Book 6 Chapter 5 Mio, the Lady of Kyou
A few days have passed since we got the information of a faction possibly willing to support us. By now, I should have been focusing more on studying about this world.
However, it’s not what I’m doing right now. Instead, I’m here, sitting stiffly in the mansion’s reception room.
Before me is a beautiful woman yet again, but this time, she was different from usual.
She’s dressed in a lavish Japanese-styled outfit, the first that I saw since coming to this world, and the woman wearing it is sitting on the sofa opposite while staring at me.
If I were to compare her by the looks, she would be similar to an oiran[1] in my real world. She would be a famous star immediately if she played a part in a historical drama even once.
Even the style of her make-up is perfectly on the part as well.
Aside from me, there are four more others in the room, including Irene and one of this woman’s attendants.
Her attendant is dressed in a Japanese style as well.
“Uhm, can we move forward with the talks now?”
“Sure.”
She’s replying to Irene’s words in a brusque but straightforward manner.
“Then, first of all, I would like to ask your identities and your purpose in this city.”
It all started with a visit to a luxurious carriage just in front of the city.
I rushed out to see if a new official from the country had arrived, but to my expectations, she was the one who got out.
I heard that she came from the central, but she wasn’t an official.
But since I couldn’t just leave an ‘ugly’ person who’s looking so noble snooping around outside the city, I invited her to the mansion for the time being, and that’s how we ended up with our current setting.
“It’s a pain in the ass. You. Explain it for me.”
The beautiful courtesan beauty called her attendant as she spoke.
She even sounded like the real one.
“Greetings. Allow me to introduce to you our esteemed Lady Mio. She is the daughter of the ambassador of Kyou, who is currently visiting this country on a mission.”
“D-did you say you came from the country of Kyou?”
As soon as she heard those words, Irene raised her voice.
It’s unusual for her, who’s usually so calm. Is Kyou some sort of special place?
“Irene, what is Kyou?”
There’s one place that comes to my mind from the name itself, but I don’t think it will be the same in this other world.
“Kyou is a country located far away from the continent to which our country also belongs. Even though it’s far away, being in a unique location, it provides a transit point for transporting goods from other continents. It is an important partner to this country for a variety of reasons as well.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean by important…”
“……Well, I heard that the last time a merchant of theirs came to visit us, that person was given a treatment equivalent to that of a state guest.”
“State guest? A mere merchant?”
A state guest is a treatment only given to the highest-ranking person in another country, yet they are using it against a merchant.
“And now, you’re saying that this is the official delegation from Kyou……”
“Yes, even the ruler of this country is but a poor opponent from them.”
This daughter of the ambassador……suddenly she became a bigger of a big shot in one go.
“May I continue?”
“Ah, yes. Absolutely.”
The attendant resumed her explanation.
“Lady Mio was also supposed to accompany the delegation into this capital’s castle, but we encountered a bit of a problem.”
“A problem, you say?”
There, the beautiful courtesan interrupted us.
“They said that they wouldn’t let me pass, all because of my ugly face.”
“T-that’s……”
Those people, have they had no limits in their discrimination? To even turn down people from other countries by just their appearances, it’s just plain horrible!
“Lady Mio is very upset due to this, and has flown out of the capitals with a few of her attendants.”
“Then, we were told that there is a city of ‘ugly beings’ on the way here.”
“That must have been difficult for you. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.”
Irene said that after hearing their struggles.
At first, Mio seemed to be in a bad mood, but after she saw me, she stared at me for some reason.
Is there something they want to talk with me?
“You still haven’t told me your names, have you?”
“My name is Tomoaki. This is Irene, and she’s the one who runs this city.”
“Irene and Tomoaki, I’ll keep that in mind.”
We exchanged handshakes with each other.
“However, to bar Lady Mio from entering, what’s going on with the politics of this country?”
The attendant blurted out lamentably.
And so, we explained to them on the current situation of this country’s politics, on how it is being overruled by these hard-line appearance-basing racists, which I call as faceists.
We also told her how this city was built by the people who escaped this oppression and our treatment as well.
“I see. So that’s how it was. But still, for them to drive out a part of another country’s ambassador like that at the risk of offending them, their perception of this is rooted pretty deep.”
“In our country, discrimination is normal, but not this strong.”
“Yes, especially since our Lady Mio is the daughter of the current ambassador. She was never treated that way, even in her home country.”
Mio and her attendants all complained bitterly.
“Yes, all the women in this city have suffered pretty badly. Despite that, they’re now doing their best to get this city to be recognized by the country.”
“Well, personally, I’d like to support you as well. However, as we came here for a completely different objective, snooping around with another country’s internal affairs right off the bat is not gonna be wise for us. That’s not how ambassadors work after all.”
I was secretly hoping that the country of Kyou would become our ally, but as expected, it’s not gonna be that easy.
Still, I don’t feel comfortable trying to take advantage of our guests here, so I guess it’s still okay.
After that, the people of the mansion and the city were told about Mio and her attendants, and they were welcomed with high praises.
Our dinner was prepared by the maids with great care and skill, and it was extremely sumptuous.
Among them, Julie’s vegetables were well received the most, and they were surprised even more when they were told that a dark elf was the one who made them.
After that, they entered the bath, then after taking their time there, soon as they get out, it was already the time to bed.
Tired of the happenings of this day, I was about to go to bed to sleep when someone knocked on the door of my room.
I wondered who it was and opened it, only to find Mio on the other side.
“I want to talk to you, just the two of us. Can I?”
I was so surprised that I went rigid for a while, but as I couldn’t let her stand outside, I invited her in.
Now them, what on this world does she want to talk about?
I suddenly felt tense at this event’s unexpected turn.
[1]. Oiran (花魁) was the historical term for high-ranking courtesans in Japan who were not considered to be merely prostitutes (known as yūjo (遊女, “woman of pleasure/play woman”). Though oiran were considered to be a type of prostitute, they were distinguished by their skills in the traditional arts, with the highest-ranking oiran having a degree of choice in which customers they took. The term originated in Yoshiwara, the red-light district of Edo in the 1750s, and is applied to all ranks of high-level courtesans in historical Japan.
If compared to the modern times, they are equivalent to the pornstars of today, but better in all aspects of entertainment, and are directors of their own vids.
Because they are purely selected for their looks, they have a common depiction of being high-strung and prideful, which comprised of their obnoxious personality.
How are they different from Geishas? They are different from geisha in a way that Geishas are common hostess who focuses on entertaining guests with conversations, dances and songs, and sometimes, some fucking. The Nyotaimori (女体盛り, “serve (foods) on the female body”) or modernly referred to as the “body sushi,” which is the practice of serving sashimi or sushi on top of the naked body of a woman, is practiced by Geishas. By the way, there also existed male geishas, so the gender equality still applies. Oiran do not do those lowly things. To sum it up, they are nobles/royalties of the red light district.⮌
