Page 212 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

Like before, a soldier guards Holloway, but with one word from Mine, he allows us inside.

Holloway is in between states of consciousness due to the medication the doctor prescribed. And this seems to make the demon even angrier. When he spots us, he starts shouting at us—though that is not anything new either. He tends to be a rather loud and belligerent creature.

“We’ve come bearing gifts,” I tell him as we stop in front of Holloway’s bed.

Despite his anger, the demon’s interest is piqued when he hears about gifts, his greed reflected in the way his beady eyes sparkle with want.

Ew.

I wonder how previous Aperite warriors discovered that a greed demon’s weakness is charity. To have noticed that, someone must have given one a gift, no? And not justanygift, but something that mattered to them. Who could have been inclined to do that to a demon, the enemy?

Alas, their knowledge is useful to us.

Mine takes out his soap first and hands it to the demon.

“Now I’ll have to go to town to grab another bar. This is custom, you know?”

“Why would you need a custom soap?”

“I have sensitive skin, all right? And I also have a very sensitive nose. I am very particular about the fragrances used in soaps.”

“Right,” I mutter drily. He’s certainly a fussy male. But he’s been a good boy, so I suppose I can gift him one of those soaps when I get my next pay.

The demon grabs the soap with urgency. With donuts, I expected him to eat them, though it was rather strange considering he is only semi-corporeal. But I am curious whathe’s going to do with the soap. Mine is, too, watching him intently.

The demon throws the soap into his big mouth and munches on it. I cringe internally, but he seems quite gleeful about it as he smacks his lips together in pleasure.

“More,” he demands at the same time as his energy signature flickers in and out, and he dwindles in size.

“You were right,” Mine whispers in awe. “This is spectacular.”

I preen at his praise.

“I am a good soldier,” I simply state.

“You are a hell of a soldier, Minnie. You did this in one day. That’s commendable.”

I was already blushing, but now I’m blushing some more. It’s quite nice to have my achievements recognized, especially by someone whose opinion matters to me.

“Let’s see with the next one.”

Mine takes out his shirt and gives it to the demon, who like before, stuffs it into his mouth. As he munches on it, he releases moans of pleasure as if it were the tastiest morsel of food. Odd demon.

He dwindles again.

When it comes to the letter, Mine is a bit apprehensive to hand it over, but it is that reluctance that makes the demon shrink sizes twice as much as before.

“Damn,” Mine whistles after the demon’s finished eating the letter.

He’s now a little bigger than a garden gnome.

Since it’s my turn, I hand him one gown at a time, anxiously waiting for him to become smaller and smaller. And while that happens, by the time I’m out of items, he’s still there. Small, but still present.

“Do you have anything else?” I ask Mine.

We’re both in a rather peculiar situation since we are both away from home and possess very few items that truly matter to us.

He shakes his head. “You?”

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