Gacha Addict in a Matriarchal World

Chapter 138: Elf Festival!

The subjugation of the Floor Guardian, Minotauros, has never failed even once for hundreds of years.

In fact, for about 300 of those years, there haven’t been any fatalities.

Of course, that’s to be expected since it’s a monster whose strategy has already been perfectly shared. In addition, with it being only a guardian of the second floor, it was easy to find mid-level adventurers to assist when needed.

Unless someone lacked the necessary qualifications to even participate in Minotauros’s subjugation, it has become a world where defeating it is only natural once you join the subjugation.

“So, you’re saying the banquet is probably already being prepared? We just need to go there?”

Rosemary nodded mechanically with a despairing expression at my question.

“That’s right. You can pass yourselves off as my party to gain entry. However, such an excuse won’t work inside the banquet hall. Especially with Mother…”

“Ah, it’s fine. We just need to get inside.”

“Ggrr!”

Rosemary wore an expression filled with anger and guilt, as if she had accidentally awakened an ancient archdemon.

Judging by how she looks every time she speaks, I guess she’s always been that kind of person.

For reference, Rosemary, who is a little over 100 years old by elven standards, is practically just entering adulthood.

Even among humans, there are people who don’t outgrow their teenage angst until their twenties, so it’s not strange that Rosemary is deeply immersed in her own world.

By the way, people who don’t outgrow teenage angst and have a way with words usually start working as writers. The reason I would know that…

Shaking my head to dispel my gloomy thoughts, I asked Lydia.

“Miss Lydia, will you be okay on your own?”

“What level of force will be needed? I’m saying just in case…”

“Ah. Would I make Miss Lydia do something outrageous? I have no intention of attacking first. It would be enough if you could just protect me from any potential dangers.”

“Then I can handle it alone. But just in case, bringing Benny along would make it more certain.”

“Hmm. Shall we do that? Since we’re attending under Rosemary’s invitation, we need to match the dress code. While we’re on our way to borrow clothes, let’s bring Benny as well. Ellie is…”

“Senior Ellie is over the top. And Senior Ellie tends to have her eyes rolled back when you, Jonah, gets involved.”

“Oh ho. Unlike Miss Lydia, she can throw the first punch, right?”

“Yeah. And the people who can block Senior Ellie’s first punch can be counted on one hand.”

“I guess that’s out of the question. Then I’ll just bring Benny.”

The discussion was proceeding swiftly. Even though they had already ascended to the surface, without even the thought of escaping, the sobbing Rosemary silently asked her guard who was watching.

“Berry. If you inform Mother of this evil plot even now….”

“I don’t have the confidence to shake Lydia off.”

“…What can you even do?”

“I can be a witness to what happened today.”

“That’s not a guard’s role…!”

I headed to Benny’s workshop with Rosemary, who was letting out a mournful scream.

---

I kidnapped Benny, who was lounging at home chilling in her panties, and headed straight to a high-end suit shop on Commercial Street.

During that process, there was an unfortunate incident where Benny bit the back of my hand, but fortunately, Shadow bit the back of Benny’s hand, suppressing the rebellion.

Although Rosemary fainted after unexpectedly witnessing Shadow’s mouth, it wasn’t particularly important, so we just moved on.

Anyway, a size adjustment spell was cast, and only after fitting myself in a neat suit that perfectly matched my small frame did I come out of the store.

Fortunately… No, unfortunately, Lydia couldn’t remove her armor in case the need to use force arose, so she wore her bikini armor that fully exposed her belly and cleavage.

Benny, unlike usual, borrowed and wore a purple dress adorned with elaborate decorations. Although, as usual, it clung to her body, revealing her figure.

“Wow! What a figure!”

“I’m already upset to have been suddenly dragged out while I was resting at home, and yet you keep teasing me?!”

“I’m serious! What do you expect me to say when you’re the one wearing such sexy clothes in the first place?!”

“What do you mean, sexy… Ah, Jonah, are you saying that just because it slightly reveals my back? Heh? Hm? I see? Well, Jonah is still young.”

Perhaps her memories of being trapped in the cube together with me have faded. Benny (smelling like a baby), with an enchanting (cute) smile, subtly shows her back.

With a forced laugh, I deeply inserted my hand into the back of her revealing dress.

“Hyak!”

Benny jumps up and down like a cat whose tail has been grabbed. In fact, I did press on her tailbone with my finger.

Upon seeing Benny being subdued in an instant, Shadow observed for a moment before quietly hiding in the shadows and then turning around.

“Eek!”

I smiled brightly at Rosemary, who was startled and was covering her own hips.

“So, shall we go?”

“Ah, got it!”

Rosemary creaked as she took the lead. Following her, we arrived at the main branch of Cradle Trading Company.

“So, that means it’s the building right next to Eternal Mercantile Eden.”

“Huh? Why hold a banquet at the Trading Company? Didn’t you say it would be at your own mansion or something?”

“Don’t be stupid. Do you know how much Pangrave’s land is worth? To build such a huge mansion? Anyway, the banquet is just an extension of the business. If we set up a banquet hall inside the Trading Company building, we can treat all the costs of installing and maintaining the banquet hall, hosting costs, and so on as expenses. With all the money we can save from taxes, why would we engage in such uncultured, old-fashioned aristocratic luxuries…”

“Waaah. I’m baby Jonah. I don’t understand such difficult talk. Isn’t money generated like this?”

When I showed Rosemary her wallet that I had swiftly stolen with my pickpocketing skills, her face turned pale.

However, the point where she was surprised seemed to be a bit different.

“When did you?! More importantly, shouldn’t you earn money legitimately? Haven’t you learned the basic rule that you shouldn’t steal! That’s why you lack character… Ahem. It’s nothing.”

Rosemary, who was about to pour out remarks that seemed either sincere or arrogant, noticed Lydia’s glance and decided to stop.

She giggled, I took out 1 silver from her wallet, pocketed it, and returned it to her.

“What’s with the 1 silver…?”

“It’s the reward for finding your wallet.”

“Finding it? A reward?”

Rosemary, as if she couldn’t believe it, asked again, but perhaps lacking the energy to argue further, she let out a tired sigh and hid the wallet deep into her inner pocket.

Then, she quickly adjusted her clothes and, in an instant, returned to the high-handed appearance of a second-generation rich kid that she had when I first met her.

“Most of it, I’ll handle myself, so just keep your words in line… Instead, be sure to keep your promises.”

“Ahahaha! Don’t worry. I will never cause harm to the other elves first. From the start, Miss Lydia won’t overlook such things, right?”

“Even Lady Lydia because of you… No, it’s nothing. Just please, keep your promises.”

After making several earnest pleas, Rosemary took a deep breath and then confidently opened the door of the Cradle Trading Company and walked in.

Following her, what unfolded before our eyes was a spacious and clean area reminiscent of a modern department store.

The only difference was that all the items on the shelves were packed full with consumables for adventurers or equipment of decent quality.

As expected of the Cradle Trading Company. Along with the Magic Tower and Workshop Union, it portrays an organization that constitutes a third of Pangrave’s economy.

It is clearly on a different scale from other stores. At first glance, the quality doesn’t seem lacking, and the prices are even low.

Overall, it feels like they’re pursuing cost-effectiveness. Well, the first floor is always like that. The structure likely sells more expensive items as you go higher.

Nodding to myself internally, I took a closer look inside the store and saw throngs of customers and the employees who were guiding products to them.

Surprisingly, all the employees were male elves.

To my eyes, it looked like a disgusting men’s bathhouse, but others probably wouldn’t see it that way.

A celebrity-level man smiled softly and started talking to me, but how many women in this topsy-turvy world would dislike that?

At best, someone like Lydia who scrutinizes equipment more than people, I suppose.

Benny was distracted, so I stepped on her foot.

Gulp.

“Ouch!”

“Benny, either close your eyes or look only at me.”

“What now!”

“Do you want to see me crazed??”

“Ah, fine. I got it, so calm down a bit! Is this okay?”

Did Benny’s loud voice get heard? Suddenly, all eyes focused in this direction. Naturally, the staff spotted Rosemary and bent their backs at a 90-degree angle to greet her.

“You have arrived, Young Lady!!”

“Okay. I’m going upstairs, so continue on.”

As Rosemary waved her hand roughly to acknowledge the greeting, the elves seemingly went back to their original tasks as if nothing had happened.

It’s cool, but the scene feels somehow discordant, and I asked in a small voice.

“Rosemary. I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Didn’t you say there would be a banquet today? But you’re receiving customers?”

“Isn’t that obvious? How much sales do we lose by taking a day off? As long as we manage to keep guests from coming up to the banquet hall, that’s all we need.”

“…Then why did they greet you, the successor, so politely when you arrived, but then immediately went back to work?”

“While a greeting might leave a good impression, it doesn’t bring in money. Besides, I’m not even a client. Isn’t that only natural?”

“Is that…natural?”

“…Ah! Maybe you didn’t know. Our employees receive incentives proportional to the revenue they generate beyond a certain level. Focusing on money-making tasks is a natural thing. You can understand this, right?”

I definitely set the elves as money grubbers.

I was well aware of it, and in fact, I myself frequent several shops operated by the elf president.

But seeing such a full-fledged money grubber move is truly impressive.

With the amount the president of the Cradle Trading Company makes, it would be no surprise for her to put on airs, but she continues to push forward with the business simply because of her fear of not making enough money.

Even the elves working down there all seem to share a similar mindset.

“I’ll admit it. You’re really crazy about money!”

“…? Thanks for the compliment?”

Rosmarie tilted her head in confusion with a puzzled expression.