finds our eyes in the audience and waves adorably, showing a complete lack of worry about the competition. As for her rivals, they try to look confident too, but it’s obvious they are extremely nervous. Their failure might not be as punishing as hers, but no one wants to lose face in front of the entire branch of the clan.

If only they knew what they signed up for.

May the Goddess take pity on these miserable souls when Siriga is done with them because my timid partner is fresh out of mercy.

And ready to kick some serious ass.