I Own A Brothel In Another World (Ch. 1-196)

Chapter 9 - A New Home

After a minute or so, the King opens his eyes and speaks in a firm tone while looking straight ahead.

"There are no rules or laws that would forbid you from starting such an establishment, nor there are dogmas that force you to accept common beliefs."

He picks up his glass of wine, takes a sip and spins it gently, seemingly thinking about what to say.

"You see... Humanity's hatred towards all other races is deeply rooted in the minds of the people. Centuries ago it was us who were the weakest race in the continent, as you are most likely aware from your studies. Always pushovers, dying in thousands in many battles against any physically or magically stronger enemies. It was us who were often viewed as an easy target. The Goddess took pity at the imbalance and our poor state and gifted the world with the System, which allowed Humans to take a peek at their own potential and focus on developing it. With it as a guide, humanity's high population finally started to give us an edge."

He pauses to sigh.

"That was centuries ago. Personally, I have nothing against other races. Even more, I view all the citizens as my subjects—people living in my domain, under my protection. Being a king comes with great power, but also with even greater constraints. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

I cross my arms and ponder for a while. Being an influential monarch has a lot of power behind one's words and actions. But constraints?

「Ah... I get it.」

"If you were to suddenly announce a drastic change in the law or even just beliefs, like proclaiming that all the races are now to be treated equally in the kingdom, people would most likely riot and rise. Worst-case scenario, you could get dethroned and branded as a traitor, right?"

"Pretty much." He shows a wry smile. "Honestly, since the day I took the throne after my father, I did whatever I could to change the situation in the kingdom, but no matter what I tried, I wasn't able to overcome that generations-long hatred, especially amongst the people of high status. In the end, I gave up. As you mentioned, it started getting too risky. But..."

He stands up and points at me.

"Your idea might be the very spark that ignites the fires of change. If you succeed in creating a place where the girls of different races will willingly and happily interact with people here, if you succeed in showing that when met with respect and kindness they reciprocate with the same, and in showing that we can all coexist on equal terms and benefit from it, you might have a chance in changing at least some people's views! I might have already given up, but with your help, my dear friend, I still have hope!"

The King approaches me and puts both of his arms on my shoulders with a wide smile.

"You have my full support in whatever you are going to do! Obviously, that's between us. I can't let the public get a whiff of this. But! Ask for what you need and I shall see it done! I naturally have my ways!"

Quite shocked with this sudden turn of events, I gently shrug off his arms and move to the balcony to think a bit. Certainly, having the support of someone of such calibre is really tempting. But on the other hand, I will end up kind of a pawn for the King's plans. His objective isn't really against mine. My priority is to assure a safe haven for the girls. The talk about changing the image of non-human races was just an addition. I turn around and give my reply.

"I agree. This is too good of an opportunity to pass. I didn't expect such a surprise."

I move back to the table and we both sit back. Silence falls over the room. Both of us are most likely recounting the whole situation in our heads. The King's mouth opens for a moment, intending to say something, but he stops. After a minute, he leans back and speaks.