Chương 33: Chapter 31 — Solved in... an... Afternoon!?

.. an... Afternoon!?

.. an... Afternoon!?

"No, it's not just a bad idea," Adriane said to Chelsea as they walked down the sidewalk.

"It's also a really bad idea. Why do you think he could help you?" They moved through the main district at a steady pace, the smooth stone path curving between buildings that looked grown rather than built. Soft light filtered through the canopy above, catching on drifting motes of pollen and dust that hung in the air like glitter. People gave them space without being told to. Some recognized Adriane and stepped aside out of respect. Others noticed Chelsea and stepped aside for entirely different reasons.

"Hear me out. Magalesa is an idiot who does nothing but blame others for everything. She doesn't even like me. I think she sees me as her mistake that she has to face whenever I visit her. Bodarex, on the other hand, seems to genuinely like me. It's better to have someone of his standing who likes me than someone who's bad at her job and doesn't." Chelsea spoke quickly, like she had already run this argument through her head a dozen times and still was not satisfied with it.

Her hands moved as she talked, punctuating each point. There was frustration there, but also something else. A strange, reluctant excitement that she did not quite trust. Adriane held up a casual hand, pointing them to turn the corner.

"I get what you're saying, I really do. He may have said some nice words and told you you're his favorite, but think about what that could mean. To be favored by the god of mayhem and chaos? What good can come of that?" Adriane argued as she stared down a set of guards who had their eyes locked on Chelsea. The guards stiffened under her gaze and quickly looked away, pretending to be very interested in anything that was not the two women walking past them.

"So what do you suggest I do? Tell him to kick rocks? He's supposed to come to me tonight. He promised to give me a blessing.

'Sorry demon god, not interested. It was nice to meet you. Thanks for making me older and pretty.' See? I can't just do that." Chelsea's voice dipped into something more uncertain toward the end. For all her sarcasm, there was a very real edge of concern beneath it. Her eyes drifted as they caught sight of something she wanted to touch very badly. A cute little fairy woman was lifting sacks of flour in front of a quaint little restaurant.

The wings shimmered with shifting color as she moved, catching the light in a way that made them look almost liquid. Chelsea slowed without realizing it. Her body angled toward the woman, attention narrowing completely. A hand closed around the back of her neck and gently but firmly redirected her path. Adriane guided her back onto the sidewalk without breaking stride. She had somehow drifted halfway toward the woman before realizing it.

"Sorry!"

"It's fine. And you're right. You're in a horrible situation with him. My suggestion: do whatever you can to politely decline while not angering him. You've met him. You know him better than I do. Do what you have to do. But Chelsea, it is ultimately your decision. You are still a demon. If you wanted to switch to the demon god, I wouldn't be able to stop you. I might have to kill you at some point, but I can't stop you." Adriane said it calmly, like she was stating a fact rather than making a threat.

That somehow made it land harder. Chelsea remained silent. It was not the mention of being killed that held her attention. It was everything wrapped around it. The choice. The weight of it. The realization that no one could make it for her. She stared straight ahead, watching the path instead of the people now. Her thoughts tangled over themselves, circling the same questions without answers. What did Bodarex really want? What would it cost later? What would happen if she said no?

"Hey, when we get there, I need you to switch back to the role of servant-slash-bodyguard that you had at the castle. I am going to use your name as leverage, but if they think you're there and don't understand what's going on, that could hurt our chances. What big feats of strength have you pulled off? If you wanted to brag, what have you accomplished?" The shift in topic was abrupt, but intentional. Chelsea dragged herself out of her own head and back into the moment, focusing on something she could control.

"Oh," Adriane thought for a moment.

"Youngest S-rank in history at 25. Vanquished three of the twenty-seven greater dragons alone. Led the party that defeated the Insect Lord in his castle. Was the sole bodyguard of the most recent summoned champion. That counts, right? Oh, and everyone knows me as 'The Silver Sword.'" She listed them without pride or hesitation, like she was recalling items from a checklist. Each one felt like a reminder of just how far above everyone else she stood.

Chelsea slowed slightly, looking up at her with renewed appreciation.

"You're so much cooler than I give you credit for. Damn." Chelsea praised. Adriane huffed a quiet laugh, though there was a hint of embarrassment in it.

"Try to remember that when you're about to get us into trouble and yourself in trouble with me," she said. Chelsea grinned.

"No promises." They arrived in front of their destination. The building stood apart from the rest of the street, not louder or more ornate, but cleaner, sharper, deliberate in a way that suggested every stone had been placed with purpose. Tall windows reflected the movement of the crowd outside, giving nothing away about what lay within.

"None of this makes any sense to me. Why are we here? We only have about twenty-eight gold left," Adriane said.

"Just trust me, little meek servant girl," Chelsea teased.

"Yes, Miss," Adriane said, playing her part and bowing her head. They stepped inside, and the noise of the street faded behind them as if it had been shut out by more than just a door. The interior was quiet. Polished floors, clean lines, and a faint scent of ink and treated leather filled the space. People moved with purpose here, voices low, footsteps measured.

"Welcome to the Grand Bank of Junstruce. How may we help you today?" the concierge greeted them. Chelsea kept her chin up, forcing confidence into her posture even as her pulse picked up.

"I would like to request a meeting with someone who can discuss outstanding debts and contracts tied to the Wixx family." The concierge's expression shifted just slightly at the name. Not surprise, just recognition.

"Of course. One moment, please." They were led to an office where Chelsea was seated in front of a desk with Adriane positioned in the corner by the door. This office was much more impressive than the one the adventurer's guildmaster had. It was lined with leather-bound books on polished wood shelves, each one placed with care. The desk itself was made of some sort of slate, slightly transparent, revealing the gray innards of the rock.

Even the light in the room felt intentional, bright enough to see everything clearly but soft enough to avoid glare. Chelsea rested her hands in her lap to keep them from fidgeting. She focused on her breathing, steadying herself. This was just a conversation. Numbers, contracts, terms. Things she understood. The door opened, and in walked two men. One appeared to be in his fifties, and the other was hidden behind armor.

The armored man entered first, scanning the room in a quick, practiced sweep before stepping aside just enough to allow the older man through. Even then, he never fully exposed the older man, always keeping himself in the line between him and Chelsea. Chelsea noticed immediately. Protection. Meeting a mysterious demon talking about Wixx affairs. Makes sense. The older man moved behind the desk and sat with the ease of someone used to being in control of the room.

"Hello, my name is Benjamin. I am the branch president. I was told you requested an audience with me."

"Good afternoon," Chelsea said, her heart pounding. While this wasn't her only option, she was still nervous as it was the best option. She helped her mother with this sort of thing back on Earth when she was so overwhelmed and getting behind on bills. Nevertheless, she was anxious that she feared she might be all talk.

"I am a representative from the Wixx family." His eyebrows rose slightly at those words.

"I am the youngest sister of Adriane Wixx, known as The Silver Sword. My name is Chelsea Wixx."

"I am aware of who the Silver Sword is. How can we help the Wixx family?" Perfect. That helps.

"I was recently given the task of handling our family's financials. You see, I am not much of an adventurer unlike the rest of my family. I prefer the path of a scholar. While looking into our affairs, I noticed a loan we have been paying for quite some time with an outrageous interest rate. I am here today to explore the possibility of refinancing the loan to something more reasonable." She kept her voice steady, measured, the way she imagined someone in this position should sound.

Inside, her thoughts were moving much faster, running through numbers, possibilities, worst case outcomes. She watched his face carefully, looking for any reaction she could use. His eyes flicked to the girl in the corner. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Please pay my aide no mind. She was hired when I was a child. Life as a demon is rather challenging when you don't have a human as a constant buffer." Adriane did not move, did not react, did not even breathe differently. She stayed exactly where she was, a quiet presence by the door, head slightly lowered.

"You seem rather learned to come from an adventuring family. I assume you can read, write, and do basic arithmetic?" he asked out of curiosity.

"I can, and I am capable of much higher forms of advanced math," she replied. She met his gaze directly when she said it, letting that confidence show through just a bit more.

"Intriguing," he replied.

"What are the current terms of your contract?"

"The current total amount owed is 4. 23 million. Interest is accrued monthly at 3%."

"My word," he was taken aback.

"That's robbery. I understand why you've come here today. What sort of income are we looking at?"

"I had the adventurer's guild pull the record for the last year," she said, pulling out the crumpled scrap of paper and sliding it across the desk to him. The paper looked even worse against the clean surface of his desk. Creased, smudged, edges worn from being folded and handled too many times. He took it with two fingers, as if it would stain his clothes.

"Charming." Chelsea rolled her eyes at the state of the paper.

"Adventurers," she shook her head in disapproval. He smiled at her for sharing his sentiment, a small, approving tilt of his head as he smoothed the wrinkled paper out against the desk.

"As you can see, she averages an income of 137, 000 gold per month," he made an impressed face.

"The goal would be to pay back this loan with a new one, with a fixed interest rate we would both be happy with." Chelsea watched him carefully as he spoke, noting the way his tone shifted from polite interest to something more engaged. Numbers like that had his full attention now. He nodded his agreement that everything she was saying was correct.

"Well, this would definitely solve your problem," he stood with the scrap of paper.

"Let me go speak to some of my financial experts." Chelsea nodded with a "Sure." The two men left the office, the armored one stepping out first again, holding the door just long enough for Benjamin to pass through before closing it behind them. The room settled into silence. Chelsea let out a slow breath through her nose, keeping her posture composed even as her thoughts raced ahead. She resisted the urge to bounce her leg or fidget with her hands. Across the room, she glanced back at Adriane.

Her sister looked tense. It was subtle, a slight tightening in her shoulders, the way her fingers flexed once at her side before going still again. Still, she held her position, expression neutral, playing the part perfectly. Neither of them spoke. Who knew if there were people listening in. Time stretched. The quiet hum of the building beyond the door barely reached them, muffled and distant. Chelsea counted her breaths at one point just to keep her mind from spiraling too far ahead.

Over twenty minutes passed when the door behind them clicked open, and the two men returned.

"Well, Miss Wixx, you are in luck. The Grand Bank of Junstruce would be willing to loan you a total of 4. 4 million with a fixed interest rate. The rate depends on the duration of the loan. We also have a special interest rate with additional conditions." Chelsea straightened slightly in her seat, leaning forward just enough to show interest without looking overeager.

"I would love to hear them," she said, trying to rein in her excitement.

"For a five-year repayment, it would be a 6% fixed rate; eight years would be 9%, and 11% for a ten-year repayment." She nodded along, already running the numbers in her head, comparing them against what Adriane had been dealing with. Even the highest option was a massive improvement.

"And the special rate?"

"Of course, we here at the Grand Bank of Junstruce would like to offer you a position. If you accept, all of the previous percentages would be reduced by 2%. In addition, you would get a seven hundred fifty gold yearly salary until the loan is repaid, at which time the salary would increase." That caught her attention. Not just the reduced rates, but the job itself. They wanted her. Not Adriane. Her. She let the thought sit for a moment, weighing it carefully before responding.

"That truly is quite the offer," she thought it over for a moment.

"At this time, we will need to aim for the five-year at 6%. I have full authority to make financial decisions for my family, but I do not have the authority to make decisions about my free time. I would need to discuss any employment opportunities with my sister before making the decision. As she is currently unavailable, I would not be able to give you the answer in a reasonable amount of time." She kept her tone polite and firm, leaving no room for pressure while still keeping the door open.

"Very well. I will have a contract drafted. Will you need a legal representative to go over the information in the contract with you?" he asked. He seemed unfazed by her answer at turning down the job. She expected a touch of disappointment but nothing.

"That won't be necessary," she said. His impressed face returned, a hint of genuine respect this time.

"Very good." The two exited the bank and began their walk toward the guild hall. Chelsea was all smiles, practically bouncing with restrained excitement, replaying the conversation in her head and tweaking numbers as she went. Adriane, on the other hand, looked worse for wear. Her posture was rigid, her steps sharper than usual, like she was holding something back that was getting harder to contain with every passing second.

They made it halfway down the street before Adriane's hand shot out and grabbed Chelsea by the arm. There was no warning. Chelsea barely had time to react before she was yanked off the main road and dragged into a narrow alley between two buildings. The noise of the district dulled instantly, replaced by the close, quiet space of stone and shadow. Adriane spun her and slammed her back against the wall. Her hand came up to Chelsea's throat, not crushing, but firm enough that Chelsea felt the pressure immediately.

Enough to make breathing a conscious effort.

"You stupid, stupid little girl," Adriane's face was pure rage.

"What the fuck did you do!?" Chelsea blinked at her, still smiling, though it faltered just slightly at the intensity in Adriane's eyes. This was not irritation. This was fear dressed up as anger. Adriane's grip tightened. Chelsea tried to speak, but the pressure cut her off. Adriane leaned in closer, her voice lower now, more dangerous.

"No. That's all you do is talk. I was stupid and held out hope that you would fix everything. Make it all better. Another loan!? Chelsea, that interest rate was worse than our original one. Hey genius, last time I checked, six was more than three. You fucked us, Chelsea! Why? Is this how you're getting back at me for the training with the tree?" There was something raw in it. Not just anger. Panic.

Years of grinding, of sacrifice, of barely keeping everything together, all crashing into this one moment where it felt like it might have just been undone. Chelsea didn't fight her. She reached up slowly, carefully, and rested her hand against Adriane's forearm. Not pushing it away. Just touching. Grounding. Adriane's grip loosened, then dropped entirely.

"Why, Chelsea!?" Chelsea sucked in a breath, rubbing at her throat once before stepping closer instead of away. She wrapped her arms around Adriane's middle and leaned into her, pressing her cheek against her back like she had done before.

"Let's have a little finance lesson real quick before the others also yell at me," Chelsea rasped, her voice still rough.

"What I just did was called refinancing. It's when you get a loan with a better interest rate to repay a loan with a worse interest rate. You're right. Six sounds like more, but in this case, it's so, so, so much less." Adriane stiffened under her, then slowly turned around, grabbing Chelsea by the shoulders this time. Not violent. Just intense.

"Explain." Chelsea nodded quickly, her excitement starting to bleed back through now that she had the space to speak.

"The loan you had. The one your dad took out was a short-term loan. Something to be paid back within a month or two. It wasn't supposed to sit around accruing interest for years. Short-term loans hit with interest monthly. This month 3% of the total, next month 3%. Every month until it's paid off." She held up her fingers as she spoke, counting it out.

"Do you know what that means over time? It means the debt grows on itself. You're not just paying interest on the original amount. You're paying interest on the interest that was already added. It keeps stacking. Faster and faster. That's why no matter how much you paid, it never went down in any meaningful way." Adriane's expression shifted. The anger did not vanish, but something underneath it started to crack. Recognition. Dread. Chelsea pressed on.

"What I just got was a fixed-rate loan to be paid off in five years. Fixed means 6% of the total amount one time. One slightly bigger interest amount added upfront then no more interest added for five years." She leaned in, searching Adriane's face.

"No more monthly stacking. No more snowball. It stops growing." Adriane stared at her, really stared this time, like she was trying to pull the meaning out of the words piece by piece.

"So the 4. 7 million we now owe won't go up?" Chelsea's entire face lit up. She grabbed Adriane's face in both hands.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chelsea started kissing all over her face playfully.

"With what I did, that thing you said was the problem, interest, is done. No more interest." Adriane froze. Then her eyes went wide, the realization finally landing fully.

"No more interest! Chelsea, you really did it!" She pulled Chelsea into a tight hug, almost lifting her off her feet.

"I'm so sorry. You're not a stupid little girl." Chelsea laughed into the hug, squeezing her back.

"That's not even the best part," Chelsea added as she pulled back slightly, her eyes shining now.

"The amount that will be deducted from our account will not be 99. 9%. It's closer to roughly 51% of what you make monthly. Meaning the other 49% is ours. That's about 65, 000 gold monthly on average." She let that sit for a second.

"Adriane… you're not just surviving anymore. You're actually going to start living." Adriane stared at her, still holding onto Chelsea's shoulders, her expression caught somewhere between relief and confusion. The numbers were moving too fast, stacking on top of each other before she could fully grasp any of them. Chelsea saw it happen in real time. She softened her tone and slowed down.

"Let me start over. Every month we will have about 65, 000 gold left over for the family." That landed. Adriane's eyes focused, the meaning settling in. Then, almost immediately, her brow furrowed again.

"Why not put that toward the loan?" Chelsea grinned, that same spark of excitement lighting up her face again. She rubbed her hands together, almost giddy.

"Because, dear sister, we're going to do something much better. Phase two of my plan. We will invest a large portion of it and let the money grow." Adriane blinked at her.

"Uh…" she said, clearly not following. She let out a breath and shook her head.

"Do what you need to. You're in charge of our finances now." She dragged her hands down her face, still trying to process it all.

"I can't believe this. You really did pull it off." Chelsea dipped into a small, dramatic curtsy.

"Thank you, thank you. I know I'm awesome." Adriane let out a quiet laugh, still a little disbelieving.

"Chelsea, you fixed a lifetime of hardship for our family in an afternoon." Chelsea shrugged, a little sheepish now that it was said out loud like that.

"I'm surprised how easy it was," she admitted with a laugh. Adriane shook her head, smiling despite herself.

"We have to tell the others. But we have to do it in an exciting way."

"Well, what is a luxury you would never allow?" Chelsea asked immediately, already scheming. Adriane paused, thinking.

"Oh, umm, maybe stay at an inn or eat from a restaurant." Chelsea stopped.

"Wait. Really?" she asked, genuinely stunned.

"You guys never stayed at inns?"

"Absolutely not," Adriane replied.

"Chelsea, the luxury of…" Chelsea held up a hand.

"No more luxury talk. We made a deal and luxuries are reinstated. Also, I'm in charge of the finances, so hand over the gold, please," she said, holding her hand out. Adriane stared at her hand, then back up at her.

"Chelsea, you're level one in a strange world and country. Pickpockets would steal all of the money we have in no time flat." Chelsea opened her mouth, paused, then nodded once.

"While that's true, that's not all the money we have. Fine, you hold onto it. Oh, I can't wait to…" She trailed off mid-sentence. Her expression shifted so quickly it almost didn't register at first. The excitement drained out of her face, replaced by something much smaller, much quieter. Her eyes went wide, and then glossy.

"What is it? Are you okay?" Adriane asked, the concern immediate. Chelsea swallowed, her voice dropping.

"I think I'm too big to fit on Dewey's shoulder," she replied quietly. She sniffed back tears. Adriane stared at her for half a second, then let out a loud, unrestrained laugh.

"You were serious about that?" she asked.

"I was." Chelsea wiped at her eyes, clearly trying to hold onto the disappointment while also recognizing how ridiculous it sounded out loud. Adriane shook her head, still smiling, something lighter in her expression now. The tension that had been sitting on her for so long was gone, replaced with something closer to ease.

"Let's get an inn for the night. Do they usually sell food? If so, I want to order a real feast for everyone." Chelsea's mood snapped back just as quickly as it had dropped. Adriane hesitated as they stepped back out onto the main street, her earlier excitement tempered by years of habit that were not so easily shaken.

"Are you sure? I don't want to go crazy with money now that we sort of… can," Adriane said.

"We still have the debt." Chelsea turned to her, already halfway into another calculation, her confidence completely unshaken.

"How much could it cost? If 1 gold is equal to about 3, 300 apples, then surely it can't be more than that." She said it like it was perfectly reasonable, like apples were the universal standard for all things. Adriane stared at her for a long second, then slowly raised her hand and pressed her palm to her face.

"What the hell did I agree to?" Chelsea just smiled, entirely pleased with herself, already imagining the feast.