Just like other cities in the Virtue Kingdom, the Underground City near the border, often called Border City, had powers controlling them to keep the city running and maintain security.
However, unlike an average city, concentrated power in Border City was considered bad. If only one person had the authority to control the city, they would try to control and impose some rules that only benefit their group.
Hence, a concentrated power would definitely be destroyed by the others. After some discussion, the people from the underground decided on something.
They decided that an Underground City needed at least 3 leaders from different groups at the minimum and shared control of some part of the city while putting shared rules by all so that no one could take advantage of each other.
In Border City, there were 4 leaders who ran this city together; they came from 4 different groups that they led. Three of them were females, and one of them was male.
And I planned to meet the male one, as Beatrice had already put him under her charm, that was only if she finished it exactly just like I had instructed and didn't mess up anything else.
"Is he here?" I muttered as I stopped in front of a rundown tavern with soft yellow light coming from a magic lamp hanging in front of the entrance.
I pushed open the heavy wooden door to the tavern, and immediately the warmth of the yellow light inside hit me. The large room was crowded with people, all of them chatting and laughing over pints of ale and plates of hearty food.
The walls were made of rough-hewn wooden planks, and the air was thick with the smell of roasting meats and spiced ale. A large fireplace dominated one wall, throwing flickering shadows across the room and casting a cozy glow over the patrons.
The long wooden tables were packed with people, their faces flushed and merry from the ale.
Sexy female servers with skimpy outfits that exposed their panties bustled back and forth, carrying plates piled high with roasted meats, crusty bread, and steaming bowls of stew.
The ceiling was low and made of exposed wooden beams, giving the space a cozy, intimate feel.
Magic lamps hung from the beams, casting a warm glow over the room and illuminating the faces of the patrons.
Despite the crowded and noisy atmosphere, there was a sense of conviviality and camaraderie in the air. But that immediately changed as I stepped into the tavern. All gazes were focused on me, filled with curiosity and judging.
Once again, they continued to drink and laughed after seeing that I was a human. Beatrice, who followed me from behind, had also hidden her characteristics as a primordial Succubus, namely horns, wings, and tail.
"Where is he?"
Ignoring the curious stares from a few people who licked their lips with lustful gazes directed at Beatrice, I asked the primordial Succubus.
She jumped to my side in response, pushing her breasts against my arm as she pointed in the direction of a table in the corner of the room.
Around that long table were 4 people, 1 man and 3 women, with a lot of open space left. However, for some reason, no one sat around them.
The man had unkempt light brown hair and was topless, exposing his well-defined muscle and a hawk tattoo over his left chest.
A tattoo artist was rare in this world, so it surprised me when the man had a rather good and detailed tattoo. So I observed her slowly.
He smoked a cigarette, puffing smoke from his lips as his frown was visible on his wild face.
Two beautiful women in their twenties with dark brown hair were on his sides, caressing his muscle with seductive movement as they pushed their breasts under a thin layer of the skimpy white dress against his body.
Those two women looked rather similar, probably sisters. And with just a glance, it was clear that they were whores who wanted to get into the man's good side. The smell of their strong perfume stung my nose as I approached their table, and I grimaced because it was bad.
Mixing a sweet and sharp smell of perfume with roasted beef and ale wasn't a good combination.
Those four noticed me as we got closer, and I observed the last woman in the meantime. She was a wolf girl with bright red hair and eyes, similar to Sophia. Her clothes consisted of an open cropped red vest and unbuttoned shorts, showing her modest breast hidden under a black bikini and g-string panties.
Black leggings covered her legs, making her look sexier. Looking at her, I knew she had a fiery personality, which was proved by her frown when I got closer and stopped beside their table.
"What do you want?" She asked, clearly disturbed by our presence. "Get lost."
The chatting and rowdy atmosphere around the tavern was replaced by a tense one. No one said anything, and the servers also stopped moving. The sound of a wooden spoon dropped to the ground rang, and I smirked at the red-haired wolf girl.
"What? Do you not like our presence here?" I asked with a taunting tone. "It's not like this tavern is yours." I continued.
What I said was the truth. This place was their gathering place before the meeting, not their real turf. It wasn't like they were the owners of this place, so they also couldn't do anything if I approached them to sit in the empty space beside them.
But the redhead didn't think so.
"This place is reserved by us. If you understand, then get lost before I get angry, bastard." She growled at me, showing her sharp fangs to intimidate us. "Don't you see Raven is sitting here? Pay respect before you leave."
The man, who the woman pointed at, looked at us with widened eyes. But he didn't say anything as Beatrice hadn't given him any order yet.
He was the one my slave charmed, one of the four leaders of this city. His eyes looked blank and lifeless due to the charm's effect, but a sheer will was hidden beneath that.
If only he wasn't charmed, he would be a charismatic leader followed by many, just like what the redhead had shown me. She seemed to respect him deeply.
'Unfortunately, Beatrice is too strong for him. He's probably Level 50 or more to be able to lead his faction here.'
I was silent all this time while observing the man. Because of that, Beatrice probably took my silence as not wanting to do with the wolf girl and chose to speak.
"How dare you talk to Master like that? Apologize right now, red-headed slut!"
A pinkish-purple mist escaped her body as she released my arm, sending a chill down my spine. It wasn't because it was dangerous, but it was because Beatrice's pheromone was mixed within this pink mist, which was probably one of the skills derived from <Charm Magic>.
Everyone's eyes turned blank, lifeless, without any reflection. They stopped moving, and the wolf girl became expressionless.
"Apologize, now."
"Yes, Mistress."
With a commanding tone from Beatrice, the redhead began to take off her red vest and shorts, leaving her in her black bikini and panties. Then she stepped away from the table and prostrated in front of me.
"Please forgive this lowly slut, Master."
I was speechless and turned to Beatrice. She had a smug grin as if she was showing me she had done a great job.
Indeed, shutting the redhead was a great job, but what was the use of her disguise if she used a Succubus-only skill in the open like this?
The result was satisfactory, and I could finally talk with the charmed leader, who somehow also prostrated himself in front of Beatrice and licked her feet. The Succubus had a sadistic expression as she giggled in a low tone.
Still… Moving without my order wasn't something I liked.
"I will add your punishment later," I said to the primordial Succubus, and her expression turned grave.
"Why?!" She screamed, but I ignored it and gave her another order.
"Tell this man to explain who the other leaders of this city are and their weakness if he knows about it. And you aren't allowed to use <Charm Magic> without my permission, understand?"
"…Yes." Beatrice answered weakly and began to work. "You heard what Master had said. Tell us everything."
The man called Raven raised his head and began to disclose everything he knew about the other leaders and their weaknesses. When I heard the name of one leader, I was pleasantly surprised, and my smile grew.
