Chapter 32 – Chapter 3: Taxpayer – 2
Whore?
Tia’s steps faltered at those words.
The young man giggled.
“I did not know? It is a long-standing tradition of public offering. “They are trashy bitches who follow the procession like this, sell their bodies, and enter Deseo’s brothel to be nominated by the nobles.”
“Yes, sir, you are acting expensive and damned when I ask you to treat me with a cheap, worthless vagina. Fucking bitches.”
“Just by looking at her, it looks like she’s far from that side. “Did you really come here to sell yourself?”
“…”
A torrent of crude swear words and eyes scanning one’s body.
Tia held her breath after hearing the shocking identity of the women she felt a sense of kinship with.
When she was in Breeze Dawn, she had never felt this strangeness, this rawness, this rawness.
Because everyone was kind and naive.
The only time I ever heard the word ‘prostitute’ being used in a derogatory manner by my aunts.
The ‘brothel’ where prostitutes were said to live was located on the northern outskirts of Tailden, so I didn’t even have a chance to see it.
Tia once again realized what an unfamiliar world she had entered.
Puuuuu-!
At that time.
A horn sounded at her head, and the procession slowly began to stop.
The men raised their heads.
“This. Is it already evening?”
“Move quickly!”
Suddenly, people started running diligently as if they had made a promise.
We each took out some shabby camping supplies from our luggage, settled down, lit a bonfire, and sat down in groups of 5 to 6.
Then she came out carrying a large brass vessel and snooped near the knight’s tent.
It wasn’t long before she found out why.
Every evening, the knights and soldiers enjoy a feast prepared by a chef in a large tent.
When the meal was over, the servants ate the leftovers and threw the remaining scraps outside.
The ‘rats’ were waiting with their mouths watering like that to get at least some of the scraps.
“Ahahaha!”
“I got it!”
People got pork bones with barely any meat left on them, added water to them, and excitedly started boiling them into a stew.
Tia was at a loss for words when she saw that figure, who was no different from a barbarian.
Living like that for 15 days?
She had always dreamed of becoming an adventurer, so she was determined.
It was such a shocking sight to see with my own eyes.
“…”
In the end, I couldn’t fit in anywhere, so I sat on the cart and filled my hungry stomach with cheese.
A woman approached from the dark shadows.
“Oh. A new cute little girl has arrived… Where are you from?”
It was the voice of an older woman.
“Hello. “I’m from Brisden.”
“Aha, I’ve heard of it. “There’s a Dragonez next to that Taildon?”
“Yes!”
As she met someone who recognized her hometown for the first time, Tia’s voice brightened slightly.
“What is the mountain girl doing in Deseo?”
“I’m looking for something. “I heard it only exists in Deseo.”
“Oh-. That sounds like an interesting story. “What is it?”
“Ah, it’s a drug called Dienbus-.”
“DM- I’m sorry. That’s a really difficult pronunciation. “What is that, the medicine of immortality?”
“That’s not it…”
The woman smiled and gestured.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. It would definitely be a good medicine if it could only be found in Deseo. I think it’s my first time on the road. Aren’t the men just giggling?”
“Hmm… “It was a bit like that.”
“You have to be careful, girl. The men here are different from the simple village youth who lived with the young lady. Because they are men who want to go to ‘Deseo’ and not anywhere else.”
As I opened my mouth not knowing what to say, the woman sighed deeply.
“Oh, you scolded me. If I left this for one more day, something huge would have happened. I’m so worried that my heart keeps pounding. “Miss, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”
“There is cheese, but…” …”
“After all that, how am I going to walk again tomorrow? Follow me. “I’ll give you some.”
She was slightly reluctant because she had previously been called a ‘prostitute’. Still, she didn’t seem like a bad person.
It was true that she was hungry, so Tia decided to follow her woman.
“Here.”
The place we were guided to was a small tent not far from the driver’s quarters.
When I opened the entrance and went inside, other women were eating bread and talking.
Most people are in their mid-20s. I was similar in age to my aunts.
The woman said.
“Well, I brought her little girl. “Is she the kid you said bothered you?”
“Yes! That’s right, Madam! A red-haired girl!”
Women flocked to the hesitant Tia.
“Kyaa-! Look at this! So pretty and cute!”
“My skin is so white that I look like a princess.”
“You have a sword? Do you really know how to use this?”
“What’s your name?”
My hair turned completely white from the barrage of questions.
“Well, that…” .”
In front of women looking at me with curious eyes.
In the end, Tia had to tell her story for a while.
She did not bring up her story about Ritz.
She simply explained that she had something she urgently needed to find in Deseo and that she was traveling alone.
Also, how old is she, when did she learn swordsmanship, how did she live in the village, etc…
The questions didn’t stop, and Tia happily chatted as she ate the bread.
This time, the women in the tent introduced themselves.
“As you may have already noticed, we are whores. The lady who brought Tia is ‘Madame.’ How is it. Is it unfamiliar?”
“No. “It’s one of the many jobs in this world.”
“How-! You speak cutely too. “It’s so good, man.”
“Ahaha…”
Tia smiled sheepishly.
Prostitutes were purer than I thought.
It was not at all the ‘vulgar and dirty’ feeling that my aunts used to criticize.
It was just ordinary.
I like delicious food, I like to decorate pretty, and I like to chat.
They were common women.
While we were chatting comfortably, a difficult question suddenly came up.
“Has Tia ever had sex?”
“… Yes?”
It was too embarrassing to hear with two normal ears.
When a look of embarrassment appeared without even a chance to hide it, the prostitutes laughed and chatted.
“Not done yet? “Are you really a virgin?”
“Then I will remain chaste until I marry her husband-. “He’s romantic even though he’s not an aristocrat.”
“But isn’t that usually the case?”
“Well-. I don’t think it was like that in my hometown. “I’ve been doing it since I was young because all the kids were so picky.”
“That’s what’s strange about your village-.”
“Tia. “Then is there a guy you like?”
Tia blushed.
“Yes… “There is.”
“Kyaa-! It has begun – it has begun! A heart-pounding country girl’s love story! What’s the guy’s name? How old are you?”
“He’s two years older than me… His name is ‘Ritz.'”
“Ritz? Wow – the name is cool too! “How handsome must he be for such a cute and pretty Tia to fall in love with him?”
“I envy you-. “Please introduce me to that guy too!”
“Well, that’s not possible…” …”
Tia’s shy resistance only made the hearts of the prostitutes who were thirsty for her love grow hotter.
“Look at how shy he is! Ha-. It’s so fresh-!”
“I had a time like that too. Hehe! “It reminds me of the old days.”
The story didn’t stop until night fell.
Once the women started chatting, they didn’t know how to stop, and the atmosphere was similar to when talking with her aunts, so Tia soon got along with it.
How much time has passed?
The night deepened.
Madame prepared a place for Tia to sleep in her tent.
“Tia. Let’s stay together with us until Deseo. From what I heard, Tia was so wonderful and kind that it was a bit difficult to leave her with those ‘rats’. It will be much more comfortable if you travel with us. How do you feel?”
“I… Sorry, but still…”
“Huh?”
“Because there is someone I like… ‘That’ is absolutely…”
“Oh my, oh my-! Ah, ha!”
The madam and the prostitutes laughed.
“No! Don’t do that to Tia. We just need to be together. Oh, that’s right. Sometimes, when strange men harass our kids, all you have to do is scare them with that sword! That’s enough.”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
“Then… I’ll go with my sisters. Thank you…”
The tension melted away.
The moment Tia lay down on her seat, she fell asleep.
Looking at the pretty girl who was sleeping, Madame wrapped a blanket around her.
“Sleep well, Tia.”
* * *
From the next day, Tia no longer had to walk hard.
I don’t know why, but the woman was able to get on her cart.
The knights and soldiers didn’t say anything.
Is that the ‘spirit of chivalry’ that respects the weak or something?
Anyway, she said, as long as you don’t make a fuss, she’ll just leave it alone.
Thanks to this, she was able to sit in the cart and go comfortably.
As long as I ignored the fierce stares of the men following me, I was able to get some fresh air leisurely.
Around lunchtime, I chatted with the prostitutes.
“I want to go to Deseo and work. They say there are many places looking for servants. If you get in well, you will have a place to sleep and food will be provided.”
“Uh? “Weren’t you going to Changgwan?”
“No way. This is a side job. If a prostitute lasts too long, her body gets damaged. “She’s just doing it for a little while to save up for her basic salary at Deseo until she gets a job.”
Surprisingly, the sisters had a clear goal.
She was making plans for what to do in Deseo.
If you listen to the story, the plan was all related to ‘money’.
This is because in Deseo, you can’t do anything without money.
The reason she became a prostitute was simple. Because she needs money to live.
After hearing that answer, Tia couldn’t help but wonder.
Is money so important that she sells her own body?
My aunts have always emphasized chastity.
A woman could only give herself to ‘her husband.’
The reason was that if one loses one’s virginity before marriage, one’s body becomes unclean and one cannot get married because men dislike dirty women.
If she gives her virginity to a man, she must marry him if possible.
The moment she loses her virginity, her value as a ‘woman’ is no different.
So, she was taught to always be careful about how she carries herself and to date a good man who can take responsibility for herself.
Of course, Tia listened with one ear and let it go with the other.
Because there is a Ritz.
She decided that way from a young age. Of course, she will marry Ritz.
She had no reason to worry about men.
However, when I came out into the world, people’s perception of sex was very different from Tia’s.
For prostitutes, ‘purity’ does not make money.
‘Marriage’ is the process by which a woman becomes the property of a man.
‘Love’ was called an appetizer that leads to sex.
It was as if there was no such thing as Ritz among her sisters.
It’s natural that we’re together, we dream of a future together, and all that’s left to do is wait together until we get married… Such a ‘lover’.
Anyway, since you were born as a human, haven’t you felt love at least once?
I suddenly became curious.
“Sisters too… “There is a first love, right?”
“Of course.”
Madame closed her eyes as if recalling her old memories.
“My first love was a quiet and wonderful man. He was a carpenter who lived in a neighboring village. He was a strong and easy-going man. We met by chance at a bar and started chatting, and I fell in love at first sight.”
“So?”
“I was young and innocent back then. He missed that guy so much when he got home. He gave me gifts, and he wanted to confess his feelings to me, so I stayed up all night embroidering. I finally got permission to go out and went to the neighboring village again a month later… He is already married and living with his wife.”
“Ah…”
“Ho ho ho. I don’t know how much I cried. When I think about it now, it’s not that sad… “Hoho.”
This time, another sister spoke.
“My cousin was my first love. Maybe it’s because we live in the same place and see each other often. I think he quite liked it. Well, I think he liked me.”
“Wow. Really?”
Tia wanted to hear more details.
For some reason, it felt like she was telling her own story with Ritsu.
“I was about thirteen. She went with her elders to build a dam on the riverbank and never came back. There was a sudden storm. They say I was swept away by a torrent, but I don’t know what happened. “He’s probably dead.”
“…”
Tia closed her eyes at the ending of ‘dead’.
She couldn’t say anything.
It was the worst situation she had ever experienced just a few days ago.
If she had lost Ritz then, how would she live now?
She couldn’t even think about it.
“Sorry. I asked something pointless…”
“No. “It’s all in the past.”
The sisters’ first love stories were all about unfortunate events.
Perhaps it is natural.
Because her love didn’t come true, she didn’t get married, and now she’s crossing the Meth Road as a prostitute.
It was a time when a gloomy atmosphere was taking over.
The other sister quickly changed the topic.
“Hey guys! Let’s talk about something other than our first love!”
“What story?”
“Everyone will have a lot to say about this… That’s it…”
She grinned and came up with a topic that suited her perfectly.
“The story of ‘first experience’!”
