After the last customers leave, the girls close the store once again. I count today's sales at the counter as usual, and I can't believe what I see.
"It's... it's ten large gold coins for today, girls!"
"Ehhh??!!"
The moment the words leave my mouth, the girls' reactions erupt like a chain reaction.
"I… I'm at a loss for words, Motegi-chan..."
"This is wild... absolutely wild, Motegi-kun..."
"Ten… gold coins... in a single day…? Might it be… that Turivel's blessings… have lingered with us, Motegi-sama…?"
"Today's income is approximately seven point eight times higher than our most recent daily earnings prior to the temporary closure. Statistically, this qualifies as an outlier. However, a welcome one, Master."
"Ohoho~... We really raked it in today, didn't we, darling~?"
"Hah! Verily, naught may rival mine king's prosperity. Thy commerce be unmatched in all of Acrusse!"
"Mmm~... then shouldn't we be congratulating our newest little star, honey~? It's her first day, after all…"
"Absolutely, Lilith."
With that, I turn to Brunhild with my brightest smile possible.
"Brunhild, you did a fantastic job. You should be proud."
And Brunhild bows low.
"I merely fulfilled your command, my Lord… I am honored that my efforts met your expectations."
Ten large gold coins. That's ten million yen.
Pinna's numbers were spot on. Until now, our usual daily income hovered around one million yen ever since Lilith's gemstone section opened. And that section alone consistently made up about a quarter of the sales, and we'd maintained that level steadily.
But now, Brunhild and the precious metals section just demolished every previous record. And the crazy thing is, it didn't even take that many times, as high-priced products like bullion bars don't sell in bulk, and they just land hard when they hit. I've been mentally tracking each sale, and I figured out that Brunhild's section alone accounted for almost eighty percent of today's sales.
That's absolutely nuts.
Then, I clear my throat and let go of the good news for now.
"Alright, girls. It's time."
And they all line up around the counter, even Brunhild joins in. Then, I place one large gold coin in each of their hands, and their reactions are almost comical. But before any of them can speak, I raise a hand first.
"Starting this month, you're all getting a raise. That is your new monthly payment."
Yomogi smiles, touched.
"Motegi-chan, this is too much..."
Chantal lets out a nervous laugh.
"Ahaha… h-how do I even respond to this?"
Kimberly cradles the coin between her palms.
"You are… truly... most generous, Motegi-sama…"
Pinna analyzes again.
"This is… more than two point four times our previous wage, Master. Approval: earned."
Salacia squeals delightfully.
"Waaah~! Thank you, darling~!"
Manas scoffs, flicking her coin once before catching it, and I can't help but mockingly apologize to her.
"Tch… another tiny coin. Yet, if it be a gift from mine king, then I shan't refuse it."
"Yeah, yeah... sorry, I'll try to be richer next time."
Lilith purrs, rubbing the coin against her cheek.
"Mmmm~... Look at this shine, honey~..."
Brunhild, on the other hand, stares at hers with furrowed brows.
"My Lord, what is this?"
"It's called a wage. Since all of you work here now, it's only right I treat you the way employees should be treated. That is your monthly pay. A little token of appreciation for everything you've done."
She still looks puzzled, but then her lips soften into a smile as she brings the coin close to her chest.
"I understand. This shall be treasured. It is your second gift, my Lord…"
What?
Are you surprised, all of you?
You thought I paid these girls with just cock and food, didn't you?
Sorry, but you're wrong.
Ever since I opened my store back in the old home and Yomogi and Chantal joined as my first clerks, I've always paid wages monthly like a normal, functioning adult. As the business grew, so did the pay. Their last salary was four gold coins each, which is 400,000 yen and similar to a fair monthly income back in Japan.
But since we just made ten million yen in one day, even if that number got sliced in half tomorrow, I'd still have plenty of room to keep paying them well.
Then, I ask the girls for our next activity.
"So, should we head to the labyrinth now?"
"Yes!"
And I turn to Brunhild.
"Do you want to come too, Brunhild?"
She bows with her hand over her heart.
"If that is your wish, my Lord, then I shall accompany you."
"Alright, you're joining us."
"Understood."
We head upstairs together excitedly. As the girls enter the wardrobe room to get changed, I make my way to the living room and gently set Puck on the sofa.
"You'll be alright here, right?"
"Kyuu!"
"Good boy."
I smile as I tap its nose.
A few minutes later, the girls are finished changing and step out from the door. And honestly, no matter how many times I see this, it never gets old.
Yomogi's orange bridal robe hangs just low enough off her shoulders. Chantal's purple bikini armor barely covers. Kimberly's golden halter dress flows like liquid, hugging her body. Pinna's bodysuit always accentuates every line. Salacia's bikini top is looking dangerously uncommitted. Manas stands tall and imposing, shield in hand. Lilith's glossy black ensemble clings like temptation. And as for Brunhild, she's wearing the same white strapless dress from the day we met in Turivel as she rests her greatsword on her shoulder.
Yomogi says with a playful look.
"Mo-te-gi-chan? You naughty, you want me to lower this robe just a little more, don't you?"
"Only if you want to."
Chantal spins around and slaps her own ass.
"You like these, don't you, Motegi-kun?"
"Maybe."
Kimberly leans in, her chest pressed forward slightly.
"I applied... a perfume... today, Motegi-sama. Would you care... to take a sniff...?"
"You're kidding, aren't you?"
"Fufufu... who knows..."
Pinna suddenly explains.
"Master, this suit has been refined. Compression increased by twelve percent. Visual silhouette enhanced. Your evaluation?"
"As long as it's not too tight, I'm fine with it."
"Confirmed. Tension zones redistributed. No restriction detected. Efficiency retained."
"Good."
Salacia hops once, her top bouncing along with her.
"Ohoho~... if I keep going like this, my top's gonna fall off~! Don't you wanna stop me, darling~?"
"Hahaha... please stop, seriously."
Manas raises her massive shield, hiding her chest like a teasing curtain.
"If thou seek a glimpse, thou must beg me, mine king."
"No thanks. I've got a good enough view from here."
Lilith adjusts her glasses as she purrs.
"Do I look… irresistible, honey~?"
"Absolutely."
"Fufufu~... I knew you'd say that…"
I turn to Brunhild with a mock squint.
"And why aren't you embarrassed at all wearing that?"
She answers without hesitation.
"I believe this dress is not as indecent as the nightwear or the store's uniform, my Lord."
"Yeah, thank you for that."
With that, I open a teleportation portal, and we step through towards Remantia's labyrinth, leaving Puck behind.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, SEVENTY-EIGHTH FLOOR
As soon as we step through the portal, we explore the seventy-eighth floor together.
And with Brunhild joining for the first time, our formation is changing again, as she is now walking side by side with Manas and Yomogi, and Pinna's Observer Unit is floating between the three of them. The rest is the same: Chantal still walks in behind the front trio. Behind Chantal, Lilith, Kimberly, and Pinna walk side by side with the latter's Crawler Unit slithering on the ground between them. And finally, there is me in the rear with Salacia as usual.
Again, before Brunhild came in, we were still encountering returning old monsters from the labyrinth's second "loop" mechanic. After the Sleep Donkeys on the seventy-fourth floor, the next monsters we defeated were the Hando that had grown with eight fingers, the same loud-screeching Trumpet Cranes we'd anticipated with my Earth Wall helmets once again, and the same cabbages that launched explosive heads called Catapult Cabbages. Those are monsters from floors 11-13 that previously returned to floors 43-45, and they came out again at floors 75-77.
Then, Chantal suddenly stops in our tracks, and her ears twitch as Manas turns back to her.
"What dost thou detect, Chantal?"
"I hear something… slimy."
With that, I lean forward toward Lilith's back.
"We might need help for this one, Lilith."
She turns back to me and giggles.
"Ohoho~… leave this to me, honey~..."
A second later, eight massive, human-sized Bitch Leeches crawl into view. Their bloated bodies dragging across the floor with wet, nauseating sounds.
These monsters can melt metal with their corrosive saliva. And they're originally from the fourteenth floor, then reappeared at the forty-sixth floor on the first loop... and they've returned once again here, at the seventy-eighth floor, as a part of the second loop.
Before Lilith joined us, our standard opening move was Pinna's Crawler Unit firing tear gas first to numb the leeches before they could spit their corrosive saliva. Now since we have Lilith in our party, we can make Pinna focus entirely on offense.
Also, since I already engaged in a duel with Brunhild back in Turivel, I knew how strong she is. But still, seeing her fight inside the labyrinth, alongside everyone else, is something I want to watch closely.
The leeches suddenly surge forward, but before they get anywhere near us, Lilith raises her hand gracefully and coos toward them with a sultry smile.
"My, my~… won't you boys behave for me, hmm~?"
The effect is instant. The leeches freeze mid-crawl, their bodies trembling but completely locked in place. No saliva sprays and no movement at all. Then, Lilith turns back at us.
"All done~. Do whatever you want with them, everyone~..."
And we don't waste time to surge forward.
"Rraaaahhh!"
Yomogi charges first and roars as she slams her fist upward into the first leech, launching it off the ground. She doesn't stop, another uppercut, then another, and on the final blow, its body bursts apart.
Chantal darts forward next, laughing as she closes the distance.
"What's wrong? Can't move now?"
Her daggers slice cleanly through the second leech in one smooth motion.
Brunhild steps toward the third, muttering a little.
"I do not enjoy relying on a succubus's assistance, but I suppose I can forgive it this once."
Her greatsword comes down in a single decisive slash, ending it instantly as Lilith pouts playfully.
"Can't you thank me just a little, Brunhild~?"
Kimberly and I raise our hands in sync.
"Wind... Bullet..."
"Earth Bullet!"
Our spells fire simultaneously. Hers is cutting forward with precision, while mine is driving straight through. Four leeches fall, each pierced cleanly.
"Engage."
BOOM! BOOM!
Pinna's Crawler Unit drops an exploding marble beside the final leech, popping it apart with a blast.
And then, we reach out to collect the gelatin drops before continuing forward, defeating more Bitch Leeches and gathering more gelatins until we descend to the seventy-ninth floor.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, SEVENTY-NINTH FLOOR
Arriving here, more returning monsters appear, which are Tum Tumbles this time. They're actually from the fifteenth floor, and they already returned at the forty-seventh floor. But once again, they reappear on this floor.
Without hesitation, Brunhild raises her voice toward Manas.
"Manas, shield!"
"Verily, leave thy back to me, Brunhild!"
One of the Tum Tumbles hurtles toward us, but Manas braces her shield, halting it up and in place.
"Begone, wicked weed!"
With a swift step and a single, clean swing of her greatsword, Brunhild splits the thing in half.
Then...
"Grrhhhh!"
Yomogi snarls low as she intercepts the second Tum Tumble with her body. The spiky mass hits her hard, but she grits her teeth and holds it still. Then, with a powerful twist of her waist, she hurls it upward.
"Chantal!"
"Got it!"
Chantal angles in, and her daggers slash at the airborne monster cleanly.
"Wind... Fragment..."
"Fire Ball!"
Kimberly and I raise our hands in sync, and our spells fire simultaneously. Kimberly's wind blades burst outward, splitting into twin arcs that slice two Tum Tumbles cleanly through. My fireball finds the remaining pair and turns them into flaming heaps of soot and smoke.
WHAM!
Finally, Pinna's Crawler Unit rolls metallic disks and activates gravitational force, pinning and crushing the two remaining tumbleweeds to the ground until they turn into dust.
After that, we reach out to collect the weed drops. But then, I see Salacia approach Yomogi and brush her hand across the latter's shoulders.
"Let me handle that for you, Yomogi~..."
"Yes, please!"
"Heal."
In an instant, Yomogi's skin is flawless again.
"Thank you, Salacia."
"You're welcome, Yomogi~!"
Brunhild then shakes her head slightly.
"I still cannot believe the Crimson Dragon used her strength to defend rather than attack… and somehow, it worked."
Manas puffs her chest and lets out a bold, satisfied laugh.
"Mwahaha! Already am I invincible as a predator, and now, I ascend unto the realm of undefeated prey!"
But then, Manas's eyes soften as she runs a hand along her towering shield.
"'Tis… also because of mine king. This shield is his first gift to me. I shall treasure it for eternity."
"You're welcome, Manas."
And just like that, we continue forward, defeating more Tum Tumbles and gathering more weeds until we descend to the eightieth floor.