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The guards weren’t threatening when they invited me; it was simply in their nature to speak like this. Demons were always direct and to the point, which in many ways made them a lot easier to deal with compared to humans. If they had been planning to arrest me, they would have announced they were arresting me. Deception was more in line with other species.
“Would you mind watching the shop?” I asked Charack.
“Eh? Me? Do I get a free service out of it?”
“That depends on how much you impress the girls.” I snorted.
“So cruel…” he chuckled. “Very well, I’ll kick out any Demons that misbehave.”
“Well, thanks. Diana will take care of the money.”
With her head, she had picked up numbers and conversation as good as most demons now. It wasn’t at the level I wanted, but it was at a good enough level that she could deal with them, especially with Charack to communicate if she failed to. I gave everyone a few orders and then headed out with the soldiers.
We only needed to head a few blocks before I saw a group of angry demons. I could hear shouts and yells. Fortunately, soldiers of the Demon’s army were not the kind to be ignored, so they quickly moved aside for the incoming soldiers. What we found in the middle was a young woman who was beaten on the ground.
In my old world, this would be a shocking scene where the woman was given every respect, but most of the crowd here seemed to be directing their anger at this woman. It was a group of soldiers who were holding them back.
As I looked down at the dirty woman, I could see she was in a green dress. She had long blond hair and a slight frame. She had large breasts, but a rather dainty body that didn’t look like it could support it. She looked a bit like a video game character, where they increased her boob size up without adjusting any other part of her body. Elizabeth had big boobs too, but she had the body of a Milf, and her boobs felt natural on her body. This girl looked like the kind who had a boobjob, on the other hand. That didn’t mean her boobs weren’t hot, but they also weren’t natural.
A demon from the group managed to toss a stone past one of the guards, and it struck her. She only flinched a bit as blood started to leak from the side of her head. The guard immediately used the blunt side of his blade and struck the demon, causing him to keel over. I was brought into the center of this mess, now in the center of a group of angry demons.
“What is going on here?” I asked, fearing I already knew the answer.
“This creature has been offering services similar to yours on the street recently. However, she then proceeds to rob the demons after luring them into an alley. Eventually, she met a demon who she couldn’t knock out.”
“That’s pretty impressive, a small girl like her knocking out a demon?”
“Hmph!” The guard snorted. “As if she could match a demon’s physical prowess! She uses a strange magic that causes them to pass out. She just happened to meet a demon who was able to resist it.”
“I see…”
So, this was one of those imitators that I had heard about. Some demons thought the idea of using my shop was silly, especially at the price I charged. In their minds, they could pull any human they wanted off the street to have their member cleaned. While this was technically true, these girls were dirty, desperate, and inclined to exploit the inexperienced demons.
I had even heard that a few demons had tried to replicate my business, snatching women off the street and then pimping them. Since these weren’t minions and the demon himself didn’t understand or care about his charges, these agreements often went sour. This was enough that my business did great despite the copycats. However, when it came to this woman, that left my next question, although I already suspected I knew that answer as well.
“What do you want from me?”
“The crowd wants to kill her, and in normal cases, she’d already be dead. However, a certain lieutenant has seemed to take a liking to her, and thus ordered that we do not kill her. We’ve overlooked her indiscretions in the past, but this time she created the uproar you see here. If we don’t give in to the crowd, we could have a riot on our hands. That is, unless, a compromise is made.”
“That compromise being that she is taken off the street and controlled?”
“Mm… of all the demons, you’re the first that seems to be able to tame them. Your humans act docile and polite. They’ve even learned our language and respect our customs.”
“Not to mention they do that thing with their tongues!” The one who I recognized said, but upon getting looks from the others quieted and then stepped back.
I crossed my arms. “I won’t do anything for free.”
The guard nodded as if he expected this. “The lieutenants are paid well. He has agreed that not only can you use her to collect profits from your own business, but he will also pay you 100 dragons a month to feed, dress, and keep watch over her.”
Compared to my current profits, a hundred dragons wasn’t bad. On top of that, I needed another girl, and one who was already experienced with soliciting men would be perfect. However, I still wasn’t convinced.
“I want 1000 dragons as a down payment.” I declared. “Plus, I can take her in, but I reserve the right to kick her out if she turns out to be too much trouble.”
“1000 dragons!” The guard almost spit-up.
“Greedy!” Another said.
“1000 dragons is the minimum I will need to tolerate her presence. However, if he pays it, then this lieutenant of yours may have free service from her whenever she’s available.”
“R-really? You think you can train her to this point?”
“If I cannot, and I need to kick her out, then I will refund the 1000 dragons.”
This part was a gamble, and it made me a little nervous, but things weren’t obtained without a little bit of risk. One of the men left, presumably to go talk to this lieutenant. Perhaps he didn’t want to show his face. A lieutenant demon that fancies a human, this might be the first time in this world’s history, so it was no wonder he wanted to be discrete. Fortunately, he must have been nearby, because the guard came back with a big pouch in his hand and a surprised expression on his face.
“H-he said… okay!” The guard handed me the gold, which would be a ten-year salary for most of them.
Being a lieutenant must be very lucrative, although it is more likely he fought early in the war, and he gained a lot of wealth from loot.
“Then, take your charge, we’ll disperse the crowd.” The other guard informed me and then gave orders.
I didn’t know who this mysterious lieutenant was, but I would do what he asked. I walked up to the woman who was on the floor bleeding and kneeled down next to her.
“You’re coming with me,” I stated. “You can live a life with food, shelter, health, and maybe even a level of happiness. All you must do is give me your body.”
“Will any of that… bring my family back?” The golden-eyed woman with blonde hair looked up at me.
As she did so, her hair fell back, and I could see two long pointy ears. She wasn’t a human at all. That would make her an elf woman. Other than demons, she was the first fantastical creature I had ever met. I kept my excitement in check.
“No,” I responded simply.
“Then why does it matter?” She responded bitterly.
“Families can be made.” I shrugged. “But that’s up to you to decide. I’ve given you a chance. It’s up to you to take it.”
She waited for a solid minute with her head down without responding. It was to the point I thought she’d refuse. As the guards tried to split up the crowds, some of them only grew more unruly. It was best if the girl didn’t remain here. Finally, she lifted her head one more time, her eyes full of pain and fierceness.
“Fine… I will follow you.”