Newly Summoned Demoness - Chapter 25 – Avarice (Patreon)

Yolani had been unable to sleep, so she had spent the night working in her notebook. She’d run through hundreds of equations and algorithms in an attempt to solve her theoretical problems. When the light stones above had flickered above, she realized she’d stayed up the entire night. Across the row, the earliest risers had already begun to go about their business.

That was the start of her non-theoretical problems. For starters, she now felt exhausted.

It wasn’t like she and her father had an employer to make sure they worked on a schedule. If she had been willing, no one would have yelled at her for falling into her bed and sleeping until mid-day.

Except herself, because there was no one else to tend to the shop, most customers arrived in the morning, and they needed more funds and to sell off their stocks—even if it was just so they’d have enough money to purchase more supplies.

Their business didn’t run on credit, and while they had a literal fortune by the metrics one would use in the Mercenary District, it was a paltry sum to run an artifice shop.

Breakfast turned into a basic affair of toasted bread on the kitchen stove and a freshly ground brew of Geru beans. The bitter drink was one of her father’s favorites, but she hated it. There wasn’t any sugar to be found, and the icebox didn’t have any milk, either.

She was supposed to have gone shopping for groceries the day before but had been completely forgotten amid her father’s departure and recharging her mana crystals.

The drink was very effective against her tiredness, although how much that was the nearly painful bitterness to her palate, she couldn’t be sure. How her father drank it like this every morning she would never understand.

The extra energy was enough to prod her to prepare the shopfront for the morning opening. She was only an hour late. When she flipped the sign, she didn’t spot anyone waiting, so she busied herself with working on an array of glow lanterns.

They only needed a crystal to power them, usually sold well, and were useful for those leaving Neftasu, whether they were delving into the depths or heading down into the dwerven dungeon.

When the entire set had been prepared, she pulled out an ornate wand engraved with mana transfer runes. It was one of the most valuable of the wands they had in the shop, and the only one capable of forming the permanent sigils on metal that would remain functional for at least a decade before needing to be renewed.

It was also power hungry, and a lot of power was wasted in the wand’s own permanently active reinforcement runes, so it was generally stored in a powerless state. There was also no extracting the power from the wand once it was input. She needed to finish all eight of the lanterns in one go, or she’d have to waste a second crystal to complete the set.

Eight was a safe number, allowing her to take her time with each one, but still maximize the usage of a mana crystal’s charge.

Each glow lamp would go for two to three large silver, so if she didn’t mess up it would pay the two small gold recharging cost for eleven crystals the day before.

That seemed like a great return, but it didn’t include all the other costs, or the fact that it would probably take a month to sell them all.

Still, it was just one item of many that people needed.

When the artifice hummed in her hand and she expertly drew the golden lines on the lantern’s metal frame, she was almost able to forget about all the things that were pressing down on her.

Yolani finished the set before the wand’s charge ran out with a safe amount of time to spare. The yellow tinged glow lit the entire workshop with enough light to shine out the windows. She turned the knobs on each one, killing the light, but left two on a low setting and set them near the front where customers would be able to spot them.

Task complete, she couldn’t help but stray to the front door, half expecting it to burst open any moment with her father’s hearty laughter and the mana shard they needed.

Business was slow all day. The news of the mana shard shortage had probably spread fully by now, and people would be wary of paying over inflated prices due to it. That was going to be another drag on things on top of everything else.

Increased running costs, no available critical supplies, and a decrease in demand.

She needed to think about how she could use her skills to bring in more money, or even if they got the light shards done in time, it wouldn’t matter.

By the end of the day, she felt exhausted and sick. The brewed Geru had worn off and the sleepless night had caught up with her. She closed early again, giving the street a thorough look on the off chance that her father might be nearly back. He had said there was a small possibility it would only take a day after all…

When she closed the door, she couldn’t help but repeat a mantra in her head: “Two or three days.”

Tomorrow or the next day. She needed to stay strong.

Sleep claimed her as soon as she laid down, but despite the exhaustion from being awake for too long, it wasn’t peaceful.

Dreams were full of monstrous creatures lurking in dark caves, and shadowy figures threatening harm were ever present. Her father was there, fighting valiantly against insurmountable odds, only for his strength to wane slowly.

Every time he would look at her, smile, and then he’d disappear.

When she woke, her face dripped with tears, and she was covered in a thin sheen of sweat from head to toe.

Oh. This was the worst.

Here her father was, counting on her to keep the shop safe and she was falling apart after he had been gone for a single day.

Hugging her pillow tight eventually was enough to let her fall back asleep. When the morning bell woke her, things were slightly better. Except for the stickiness of her skin and dampness of her nightshirt. Normally she would have just washed off with the basin or prepared for a trip to the row’s hot bath, but neither was a great option.

Communal bathing always made her nervous, and she needed to relax. There was a third option, though. They had a nice artifice shower set-up in the back room. It was expensive to run though, needing an entire mana crystal for a single shower.

She gathered up her clothes and wash-things and headed downstairs. It would be alright if the shop opened a little late again. Business would be slow anyway, and it was just a few days of disruption. When her father got back, they’d dig in hard and work their butts off and make it through the trouble. They always had before, and things had sometimes been even worse. Especially when… mom hadn’t come back.

Yolani winced at the direction of her self-cheering, and let out a sigh. She flipped her [Status]screen open. The magical arcane scroll popped into place in front of her, gold shimmering sparkles falling like dust to the ground. Of course, no one would be able to see it unless she willed them to, but she still instinctively looked around the shop to make sure no one was spying on her, anyway.

Then she picked it up and unrolled it.

[Status: Yolani Aetherhart]

[Level 28 Human (Inherent Potency 850)]

[Karma: 56]

[HP: 100/100]

[Mana: 100/100]

[Perks: (Third Generation Artificer)]

[Class: Artificer Apprentice]

[Skill Slots: 4]

[Slotted Skills: Mana Manipulation (Rank B), Aether Manipulation (Rank B), Artifice (Rank C), Negotiation (Rank D)]

[Affinities: (Mana), (Aether)]

[Magical: Enhanced Mana Sensing (Rank C), Elemental Affinity (Rank D), Safety Protocols (Rank B), Arcane Tool Maintenance (Rank B), Mana Forging (Rank D), Arcane Reading (Rank A), Arcane Writing (Rank A)]

[Physical: Combat Awareness (Rank D), Manual Dexterity (Rank B)]

[Mundane: Advanced Identify (Rank D), Neftasu Dialects (Rank A), Neftasu Customs (Rank A), Street Smarts (Rank C) (Activated), Crisis Management (Rank D), Bartering (Rank B), Herbal Knowledge (Rank C), Basic Crafting (Rank A), Handwriting (Rank A), Numeracy (Rank A), Storytelling (Rank C), Culinary Skills (Rank B), Basic Carpentry (Rank B), Candle Making (Rank D)]

Her entire life so far. Condensed into a small roll of leather. It annoyed her, but she swapped [Negotiation]out for [Crisis Management]. Almost immediately, she felt slightly better. Things weren’t as bad as she had worried, and falling apart wouldn’t help anyway.

It galled her that the effect worked so quickly, without feeling out of place at all. That part of the reason she disliked the skill, it made her feel extremely detached from… everything.

Which was why it was such a commonly learned and acquired skill. Humans were terrible at managing their own mental health, usually.

Humming to herself, she setup the shower, then disrobed. A careful check of the water temperature and everything was then ready. She pulled the cord that would activate it and jumped under the showerhead. Warm water fell on her hair almost right away. The heat slowly ticked upward as the pipage reached the same temperature as the water.

It was bliss.

She pulled out one of her scented bars of soap and began to scrub the icky night sweat feeling away. Steam began to escape the crystal enclosure, but strategically placed fans sucked the air into exhaust pipes that vented outside. The wastewater fell into a tank below in the basement that could then be manually discharged into the city’s sewage or used at catalyst for any artificing that didn’t strictly require fresh water.

Truly, building the contraption with her father had been one of her proudest achievements. More than once she had tried to come up with a way to make the shower portable, thinking that they’d sell it for a tidy sum to some rich noble somewhere.

The chime of the shop door broke her thoughts while she was rinsing and caused her heart to launch into her throat. There was no way she had forgotten to lock the front door. It had been secure when she had gone to sleep, and she had checked again when she had woke up. The lock had been spell warded and would have exploded before being finessed, and there hadn’t even been a peep from the alarm.

The only way to open it safely and silently was with a key.

Her father was home!

Yolani jammed the emergency kill switch on the shower, then grabbed her towel and wiped herself down quickly. She jumped on her dirty clothes to dry her feet, then wrapped the towel tightly around her torso and ran to the front of the shop.

“Dad! You made it!” Yolani yelled as she reached the doorway to the front workshop.

She skidded to a stop as her Uncle Hector turned to look at her.

Almost instinctively, she held up her arm and tightened the towel a bit to make sure it wouldn’t come loose. “Oh. Uncle Hector,” she greeted him, her voice guarded as surprise turned into unease. This was not the reunion she’d been expecting.

“Yolani,” Hector returned her greeting. “I heard about your father…It’s unfortunate.”

Unfortunate? That word felt like a slap in the face, replacing their predicament and her father’s risk as an inconvenience. A bitter taste filled her mouth, but she forced herself to swallow down her anger.

“That’s one way to put it,” she responded defensively. His gaze hadn’t left her, and that made her feel as if she’d need another shower by the time the encounter was over. “Do you mind if I get dressed?”

“Of course, of course. I’ll wait here,” he replied. He turned and began to examine one of the glow lanterns she had made earlier.

Small mercies. Yolani retreated, somehow managed to not slam the door to the back workroom, and hurriedly dragged on her daily outfit. Just to be safe, she grabbed her wand belt and strapped it tight over her hips.

When she returned to the front, she found her Uncle still examining the glow lantern, but he’d progressed to shaking it while holding it upside down.

“Please don’t do that. It could break.” It was hard to keep the acid out of her voice.

He coughed and had the decency to appear embarrassed before setting it down. “Ah. Excuse me. Of course, I was merely impressed by its sturdiness. It’s very good work. Your father’s?”

Somehow, she kept her expression flat. “No. Mine. I made it earlier today,” Yolani replied.

Hector shifted uncomfortably before changing the subject. “What I meant earlier was…it’s unfortunate that he decided there was a need to delve into the dungeon, knowing full well how dangerous it is.”

Yolani’s eyes narrowed. His words were like adding fuel to the fire already burning inside her. Did he think she was a stupid Ralfot? That she hadn’t been putting things together the moment her father had mentioned him?

“And who do you think gave him that idea?” she asked.

A flicker crossed his face, making her even more angry. He quickly masked it with an expression of nonchalance. “I merely assisted—”

“Assisted?” she echoed.

Anger filled his face. “If you would let me finish, girl, instead of interrupting.”

She remained quiet and let him continue.

“Your father needed assistance, and I arranged an agreement with the Syndicate’s office. If he recovers a mana shard of acceptable quality, they will allow him to keep it. There is, however, a modicum of equipment and material they need serviced, repaired, or rebuilt that the shop will have to complete for them.”

“Considering the circumstances, that seem more than fair,” Yolani admitted. “But that’s only one mana shard and we need to complete two light stones. The first one is due in two weeks and the other in six.”

“Of course, of course,” Hector said. “But that’s more time to find another.”

She doubted his good intentions. She’d never appreciated his ‘attentions’ or his interactions with her father.

“What are you here for?” Yolani asked.

He looked smug. “Your father asked me to take care of things in case anything happened. In order to counter the contract, we’ll need to sell the shop. That will protect you from any liability.”

A jolt of fear punched through her chest. “Did something happen? Did dad come back hurt?”

Confusion appeared on his face. “What? No—”

“It’s only been two days,” Yolani hissed. “How do you know he’s not coming back?”

“They’re overdue,” Hector said calmly. “Considering what must be done if the worst has happened is only prudent.”

Her brows furrowed in disbelief. “How convenient for you he took your ‘suggestion’ and ended up signing a disastrous contract with the Magister on an ‘easy’ job.”

Hector’s eyes flickered at the mention of the contract, but he quickly composed himself. “He told you about that, eh? Well, that’s part of the reason I’ve been trying to help. I’ve already arranged a compromise with the Magister so that you won’t be part of your father’s debt.”

“Oh? Helping because you feel bad? Not because as part of your deal? Did you somehow become the beneficiary? Because no matter how you cut it, this shop and its contents are worth a thousand times more than that stupid contract.”

He folded his fingers together and looked apologetic. “You’re right. As part of the arrangement, I would take possession of certain excess proceeds so I can look after you and provide you with a safe home.”

There it was. Everything clicked into place for her.

“Get out,” Yolani ordered.

“Yolani, please,” Hector began. “You don’t understand—”

“No,” Yolani cut him off, her voice sharp. “I think I do understand, Hector. The timing of it all. It’s too perfect to be a coincidence. I don’t know how, but you somehow knew about the shortage before everyone else. You manufactured everything, just so you could somehow siphon off some of the value of the shop me and dad have built up since mom died.”

Hector’s calm facade finally cracked, his face contorting into an expression of anger. “You do not know what you’re talking about!”

“You set my father up,” she accused.

“That’s ridiculous!” Hector snapped, his voice echoing throughout the shop. “And even if it were true, you have no proof.”

She leveled a hard stare at him. She didn’t need proof—not when his reaction had all but confirmed her suspicions. “The shop won’t be sold,” she said. “I’m of age, and my father’s only heir.”

“Girl! See reason!” He took an aggressive step forward.

Reacting instinctively, Yolani grabbed the wand off her belt and leveled it at him. Her eyes glowed in the shop’s dim light as she activated her mana sight. He froze and stared at her with fear.

She pushed an icy anger into her voice as she calculated her next words. “You’re wearing eighteen spell wards, which will take me twenty-seven power points to tear apart. The spell that will cut off your head will cost 28 mana. The fire to reduce your body will take 24. The acid to hide the remains… another 20.”

The color drained from his face, and he took a step back as he held up his hands. “Yolani…”

“Get…OUT!” She raised her wand and all the lights in the shop suddenly flared to their maximum brightness.

Hector spun on his heel and fled.

The door slamming shut was sweet relief, and she slid down onto her knees.

When the door jingled again a few minutes later, she nearly incinerated Henri’s concerned face.

Instead, she ended up bawling like a baby on his shoulder.