Margaux

“Another night went great,” said Carla as she closed the file and turned to me. “Men drink a lot. Some even have a great capacity,” she added with a smile.

“Women drink no less, my friend. If you let Barb loose, she will drink as much as them,” I said, and Carla sighed at the mention of our resident drunkard.

Saying Barb likes to drink would be an understatement. She loved it; she revels in it and had even gotten the class for it.

Thankfully, the women know how much she can drink. Master Silver had placed a limit on drinking; the girls could drink, but only till they could hold themselves rationally.

It is one of the greatest challenges faced by the new girls; I had faced it every day. I had worked.

Their biggest revenue comes from alcohol, but they have to be careful about how much they could drink with the client. They could not get swept into the conversation and drink endlessly.

They have to make the clients drunk, not get drunk themselves.

Thankfully, ‘Graceful drinking’ is one of the lessons we received. We had been taught to drink in a way that we could make a glass last for more than an hour without being noticeable.

Some girls had permission to drink more or endlessly. They are the ones who got the ‘sober’ skills; a type of skills that makes them sober or hard to get drunk.

They are excellent skills. I wish I had it.

“We have brought a lot of liquor during the incident, but all of it is gone.” Said Carla and looked page in front of her, it is a list of liquor they will buy today.

It will be enough for ten days and then they will have to update the list. Seeing what Master Silver brings from Navr. He had set aside quite a lot of money for the liquor he was going to buy in Navr.

“Have any messages come from Master Silver?” she asked. “No, aside from one who came yesterday, saying they will be finished in a few days,” Carla replied.

There is worry written all over her face. She is trying to hide it, but failing spectacularly.

“He will be fine. We should worry about the establishment,” I said gently while pressing my hands with her.

The business is going well; it is because they are doing everything perfectly. There are problems every hour, from the fight between the girls to the sudden absence of teachers.

They are solving these problems immediately as they appear.

“With Ina gone, the responsibilities on you increase further. It is too much. You need someone to share the responsibilities,” Carla said.

“I am fine,” I replied.

The responsibilities are a little heavy, but I can handle them.

“It is not fine. You need someone,” said Carla, before sighing. I smiled at that, but there was no mirth in it.

Yes, the responsibilities are a little heavy, but who can I get?

All the capable ones are top earners. If we take any one of them, the business will be affected. We can’t have that, at least till we get a good number of girls in high-earning brackets.

So, I will handle it alone, till Ina returns.

“At least take an assistant.” Carla pleaded, and it was not the first time she had asked her that. “Fine,” I said, and could see a smile appearing on my friend’s face.

I am not so happy; the young girls going to create quite a ruckus.

The girls below eighteen could not work. They only need to focus on their studies, and they get a small stipend to spend. It is good, but nothing compared to the lowest-earning girl of the establishment.

Thus, the intense competition, whenever a job appeared as it gives them more than a basic stipend.

They discussed a few more things before I walked out of Carla’s office. As I walked down, I heard sounds across the rooms; the classes had already started.

This made Carla most worried; she wants 80% of the adult new girls to be ready for the business at the end of the month. Which I think would be possible, considering they are training for more than two months.

At the end of the month, it will be three months. They will have most training than any other girls before them.

Their practice with actors has already begun and with a few old girls reaching eighteen; we should be able to get the number we desire.

We want the establishment at full capacity, which is around hundred and fifty. I am confident we will have that.

To me, they already feel ready, but that is my opinion.

Master Silver needs to feel it too, and this time his standards have increased further.

The new girls need good enough to match the standard of the current establishment. The more time passed, the bigger requirements would become.

She could see how girls are improving; it is not just their levels, but also the skills they are learning. Their speed of progress is amazing.

I am not behind the girls either; I would practice painting in every free time I have, and I think, I am improving.

The rising levels are proof of that.

Though one thing still kept me awake. My mana attribute: I wanted to forget it, but I couldn’t. Especially when I read my daughter's letters, about how amazing the magic is and how she couldn’t wait to cast her first spell perfectly.

I shook my head and walked down, and soon; I reached underground.

It is mostly silent, and while a few new girls are moving around; they are talking in low voices or using skills.

To not disturb the girls who are sleeping.

Soon, I reached my quarters and place the file on my desk, before walking to my room and removing the dress.

I hung the dress before falling on the bed and within a few seconds; I was asleep.

Four hours later, I woke up feeling completely refreshed. I stayed the bed for a few minutes before getting up and walking to the bathroom.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

There, I freshened up and showered.

I dried myself and opened the closet. There are twenty-six dresses including eighteen night dresses. Those are for business; the other eight are also good, but they are for off hours.

Carla had said Master Silver had ordered four more dresses for me. Saying she does not have enough dresses that require for the madam, he wants her to have at least thirty-two dresses.

One for each day of the month.

I have never in my life thought I would have so many dresses. Even their old madam only had three good dresses which she guarded with her life, and those were nothing compared to these.

I looked at them before picking up the blue one.

A few minutes later, I am in my office. Yes, my office; even after so much time, I couldn’t believe I have an office of my own.

I calmed myself down and opened the files and begin working. There is not much work; I only need to make a few entries and I will be done.

Then I can go eat.

Knock Knock!

Barely a minute passed since I had started working when the knock rang out on my door.

“Come in,” I said, and a second later, the door opened and a beautiful woman in her late thirties with dusky skin and shoulder-length curly hair walked in.

She was nervous, but there was a bubbling happiness on her face. Seeing those expressions, a smile appeared on my face, and I open the drawer and took a small box with a delicate ribbon on it.

“Congratulations Mena,” I said to her as I placed the small box on the table.

“Thank you, Madam Margaux,” she said happily, and moved her hand toward the box, but I stopped her.

“Before I give it to you. I have a make sure it is true. It is a simple formality,” I said, and the woman smiled and the next moment, she opened her class, and I sensed it with mine.

I got the confirmation and the smile on my face, become bigger. “Congratulation on breaching the second capstone,” I said and gave her a box.

She is the fourth girl from the third batch to breach this milestone.

She tore the ribbon and opened the box. Inside it is the key to her very own room.

“I have dreamed about this every night,” she said, with tears dripping from her eyes. I felt myself tearing up, before wiping the tear off my eyes and taking out the green book.

‘No. 34. Mena Horn,’ I noted down on the green book.

Girls are leveling like crazy. Seven months ago, there was not a single girl with Level 20, now there are thirty-four. This is the number the establishment had started, and now we have that number of girls at Level 20 and above.

The number is still less than what competitors have, but we are improving rapidly and there is no doubt in my mind, we will catch up.

Click!

I had just put back the book. When the door widened, Carla walked in and saw Mena staring at the key, and a smile appeared on her face.

“Congratulations Mena,” she said. “Thank you, Madam Carla,” she replied, before wiping her tears.

The girl stayed in the office for a couple of more seconds before walking out. Excited to move to her own personal room.

Carla closed the door and sat in front of me.

I could tell she have something to say, seeing her expressions. “I am going to do it,” she said with a smile, but I could see the nervousness in it.

“What are you going to do?” I asked. Feeling, a little nervous for some reason. “I am going to let Drev use the magical materials,” she said, and my expression froze for a moment.

“What! Are you crazy? You know he had burned the restaurants, right?” I asked.

Master Silver had said, he will think about it after watching him for a few months. He was going to build a separate kitchen for that, so he wouldn’t burn down the establishment.

I never thought Carla would even think about something like this. Lola, yes, given her impulsiveness, but not Carla. She is cautious, but it seemed like she wants to throw that into the wind.

“Yes, he did, but both of those times. He was using wholly magical materials,”

“I am going to let him use a few of them with normal ingredients. The food will be a mix of magical and mundane ingredients. He never had an accident with that.” She explained.

“How do you know that? Did you ask him?” I asked. “Yes, but also the detailed background check we had ordered on him arrived yesterday. Everything he had said is the truth.” She replied.

“Still, it is dangerous,” I said, and she nodded. “It is, but is also necessary.”

“Starting next month, the number of girls going to increase, but it is not enough. We need something more; the fusion food will be great, especially with the liquor that Remus will bring from Navr.”

“At least ask Master Silver permission before doing this,” I pleaded to my cautious friend, who had turned crazy.

“I will tell him,” she said, and hearing that, I sighed. She will not ask him permission, rather she will tell him after she started.

“Don’t worry, I will be careful. There will always be Stena, Shaun, or Hugo with him when he uses magical ingredients, along with two guards.”

“Just be careful, okay,” I said finally, seeing she is not going to listen to me.

It is not like I don’t understand her intentions. I do, I just hope, she would take things her usual cautious way and not become impulsive for progress.

“I will take every precaution, there is,” she said, and I nodded.

I know my friend and it might seem impulsive, but she must have thought about it deeply before making this risky decision. Though, I have to say. If it worked, it would help the establishment tremendously.

I truly hope it does.