The Astaraia Empire stands as the dominant superpower in this world.

  Its core philosophy boils down to this: "If people are satisfied through sex, they'll find a great deal of happiness in life."

  "And we should show respect to the prostitutes who deliver that happiness so efficiently."

  As the saying goes, humanity's three basic desires are food, sleep, and sex.

  Of these, sex is generally the hardest to fulfill, so the nation decided to focus its efforts there.

  It's often said that the oldest professions in human history are prostitution for women and mercenary work for men.

  Yet prostitutes have long been pgued by contempt and discrimination.

  Factors like appearance, body type, and skills—some innate, some acquired—create a pyramid of hierarchies, from the elite to the bottom rung. Even those at the top can't entirely escape scornful gnces.

  This troubled King Carl II, the fifth ruler of the Astaraia Kingdom.

  His nation was a powerhouse, blessed with vast nds, fertile soil, abundant seas, and a thriving popution.

  The kingdom's foundations and governance were solid, with corruption and stagnation not yet a serious issue. It was an era of peace and prosperity.

  In his early twenties, the king had a fitting amount of experience but was still somewhat inexperienced.

  He sensed that his youthful ideals might never come to fruition, yet his age made him unwilling to give up.

  Physically at his peak, King Carl diligently handled state affairs during the day, enjoyed intimate pleasures in the harem at night (he was already father to two sons and a daughter), and occasionally snuck out incognito to explore the capital. In all, he was a genuinely capable and ordinary king.

  Then came a turning point.

  While out incognito, under the watchful eye of his guards, he was enjoying tea with a beautiful woman he'd met on the streets when a fool interrupted them.

  Apparently, this idiot had "bought" her services before.

  Naturally, the disguised king drove him off in anger, but not before the man hurled insults like "You whore!"

  The atmosphere turned awkward, so he parted ways with the woman, ended his outing, and returned to the castle. All the while, King Carl brooded with a pale face, worrying his aides.

  He'd read about such things in books and understood them intellectually, but hearing those words firsthand was a shock on another level.

  She wasn't just beautiful—her conversation was engaging, intelligent, and fun.

  She was no one to be looked down on! Especially not by scum like that!

  "The pleasure of intimacy comes only because a woman chooses to open herself to you.

  Even if money changes hands, it's her willingness to offer it that makes it possible. She's a benefactor, really.

  For such a person to be insulted—it's just wrong!"

  This conviction gripped King Carl and wouldn't let go.

  He began by treating his queen, and then his concubines in the harem, with even greater care and appreciation.

  He'd always been kind, but now he was downright reverent.

  "Thank you—it was wonderful. I'm so gd I came to you tonight."

  He'd say things like that, while firmly correcting any demands that overstepped boundaries.

  In governance, human error was inevitable, but he kept it to a minimum, earning praise as a wise ruler that spread throughout the nd.

  Eventually, he confided his thoughts to his closest advisors and began advocating for respect toward prostitutes, starting small where possible.

  Of course, there was opposition, and you can't control people's hearts with power alone.

  "A royal thinking so seriously about such lowly matters is beneath dignity."

  "Granting equal rights to children from a proper marriage and those from unofficial affairs? Unthinkable."

  "If prostitutes become too appealing, fewer women will pursue ordinary marriages or careers—that's a disaster."

  "Making prostitution more lucrative? Higher prices mean fewer customers, and it squeezes brothel operations and overhead."

  "Measures against sexually transmitted diseases and epidemics."

  And so on—the human world is full of unavoidable contradictions and piled-up problems. But King Carl's initiative persisted across generations, sometimes regressing but steadily refined through accumuted data.

  The world doesn't bend to the whims of elite pnners; what survives is decided by market forces.

  Still, they poured their intellect into creating frameworks that maximized private-sector potential.

  This wasn't limited to prostitution—it extended to the economy and policies in general. The Astaraia elite inherited a mindset free of arrogance, rejecting the notion that "whatever the brilliant minds do is fwless."

  They worked on mindset shifts to prevent men from ruining their lives and families by obsessing over prostitutes.

  Prostitution was recognized as a legitimate profession meeting society's demands and needs. They urged restraint against actions that could tarnish its reputation through short-term greed.

  Acknowledging prostitutes as proper workers, they experimented until finding a bance between improving bor conditions and securing brothel profits.

  Eradicating STDs without magical cheats is probably impossible.

  So they started with what was feasible: after a preparation period, they decreed that entry to brothels required proof of a negative STD test within the past month.

  This obligation extended to brothels themselves.

  (Proof started as paper certificates but evolved with technology to ID cards, national IDs, and even smartphones.

  In modern times, a clean result sends an image straight to your phone.

  Forging these carries penalties severe enough to ruin you socially.)

  They covered costs with temporary subsidies and managed hospital overloads through preemptive pnning (forgive the convenience), getting it on track.

  After all, the empire's prostitution industry rode the wave of King Carl's decration, booming in both quality and quantity.

  The cost of monthly tests became acceptable for male clients and brothels alike.

  Bundling it with general health checkups boosted adult male screening rates, leading to an overall rise in national health—a happy byproduct.

  Research into STDs themselves continued unabated, of course.

  For instance, orphanages were seen as training grounds for prostitutes, with boys actively employed as brothel staff.

  Paths to other careers were firmly avaible too.

  Many children from harsh backgrounds were hardworking (though not all were model kids), and efforts focused on raising them into upstanding adults and citizens, not underworld fodder.

  Svery persisted as a status, but sves were granted human rights below those of citizens, with mandatory wages and owner punishments limited to those compliant with criminal w.

  However, their freedom was restricted, and job assignments were up to the owner.

  ...Naturally, unwilling work leads to poor efficiency, so motivating them properly fell to the owner's skill.

  For unattractive men, buying a female sve as a wife lost its social stigma.

  Sves were expensive, but perhaps cheaper than the costs of courting and marrying a free woman.

  This drove non-marriage rates among men who wanted to wed down to near zero, keeping birth rates stable without issue.

  Contempt and discrimination toward prostitutes faded to almost nothing.

  Men who married popur prostitutes (and ter, adult film stars) earned admiring looks.

  Throwing a party for it would make you the envy of all.

  ...But if she cheated because one husband wasn't enough, she'd face rightful condemnation and severe disadvantages in divorce court.

  While respecting prostitutes, they didn't elevate them to a privileged css.

  Morals evolve with the times, and they strived for harmony with that change.