## Chapter 275 – Counterattack (26)
“A lot has happened in the past month.”
Vivian, sitting with her legs crossed, her plump thighs gently pressed together, almost making me salivate at their elasticity.
Vivian’s expression, as she spoke to me as if talking to herself in the Queen’s room, now empty of children, Pina, and Lanie, seemed quite serious.
“While tearing down the Mademoiselle branches, our name got promoted without us even realizing it.
More people are looking for Floras than ever before…
And fortunately, we succeeded in reclaiming the areas where the three cartels we destroyed held sway.
Originally, Laratina probably intended to subjugate those areas while opening the Mademoiselle branches…
So, in that sense, we’ve landed another blow on that bitch.”
Could things really go this well?
Vivian, who had been running around with Jebi’s subordinates after leaving the brothel for a while, seemed to have absorbed most of the areas left vacant.
She had been a little nervous that some strange guy named Parlocchino might interfere, but fortunately, she had completed her work safely and returned.
Rather, Vivian announced that she would open a Floras branch number 2 in a slightly more distant area, and even took a symbolic shovel of dirt at the construction site. Since then, she seemed to be focused on growing Floras number 1.
She was analyzing Mademoiselle’s strengths to emulate them, fixing the shortcomings of the current system, and creating a new concept brothel that offered entertainment comparable to high-end establishments.
In the midst of all this, someone’s visit, which was ambiguous to call welcome and equally ambiguous to dislike, was adding to the atmosphere of the brothel…
“Hmm… Is this the place?
It’s shabby, but plausible, I guess?”
“Laura…? Why did you come to such a shabby place…?”
“I’m an investor, aren’t I?
So, I think it’s okay to look around, right?”
“Haa… Such a humble person in such a precious place…”
“What did you say…!? Ha!!
What do you think of a Marchioness?
Prepare a room immediately…!!
Bring out all the expensive stuff!!
And you and Mary are required to attend!!”
“So, you’re going to give us a boost…?
I have no choice. Prepare expensive liquor!!
I’m busy today, so you’ll have to finish quickly, okay?”
Moreover, thanks to Vivian attracting investments from various places, she now had plenty of funds.
The transformation into a high-end brothel, which she had only dreamed of, was now just around the corner.
After all, the nobles at the pinnacle of this country’s economy.
Attracting them was as good as having the same power as Laratina.
Perhaps Marquis Grenot knew about Laura’s actions, but what did Vivian care?
Rather, Vivian, who found Laura, a childish girl pretending to be an adult, amusing, had even melted away the memories of their past rivalry, and a strange protective instinct was flowing out of her.
“You guys didn’t see that woman come. Got it?”
“Yes…? Yes…!! Madam!!”
“Well… I guess investors need to be protected.”
Meanwhile, Mademoiselle, a great rival, was caught up in an unfortunate incident, and even though they had just reopened, they were still faltering.
Since those who had once lost trust were having great difficulty getting back on their feet, Vivian was trying to take advantage of the current gap as much as possible.
In fact, it was right to say that, at least for now, there was no one in this area who could stop Vivian’s Floras.
“Welcome!! This is Floras♡♡♡”
Of course, there were several factors involved in this, and the brothel itself had grown considerably, but one of the reasons was that there were fewer cartels to keep her in check.
She had already taken over three small cartels in the area.
In the meantime, Jebi was managing the businesses on her behalf, and ten more businesses had been added.
The Jebi Cartel, which was suddenly experiencing overlapping good fortune and starting to develop rapidly, was working busily to stabilize the sudden changes.
Back in the Queen’s room, Vivian leaned her head gently against the tentacle stroking her hair, and wore a slightly relaxed expression.
“Now… Hng… It feels like…
We’re about to take our first step…”
Her voice, as she flaunted her achievements as if wanting even more praise, was melting like cotton candy under the soft caress of the tentacle giving her a reward.
“Next time… it might turn into a head-on confrontation…”
However, even in the midst of this, there was something she was worried about.
That was that she was getting stronger.
And that she would inevitably face new challenges.
From the beginning, Laratina, who could never get along with Vivian, was now definitely considering Vivian as an enemy.
However, as she was in a state of turmoil, it seemed quite difficult for her to make normal judgments.
In a lavishly decorated office, a man in neat formal attire and glasses was appealing to a woman wearing a flamboyant and lewd dress.
“That won’t do!!
The momentum has shifted now…!!
At this rate, the expenses are too much…!!
Rather, we should cut our losses quickly and aim for a reversal by seizing the next opportunity…”
“Overwhelm them with financial power!!
Has there ever been anything we couldn’t solve that way?
And if we succeed in commercializing ‘those,’ we’ll earn that money back in no time!!
Don’t spout useless nonsense, and solve it immediately!!”
It was a battle of wills between Laratina and her financial advisor, but in the end, there was no way a mere financial advisor could win against his master.
Laratina was yelling and slamming the table…
Of course, Laratina still had the ability to crush Floras if she was willing to accept some losses.
However, her financial advisor couldn’t help but worry about her assets, which had recently suffered a significant loss of capital due to the incident in which the Mademoiselle branches were destroyed.
At Laratina’s words, as if she had another plan, the financial advisor had no choice but to say that he would do as she said, and left the office with his shoulders slumped.
“That impudent bitch… She’s so annoying…!!”
Laratina’s face, which had been infuriated by the bad news she heard every day, was filled with unbearable anger.
“I don’t need a brothel or anything like that to make money.
And there are ways to punish a bitch who doesn’t know her place…!!”
After all, the Mademoiselle main branch was still intact, and the title of the best high-end brothel was being maintained.
Even if the branches were destroyed, Laratina had only suffered a slight loss, and brothels were not everything to Laratina.
She had many cards she had yet to play.
“Hoo… Getting angry will cause wrinkles…
It’s only a matter of time…
Someday, I’ll get that bitch’s head…
Haa… You, come in here!!
I need some comfort.”
Laratina, recalling those things and erasing the angry expression she had until just now, soon called for a servant.
The last thing seen was muscular, half-naked men entering her office through the door.
Inside her office, where the door was closing, a messy and sticky sound overflowed, piercing through the door of the office.
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“Carla? What are you thinking about?”
“Ah… Uh…? Uhm…?
Thinking…? Oh… Nothing…?”
Carla, who had suddenly become a woman with no thoughts of her own, was waving her hands frantically.
Of course, she was definitely lost in thought, but how could she confess this in front of the person involved?
One month ago, on the very day Yui disappeared from the break room in the workshop.
Fortunately, Yui did not disappear somewhere this time, and returned to the academy the next morning.
After that day, Yui greeted her with a smile as if nothing had happened.
“Really… We have classes coming up, right?
We should get ready to go soon, right?”
“Ahaha… Yes…!!”
Was it just Carla’s imagination that she couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease while looking at Yui?
‘I couldn’t even ask…’
In some ways, it was a shocking sight.
Hyeryeong, who had been working together with her as a team to raid Laratina’s secret hideout until recently, was choking Yui as if she was going to kill her.
‘Hye… ryeonge…’
‘Tell me, Kazunomiya!! Quickly!!’
She knew that there was a connection between the two of them from before, but it seemed as if they had started to experience conflict from somewhere she didn’t know.
She didn’t even know if she should get involved in that, or if she was even qualified to do so.
In the end, when she pushed her away and helped Yui up, she could see Hyeryeong’s vacant expression out of the corner of her eye.
And Yui, who was saddened and tormented by something she couldn’t understand, curled up in her blanket, and her whereabouts after she disappeared that night with a single blanket.
The question that she couldn’t ask even the day after she met Yui again was piling up every day, and was still messing with Carla’s head even after a month had passed.
Is it okay to ask Yui, who doesn’t seem to care about anything anymore, about this?
If she accidentally hears it, can she take responsibility for hearing it?
Even if she can’t do anything, should she still ask about it?
Of course, it wasn’t that there wasn’t an option to just let it go.
As if she didn’t know anything, as if it was just one of the passing daily routines.
But to do that, she couldn’t get rid of this sense of unease that filled her head, this feeling that was like a non-daily routine.
But at that moment.
What the girl, who didn’t know what to do, heard was nothing less than amazing news that made all those thoughts turn white in an instant.
“Carla!! Look at this!!”
Eloise, who was panting as if she had been running, was holding up a newspaper and waving it around. Carla’s eyes were fixed on the letters inside.
『Liquid Metal Smelting, Becoming a Reality.
A Miracle Brought About by Collaboration with Magic.』
