The Four Pretty Lions—that was the name of their party.
Since its founding, only Leona has been part of it. Originally, it was a group formed exclusively by Lion Beastfolk, hence the name.
"So where exactly are you headed?" Leona didn't waste any time.
"We're going to Andaluz, in the South. In the Duchy of Iberia."
Even Lilian looked surprised. I hadn't shared the full details of my plan with her yet.
"Amelia gave me a lead," I explained to Lilian. "Lots of exotic goods have been arriving from the Southern continent. I might end up finding something there that could become the flagship product of our company."
I didn't give her many details, but the truth was, the system had already outlined a plan and turned it into missions.
The exotic product I was supposed to find in Andaluz was cacao. In this world, chocolate hadn't been discovered yet.
According to the system's quest description, the southern natives only consumed the fruit's pulp and used the seeds to brew a bitter energy drink, without any sugar.
People in the Kingdom of Astorias couldn't stand the drink's bitterness, and the pulp spoiled before it could be transported long distances.
So the only ones consuming cacao in the kingdom were southern immigrants, and they were concentrated almost entirely in Andaluz.
Which meant, with my otherworldly knowledge, I could become the inventor of chocolate. A fast track to becoming a wealthy merchant, right?
But that wasn't my only mission. The system had also created my first mandatory target: the Duchess of Iberia.
I didn't know much about her yet. The quest description merely said she was the key to the capital's high nobility.
So I planned to go to Andaluz and make that city my base of operations.
"The road there isn't too dangerous," Leona continued. "If we travel with a caravan, you won't need to hire anyone else besides us."
That was the plan.
"Traveling with a caravan means making several stops, but that works in our favor," I replied.
That had been my plan all along.
"Will you be providing food and shelter, or is that on us?" Now it was Felicia who asked.
"We can provide both, if you prefer," I answered.
I didn't want to be setting up camp every night, so I'd need to figure something out for lodging. But cooking? That wasn't a problem for me.
"Do we need to hire a cook?" Lilian asked.
I searched through Matthew's memories to check if he had a reputation for being a bad cook. Apparently, he had simply never cooked in his life.
So I'd have to come up with another lie.
"I never cooked for you because it wasn't necessary back at the brothel, but I actually cook very well. I can handle the meals myself."
Despite the skeptical looks they all gave me, I think the lie stuck.
In my past life, I was a jack-of-all-trades. One of my many jobs had been in a professional kitchen.
So this would be a breeze.
"If you're providing food and shelter, the cost of our escort is one gold coin per day," said Luna.
"But you'll need to pay at least five coins upfront so we can prepare."
Looks like she was the group's treasurer.
Rose, being the shy type, would probably take a while before I heard her voice again, now that she'd already introduced herself.
I handed over the five gold coins on the spot.
"When do we leave?" Leona asked.
"The next caravan to the South departs in three days," Lilian informed.
"Perfect. We leave in three days, then. That'll be plenty of time to get ready," I added.
After that, Lilian and I said goodbye to the girls and returned to the room.
Lilian's level-up was about to start, I was already looking forward to it.
***
[Leona's POV]
Our new client was… strange.
He looked at us with the confidence and desire of an Alpha; he smelled like one, but his appearance didn't match.
He was human, after all. I've never seen an Alpha that wasn't Beastfolk
When the succubus approached us and I caught the scent of her mate's essence all over her, the image that formed in my mind was very different from what I saw in front of me.
I had imagined a tall, muscular Beastfolk. But he was just a scrawny human. Still, that scent on the succubus was unmistakable.
It was the smell of a sexually satisfied woman.
Was that skinny human really capable of satisfying a succubus? He must be, there was no mistaking that scent. He was her mate.
"You accepted this job way too easily. Don't you always say we only take escort gigs when the client has long-term potential?"
Rose was the newest member of our group, the first human we'd ever recruited. And she wasn't wrong. We'd taken this job purely on my whim.
"Sometimes, you've got to trust your instincts," I replied.
It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either.
"You felt it too?" Felicia asked me.
Her nose was sharper than mine. So she probably knew exactly why I'd taken an interest in this client.
"You Beastfolk and your crazy sense of smell. Are you going to clue us in or what?" Rose asked again.
She got shy around men, but turned into a chatterbox when it was just us. I always found that adorable.
"I don't know if it's the same thing you sensed," Luna said, "but there was something odd about his soul."
His soul? Could the disconnect between his scent and appearance have something to do with that?
"What do you mean?" Felicia asked.
"It was like the soul and the body weren't fully in sync. That usually only happens with newborns, especially those who are reincarnations of ancestral spirits," Luna explained.
"Our new client could be a reincarnated soul?" I asked.
That could explain it. If he were the reincarnation of a Beastfolk Alpha in a human body, that would explain the scent.
"If he were a newborn, sure. But he's an adult. It doesn't add up," Luna replied.
We'd probably never get a definitive answer. But at least I hadn't sensed any malice in that man.
Lust, definitely. He practically radiated it. But malice? None at all.