Lewd Dungeon Master: This Orc Is Too Damn OP!-Chapter 220: The Stocking Economy

At the time Rok was enthusiastically working on improving existing products and testing new ones.

Spica Castle had reached evening, and the general store sold items successfully thanks to word of mouth and closed business.

The most sold item was, of course, stockings.

Many who were enchanted by the shock and awe shown by the bunny girls purchased them, but the limited amount each person could buy, the fact that you couldn’t buy more after the period passed, and being able to purchase items with just ’low-grade magic stones’ made people buy quickly.

And with so many people gathered, there was some commotion for a while.

[I have hundreds of low-grade magic stones at home, I want to buy them all with those!!]

[Please follow the rules. Customer.]

[You bitches!!]

Smack.

The adventurer woman who tried to sweep everything up alone struck the clerk, and the clerk smiled with reddened cheeks and released her hand.

[We’re to respond thoroughly to problem customers. That’s the mission given to us fairies.]

[You bitch, just because your face is pretty—]

Thwack---

The fairy clerk thrust her fist into the woman’s abdomen. The attack, so fast as light that the adventurer woman couldn’t react, wasn’t the power and speed an ordinary clerk could produce.

[What was that just now?]

[Did she hit...her?]

[I didn’t see?]

No one saw the fairy clerk throw the punch. The fairy clerk twisted her lips with an unconcerned face.

[I was also an adventurer like you before. But I got injured down there and had to quit. Hoho. You know what?]

The fairy clerks started approaching one by one with clenched fists. When the expressions of those who’d been smiling in service suddenly hardened to show the appearance of experienced warriors, the adventurer woman and all customers tensed up.

[We’re all retired adventurers, you see. Hoho, if you cause trouble in our store one more time....]

The fairy clerk pointed to guards on patrol outside the general store.

[We’ll personally catch you and report you to the guards.]

[What’s the matter?]

As if hearing himself being called like a ghost, the guard rushed over in one stride and started sorting out the situation.

[That lady hit the fairy!]

[What? Isn’t that assault! My goodness, a handprint on her face like this!]

[Th-that bitch hit harder....]

[You caused the trouble by being unreasonable in the first place! This won’t do, the crime of causing a disturbance is serious so get up right now!]

[What about that bitch?!]

[...No one’s saying the clerk hit you?]

[What? Hey, you! You fucked this bitch last night?! That’s why you’re taking her side?!]

[You can’t keep your mouth shut!]

The guard who immediately heard the situation from those around took away the adventurer who’d been hit in the stomach, and after that, the only commotion was from those earnestly trying to purchase the few remaining items.

[We’re sorry. ’The amount scheduled for sale today’ has all been sold.]

With the pink-haired manager’s announcement, the general store’s door closed tightly. People mulled over what she said, and only then realized something.

’They’re not planning to just sell for one day and be done!’

Only then could people abandon their impatience and find leisure.

With nearly 200 receipts issued throughout the day, people really purchased a lot of items. And as news spread through the guards that they’d purchased the building itself rather than renting it, people realized they could stably purchase stockings as long as they didn’t cause trouble.

[Ugh, if that’s the case, why not just sell it all from day one....]

[Hey, you bastard. They’re trying to make money too.]

While some complained, there were also those defending the company. And the number of people mentioning problems with their business tactics was very small.

[I don’t know what it is but I bought it anyway, what do I do? ...Oh, I can wear it! It’s a bit pretty tight...but not to the point I can’t wear it! Ugh, but the front part...aaah! It tore!]

There was a young man who purchased out of curiosity and ended up wearing stockings himself.

[Geez, you fool! I told you to buy clothes for me to wear in winter, and you bring back these scraps of fabric! If I’m cold when I wear it, you’ll die...it’s warm?!]

[I told you it’s warmer than cotton clothes! Otherwise how could those young ladies walk around in just that one layer in this weather?! Hehe, bought well, right? It cost less than 2 gold for two boxes. Going to Leo Marquisate to buy winter clothes would cost over 10 gold. Haha.]

[Honey, let me wash up real quick.]

[What? Why wash...wait, why are you washing when you’re wearing clothes!!]

There were those whose household economic burden decreased, amazed at the stockings’ function and economy as clothing.

[Brother, what’s this? It even hides leg hair...really nice. Hoho.]

[Ah, that’s called ’stockings.’ It’s a magical tool that can make our married life more fun and happy. And according to rumors...like this.]

[Kyaa! Why are you tearing there!]

[Because I bought it to tear!]

Some young couples practiced the seller’s original plan exactly.

As the entire Virgo Barony began to go wild over stockings, Baroness Virgo was lost in thought over a pair of stockings placed before her.

"Hmm...."

She hadn’t worn the stockings directly yet. Precisely, she wore them then took them off.

’They were definitely pretty.’

Herself in the full-length mirror wearing only stockings after dismissing all servants was beautiful enough to fall for even in her own opinion. The neatly folded stockings in front of the baroness were the ones she’d worn and removed herself.

"There will be more children with birthdays today. Thank you, Goddess."

The baroness offered a prayer of thanks to the Goddess for the increase in newborns.

"Thanks to the pink-haired angel you sent, our territory seems to have a foothold to rise again."

More children would mean more believers of the Goddess, naturally more territory citizens would increase tax revenue, and territory citizens with children wouldn’t be able to run away somewhere.

’Just what I’m thinking is like this, so what if this spreads elsewhere.’

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it could change the paradigm of high society—the stockings’ destructive power was boundless. The baroness swallowed her worry about whether she could advance to the capital by seducing Gray Cancer if she wore stockings underneath.

"My lord, are you there?"

"Ahem, come in."

When the door opened, the old knight who was the only one she could truly trust and follow entered from outside. The baroness could greet him with a somewhat comfortable mind at his appearance. She pushed the removed stockings neatly back into the box.

"Come in, Sir Namestark."

"Pardon me. ...Were you attending to business?"

"Hm? Not at all. I was just thinking with this."

"Ah, you mean the stockings. The fitting was...?"

"I tried them. I tried on each one to see if there were defects in the products. So what’s the matter?"

"I’ve taken action against all those who caused disturbances at the general store you mentioned. They’ll be imprisoned in the guard post’s jail tonight, and they’ll all be released with a warning tomorrow morning by your special order, my lord."

"Good. We mustn’t extinguish the spark of hope that can revive the territory. ...By the way, Sir Namestark."

The baroness didn’t miss that the ankle slightly sticking out below the hem of the old knight’s pants was black.

"...Did you perhaps wear one?"

"Yes."

Old knight Namestark had no hesitation. At his too-confident voice, the baroness became uncertain.

"...Weren’t stockings released for women?"

"I didn’t purchase them directly myself, but when my granddaughter bought them, she heard there’s no particular problem with men wearing them. That child said she wanted to give her grandfather a gift and bought this. Haha."

Old knight Namestark was laughing with a comfortable face.

"My granddaughter insisted I wear them so much I couldn’t not wear them. So I just tried them on once and...they’re better than I thought, aren’t they? When I wear them under my armor, my skin doesn’t actually chafe."

"...Does that mean they can also be utilized as strategic goods?"

"...Does it become like that?"

Both the baroness and the old knight realized another possibility of stockings. Though slower than adventurers, realizing the stockings’ potential even by chance was certainly not something to laugh off.

"Look here, Sir Namestark. How much per pair?"

"From what I heard, certainly...."

The baroness gulped at Namestark’s words. As someone managing a territory struggling economically, the territory couldn’t function properly without pursuing efficiency.

"...Sir Namestark. I’m sorry but let me issue one order."

The baroness picked up the stockings she’d worn.

"How much budget would it take to arm all guards and territorial troops below with these? No, no. This isn’t the time for this."

The baroness placed the stockings on the table and quickly stood up.

"I’ll meet with Miss Meri right away. If not stockings but tops...this is essentially the same as full-body leather armor!"

The baroness hurriedly left the office.

"...Hmm."

Old knight Namestark Infetase quietly placed the stocking box he’d brought as a gift for the lord on the baroness’s desk. Then thinking of that back view running from the office to her own room, he shed a tear.

"You’ve grown so beautifully...!"

"Huff, huff."

"Baroness?"

The baroness returned to the office panting. Namestark was momentarily scared his feeling regret might seem strange.

"I-I can’t just go like that...!"

The baroness strode to the table and grabbed the stockings she’d removed.

"I’ll wear them and go. Wait!"

The baroness left the office holding the stocking box. And Namestark’s heart sank at the stockings the baroness took.

"...."

He remembered what someone had said. If you don’t get caught, it’s not a crime.

"Ahem, ahem."

Namestark picked up the stocking box that went under the office desk and quietly tucked it into his chest.

***

"Upper body stockings...? I’m sorry but there’s no such thing."

Meri in a robe stated clearly. Meri was cleaning up the general store and preparing to move somewhere.

"Stockings were made as bottoms to begin with. We didn’t envision tops."

"Th-then do you have any plans to make tops?"

"Well...."

Meri trailed off. Even though she’d heard ideas about products to some extent, since she hadn’t heard it directly, Meri only knew about things corresponding to tops by hearsay.

"If you need women’s underwear, for now purchasing from the capital would be...?"

"You folks, did you never think to utilize this item in other ways? Did you really only think of it as bottoms or underwear?"

"Of course. Did you think of other functions besides that?"

"...Not at all."

The baroness barely regained her composure and came to her senses. As someone who needed to deceive the other party and extract what’s called ’value,’ the baroness didn’t want to show weaknesses unnecessarily.

"So it’s just underwear.... Then Miss Meri. Could we obtain large quantities in our territory? If this winter comes, I’d like to at least put stockings on those shivering from cold."

"Oh dear.... I’m moved by your benevolence as vast as the sea, my lord. But to give them free of charge...."

"Of course I’ll pay. ...Though payment might take some time."

"If you’re purchasing in bulk, naturally we should give you a discount. Don’t worry, if there’s a volume you mention, we’ll properly supply it within the deadline."

The baroness and Meri quickly exchanged contracts regarding stocking supply. They could trade at mutually reasonable prices, and before long it was dinner time.

"Then I’m counting on you, Miss Meri. ...It’s become time to eat dinner, may I perhaps invite you to the lord’s castle?"

"Oh my. I’d love to accept, but since you came all this way, how about having a drink on our side?"

Meri pointed to the dark building next door. The place she’d thought was a warehouse truly seemed to serve as both an inn and tavern.

"Now when I enter, business starts. May I welcome you as the first customer?"

"Ahem, of course."

The baroness followed Meri out of the building with a stern face. Going around and standing in front of the building’s main entrance, the baroness’s heart pounded unnecessarily at Meri’s face gripping the doorknob.

"Please don’t be surprised at what you see."

Creeeeak.

With the sound of old hinges, the dining room of pub <Avalon> revealed itself. Wooden planks laid on the floor and all furniture being wood was no different from any other pub, but the appearance of the clerks moving around in that pub was distinctly different.

"Th-that...?!"

"...If you keep wearing tight stockings continuously, sweat builds up quickly."

Meri slightly lifted her robe. Meri also looked not much different from the clerks, but the baroness was so overwhelmed by that overwhelming kindness of heart she was deflated.

"We reduced the fabric portion as much as possible to cut costs. Yes, it’s called ’fishnet stockings.’ ...What do you think?"

At the overwhelming bombardment of skin color, the baroness ended up losing consciousness.

At the last moment.

Burying her face in the two huge hills between the black fishnet stripes of Meri’s stockings was absolutely not something the baroness did on purpose.