A Fae's Emporium 15 (Patreon)

Commissioned by InfiniteChaosRai

A Fae’s Emporium

Chapter 15

-VB-

I stared up at Sirzechs. 

A little sweating. 

Maybe sweating a lot. 

Maybe, just maybe, thinking that maybe, just maybe, I let my curiosity get to me a little bit too hard. 

“A deal? Why in the hell would I make a deal with you?” he asked me with cold, blank face. That face scared me more than a sneer or a scowl would. Because it felt like, to me, that he was about to blast me in the face. And that would hurt a lot.

Kill me in my own domain? That was very unlikely, though I also wasn’t completely ruling it out. 

But hurt me? Definitely. 

In a way, Sirzechs Gremory was my equal. 

I cleared my throat and gave him my best confident smile. “Because I can do things you and other devils can’t. Just as I was able to lend Rias a power that would have been hers, I can also restore what was lost… For a fee.” Then I deliberately paused. “Hell, if you want to lowball me, then I can settle for increasing devilkind’s fertility.”

My words made him freeze. 

Gotcha.

As nervous as I was about having a super devil in my shop, I was also well aware of all of the levers I could pull. 

For the Devils of this universe, they were paradoxically unlike what other demons and devils were like in most other universes. Sure, it made sense that angels didn’t make babies; they were less human and more spiritual machines that served God. 

… Spiritual androids? Something like that. 

But the devils? It made no sense for their creator, Lilith and the original Lucifer, to have handicapped their reproductive ability. Or was Lucifer, the so-called right hand of God before his fall, so inept as to create a race that couldn’t replenish its own manpower?

Whatever the case, the Devils of this universe lacked the reproductive capabilities of humanity. That was why such a proud race was allowing one of their Satan’s Evil Piece systems to reincarnate other races into devils. 

Let’s not get into what a normal proud people’s reactions to foreigners coming into their land are like; the Devils should be worse compared to that. 

But they didn’t go around lynching reincarnated devils. Mostly. 

Because they needed the numbers. 

Kind of like how the United States of America oh-so-lovingly welcomed the very Mexican Americans they kicked out before World War I back into America to work the farms during World War II. 

Needs came before pride.

So when I offered Sirzechs the Super Devil a chance to fix that inefficiency? 

Oh boy. 

His eyes sharpened even more than before, and he wasn’t immediately dismissing it despite the fact that he was a sis-con standing before a man who “hurt” his sister. 

“Speak concisely and quickly. If I feel that you are playing with me, then I will destroy your entire store,” he hissed at me.

Well, that’s easy. 

“It’ll be similar to how your Evil Pieces work,” I smiled. “I will simply design a system that implants a … reproductive factor, let’s say.”

“And the downside of that would be…?”

I shrugged. “Whoever chooses to become more fertile will end up having some of their magical reserve tied to the reproductive factor to fuel it. It won’t affect the children because they won’t have the factor.” A pause. “If you want,then I can add a boost of lust to the factor. I don’t know how exactly your Devilkind functions, but I assume there’s plenty of lustful Devils, right?” 

---

Sirzechs wasn’t sure how to deal with the bastard in front of him.

On one hand, he hurt Rias. 

On the other hand, this very capable and fae enchanter was offering to solve one of the biggest problems that was still plaguing Devil society, despite the introduction of Evil Pieces. 

“It should be an honor for you to offer us such a system, especially since you hurt one of the few heirs of Great Houses of the Underworld,” he demanded. 

And to his utter shock, the fae he had at his mercy… laughed?! 

“Boss man~,” he crooned. “If you thought you could make me do something without making a deal, then you are way too inept in diplomacy. Why don’t you send Serafall Leviathan to come and talk to me instead? That might get some work done instead of you raring to use any excuse to blast me in the face.” A pause. “Oh, and of course, if you or any other devils of your faction do blast me in the face, then the deal’s off, of course. And just like how it was with Rias, not following through with the Contract will see me foreclose on the products.” 

“You think you, a single individual, can negotiate with the entire Devil kind?”

“Why not? You Devils appreciate strength, and I have strength a plenty.”

… Sirzechs didn’t believe that. Fae could be tricky and manipulative, but they weren’t known for their raw power. 

At the same time, this was the very same man who gave Rias such a power up that had she kept the power, she would have been labeled a Super Devil herself. 

A baby Super Devil but a Super Devil nonetheless. 

Thunk.

He blinked and looked down.

Where there hadn’t been anything in the fae’s hands before, there was now a jar filled with white goopy substance. 

“This … is what I offered Rias Gremory,” the fae crooned. 

And Sirzechs felt want. If that was the power that Rias had, then it needed to be returned to her. 

“... And what would it take for you to return that power to her?” 

“A Contract, of course! One that is separate from what I offered already. What can you offer me for a power that instantly makes one into a Super Devil?” 

Sirzeches glared even as his mind ran a mile per minute. 

“I want to see proof of your work regarding this ‘reproductive factor’ first before I make any deal.”

“Oh? The customer wants a sample,” the fae crooned but he was also starting to lose whatever initial enthusiasm he had. Sirzechs could see it bleeding away, and that made him a little happier to make the bastard, who made his sister suffer, suffering. 

But still… Ugh. He hated how this “femboy” talked. It reminded him too much of the Old Satan Faction’s slimiest negotiators. 

“Of course,” he replied. “It’s one thing to see your ability in one field but it’s another thing entirely to trust you in another field as complicated and delicate as interspecies medicine. But you proclaim yourself a merchant, so a show of expertise would not be out of your, let’s say, operations.”

The fae stared up at him intensely, finally having lost the smile. 

“Then why don’t we write up a contract for it? If I can show that it works with a volunteer, then you pay me an appropriate compensation for the demonstration and for each factor I make,” the fae offered. “Let’s say around a hundred gold pieces per factor?” 

… That was expensive.

“And what about long term observation for potential side effects and complications?” Sirzechs countered. “Those should be in the contract as well.”

After a long while, the fae let out an explosive sigh. “Goddamnit, you and your sister are exactly the same. You want to keep tacking on shit instead of just taking it. Always gotta squeeze out a little more from the good merchant,” he snapped as he leaned back into his chair and away from him. Whatever eagerness he had previously was lost. “Fuck it. You can leave. I don’t wanna deal with you.”

“What? No, I am not leaving,” Sirzechs snapped right back at the fae. 

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to sell anymore,” the fae hissed right back. “All of you devils think you are oh so smart. Always gotta stretch out the deal. Always gotta squeeze out that one last drop from a deal instead of just accepting it. Fuck you. Fuck your entire race. I’d rather sell to the angels.”

Sirzechs glared at the fae. “And you think it’s a smart thing to say that to the leader of the devils to his face?” 

The fae raised an eyebrow. “Angels would just accept the deal and be done with it. If there’s problems, then they’ll fix it. That at least sounds like a much more competent people than the devils.”

“And if I just accept the deal as is?” 

The fae frowned as he crossed his arms. 

Sirzechs wanted to punch him in the face, but if the fae could follow through with his promise, then this was more than just him and his sister. More than the dissolved betrothal and the dead Phenex. 

So he gritted his teeth and smiled. 

The fae crossed his legs too and tapped on the back of the wooden counter. 

Tap tap tap tap tap tap.

It was annoying but Sirzechs held firm. 

“I’ll give you that sample,” the fae grunted, annoyed, as he reached underneath the counter and pulled out -.

“Is that a seed?”

“Yes, it’s a seed. Seeds make for good reproductive and life cycle mediums. Do you have a problem with seeds?” the fae glared. 

Sirzechs, noticing that he’d leaned forward, pulled back. “I don’t.”

“Good. You need to use this medium in the last two months or otherwise the factor will lose coherence,” he said and pushed the seed across the countertop. “Got git. I don’t want to look at your face.”

The Super Devil reached down and picked up the seed… and found himself standing in the alley outside the shop with the shop’s entrance missing. 

He frowned but left without causing a scene. 

-VB-

“I don’t like him,” I grumbled as Medusa gave me head pats. 

“There, there,” she said almost mockingly. “You did a good job dealing with asshole customers.”

“Do they think the price I put on all of my items and contracts are made up?” I grumbled more. 

Then my ears flickered as Medusa started massaging them. 

“Wait, ‘dusa, stop -.”

It was too late. 

The stress of dealing with a Super Devil, the irritation I built up from dealing with any devil in general, and having to give away a sample because it fit with the merchant theme was -.

OohOhhohHhoH I could feel the stress melting away~.

I swear, if I see another devil any time soon, then that will be way too soon…

“A-A little to the left. Scratch that spot. Yes, that spot. OohhoHhhoh yess….”