Demon World’s Brothel - Demon World's Brothel – Chapter 89

As the two of us walked through the market, it didn’t draw as many eyes as I would have thought. There were a few girls who were being escorted around the market. This had to be a rather new thing because even a few weeks ago no human woman would have been seen next to a demon. Perhaps, the soup kitchen I opened was giving the human women the strength and courage to approach demons.

Elizabeth still stood out, both because of her beauty and the quality of her outfit. Whether it was her dress, hair, or makeup, it was all done at a level usually only seen on a bride. Most of the other women present were either dressed as streetwalkers or still in the roughly assembled garbs that most humans wore in a world that hadn’t produced new clothing in a decade.  Some of them were currently finding better outfits, dragging their demon companion to the demon tailor to get them better outfits. After seeing Elizabeth, a few even grew more insistent.

I couldn’t help but remember that even in my world, it had only been a short time before when women weren’t allowed to vote or spend money. The man had been responsible for going out and working and the only responsibility of the woman was to maintain the household and take care of their husbands. This world had never gone through the woman’s suffrage, so likely before demons arrived, things were closer to that way of life.

That meant that it was easier than I originally expected for these women to slip back into their old ways of wrapping men around their fingers. Whether they were demons or men, a woman didn’t have to do much flirting to convince one to take care of her. The bans on them making money and spending money turned out to not be as large of an obstacle as I originally thought. At least, I wouldn’t need to begin a feminist revolution to keep the world from dying.

Why did they not start doing this before now? It was probably a mixture of fear and loathing. They hated demons for killing their husbands and sons, and they feared and didn’t understand the demon race. Demons were demons, and humans were humans. It took my brothel before those barriers finally could start breaking down. They grew too tired to keep hating the demons, and perhaps even realized demons weren’t all that different from men… at least some of them.

“Do you like it? This is a very nice bracelet. Made of gold and rubies, Acker only sells the finest wares.” I realized we had stopped in front of a shop and a demon was standing there.

The demon was short and bald with long pointy ears. He resembled a goblin to me, with green skin and pointy teeth. However, I didn’t know if goblins were a different species from demons or what.

“Glory to the Dark Gods.” I gave the common greeting.

He gave me a toothy grin. “A beautiful bracelet for a beautiful lady?”

“Ah… I-i couldn’t…” She tried to reject him.

“Nonsense, here, try it on!” He held out the bracelet Elizabeth had been looking at and gestured for her wrist.

She blushed, but she still looked toward me. I gave a small nod, and only then did she hold out her wrist. He slid it on and immediately began to compliment her beauty and how it made her match my aura, whatever that meant.  You could say what you wanted about demons being dumb or directionless, but one thing they did incredibly well was adaptability. This little goblin acted every bit like your typical salesman. Even his slimy voice was perfect for the role.

“How much?” I asked.

“Normally, a piece like this goes for fifty dragons!” He declared. “However, for you, because your lady is so beautiful and you are such a respectable demon, I sell it for 2 dragons!”

The pleasantry on my face immediately went away, but before I could say anything, Elizabeth let out a soft laugh.

“No, thank you.” Elizabeth began to pull the bracelet, the demon began to panic.

“Wh-what, I misspoke! It wasn’t two dragons, it was one dragon… no… point two dragons. I forget the point. Just two hundred drakes is all it costs for you-”

Two hundred drakes sounded more reasonable. I wanted to make Elizabeth happy, and I knew that such happiness cost money. Besides, that was less than any one of my services, and while my services weren’t cheap, I could afford at least that much. Yet, the second I reached for my purse, Elizabeth spoke again.

“This clasp is cheap, and this gold is diluted.” Elizabeth declared. “You say it is beautiful like me, are you saying my beauty is only skin deep?”

The little goblin demon looked surprised. “M’lady! I’d never suggest it! Ahem, I see I made a mistake. I was looking at the wrong bracelet when I gave you the price. This bracelet is just fifty drakes.”

“Did I hear five drakes?” She tilted her head innocently.

“F-five! M’lady should have here hearing check, I said fifty!”

“That’s a shame… and to think, I would wear this bracelet while working in the soup kitchen. Hundreds of women would see it and they might ask where I found it…” She pursed her lips.

“You work for that kitchen?” His eyes widened as he glanced at me. “Ah, that’s right, ten drakes is the cost of this bracelet. Only ten drakes for you.”

“Hmm… I’m still not hearing five…”

“F-five… I’ll be making nothing off this… my children.”

“Demons don’t have children.”

“I meant future children! Metaphorically!”

“I’m glad you’re thinking about the future, you can also see this as a future investment. After all, Devon’s shops set the standards for beauty and lifestyle.”

“D-deal…” He lowered his head, even his ears slouching in defeat like he didn’t just land a deal, but was robbed.

It took Elizabeth elbowing me for me to realize that it was my time to shine. I brought out five drakes and not a drake more, and the sale was complete. Although the goblin looked a little depressed, as soon as he pocketed the money, his spirits returned.

“Thank you.”

“Come back any time!” he waved.

As the pair walked away, Elizabeth admiring the bracelet now on her wrist, I couldn’t help but ask. “Is that true?”

“Is what true?”

“About the fashion?”

“It makes sense, doesn’t it? Most demon’s first experiences with women are us. It stands to reason that many women would want to emulate our appearance, and many demons would lust after the appearances they are most familiar with. Besides, even if it’s not true, as long as we say and people spread it, it becomes true.”

I stopped for a moment. She was right. That was rather genius. As long as we kept telling everyone that we set the standards in fashion, who was there to disagree with us? Women would all look to my girls, who were traditionally better dressed than them. Demons would then sell similar outfits and women would make their demon partners do the same. It was all rather brilliant. She giggled when she saw the expression on my face.

“Master forgets, I can read minds and alter moods. How could I allow Master to lose out on a deal? As long as you have me, you will always get the best deal possible.”

“That’s right!” My expression brightened; I had forgotten about that. “You’re the best. I love you.”

I suddenly felt eager to go clean up the entire marketplace using Elizabeth’s skills. However, when I started walking forward, I realized Elizabeth had frozen in place. I stopped and turned back to her, giving her a questioning look.

“Poof!” she spoke out.

“Poof?” I blinked, but the next second she fell over.

I barely managed to catch Elizabeth. She had passed out! What happened? A moment ago, she was just fine. Was it something I said?