Extra's Rise: I Stole All The Women In The Hero's Party-Chapter 22: Red Light District (III)

That would completely defeat the purpose of coming here.

Liriel chuckled, her golden ears twitching. "A man who knows what he wants. I like that."

The silver-eyed beastkin — who had introduced herself as Selis — rested her chin in her palm, smirking.

"You're not the only one. A lot of adventurers treat this place as their second home."

As if on cue, the tavern doors suddenly burst open, swinging wildly against the walls.

A group of men stumbled in, their faces flushed from drink, loud voices cutting through the lively atmosphere.

They were clearly drunk.

Zayn raised an eyebrow as he watched them shuffle in, a crowd of women surrounding them almost immediately.

"They look familiar," Bran muttered, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Zayn took another sip of his drink. "Probably some other adventurer party."

Liriel tilted her head. "You know them?"

"Not personally," Bran replied, watching as the group practically collapsed onto a set of chairs, their laughter echoing throughout the tavern. "But I've seen them around the guild."

The men were loud, but they weren't being outright obnoxious. Yet.

The women surrounding them were all dressed in varying degrees of fine, silky fabrics, their laughter sweet and practiced.

They draped themselves over the adventurers with ease, whispering in their ears, running delicate fingers along their arms.

Zayn wasn't blind. He knew exactly what was happening.

"Looks like they're getting the full experience," Selis said, amusement dancing in her silver eyes.

Bran let out a low whistle. "They must've had one hell of a payout."

Zayn wasn't so sure about that.

Some of those guys looked like the type to spend more than they actually earned, but that wasn't his problem.

Liriel's tail flicked as she sipped her drink. "You boys not interested?"

Zayn smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Tempting. But I think I'll enjoy my drink first."

Selis laughed. "A rare man, indeed."

Bran, however, gave a dramatic sigh. "Zayn, buddy, I feel like we need to talk about priorities."

Zayn rolled his eyes, but before he could respond, the drunken adventurers grew even louder, their voices slurring as they ordered more drinks.

The tavern owner, an older man with a thick mustache, shot them a warning look, but he didn't interfere.

As long as they weren't breaking anything — or anyone — he probably wasn't going to toss out paying customers.

Still, Zayn could already tell where this was going.

It was only a matter of time before someone got too drunk and did something stupid.

And right on cue —

One of the adventurers, a burly man with a scar across his chin, suddenly grabbed one of the women by the wrist.

She tensed, her smile faltering for the first time that night.

The mood at their table shifted instantly.

Zayn didn't move. He simply watched, observing.

The woman, to her credit, tried to play it off with a light laugh.

"Now, now, sir," she cooed, "you've had quite a lot to drink."

The scarred man grinned, clearly too drunk to care. "Then how about another round? With you?"

Sure most people in the Red Light district were prostitues but you had to book legal sessions with them.

If there was no legal acceptance, it was no different from rape in this world, that much he had learned from the novel.

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Bran noticed too, his expression darkening slightly.

Before either of them could say anything, the tavern owner slammed his palm against the counter.

"Oi," he called out, his deep voice carrying over the noise. "Hands to yourself, or you're out."

The entire room paused.

The scarred adventurer blinked blearily, his grip loosening.

Then, after a tense moment, he finally let go, throwing up his hands in mock surrender.

"Relax, relax," he muttered. "No need to be so serious."

The tension in the room eased slightly.

The woman he'd grabbed stepped back quickly, offering the tavern owner a grateful nod before disappearing into the crowd.

Bran shook his head. "Idiots."

Selis smirked. "Not all men can hold their liquor as well as you two."

Liriel chuckled. "Or handle themselves around beautiful women."

Zayn raised an eyebrow. "You trying to flatter us?"

She grinned. "Is it working?"

Bran laughed, lifting his mug. "I'll drink to that."

Zayn shook his head but clinked his cup against Bran's anyway.

Zayn had assumed both girls, given the location, that they were prostitutes.

But after a few more rounds of drinks and conversation, he quickly realized his mistake.

"So, you two aren't...?" Bran started, trailing off with an awkward pause as he gestured vaguely.

Liriel laughed, her golden ears twitching in amusement. "Oh? Were you expecting something else?"

Bran grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I mean, this is the red-light district."

Selis, the silver-eyed beastkin, smirked.

"That it is. But we're not prostitutes, if that's what you're asking."

She took a small sip of her drink before continuing, "We work here at night because that's when Timberstead's economy really moves."