Patrolling the Karisoto Ward

The Karisoto Ward.

That was the newly established area added to Golen Village—one that boasted several times the size of the original village.

… No seriously, what the hell did Soto build here? This isn't a village anymore, it's a proper town.

And not just any town—one lined with neatly arranged three-story buildings made of concrete (well, apparently "slimecrete"), in an obviously well-planned layout.

The district was divided into various zones: commercial, industrial, and residential.

There's even an official branch of Beddhism located in Karisoto. It's positioned right between the residential and commercial zones. Probably prioritized for fast construction, it's basically the same as the other buildings in the area, just with some decorative elements—like the church's holy symbol based on a 5-yen coin and white stucco walls.

A succubus sister is stationed there as a live-in staff member. Apparently they recruited some of the new arrivals as sisters. I wonder if that's connected to Leona's kidnapping somehow?

In any case, thanks to Suira's training (she's the head sister of the main church), even the new branch is under solid management, so that's good enough for me.

"… Alright."

Now then—the real problem is a corner of the commercial zone. A narrow street that's hidden slightly away from the residential area.

It's lined with pink signs, and women in tight, body-hugging clothes were beckoning customers inside the shops.

Yeah. They were that kind of shop.

The street was even called something like "Eros Lane".

Look, I get it. With this many people around, these kinds of establishments are kind of necessary.

Back when it was just Golen Village, Beddhism alone could sort of cover that role. The succubi handled things by draining vitality in a pretty good way. And the really desperate ones just took a carriage to Tsuia.

But even then, the church couldn't keep up. So even with more succubus sisters and a new church branch, it's still not enough. These kinds of places were bound to show up eventually.

Well, not that I use them. No need—I'm all about that sleep desire. Yep.

Also, maybe because Soto was being considerate, this part of the district is technically outside the [Cave of Desires] dungeon zone. That's a relief given my hypothesis that a dungeon's content affects the Dungeon Core themselves. But that also means it's under Soto's jurisdiction now…

… …

Well, Leona's around, so I guess it's fine.

Still, since it's part of Karisoto Ward and Golen Village (Town?), as the head administrator, I do need to check in.

I casually approached one of the women calling out to customers.

"Hey there. Got a minute?"

"Oh my, are you alone~? I can recommend the perfect place for you~. Any preferences? Don't worry, we've got all kinds~."

"No, I'm not a customer. I want to speak with whoever's in charge… Oh, I'm Kehma, the village chief."

"Huh? Not a customer? Then get lost, kid. I don't care what kind of chief you are, we've got scary guys backing us. You won't get far with complaints!"

"… Huh?"

Scary guys? Wait—are we talking about organized crime here?

That's a problem. At the very least, they need to go through me as the village chief.

"Fine. Then call those guys—I want to speak with them."

"Oh my~ Are you into that kind of thing? Prefer guys over girls? Maybe a little forceful play is your kink~?"

"No. I'm married with children."

"Right, right, that kind of life only fuels your repressed urges, huh? You are a customer after all."

"Cut the jokes. I just want to talk. Okay, maybe there will be complaints, but still."

"… You really should leave while I'm still joking, you know?"

Sigh, the woman let out a long breath.

"Don't get me wrong, this is just official business. I'm not here to start a fight. I just need whoever's in charge to speak to me."

"Huh? Why would we have to speak to some village chief? That does sound like a complaint. Don't say I didn't warn you… Hey boys, we've got a customer!"

She called out and three tough-looking guys with adventurer vibes appeared from inside the shop.

Getting surrounded by three men in leather armor was pretty intimidating. Not that it could faze me at this point.

"The hell you want, twig? You even lift bro?"

"Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah yeah!"

"Run along, kid, unless you wanna cry."

"I'm telling you, this is work. Where's the boss? I'm the—"

""" Huhhhhh!? """

Yeah… You should at least have one person around who's capable of actual conversation.

That guy in the middle—he's not even a beastman, but all he's doing is grunting.

"Hey, miss? These guys aren't exactly the conversational type… Anyone else I can talk to?"

"If you wanna talk to the boss, you'll have to shut them up first~"

"Oh, that's how it is? Well then, guess I've got no choice."

Time for a little power play.

I am the village chief, after all.

Let's keep this injury-free.

"Ice Ball."

""" Gah!? """

Naturally, it ended in a second.

One ice ball to the gut each—basically the equivalent of a friendly punch. Doesn't look like they're hurt. Good!

They're just run-of-the-mill bodyguards. Probably C-rank adventurers at best—maybe low C-rank, leaning toward D.

"Ughhh… What the hell!? Ice!? Is this guy a mage!?"

"Uhgh… ugh…"

"What casting speed… We can't win. Call reinforcements!"

"Wait—just bring out the boss already! I just want to talk to whoever's in charge. That's all."

A guy blew a shrill whistle and more bodyguards came crawling out from wherever they were hiding.

… So I guess I have to beat all of them to meet the boss?

"Wait, huh? Isn't that the village chief?"

"Huh? You're… one of the guys from the food stall, right?"

Yep—there's a familiar face in the crowd.

"Yessir! You here to have some fun, Chief? Even you gotta cut loose now and then, huh? Don't worry, I won't tell the madam!"

"No, I'm here on patrol. Where's the one in charge? I need a word."

"Hold up, sir. We've got a report of some violent intruder, so we've got to deal with that first! … Where is the attacker, anyway?"

"That might be me. They said if I beat those three, I could talk to the boss—so I did. Then they blew the whistle. Are you the boss?"

"Nah, I'm just a hired guard—oh."

He looked over to where the three are slumped over, clutching their stomachs, and something clicked.

One of the other guards turned to him.

"Hey John, you know this guy?"

"Know him? He's the village chief. Our top boss."

"Huh? Wait, chief? Like, from your hometown?"

"What? No, from this village. He's the village chief of Golen and its Karisoto Ward."

"Huh? This is a village? I thought it was a town?"

"Town mayor then. Either way, he's our employer's employer's employer."

"… What?"

Yeah, I get it. It does feel like a town. My bad for calling it a village.

They all looked at me now. I recognized some of the faces as villager-adventurers.

"Like I said, I just want to talk to the person in charge. Can someone call them or guide me?"

"Yessir! I'll go call the shop manager or whoever's in charge."

"Thanks. That works."

And so, I finally got to speak to the head of "Eros Lane".

The manager turned out to be a succubus who instantly did a flying dogeza when she saw me. She was one of Suira's subordinates—a Beddhism sister, though she wasn't wearing the usual uniform.

Apparently she had prior experience running red-light districts, which is why she was chosen.

"I'll thoroughly discipline the newbie who disrespected our founder! I'm so sorry!!"

"Nah, just give her a warning. Tell her to listen to people."

"Thank you for your mercy! Understood!! … You lot get it!? This man is our top boss! Show him proper respect or it's the Shirikodama punishment next time!!"

""" Y-Yessir, Ma'am!! """

… What even is the Shirikodama punishment? Actually, never mind. If the guards and the girl are all turning pale and shaking, it must be pretty bad.

So, a sister's running the red-light district, huh?

Which means these shady shops are technically a branch of Beddhism.

And the head of the church… is me.

"… So these shops are basically mine, indirectly."

"Indirectly? The whole Karisoto Ward belongs to you, doesn't it? Oh! If you'd like to enjoy yourself, any shop is free for you! We won't tell the madam! … Shall I be your partner? I'm very confident in my skills."

"Nah, I'm good. Seriously."

Anyway, even though they weren't exactly wholesome establishments, they seemed to be operating cleanly. No signs of shady organizations getting involved… If that's the case, I'm fine with it.

… Just make sure to report anything suspicious, okay?