Ero Saint: I Created An Ero Massage Parlor In Another World
Chapter 13: Argument

Chapter 13: Argument

Heading to my house in the northeast part of West Borough was supposed to take about forty minutes on foot.

But barely halfway there, I was already cursing under my breath. My body felt like it was roasting alive, like a chicken left out under the sun, and my feet were excruciatingly aching after being dragged all over the city without a break.

"Darn it! I should’ve asked Richie for some money and hired a carriage. This is taking forever! This cursed sun! This godawful weather! I’m so done with this..."

Walking from the forest to the city, then from the market district to the port, and now deep into the West Borough without a single rest, the fatigue finally caught up to me. My whole body was burning out.

On top of that, the sun blazed overhead like it had a personal grudge against me.

I was sweating buckets, and with every step, my body grew stickier and heavier. Not to mention, this body wasn’t in great shape to begin with.

Honestly, it was a miracle I’d made it this far at all.

As I wiped the sweat from my forehead, I couldn’t help but miss my old motorbike. Even though in a sense, it was only less than a day old since I last saw it.

How great would it be if I could bring all my stuff from Earth here with me...

"Sigh... How is it that my first day in another world had to be so miserable that it needed me to run to many places at once? It would be nothing if I were a fan of marathons or jogging, but sadly, I’m not. This was definitely not how I imagined spending my first day after getting isekai’d."

Despite all the complaints, I kept on walking, though my pace had grown slower, almost like a snail.

For a moment, I regretted giving all the money I had taken from the thug I knocked out to the starving girl. But when I remembered the look on her face, the way her eyes lit up, and the joy in the other kids when she ran back to them with the money, that regret vanished almost instantly.

I hurriedly shook my head, and carried on my journey while gritting my teeth.

...

When I finally entered the West Borough, I was surprised to find it wasn’t as crowded or bustling as I had imagined.

Everyone knew it was the most populated district in the city. But compared to the chaos of the market or the busy dock, what I experienced can be described to be only mildly noisy.

Then it hit me. It was already noon.

Most of the residents were probably already long off working or looking for work in other districts of the city. Richie was a perfect example. He left at sunrise every day to unload cargo at the docks and didn’t come back until late afternoon.

Still, a few people lingered on the main street, mostly women and children. It made sense as they were likely the families of workers who had already left earlier in the morning.

And of course, there were plenty of vagrants lining the sidewalks.

What really caught my attention, though, was just how many vagrants there were. Dozens, maybe more, lying on the ground, huddled under torn, rugged blankets, or slumped against walls.

And yet, the people walking by barely reacted. Their expressions were normal, as if they’d long since grown used to the sight. It was nothing new to them.

As I went deeper into the district, the number of vagrants grew. Some storefronts were completely blocked by sleeping bodies, making it impossible to even open the doors.

Amidst my observation, I suddenly heard something.

"You low-life bastards! Don’t you have anything better to do than loiter in front of my shop?!"

The shout was so loud it brought everything to a halt. People stopped what they were doing and turned their heads toward the source.

Naturally, my attention was drawn too. No way I’d just walk past a commotion like that. I mean, who turns down free entertainment? Ignoring it would’ve been a total waste."

As I looked over, I spotted two men in a heated argument. One was clearly a Radhanian, judging by his dark skin and massive build. The other was a vagrant, thin, with matted hair and clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in ages.

Just then, the vagrant shouted back.

"Shut up! It’s not like we purposely chose to sleep here!"

"Then go sleep somewhere else!"

"I can’t, there are no other places for me to go."

"That’s your problem! What’s it got to do with me?!"

The vagrant suddenly pointed his finger at him. "It’s got everything to do with you! You damn Radhanian! Your people took our jobs, took our land! You think we ended up like this because of nothing? Go back to where you came from, you dark-skinned ape!"

"What did you just say to me?! I was born and raised in this city, longer than you’ve probably been alive. Don’t you dare blame your failures on me or my race!"

The shouting match raged on for another minute.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but mourn the lack of popcorn. The show was great, but there’s nothing to chew on!

"There’s corn in this world, right? Then what’s the odd popcorn corn exist too? If it does exist, maybe I could make it popular and make a fortune from it." I muttered quietly as the argument reached its peak.

"Pack up your things and scram! Don’t forget to bring your friends too. You’ve got five minutes. If you’re still here after that, I’ll personally throw you out," the store owner said threateningly.

As he turned around to enter his store, he didn’t notice the grin slowly spreading across the vagrant’s face.

"Die!" the vagrant roared.

No one saw where the dagger came from or when he’d pulled it out, but that hardly mattered. What did matter was that he was now lunging forward, blade aimed straight at the store owner’s back.

Neither the owner nor I had time to react. I stood frozen, shocked that the vagrant had a weapon and was willing to use it so suddenly and without hesitation.

The other onlookers were probably just as stunned as I was.

The dagger plunged into the man’s back. He collapsed to his knees instantly. Blood soaked his shirt.

"You..." he gasped, disbelief written across his face.

The vagrant looked just as stunned, then started laughing, taking a few steps back.

"Haha... I did it... I did it..."

His laugh grew louder, unhinged. "Haha... haha!"

Everyone stared in silent shock as his manic laughter echoed through the street. Then, as though he had just realized the weight of his action, he quickly turned to flee.

But he didn’t even make it far before he tripped on something and went tumbling down. His face slammed into the dirt, and in the process ended up eating a mouthful of it.

"What’s the rush, mister?"

"If you had the guts to stab someone in broad daylight, don’t tell me you weren’t expecting any consequences."

The vagrant spat dirt from his mouth and snapped, "Shut up! It’s none of your business!"

He clenched his fist, scooped up a handful of dirt, and flung it toward the speaker.

What he didn’t expect was that the speaker had already seen it coming. His hand barely moved before a boot came down, pinning it to the ground.

"Ah!"

The sharp heel dug into his skin, twisting hard. His cry rose into a scream.

"Ah! Please, please, I’ve learned my lesson! I won’t do it again, I swear! I won’t do it again!"

"Won’t do it again? Learned your lesson? What are you, a kid?" the voice snapped coldly. "You think stabbing someone is a joke? You’re an adult. You knew damn well it could kill him, and you still went through with it. What a vile person you are."

"If I were in the mood to punish you my usual way, your body would be floating in the river by evening."

The vagrant’s eyes widened in shock.

"You... you dare to kill me?"

"If a little street rat like you has the nerve to stab someone in broad daylight, why wouldn’t I dare kill you?"

"Besides... It’s not like I have to do it myself. Look around you."

The vagrant turned his head with difficulty, and that’s when he saw them. A group of Radhanians stood nearby, staring him down with cold, hostile eyes. A few were cracking their knuckles and already looking ready to ravage him.

"See? I’m not the only one willing to end you. There are plenty of people here who’d gladly take my place."

"You get it now? You didn’t just piss off one person; you also managed to enrage an entire race. Congratulations."

This time, the vagrant was more terrified than ever. He could feel the seriousness in the speaker’s voice and knew it wasn’t bluffing at all. These guys look dead serious about wanting to off him!

Believing his life was threatened and could end at any second, he started to shout.

"Help me get the guard! Take me to the prison. Just don’t kill me!"

Faced with the choice between dying and going to prison, it was obvious which was the better choice between the two.

"Heh. Now you’re scared? What a coward," the speaker said with contempt.

This time, the vagrant knew better to shut up and didn’t even try to deny it.

I was startled by how fast everything had turned. But more than that, I was impressed when I realized the speaker was none other than a lady!

She was pretty tall, about 1.7 meters, and wore leather pants that showed off her long legs and slim waist. Her body was pretty voluptuous, if I must say, with a bit of her cleavage peeking through her clothes.

Her face was both beautiful and adorable, with an egg-shaped face, a high nose, thin lips, and pale blue eyes that looked like clear spring water. Her silver hair was unusual and eye-catching, cut to just above her shoulders.

Mesmerized by her beauty for a few seconds, I finally turned to the woman in her 30s standing beside me, who was obviously a Radhanian, judging by her size. She was tall and brawny, I almost thought her to be a bear for a second before I asked, "Who is she?"

"You don’t know her?" she looked at me, surprised.

"Is she famous?"

"That’s Esther Serena. Victor Serena’s daughter."

"Victor Serena... why does that name sound familiar?"

"Of course, you would find it familiar. He’s one of the heads of the Five Rings, the leader of the Workers."

"The Workers..."

Just then, as if on cue, Esther Serena turned and looked directly in my direction.