“Y-Yes!” Arthur nods once again, answering a little too eagerly. He swallows hard as he follows the owner into the building, eyes unable to look away from her swaying behind.

Oddly enough, seeing the inside of the building distracts him from his nerves. It’s all way fancier than it would seem from the outside. Much like the inn he’s staying in, this first, ample room is like a bar of sorts. Expensive looking chandeliers hang from the ceiling and the whole floor is carpeted in red. Fine tables made of dark wood are set all around and on them one can see men sharing drinks with one or more elegantly dressed women. There’s… nothing particularly lewd about it. They all seem to just be having lively conversations.

A man wearing a fine black suit with what seems to be gold trimming approaches Miss Ariana.

“Welcome back, madam.” The man bows politely. “Did your business go well?”

“I believe so. A new girl should be coming here in a few days to see what the job is all about. Be sure to treat her well. You don’t need to show her or have her do anything she’s uncomfortable with but be explicit about how we work here.”

“As always, madam.” He nods, then looks past his boss to Arthur. “A customer? Would you like me to attend him?”

“No, I already promised to talk business with him myself. Bring us a glass of wine, however.”

“As you wish.” The man bows politely again, then walks up to Arthur. “Your weapon, please. We promise to safely return it once you leave, sir.”

Arthur hesitantly hands over his sword. The man bows politely once more before walking away.

Arthur follows Miss Ariana to a small room behind a black curtain. Inside is only a small table and two chairs. Miss Ariana sits down and motions for him to do the same.

“Please, sit down. I assure you, this is all standard procedure here, although I don’t attend to customers myself as often these days. We have very efficient people, you see.”

Though her voice is calming, it’s also oddly seductive. This is a completely different kind of woman to anyone Arthur has ever met.

He sits down in silence, trying to calm down and stop looking so pathetic.

“First, let me ask your name, mister.”

“A-Arthur.”

“Mr. Arthur, then.” She nods.

In almost no time, another man in the same attire as the previous one enters the small room with a tray with two glasses of red wine on it. He serves one to each of them, bows professionally, and leaves.

“The wine is on the house, so feel free to drink. This is your first time here, is it not?” Miss Ariana asks with an easy smile.

‘Of course she can tell!’

“It is.” He answers, trying to hide his embarrassment behind the glass of wine.

“And, excuse me if I’m wrong and overstepping my boundaries, but would this also be your first experience?”

‘Why does she have to ask that!? Though it’s not like there’s any point in lying. It’s not like I can fake being experienced.’

“Y-Yes.”

“Please, don’t be ashamed. We are honored that you would choose our establishment, whichever the reason.” She says with an odd smile that’s both reassuring and sexy. “Should I explain to you how this works, then?”

“Please.” Arthur pleads, grabbing onto that lifeline.

“As you can see, on the bar area we provide traditional tavern services such as drink and food, while also offering simple companionship from the ladies who work here.” Miss Ariana explains, and Arthur could be wrong, but almost seems like she’s having fun. “These companionship services don’t involve anything sexual in nature. The girls will engage in conversation with you for a set amount of time, depending on how much you pay.”

‘There’s that kind of service? That’s… pretty tame and harmless. No, wait. That’s obviously a way to tempt customers into spending more money! This lady’s pretty smart.’

“As for our other services, yes, you can pay a certain sum to have sex with one or more of our girls.” It’s not difficult for her to notice Arthur’s burning face, so she chuckles softly before continuing. “I’m sorry if I’m being too blunt, but it would be terrible if we had a misunderstanding due to the use of unprofessional language.”

“I-I understand. Please, go on.”

“Every girl charges a slightly different fee. As you can imagine, our most popular girls are more expensive. We don’t want them overworking themselves, and good work should be compensated appropriately.”

“That’s… fair, yes.”

“We charge per hour, but certain requests may require an additional fee, depending on the girl. You will be led to the girl’s room, where we expect you treat them well. Anything the girl doesn’t explicitly consent to is absolutely forbidden. Our staff here also serve as guards. They’re all very strong fighters and magic users, so please keep that in mind.”

“Do you usually have problems with your customers?”

“Not as much as you’d think, but definitely more than we’d like.” Miss Ariana shakes her head. “Some people believe that money buys them the right to treat the girls however they wish. I assure you that is not the case.”

“I see.” Arthur smiles. “I admit, that’s a relief to hear.”

“I think we’ll be doing good business, then, Mr. Arthur.” She chuckles. “Now, how much are you willing to spend? Our fees start at 15 gold pieces per hour.”

‘15 gold for an hour? To think I had to risk my life in a 4-day trip for the same amount. And even that’s more than you’d earn for a week for farming.’

Before Arthur even speaks of his budget, he has to ask the question that’s been bugging him since the beginning.

“A-Are you available for s-services, Miss Ariana?” He asks, swallowing hard.

“Me? Well, aren’t you sweet? Fufufu.” She chuckles. “I’m very selective of my personal customers, but…” She eyes him up and down, studying the young man thoroughly. “I’ll tell you what. It’s been a while since last served a customer personally, and it’s not often I get the chance to have fun with someone… inexperienced.”

She eyes him hungrily, making his body shiver.

“However, I’m expensive. I charge 50 gold pieces per hour.”

‘!!!’

“That’s…”

“Too much for you?” She asks, looking slightly disappointed.

’50 gold pieces an hour? I used to make 40 a month working on two different farms! Living in extremely modest conditions costed us about 35 gp a month for mom and I. Saving two or three gold coins each month I was able to gather 90 gp in about three years.’

There’s another pang of jealousy in Arthur’s heart, but he dismisses it quickly.

‘I had to work more to make even less money, but granted, it’s… different work. Just forget it. The real question now is if paying her is worth it.'

He swallows again. He has to make a decision.