Yuri Empire

Chapter 80

Sorry to disturb you.

The old woman who was led to the reception room of the Yuritania Palace, Aurence, said bluntly to Yuri as soon as she entered the room.

Aurences lack of civility towards the lord of the country made Shaula, who had led her here, blatantly frown. From Yuris point of view, it was nothing to be concerned about.

Welcome, Aurence. What can the head of the Hayes Chamber of Commerce want from me?

Baboon. Im sure you know I run the brothel, dont you?

What can I do for you?

Yuri smiled and brushed aside Aurence question.

At first glance, I could tell that this person was not as good as Rubetta or Ados, but she was still definitely a shrewd merchant.

Showing your emotions to a crafty old person like this may be harmful, it wont do any good. So Yuri decided to respond with a pasted-on smile and a poker face.

And youre not as old as you look.

Well, theres no denying that. Still, I think youre younger than Aurence, dont you?<br />(TN: The RAW and TL confuse me so I just go with it)

Hee hee. You must be young compared to this old hag.

The old woman smiled in amusement at Yuris words.

Seeing this reaction, Yuri felt an honest fondness for Aurence.

As was the case with her beloved grandfather, people who have aged well are not ashamed of their age. The smile on Aurences face showed some humility, but it also showed the pride of a person who has lived long.

By the way, what can I do for you today? Id like to remind you that, as you know, I do not accept gifts from merchants.

This has been the case since the time I was working at the Lords House in Nildea before I moved to Yuritania. As the lord of the country, Yuri was visited by many merchants who came to her with gifts and schemed to get her to do something for them.

It soon became too much trouble to deal with them all, so Yuri announced to the citizens through a broadcast that merchants who come to the lords mansion with gifts will be beaten up.

After the announcement, the merchants who came to the house with gifts were thrown out without exception. If this is the case with Aurence, then of course Yuri is going to do the same.

Youre fastidious, arent you? Well, Im sure its ideal for the head of state.

I just came to thank you today. I wanted to bring you at least one thank you gift, but I couldnt because I was afraid I would get kicked out.

Thats a wise decision. If you had, Im sure you would have been kicked out.

By the way what is this thank you thing youre talking about? I cant think of anything that Aurence should be thanking me for.

Oh, dont be silly. Youre the one whos been bringing in more customers to the brothel all of a sudden since about half a month ago, arent you?

What makes you say that?

The number of women who come to the brothel is not uncommon. But they are a very small minority. If dozens of them started coming to the brothel every day, even I would feel strange about it.

Oh thats right

The former secret agents of the kingdom were all women. Originally, there were men, but they were used to feed the children of the <Kuroyuri>, so not a shred of flesh remains.

But how did you know it was one of mine?

Most of the female patrons had a distinct kingdom accent in their speech.

At first, I thought that the kingdoms secret agents were planning to come to Yuritania and gather information in the brothel, but I dont think the kingdom can afford that. So I thought it would be more natural to think of them as former soldiers of the kingdom who are now being used as pawns by the lord of this country.

With that much information? Aurence is a person of great wisdom.

Ha! Nothing good will come from praising this old hag!

Aurence itches to say this as if she is not used to being praised.

Yuris grandfather had often reacted that way, and Yuri was rather pleased with her.

Its true, though, that the brothel has been able to stay afloat thanks to this. At one point, it was so bad that I almost couldnt afford to pay the girls I hired

Thank you, youve been a great help.

Aurence was so polite to come out here to thank me.

Running a brothel is a world where everything is based on human relations. Its not an easy world for someone who cant even make sense of others to keep going.

Hmmm Thats very interesting.

The words of a merchant who has been in the brothel business for many years carry a lot of weight.

A brothel is indeed a place where people interact deeply with each other, both physically and mentally. If youre going to make a business out of it, you need to have the appropriate integrity and philosophy on your side, or youll find yourself quickly turned off by customers.

Im glad to know that Yuri-sama took the trouble to support a business thats as hated by the public as we are in a non-gratuitous way.

I dont care if it results in you finding out.

Hee hee, no doubt!

Yuri responded with a shrug.

Seeing this, Aurence shook her shoulders with a chuckle and an amused smile.

I dont have any prejudice against prostitutes, and if youve been watching, you know that I have an eye for the ladies. Ill at least support you.

I see. Then you should come to the brothel sometime. Ill make sure you get plenty of service from my young ones.

Hmm. I wonder if its possible to pick you up at the brothel?

What?

Aurence rolled her eyes at Yuris words.

If youre going to make a joke, make it a little more clever. Its a little hard to smile when you say something like that out in the open.

But wasnt Aurence quite beautiful in her youth?

Even to a Japanese Yuri, Aurence looked to be in her late 70s. Her back is straight and her body lines are intact despite her age.

If it werent for the countless wrinkles on her face, she would be quite beautiful. At least, thats what Yuris sensor, which has assessed many of the same sex, has determined.

Well you know, 50 years ago, Id have thought Id have looked a certain way.

Then theres nothing wrong with that. Ill make you look young again.

Youre not joking, are you? There have been rumors in the merchant guild for some time now that some of the merchants in business with the state are getting younger, is that true?

Oh, if you know, then you can talk quickly. Im the one who rejuvenated Rubetta of the Rostine Merchant Company and Ados of the Tormark Merchant Company, as Aurence said. Well to be exact, it was due to the effects of a potion made by my childer.

Aurence, I have a suggestion. Ill prepare a [Rejuvenation Potion] for you, and I want you to be mine. Of course, it can be used for business purposes or personal use.

Aurence, a shrewd merchant who lacks the intellects of Rubetta and Ados, is a rather attractive opponent to Yuri.

Because there are plans to set up brothels in the Tourist Resort Section and Labyrinth Dungeon Area of the new city, I can say that I want her to be there.

And to be honest, Im not sure if I want to push down Aurence now that shes a complete old woman. But when Yuri imagined Aurence in her youthful state, she is very interested.

So, even in a personal and private sense, she would like to have her.

Well, Yuri welcomes any woman, young or old, so she doesnt mind if she stays old. Yuris way of loving is quite intense, so the thought of holding an old woman scares her from a safe point of view.

Even the children of the <Shirayuri>, who are constantly working out, will be so exhausted that they wont be able to get up for a while the next morning.

Hehe. Some devils in this world would offer a woman a deal for her youth.

Youve lived a very long life, havent you? Maybe you should give up your life to the devil for once and find a new kind of pleasure.

Oh my God, thats horrible. By the way, I have a few good friends who are prostitutes of the same age, and I started as a merchant when I started running my brothel to make sure they werent mistreated.

Oh, youre a good friend. Thats nice.

If you can get my best friend what you call a [Rejuvenation Potion].

If youre willing to do that, Id be happy to be yours.

How can you prepare such a precious potion for so many people?

The expression on Aurence face clearly said so. From Yuris point of view, the [Ochimizu], a rejuvenating medicine, is an item that is stockpiled in such large quantities that it can be called a bad inventory, so it is not something to be spared.

On that condition, then, do I need to sign a contract?

Hehe, I dont need one. I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me. I dont know how I ended up in this mess.

Its a shame you got caught by the devil.

Oh, dear. If the devil is the main god, this world is finished.

Aurence smiled her most amusing smile to date as she said this.

Yuri also broke into a smile, happy to have a new partner she could trust.