World of Women Volume 4 – Chapter 8

“Clyburn Bonholdt.” She said with pursed lips, her expression not looking surprised at all to see .

“It’s been a few years,” I said, walking up to the side of the ring, but being stopped short as Brianna and Syph put themselves in front of .

“Why are you here?” She asked bluntly.

I started to recall my limited interactions with the girl. Dia was the daughter of a rich entrepreneur, much like Lyra. However, where Lyra had a brother and an overbearing mother who liked to control her, Dia was being raised to replace her mother as the head of the company, and even in the Academy, she had developed a knack for business and a cold, analytical deanor.

Since she was wealthy, acquiring a man had always been as simple as saying when, so she was never competitive in that field. She was more worried about helping her mother grow the business, and was this disinterested in having a child until it was necessary or beneficial. This caused her to beco one of the Queens of the school, the careerqueen.

There had been five queens at my school, nad for the general reason why they hadn’t been with a man yet despite their clear beauty. Unlike Lyra, who had earned the na Icequeen because of her tendency to freeze around guys, or my sister Madison, who had earned the na Slutqueen for showing too much knowledge about n, Dia’s na as the Careerqueen was extrely apt.

She wasn’t just popular among the guys at the academy though. She was a leader among the won as well. During the Day of Wrath, she had led a group of girls and protected them from the other seniors. She was considered a bit of a hero from that day, or so I heard later. That was the last ti I had seen her, which was regrettable because I felt there was unfinished business between us.

I had run into her a few tis during my ti at the Academy, and she had even occasionally assisted . It was when I had gotten in trouble sneaking into the girl’s dorm to see Madison that she had truly helped out, and I had beco indebted to her. She had always been extrely direct, and so even when she assisted , she cut a deal. I promised to give her a child. As the world was now, there was no way I could do such a thing. I was curious about how she felt about that.

“I was looking for a woman,” I responded.

She cocked an eyebrow. “Aren’t there catalogs for that now?”

“A woman worth having can’t be found in a catalog.”

I had said those words teasingly, but a sudden flash of Hannah’s face caused my expression to sour a bit. Why was she in that catalog? Part of the reason I wanted Brooke back is that she also had experience with PI work. She would be able to investigate and get the answers that Cornelia refused. Of course, I’d be leaning on Brianna and Syph, but they were young and inexperienced, and also still afraid of Cornelia. Brooke was the only woman I knew who wouldn’t give a crap about MPA mandates.

“Hello, Cornelia. I’m surprised to see you here.” Dia didn’t respond to my comnt at all, instead turning to Cornelia who had walked up beside .

“Dia…” She nodded, a small frown on her face. “How are things?”

Dia shrugged with a casual deanor. “I’m being pressured to conceive. They want to have a male as if that is sothing I could choose. I could have babies for the remainder of my life and never once produce a male.”

Cornelia tilted her head as she watched Dia closely. “You know, Clyburn has a good record with producing males.”

“He does. I have been interested in his seed for so ti.”

“Very well, that can be arranged. Tonight?”

“I can make ti, as long as Clyburn doesn’t take too much ti to finish.”

“I’ll get him worked up before you co so that he finishes quickly.”

I glanced between the two won with my mouth open. Their conversation that was just a brief introduction had snowballed so suddenly.

“W-wait! I’m right here!” I snapped angrily.

Dia didn’t even glance my way, while Cornelia shot an irritated look.

“Clyburn! You’ve already promised the choice of four won you could impregnant.”

I blinked in surprise, having never expected Dia to be one of those choices.

“Sh-she’s not in a catalog!” I responded defensively, realizing I was sounding a bit childish.

Cornelia frowned as she spoke. “It’s a simple matter of filling out an application. As your agent, I can put in a request for any woman of my choosing. Should you desire any woman, in particular, arrangents can be made. For a person of Dia’s standing, approval would be almost assured. I have no doubt I can get an approval turned over instantly.”

“You…” I felt a great deal of irritation at the flippant way she said that.

I had been led to believe that the catalog was the primary path toward selecting won, yet even in this newly designed world, the governnt made sure there was room for backroom deals. The rich woman could still basically have their pick of any man they wanted, and they didn’t even need to worry about the slice! All they needed to do was talk to the agent and gain her favor. Since she wasn’t swayed by things like looks, then it was purely the benefits she could receive that dictated who her charge slept with.

I took a breath, wiping the ugly expression from my face. I had to remind myself that Cornelia had just made this agreent in front of . There was no sign she was cutting any deal with Dia over this. It was Dia who had expressed interest, and Cornelia who allowed it. Considering everything, Dia was the best choice for my first ti. I already had promised her to get her pregnant, so I was rely carrying through with previous promises. Furthermore, I was the one who asked to be here. It wasn’t like the two had made this plan behind my back.

Dia was soone I knew, a beauty, and also had a lot of power in high places. Getting on her good side would only benefit in the future, no matter what happened. There might not be a slice, but a woman might always show just a bit of preferential treatnt to the father of her baby. So, if it was all a good decision, why did I feel so irritated?

I didn’t like the way they had made these plans over my head like I wasn’t even involved in them. I had lived in this world for six years now. I had grown used to many won treating like an object, a cum dispenser as the insult goes, but nothing churned my stomach quite like that.

“Clyburn, there is no reason to act this way.”

“You may co over tonight, Dia.” I responded, ignoring Cornelia and speaking straight to Dia, “But it remains to be seen if I’ll grace you with a baby.”

“Clyburn!” Cornelia tried to give an admonishing look, but I ignored her.

“Oh?” Dia finally looked at , an expression that seed sowhat amused, but also considering. “I admit that I am inexperienced in this area, but I am confident I can help you reach a satisfying end.”

“I don’t doubt you can,” I responded. “But the results of that end are determined by . You could lose your virginity and never have a baby. I could give a daughter, or maybe three. If it’s a son you want, you’ll need to work hard to earn it!”

“Determined?” She asked curiously.

“Don’t pay attention to him.” Cornelia grabbed my arm angrily. “He has this belief that he can choose the sex of the baby. He thinks too highly of himself. The won at the education center agree with on this.”

“I am intrigued by this,” Dia spoke finally. “So, you believe you are capable of giving a male with 100% certainty?”

“If I want to.” I shot back. “Unfortunately for you, I haven’t been in the mood to make male babies. Unlike popular opinion, I’m not a stud on demand.”

“Then, we are at an impasse, because a male baby is exactly what I need right now.”

“An offer?”

“Slice isn’t allowed!” Cornelia shot in.

Dia glanced at Cornelia. “Relax, I am very well aware of the laws. A man can not be coerced into sex using any promises of monetary gain, acquisition of goods, sentences, or treatnt. First off, sex has already been decided between you and , so this isn’t a matter of talking a man into sex. What I am offering Clyburn instead revolved around the gender of said child, sothing you already insist to be a falsehood he can’t truly achieve. It is a falsehood, isn’t it?”

“Of course, it is false!”

“Then, there should be no issue if Clyburn and I co to an agreent.”

“Even if you say that…” Cornelia had a stubborn expression on her face.

“You wouldn’t criticize a girl for drinking vinegar before having sex, or standing on her head after she finishes, in hopes of influencing the gender of the baby. So, how could you fault attempting to influence the gender in any not scientifically-proven way.”

“Giving him benefits…”

“I have no intention of giving him any goods, money, services, or preferential treatnt.”

“Then, what is it? As his agent, I have every right to know!”

I glowered as I looked at Cornelia. I felt she getting out of line here. The agreents I made with Dia were between and Dia, but Cornelia kept butting her head into conversations where she wasn’t needed. She also had a sowhat unhappy expression on her face, like she was taking Dia’s challenge personally.

“Finally,” Dia finished while ignoring what she said. “I don’t plan to do a trade with Mr. Bornholdt. Rather, I plan to make a bet with him. If I win, then tonight, he gives every effort to give a boy. If he wins, then he gains what I’m offering him. Your rules do not say anything about n betting. A casino was recently erected in the male district specifically to alleviate so of the stress n were having. You should understand more than anyone the importance of such things.”

“Watch it, Dia, I haven’t submitted my paperwork yet.” Cornelia shot back, but after a mont of silence, as we both watched her, she sighed. “Tell what he wins.”

“I plan to give him the only thing of any value. Information. You wanted to know your sister’s whereabouts, right? Hannah… the sister who got away? I’ve had her investigated. I know where she is, and more importantly, I know which man will be reserving her.” She pulled out a folder that looked to contain docunts from her bag, which was in the corner of the ring.

“How did you know that’s what I was looking for?”

“No!” Cornelia took a step forward.

Dia glanced between the pair of us, but she finally settled on Cornelia first. “Regrettably for you, you don’t have that kind of authority. You can choose not to give Clyburn information, but you can’t prevent him from getting the information on his own. You’re just an agent, not a master, or have you forgotten this?”

Cornelia’s expression turned ugly, but I was starting to like Dia more and more. When her eyes turned to , I changed my question.

“What do you an, a man will be reserving her?”

“Reservations made through the catalog rarely occur on the sa night. Don’t let your encounter with convince you that every woman is at your beck and call. Schedules must align. Most n only have one woman a night, but they might prepare a list of won for the next two weeks. So decide who they want the entire month. Of course, another can take them earlier, but that hasn’t been the case for Hannah. My investigation found who and when they will be having Hannah stop by.” She explained with the folder opened in front of her but bent in a way I couldn’t see what was in it.

“Who are they?” I demanded.

She snapped her folder shut. “That’s for to know, and you to win the right to find out.”

“Clyburn, forget it!” Cornelia grabbed my arm again. “Let’s go. She’s just trying to ss with you.”

“What’s the conditions?” I shook of Cornelia’s hand.

“A sword bout. I heard that you were quite accomplished at swordsmanship. We will have three bouts. If you can win even one of them, then, I will give you all the information I have on Hannah. If I defeat you in all three bouts, then you will ensure that I have a male tonight.”

“…”

I didn’t know how to respond. She was correct in saying that I knew the sword. I’d never say I was accomplished. My hesitation had more to do with the folder in her hand, and how she happened to be where I ca, happened to have this information on hand, and happened to end up in a situation where she could do this deal. It was like she had planned this all out from the beginning. I was beginning to realize just how much of a terrifying person she was.

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m already putting the deal in your favor. I must win all three, while you must win only once. Furthermore, since you more than likely won’t have the ability to ensure my baby is male, I’m betting on a baseless boast from the get-go.”

She seed to have misunderstood my hesitation. Or, perhaps she knew my hesitation and was doing exactly as Cornelia had suggested and was just screwing with .

As for my capacity to defeat her, I didn’t have any confidence at all. I had practiced a little bit, but the last two years had focused primarily on magic. That’s when a thought occurred to .

“In this spar… is it swords only, or can I rely on my other skills?”

“You an like hands and feet? You are fine using whatever you feel necessary to defeat .”

“Then, I accept.”

“Good! Ah… for safety reasons, I do suggest you put on a suit. These are padded and difficult to piece. They make a difference.”

I nodded and walked over to the other side of the rink. A woman who appeared to be a servant of Dia handed a suit. I frown as I realized it was sewn for a man and was pretty close to my size. Was I walking right into a trap? Even if I lost everything, giving her a boy was a small price to pay. It’d be best if I gave her nothing and then convinced everyone my words weren’t worth a thing. She couldn’t prove I didn’t do my best to give her a boy, whatever the case.

After I finished putting on the suit, Cornelia grabbed one more ti. She was doing that a lot. When I shot her an irritated stare, it lted for a mont as I realized she looked genuinely concerned for .

“You… don’t have to do this, Clyburn.” She spoke softly this ti, not sounding at all like her usual demanding, insolent self.

“Will you give the information on Hannah?” I asked.

She looked away. “Clyburn… I can’t…”

I took a step up onto the fencing stage. The sa woman who handed my outfit now handed a sword. It was dulled, but it was still tal. In the right hands, it could do so damage. Dia’s sword was similar.

She held her sword down at an angle and got into a stance Brooke had once identified to as an epee position. She then remained there, looking sowhat casual even while facing .

“You may make the first move.” She declared.

“Then, I don’t mind!” I didn’t hesitate to attack, swinging the sword down in a wide strike.

I didn’t even see how she dodged my strike, but I did feel the stab in my gut. I stumbled back, grabbing at my stomach. She stepped back and returned to her previous position.

“That’s one.”

She didn’t show any evidence of happiness or gloating. This attack had been as natural to her as a cutting glance. Feeling slightly irritated, I stood back into my fighting stance.

“Clyburn, you can do it!” Cornelia cried out.

I wanted to shoot the woman a disbelieving look. She was cheering on now? Sotis, it felt impossible to get a read on her. The pair of us faced each other again, but when she didn’t attack, I figured she was waiting for my move again. I took a deep breath and then closed my eyes. I visualized the magic rune in my head. Then, not even looking at her, I ran at her, swinging my sword.

“Hmm… full of holes!” Dia cried out, sending her sword out.

My eyes snapped open, and an inch from my skin the sword struck sothing hard. That force seed to pull at the sword, preventing her from pulling away. The sword blade in her hand began to bend and warp. For the first ti, the expression on her face was genuinely shocked. I swung down. She dropped her blade and leaped away just as I struck it. Had she kept holding on, the blade would have shattered, but this ti the blade went flying away and landed on the far side of the mat.

“It’s over!” I declared, lunging at her.

Just as I got within range, she lifted a card. I was instantly familiar with it. It was a magic rune card. It was a one-ti use device used usually for self-defense. She snapped her finger against the card, and a fire erupted from her fingertips.

“Clyburn!” Cornelia scread.

I leaped back, half pushed by the rushing flas. I managed to conjure a gust of wind to defuse so of the heat, or I might have gotten a few burns from that. As it was, I landed on the mat, only to see Dia do a diving roll, grabbing her sword as she went. She moved impossibly fast. I was still patting out the flas that had singed and she had run along the entire periter of the ring, only to co up from behind .

She was about to get a strike on my back, but as I turned around to try to deflect. I noticed a red light fluttering on my shirt.

“Shit!” I cursed.

Dia seed to see the light too. Her expression changed as she tossed her sword away. My blade bounced off her shoulder as she suddenly altered her montum. Rather than grazing my side, she slamd into like a tackle.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

A force struck into her back, three tis, pushing back with her. I didn’t fall to the ground. Instead, I stumbled back a few feet, only to catch her limp body in my arms. She looked up at , her expression just as cold and emotionless as always, but then red blood spurted out.

“Dia!” The bodyguard let out a scream, leaping onto the stage.

Her white outfit had stains of growing blood, and so of that blood was my own. As soon as the guard took her off my hands, my eyes weren’t focused on her. They were focused on the direction of the shooting. On a building across the street, I saw a gleam of silver. I could also see three bullet holes through the glass pane. Various people were running or screaming, but my eyes were on the person who had just tried to kill .

I leaped off the stage. My bodyguards were coming in through the doorway, and they would assuredly impede my process. Fueled on adrenaline and rage, I conjured a buffer of wind and then leaped through the window. It shattered to pieces as I landed into the street. My eyes looked up, and I could see a cloaked figure running along the roof. I started running as well.

From behind , I heard Syph. “Ah, no! He’s running again!”

“Keep up with him!” Brianna cried out.

I ran down the street in the sa direction as the suspicious figure. Only about five blocks they did a sharp turn, running back into so other buildings. Forming a formation in my mind, I ran full sprint in that direction, and directly into a wall. At the last second, I crouched and pushed off. A booming sound could be heard as the ground under cracked slightly. I leaped up three stories, landing onto the roof with a tumbling thud.

I rolled over five tis before I could regain my balance. Checking my legs, I was grateful they weren’t broken. I had caused a bit of damage to the street below. This all ca from not having the right information. I was casting spells without the proper data to form them. Thus, I wasn’t able to control the forces very well.

Below , the two girls ca to the small crater I had left behind. Syph gestured to Brianna.

“Well, go ahead. Keep up with him!”

Brianna put her fist in her hand. “Ah! That’s right, I’m scared of heights!”

“Y-you! Look for a ladder or sothing we can scale!”

I didn’t wait for the two won. The assassin was getting away, so I ran after her. We ran across roof after roof. A few had gaps I had to leap across. I ran for two blocks after them, but they were shockingly fit. I just couldn’t gain any ground. Although I had used a lot of mana already and was feeling exhausted, I found myself conjuring one more spell. Just as they went to leap off the next building, I created a gust of wind.

Just as I hoped, they fell short, slamming into the wall and grabbing onto the ledge with their arms. By the ti they finished climbing up, I leaped over the sa gap and took a swing at them just as they struggled to a standing position. They seed to sense my attack, as they broke into a roll, completely avoiding my strike as they ended up in a standing position. Their attack seed eerily familiar to the moves Dia had just been using on .

“You think you can shoot and get away with it?” I demanded angrily, not caring if I got an answer.

They were unard at the mont, and I didn’t see the gun they had used to fire. That didn’t an anything though. They had discarded it the second they started running. However, since they were unard, I also attacked them with my fists.

I thought I was pretty good at unard combat, but they easily managed to dodge three of my punches, and then punch in the gut in a way that left stumbling back. They weren’t just a good marksman. They were good at one to one combat as well. I had to comnd them. Conjuring up any last drop of magic I had, I launched an attack again. This ti, I pinned them down with a sudden gust, and I managed to deliver a punch, grabbing the mask on their face. They pushed away, and I found myself stumbling back, but I also had their mask in my hand.

When I saw who it was, the mask fell from my hand, and my body went completely cold.

“B-Brooke?”

The woman who had just tried to assassinate , the criminal I had chased down, was Brooke, my close friend, and forr bodyguard!

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