The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 82 - Bookmark Bustle For Heiress Hustles

Chapter 82: Chapter 82 - Bookmark Bustle For Heiress Hustles

The morning sun cast plenty of long shadows as Elua set out from the Goltbred estate. The small velvet pouch that her father had brought the crystals in was tucked discreetly in her satchel with the other goods. In her nice dress and unfollowed by her personal servant - who she distracted before exiting - she looked quite odd with the big sack on her shoulder.

Three of the silver bookmarks were nestled inside as an early sample of her wedding favors - and a small token of appreciation for her private business contacts. First on her list of stops was the jeweler’s workshop. The rather *familiar* scent of metal and polish from the last few days greeted her as she entered.

’I had to clear that smell out of our little house every evening...’

"Miss Goltbred! What a pleasant surprise."

The jeweler’s eyes crinkled with genuine warmth. The heiress called back with a honey-water voice. She had always remained in her ’sweet’ facade around the woman.

"I hope I’m not interrupting anything important?"

"Never for you, dear. What brings you by today?"

"I wanted to thank you for lending me those tools. It was invaluable in creating our wedding favors."

The brunette spoke as she dropped the satchel and produced one of the silver bookmarks from its velvet enclosure. The woman’s spirit soared as she examined the ornate work.

"This is exquisite! The engraving, the crystal setting... You’ve done wonders with my old tools."

As the jeweler marveled over the presented item, a pair of keen eyes noticed a glint of silver on the workbench. It wasn’t an uncommon metal to see at all. She just knew from her own looks into obtaining some how much of it was *usually* reserved for weddings.

"It seems you’ve been working on something interesting yourself?"

The jeweler glanced at her workbench with a bit of ’wariness’ thrumming through her spirit... yet a knowing smile played on her lips.

"Ah, just a small project that was commissioned. Nothing as grand as your wedding favors, I assure you. I’m almost envious of your techniques."

Their banter drifted to those ways of craft and a discussion of materials. Elua briefly touched the tracking sigil hidden within the woman’s spirit. A hint of regret was quickly suppressed. Business was business, after all.

’Besides, it still might be useful for her safety someday. Yes, that’s a perfectly acceptable excuse for my behavior~’

After leaving that workshop, the Goltbred’s overall demeanor subtly shifted. She approached the Silversky merchant’s office - and while she still showed ’sweet innocence’ on her face while here... the actual conversations had been tinged with more confident mischief for a long while.

"Ah, if it isn’t my favorite little entrepreneur."

The merchant ’boss’ greeted her with a knowing smirk. Elua matched his expression.

"Do you even have other little ones in mind when you say that? Don’t answer, actually. I don’t need to learn your secrets. I trust your business has been good?"

"Thanks to the proceeds from our original little venture? Absolutely thriving. So what does my official Secretary want with me today?"

She produced another of her wedding favors while watching his eyes light up with interest. Part of her already felt a little headache coming on.

"A small token of appreciation for taking me seriously. And to thank you for arranging those materials for the wedding favors here. You can see we made good use of them."

The old merchant whistled low.

"Now this... this is craftsmanship. I don’t suppose you’d consider-"

"They are not for sale. These are for our wedding guests only. If I find you’ve been bugging people over buying them..."

Elua cut him off before vaguely threatening him. Her tone was playful but firm. Their chat continued its dance of business and veiled amusement. They touched on recent transactions with the upcoming Descent and discussed ideas about their future prospects after it was over.

She left energized in some ways and spent in others. Business was business... but there was more to life than that! Her final stop brought her to the old man’s residence. The usual ’cool’ professionalism that settled over her was a lot more welcome. Her knock was not in vain - mostly because she was expected.

"Lil’ miss! As always, right on time. Come in, come in!"

The former Wing & Talon elder greeted her with his sycophantic speech patterns. The brunette merely nodded. Her expression was neutral but not unkind. It was a lot easier to conduct business this way!

"I’ve brought the latest batch of armguards. I trust there have been no issues with our arrangement?"

"Smooth sailing, just as you planned. The hidden market gobbled them up. Though I’ve been hearing whispers..."

As he discussed more market trends and potential complications as the cyclical event approached, Elua set out the armguards on his table. She watched as the old man examined them with practiced eyes. It was something she really liked about him.

’Even though he talks deferentially, his actions show better. He does not trust. He verifies.’

"Excellent work as always. These’ll fetch a pretty price on the market, lil’ miss."

She nodded and turned to leave... so that almost as an ’afterthought’ she could reach into her satchel again.

"Oh, and this is for you. I hope it won’t make it to the market with the other items. It’s a small token from my upcoming wedding."

The old man’s eyebrows rose appreciatively as he took in the silver bookmark. It was a little too grand for his own tastes, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate good work.

"Now that’s a piece of art. Your doing, I assume?"

"A collaborative effort. Though that isn’t to say I can’t do similar things on my own. I’ll ask my teacher if there are any interesting sigils to combine with something like this and sell through your black market contact."

Elua finally turned back towards home. She smiled as she walked - both because of her facade and in spite of it. The carefully fostered connections she maintained may have started on whims, but they were still part of a web she was weaving. Part of preparations for a future for herself and her family.

But mostly for Qat.

---

The heiress approached the small house later in the afternoon. Her mind had long shifted gears from business partner, to child pretending to accept a concerned scolding from a servant, and now back to mentor. The weight of her various roles settled comfortably on her shoulders as she opened the door.

Nohre and Fusand were already waiting inside. Their eager faces turned towards her as she entered. She had given them a key the other day as a test. She had no reason to believe they would expend the effort to rob her, but you never knew.

"Master!"

Nohre exclaimed before she caught herself. The warnings about discretion had accidentally faded away because of the location. The girl knew she should have held on until the door was closed at least. She looked sheepish as she continued.

"I mean, Miss Goltbred. We’ve been practicing just as you instructed."

"Show me."

Fusand stepped forward first. Above his palm, a shimmering image began to form - more complex than his previous attempts. It held extra depth and detail that spoke of hours of practice using her advice.

"Impressive. You’re gaining better control over the stability. Now, try varying the opacity."

She raised her hand with an example to show him what it was like to shift between solid and translucent visualizations. As the sandy haired teenager worked on the task, the reincarnator turned to the girl with braided hair.

"And you? Your spirit must be coming along, correct?"

Elua could already tell, but Nohre’s eyes lit up at the chance to answer.

"I feel like I’m getting closer. Oh, but..."

While one hand pulled the cork on her side, another extended in front as a few tiny beads of water floated out of the waterskin. She spun them in a lazy circle around the outstretched limb while keeping them from touching each other.

"I’ve been working on manipulating smaller amounts with greater precision."

"I’m glad you took my suggestions to heart.

Nohre nodded. Because she had been so focused lately she could tell. The closer she got to Enchanter, the easier her essence control further away from her body was becoming. It wasn’t that she doubted the Goltbred... but progress was proof!

"Now. I believe it’s time to show you something. I’ve gotten permission."

Which is to say... that the one she asked had been unclear on why she even needed to give it - but she did. She walked toward and opened a door locked with a different ’key’. A set of sigils that recognized her presence. It had been another good reason to give the fragment to Qat.

’I only needed the one, though. I wanted for her to always have a piece of me with her.’

The room she revealed to them thrummed with barely perceptible energy. Intricate sigils covered the inside of walls, flooring, and ceiling. Though they couldn’t see them, it was clear on the first step inside that the area was far from normal.

"This is a cultivation room. A good one. It’s designed to enhance the speed of your training. But... it comes with rules. You’ll use it only when I’m here to supervise, and you’ll tell no one of its existence. Understood?"

Her disciples nodded eagerly. The rule about supervision was another test... as was the trap on the door. She intended to give them more literal keys eventually should they pass. While they explored what it was like to sit in the room and meditate, Elua broached another subject.

"The competition that is coming up before the Descent... have you both given thought to your participation?"

Fusand spoke up quickly. Almost like the clever fox had been ready to respond.

"I... I’m not sure I’m ready. My combat skills are still weak."

"But your Projection could be useful in other ways. For strategy or misdirection..."

Nohre placed a hand on his arm reassuringly as she’d spoken. Their mentor nodded in approval at her lateral thinking.

"She’s right. Raw power isn’t everything in war and neither is it in this event. It’s about using your abilities creatively. It’s showing how you adapt to situations. Well - it’s about showing off in general."

She turned to the girl next but didn’t ask the obvious question. Her mint eyes just bored through her skull until she gulped and answered.

"I want to try. To see how far we’ve come. Do you think that is fine, master?"

"I told you the day that you started calling me that. I’m not here to make any decisions for you."

The Goltbred made a show of flicking her hand before pointing behind the girl. A large deer stepped into view that made her braids bounce as she startled. It was formed entirely of softly glowing water... and it took her a moment to realize that it was just a Projection. Fusand vibrated beside her with excitement at seeing such a detailed display moving so *naturally*!

"Just remember, the competition is just one step. It might be forward... or it might be backward. Your true growth comes from the totality of journeys you take."

Satisfied at imparting a wise sounding lesson, the girl watched the pair for a while more as one meditated on her spirit and the other tried to attract more essence in the somewhat denser environment. She thought of her own journeys... and related them to the challenges that lay ahead for these young cultivators.

’Sometimes it’s more than one step. Sometimes it’s dropping to your knees. Sometimes-’

"That’s enough for today. It’s been an hour and I’m getting hungry. Rest and reflect on what you’ve learned. We’ll continue next time."

The two left chattering excitedly about their progress and plans. Elua remained in the cultivation room despite the reason for her dismissal. Her mind drifted to Qatrand and their approaching wedding.

’Now, if only I could stop sprinting ahead and enjoy the journey a little more myself. Ah, but knowing the fun ahead just makes things so hard to ignore.’

Life - with all its challenges included - was turning out to be far more interesting this time around than she’d initially anticipated... during those first years of finding herself reborn.