Chapter 10

We stopped for a break along the road from the royal capital to Seven Trees. My group was traveling by carriage, but most of the slaves were on foot. Even though we let them take turns riding in the supply wagons, we still had to give them occasional breaks, or they wouldn’t be able to keep walking.

Of course, we weren’t stopping at some kind of facility. We were just taking a break out in the open.

The air was clear, and the fresh scent of greenery was pleasant. The weather was perfect for a picnic—

Except my ass hurt.

As I stretched and gazed up at the sky, Clive approached me.

“—Your Highness, someone wishes to speak with you. Would you like to see them?”

“Sure. Send them over.”

I’d been in the mood to talk to someone anyway. Clive was about as talkative as a decorative statue.

“Umm~ hello there~”

The person approaching from a short distance away was one of the smaller women among the slaves.

She was tiny and laid-back, yet there was something sharp about her eyes. She seemed intelligent. Probably in her mid-twenties.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“My name’s Chiruchiru~ I was wondering, what’s that mirror ball you mentioned earlier?”

I drew a circle in the air with my finger.

“It’s a big ball made of mirrors. You hang it from the ceiling and spin it around, and it shines all over the place.”

A glittery, stupid-looking, absolutely awesome item that could get a party going.

…Well, even if we could make one in this world, I wasn’t sure how closely it would resemble the original.

“Hmmm, hmmm, hmmmmm~”

Chiruchiru nodded, narrowing her eyes as if she were gazing into the distance. Then one corner of her mouth curled upward.

“I might be able to make one.”

“…What?”

“I’m a magic toolmaker~ I kept drinking instead of working, and before I knew it, I’d become a slave~”

What a terrible introduction.

She was a complete alcoholic. This woman was a total boozehound. The kind of person you shouldn’t let impressionable kids see as an example.

Well, I was a piece of trash myself. I’d sleep like a log during the day, then work as a host at night. I’d give girls dreams, get them drinking, and make money off them…

Ahhh, what a scumbag.

But a magic toolmaker? —What the hell was that? Something like Doraemon? The possibilities were endless!

“If it’s a simple enough mechanism, I can make it as long as you provide the materials and some alcohol~”

My heart suddenly started racing.

“Seriously…? Then what about something that produces smoke, something that blows soap bubbles, and those big round ice cubes and square ice cubes for drinks?!”

“Mmmm~ I can probably manage those.”

“You’re seriously the best!”

I stood up, grabbed Chiruchiru by the shoulders, and gave her a gentle shake.

I’d be getting a whole bunch of secret gadgets!

“Okay! Once we get to Seven Trees, try making something for me! Oh, and make me a cushion that keeps my ass from hurting even after sitting in a carriage for hours!”

“Shock absorption? For that, I’ll need dried slime sheets and three bottles of alcohol~”

“You can actually make that?! Awesome, awesome! Let’s get along, fellow adults whose hobbies would get them censored on TV!”

Clive and the other guards stared at us as if they had no idea what they were looking at.

Just you wait. You’ll see what a bunch of scumbags can accomplish!

By the time night had fallen, we finally made it back to Seven Trees.

When I entered the temple we’d been using as our headquarters, Amalie was there to greet me, accompanied by a group of servants.

“Amalie, I’m home!”

“Welcome back, Lord Yuri.”

“Okay, next up is booze! Stock up on champagne and Dom Pérignon for the cabaret clubs!”

Amalie tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled.

“What are those? I’ve never heard of such drinks before…”

“Expensive, bubbly alcohol. As long as it tastes good, costs a fortune, and produces bubbles, anything will do. People get excited just because there are bubbles, and the more expensive it is, the more drunk they get. It just needs to look the part! We can even make some flashy gold bottles and fill them with booze!”

“…Y-yes… If that is what you wish, Lord Yuri.”

“And dresses! Secondhand or whatever, it doesn’t matter! We’re going to dress the girls up and make them look beautiful. Inside the establishment, we’ll have music, lighting, mirror balls, and a stage! We’ll pump out smoke and blow bubbles everywhere, too!”

I’d thought some of those things would be impossible, but with a magic toolmaker on hand, we might actually be able to pull them off.

“Make the customers feel like kings while getting them to drink—that’s what a cabaret club is all about!”

“…………”

…Huh? Why wasn’t she getting excited?

I had a perfect image of it in my head, but Amalie’s expression had reached the point where she was looking at something completely beyond her understanding.

Well, I supposed it might be a little too much for someone from another world.

They say seeing something once is worth more than hearing about it a hundred times, so I’d just have to let her experience it for herself. I was definitely going to blow her mind.

“Oh, and here’s the bill. Make the bank transfer before the deadline.”

I handed Amalie the invoice from the slave shop.

“Yes, understood.”

“That was surprisingly easy.”

I’d expected her to furrow her brows a little more.

Amalie smiled, looking rather pleased.

“It’s my job to support you financially, Lord Yuri.”

…Seriously? What incredible devotion. Even though the person she’d fallen for had been replaced by someone else on the inside.

“So, what did you buy in the royal capital?”

“People. The thing my city needs most.”

When Amalie opened the invoice, her eyes widened ever so slightly.

Her lips trembled.

Huh? Was the amount too much?

“Umm, are we going to be okay?”

“Y-yes… We have the initial funding from the kingdom, as well as donations from nobles, clergy, and merchants. So far, we’ve only arranged for some materials and haven’t spent much of the budget. We should be fine…”

Wow. She’s competent. As expected of a marquess’s daughter and a prince’s fiancée. I’m leaving everything to her from now on.

“That’s my reliable Amalie! Thanks!”

“…………”

Amalie’s cheeks turned red. She lowered her eyes, using the invoice to hide part of her face.

But she still didn’t look entirely relieved.

There was something uneasy about her expression, as if she were holding on to a worry deep inside.

“…What’s wrong?”

A girl’s worries were best dealt with early.

No matter how small the issue, if I noticed something felt off, I needed to address it right away. Otherwise, things could blow up spectacularly.

“…Um, Lord Yuri… What kind of establishment is a cabaret club?”

“It’s a place where you drink while having girls keep you company and chat with you.”

“…And people will actually come to a place like that?”

Of course she was worried. If nobody came, our finances would collapse. Then we’d go bankrupt. No, we’d become the first contender eliminated from the race for the throne.

—That was what Amalie was afraid of.

“Trust me. And if it fails, I’ll become a cult leader, start a new religion, and use that to make the city thrive.”

After all, I was the Holy Prince.

A beautiful Holy Prince who had suddenly died, risen from the dead three days later, and saved people with miraculous powers—

There was no way a story like that wouldn’t catch on. Hell, people might still be buying into it two thousand years from now.

I’d use miracles left and right to attract people and rake in donations.

“By the way, the male equivalent is a host club. We’ll open one once the cabaret club gets off the ground.”

With a former Kabukicho host like me running the show, there was no way it wouldn’t be a huge success.

The problem was that, for now, we couldn’t expect many customers.

Girls in this world generally didn’t have much money, after all…

We’d have to wait until women started earning more or we managed to attract nobles and wealthy customers.

“Um… What exactly is a host club like?”

So she was curious about that one, too?

“Want to try experiencing it for yourself?”

I lowered my voice a little as I asked.

“Would you like alcohol or juice?”

Amalie caught her breath, looking slightly flustered. I gave her a light smile.

It was a simple choice between two options.

A choice she couldn’t take back once she’d made it.

“Eh…? I-if that’s the case, then… juice, please.”

“Okay. Then let’s head to my room.”

We went to the room I’d been using as my office and had the attendants prepare juice, glasses, and ice.

After arranging the table, I turned toward Amalie, who was still standing by the entrance, and held out my hand.

“—Welcome to the land of dreams.”

I spoke softly, with genuine affection.

Amalie’s eyes seemed to waver ever so slightly.

“Princess, tonight, I’ll make you forget everything.”