The next morning, I gathered all the girls except for Hannah inside the dining hall.
All the old and decayed pieces of furniture had been thrown out, leaving only a few sturdy chairs and a single table.
"Hmm..."
I sat on a chair while the rest stood, my gaze sweeping over them.
Wrench and Dalia stood beside me like statues as always, neither moving nor speaking.
"Did you all rest well last night?"
"Yes. Thank you for your concern, Boss."
Lena replied with a pleasant smile, a genuine expression she rarely gave.
Ever since I discovered our massive reserve funds yesterday, I spared no effort in subtly improving everyone's lives.
For example, last night I brought proper ingredients and supplies for Boarrat to cook everyone a healthy meal. It wasn't to the point of extravagance, but it was enough to supply the crucial nutrients that everyone was lacking.
After seeing the other girls nod in agreement, I continued.
"Good. Since you're all well-rested, that means we can begin today's training."
"...Training?"
Nana tilted her head as she echoed me.
Seeing her lined up along with the others actually reminded me of something, so I called out to her.
"Nana, come behind me. You won't be participating in this training."
"..?"
Nana wore a confused expression as a frown appeared on her small face.
"Why?"
"You have another job to do and will not be needing the skills I'm about to share with them."
Nana's frown deepened as she pouted, but she still obediently moved to stand behind me.
Once she was separated from the rest, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
'I'd rather not see her innocence stained with the demonic techniques I'm about to impart.'
"Ahem." I coughed lightly before continuing, "I mentioned this before, but the inn needs to go through some serious overhauls, with one of the most important ones being in the way we treat our guests."
I noticed Mana and Yana slightly frown at my words while Kana didn't even bother to hide her displeasure and directly scowled at me.
"...What are you trying to say?"
"Relax. It's not what you think. Do you remember what I said two nights ago?"
"Something about... entertaining?"
"That's right. Instead of selling your bodies, what I need you all to be capable of going forward is entertaining guests—enticing them to buy more food and alcohol, spend lavishly to impress, and liven the atmosphere so they think they're in control."
Confused expressions surfaced on everyone's face.
It seems this might take longer than I expected.
"Okay, how about I put it like this? Pretend I'm a customer at the inn like any other night. What would you do?"
...Strange expressions appeared on everyone's face. I noticed that some of the girls seemed a little uncomfortable while Lena smiled slightly wryly. Even Dalia and Wrench shifted slightly behind me.
Wait a minute... did they step back a little?
"...Kayle, don't you think you're... still a bit young for that?"
Lena tried to speak very softly, almost as if she was trying to hint at something.
Something that I instantly understood.
My frown deepened as I rubbed my head, more in an attempt to hide my red face. "...Let me rephrase. Treat me as if I were a guest who had sat down for a meal."
Clarity appeared on everyone's face as a few of them blushed slightly.
Even the usually pure Nana shifted a little at my side, as if she had finally understood what everyone had misunderstood.
Lena lightly coughed to hide her awkwardness before approaching me slowly.
"Good night, mister. What can I get you?"
With a subtle bow and a dazzling smile, I felt as if a ray of light had been shone down on me, one with a slight hint of playfulness.
"I want a meat stew and bread. Give me a cup of ale too."
"Right away, sir."
And like that, Lena turned around and walked off as if heading to the kitchen but stopped only after a few steps.
Turning around, she looked to me for confirmation as I lightly nodded.
"Is that what you wanted to see?"
Kana still looked confused, not understanding the point of this exercise. The same could be said for the other girls as well, just not as obviously.
"Let me ask everyone this. From that interaction, can you recount what happened?"
...There was a moment of silence before Mana finally responded.
"You entered the inn. Lena came to take your order. You gave the order, and she went to ask the kitchen to prepare it."
"Mhm, what about the rest? Did you notice anything else that was there or was missing?"
The girls continued to frown, still not understanding what I was trying to ask.
"Okay. Nana, sit down, and everyone else, watch me do it."
Getting up from my chair, I allowed Nana to take my seat as I quickly switched faces.
A small yet charming smile, a relaxed yet slightly reserved posture, and most importantly, a gentle voice.
"Good night, miss. What can I get for you tonight?"
"Uh... A meat stew, please!"
Nana smiled happily as she ordered. It seemed she was enjoying being treated like this.
My smile slightly deepened as my eyes met hers. I spoke slowly as I held her gaze, "Would you like anything to drink with that? Our ale pairs nicely with our stew."
"Uh, no—" Nana was about to reply but met my gaze again. Seeing the slightly suggestive way I was staring at her caused her brain to momentarily freeze.
"Um, s-sure. I'll have one if you r-r-recommend it."
"Yes. Then I'll be right back with your order, miss. And thank you for taking my recommendation—I hope you enjoy."
"Y-Yeah..."
Turning around, I pretended to walk to the kitchen before spinning back around.
"...."
"...So, how was that? Did you notice anything different?"
I asked with a casual smile, observing everyone's reactions.
"...It certainly was different." Kana shot me an expression halfway between disdain and appreciation.
Mana just stared at me with a death glare while Yana watched on with what I believe was a little hint of fascination, though I really couldn't tell under her stone-faced expression.
"You were a lot more interactive with her than with me." Lena finally spoke.
"Indeed. I put more emphasis on the customer, with the goal of making her feel pleased or delighted with the atmosphere. What else?"
"...You also convinced her to buy ale despite not wanting to." Yana added, a flicker of light flashing across her eyes.
It seemed she had caught on to what I was trying to teach.
"Indeed. That is a skill known as persuasion, and it's key to what you will be learning."
I spoke as I stepped behind the chair Nana was still seated on, resting my hands on her shoulders.
"From now on, you must all learn to persuade customers to do more than they're willing. Whether you do that through seduction, suggestions, or even through other people, it is entirely up to you."
I slowly swept my gaze across everyone, meeting their eyes.
"When wealthy merchants and bigshots start entering our establishment, your job is to put them in a position where it's easy to spend money and convince them to do it willingly—without them knowing."
All of them were adults, with plenty of experience with the harsh ways of reality. That was why it didn't take long for them to figure out what it is I'm trying to teach them from this.
Even Nana seemed somewhat shaken as I felt her shoulders tensing up under my hands.
"...Kayle," Lena slowly called out, her expression mixed with worry and awe, "Where did you learn this?"
"That isn't important."
I avoided her question, not wanting to give the answer. I mean, how could I tell her I learned all that from firsthand experience?
"The day is still young, and we have much to brush up on. Are you all ready to continue?"
Lena sighed but quickly bowed. It seemed she had started to accept the fact that I was the new boss.
"Please enlighten us, Boss."
****
Later that night, I sat in my office.
"Haaah..."
I released a sigh.
I had spent all day training the girls, a process that took me from nine in the morning to seven in the evening.
Knock. Knock.
Two soft knocks sounded from my door.
"Come in."
With a creak, Hannah entered the office as she closed the door behind her.
"Good night, Boss. I just returned from my scouting trip."
"Mhm."
I nodded quietly, straightening my posture as I rested my hands on the desk.
Hannah approached carefully before handing a file over to me.
"What's this?"
"It's the required material and its estimated cost for the complete renovation of the inn."
"Really?"
Opening the file, I shifted through the documents contained within, my eyes naturally falling on the final price highlighted at the bottom of the paper.
The fuck...
"This is daylight robbery..."
Reading the scary total at the bottom, I couldn't help but say it out loud.
"The price quoted on that page is based on the current market price set by the Merchant Alliance," Hannah explained slowly. "And yes, it is, put simply, a scam."
Hearing even her agree with me, I couldn't help but feel my eye twitch.
If this was the current market price, not to mention the 33,000 crowns I had, even if I had 100,000 crowns, I still wouldn't have enough to fully implement my plans.
As I was wondering what to do now, Hannah passed me another file she had separate from the first.
"Since the current market price was simply too high, I did some extra searching of my own and found some alternatives we could consider."
"Hm?"
Skeptically, I opened the file and read through the documents.
"What the—? Why's the price difference so big?"
I couldn't help but question it out loud.
"The price quoted here is based on a few merchants I found not associated with the Merchant Alliance. They were rather obscure and hard to find, but I managed to work out a deal with them and got that price quoted."
I breathed a sigh of relief once I heard Hannah's explanation.
The difference between the prices listed in the first and the second file was at least five times. Still, I frowned deeply the more I considered it.
"...This Merchant's Alliance seems like it'll be a problem."
I mumbled quietly as a subtle glint flashed in my eye.
"Contact the merchants listed in the second file tomorrow morning. Try to finalize the deal as soon as possible, but don't immediately order the materials or have them delivered."
"Understood."
Hannah nodded as I leaned back in my chair.
The Merchant's Alliance... huh.
From the sounds of it, they seem like trouble.
Guess I'll have to deal with them soon.