A Fae's Emporium 9 (Patreon)

Commissioned by InfiniteChaosRai

A Fae’s Emporium

Chapter 9

-VB-

“... What is this outfit?” 

Medusa looked like she wanted to give me a good slap. 

“It’s a swimsuit!” 

“I get that it’s a swimsuit. But why did you get me to wear a swimsuit?” she asked her master. 

Her master was odd. It came with being a fae, and as a being whose mythological origin resulted in her death - no, begging for it in exhaustion and tiredness - and someone who was human herself, Medusa understood that her master would never be normal, even by her ancient Greek standards. 

Because fae were like that, even half-faes.

No, it was worse for half-faes. Depending on which parent was the stronger, they would experience the world so much more differently. Sometimes, they would be bound by the same rules as their fae parent with no magic or have magic and be free of the fae’s fickleness. 

Her master had obviously received both human freedom and fae’s magical nature… including their fickleness. She saw it happen time and time again. When that red-haired devil entered the shop, he had been happy to see her like an idol fan oogling his “kamioshi.” But when she got petty with him during the contract writing by trying to set very strict requirements, he got upset and whatever previous adoration he had for her dried up faster than water evaporated in the Sahara Desert. 

Medusa was still sure that if the devil hadn’t been so nitpicky and petty, she might have received that spiritual power, the White, for almost nothing. 

And the same was true now with … this swimsuit. 

Her maid uniform was as formal and proper as it could be. Her shirt came up to her neck and closed tightly around it with a button. Her skirt reached down to her ankle. Her sleeves covered up to her wrist. There was no boob window or other lewd features to her uniform.

And then he abruptly brought this swimsuit out for her to wear. 

“Because we’re obviously going to the beach?”

She paused and stared at him.

“... You can leave the shop?”

“Yeah?” he replied as if she was dumb. “What made you think that I couldn’t?”

“You never leave the shop.”

“I do, too!” 

“When’s the last time you left?”

He paused. 

“... I think before you joined me in the shop.”

“So, basically, you haven’t left the shop in over a year.”

He gasped dramatically. “You take that back! I’m not a NEET! I make money!” 

“I didn’t call you a NEET. You just called that yourself. Is that what you think you are? Well, I suppose that is possible. All you do is sit around and wait for an idiot who comes in asking for far too much while willing to pay far too little. Or just naive people who have no idea what they are dealing with.” Then she paused. “Maybe you’re not a NEET but a venus flytrap.”

“Why do you have to hurt me like this?” 

“Because you’re a fae. By your very nature, you deserve it.”

“So cruel…!” he wailed dramatically. Only a few moments later, he was without the fake tears and grimace, only a smile. “Well, we’re going to the beach anyway! And it’s rude to enjoy by myself!”

“Is that an order for me to join you at the beach?”

“... No,” he pouted. “Only if you want to.”

She huffed. She let him stew for a while before she sniffed. “I suppose a day at the beach will be … relaxing.”

-VB-

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“This is not a relaxing day at the beach.”

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? This is pretty relaxing.”

“Master, there is a full on magical war just off the coast.”

Kroom…

“That was the sound of an explosion.”

“Yeah? So?” 

“It’s not relaxing, master.”

“Oh, come off it!” he laughed as if a war being conducted wasn’t a big deal. Truth be told, it wasn’t for Medusa, either. A big deal, that was. It would be irritating if they decided to start attacking them, however. 

“Why are we even here? In the middle of the night?” she asked her master, she’d lain out a beach umbrella and chair. For his relaxation.

Not hers, even though he was the one who’d dressed her up as an eye candy. 

“Hmm? Oh, a potential customer. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to come to us so we’re here to go to them.”

Medusa glared at him before she gave up, sighed, and just sat down to watch the light show. 

And it was a light show. 

Some kind of water and ice tentacles flailing about in the skies, giant magic circles pulsating with power, and a smaller but much more concentrated mana source bursting occasionally with lethal strikes to destroy the water and ice tentacles. 

And in the distance was a two story house that seemed to be connected to the magic circles in the sky right now. 

“I assume it has to do with the people over there?” she asked. 

“Yup! But they’re busy fighting and I have no intention of getting me or you involved. So…” 

Then he pulled out a blue margarita from somewhere. “Care for a drink?”

She warily accepted it. “... Aren’t margaritas supposed to be pale yellow from the lime and lemon?”

“It is! But this one is made with blue curacao. It’s essentially a spirit made with peeled orange skin. It’s, like, 80 proof?”

She hummed before sipping it. “... It’s good.”

“Mhm~!” her master sounded out as they watched the light show. 

… It was a different feeling, not being involved in a fight mentally, physically, or even emotionally. Hell, she might even enjoy it a little. The sparkling lights, the show of martial prowess, and just … the emotions that she didn’t need to feel herself. 

Damn it, it was actually relaxing, but she could also feel that there was something wrong with the area. It didn’t “feel” like a night.

She let out a sigh and took a deeper sip of the margarita. 

“... It’s nice.” 

“Glad you’re enjoying it.”

The battle continued for a while before something changed the battlefield itself. 

A burst of light erupted from the isolated house, the magic circles around the sky shattered, and then the night sky … faded away.

She blinked. “Wait, it wasn’t night?”

“Nope,” her master said as he stood up. “It looks like our service will be needed soon, though! Let’s go check them out, eh?”

“... So this was for business.”

“Correcto!” 

“Not for our relaxation.”

“... Kind of? You can stay here-.”

“What servant can say that they can stay while their master is at work? Do you think me so low?” she asked me as she stood up, and with a snap of her finger, her swimsuit changed back into her maid uniform. “Let us go. However, we will be having a talk after this about separating relaxation from work.”

“Sure, sure.”

“... Who are we meeting?”

The master grinned. “We’re here to sell luck to a self-proclaimed unlucky man!” 

-VB-

A/N: did you enjoy your eventless beach episode?