The Captain's mother laughed at Wolfe's words. "I knew there was going to be a Favor involved. It's like an instinctive reaction for the Demons. They can't stop themselves from trying to con witches into debt."
Wolfe put a hand over his heart and gave her his best forlorn expression. "I'm just trying to help. But life requires balance. You can't just give and give without anything in return. It would unbalance civilization."
The witches gave him a look like they wanted to refute his statement, but they realized that he wasn't really wrong. If he just went around doing good deeds at random for anyone, it would be chaos the first time that he empowered a power-hungry or outright evil magic user.
Without the [Favor] factor to keep them in line, they would simply run amok and cause endless suffering for those around them using their newfound power. So, in a way, the debt owed to the Demons actually helped minimize the impact of their actions and keep the peace among the people around them.
The fact that they used it to lewd the witches or demand outrageous things was simply their personal nature. From what these witches could tell, Wolfe was acting in the best interests of those around him, and the fact that they didn't know just how many of the witches in the Den Wolfe had done lewd things with certainly helped his image.
It also helped that he had gained much more control over his mana flow at Rank Three and Four, so the unintended side effects of a mana transfer were mostly intentional now. If he wanted to, it would just feel warm and pleasant, as it had for the young one whose veins he had cleared earlier, while he could still tease Cassie and Ella when he wanted to.
The side effects of overstimulation weren't something that he could change, though. So if some of these young witches were of very low potential, the process could cause them a lot of pain if he wasn't careful.
The Elders of the family were still quietly discussing the proposal when Wolfe returned from his reverie, so he just waited patiently while they discussed the pros and cons of his offer and what he might ask for in return.
Finally, one of the witches raised her voice over the others. "Look, dealing with Demons isn't that cryptic. I have an Imp as a Familiar, and you just need to set all the terms in advance. Wolfe, what do you want in return for helping the younger generation purge the curse? We can't decide until you tell us the answer."
Wolfe smiled as the one Witch with experience dealing with Demons revealed herself.
"That way isn't nearly as fun as the other way, but what I ask is simple. I want to make an alliance between your family and the residents of the Den for as long as your family and its descendants benefit from the Cleansing.
The Fae Forest that surrounds the Den is brand new, and the people inside of it need trading partners to get more than what they can make for themselves. So, since I am here and your family is willing, I am making you the first offer to work with us."
Most of the adults in the family viewed that as a pretty good deal. They could always use something, especially items crafted by Second Rank Witches. Only the Den had spellcasters of that power level, so if they wanted powerful charms and amulets made, the residents of the Den were the only place to get them from.
Having a negotiated arrangement with them would make that process much easier than showing up at the edge of the forest and trying to attract their attention every time.
Trying to navigate the Forest without an invitation was a recipe for disaster, so finding the witches of the Den when they didn't want to be found would be nearly impossible. This would be great for the family.
On the other side of the equation, the Den lacked many of the technological amenities, like televisions, non-magical tools and beauty products that were easy to obtain in Myrrh Coven. Not that all of them could be used in such a magic rich environment, but some of them would surely be useful.
"I think that we can agree on behalf of the family, but with some caveats. Our Alliance can't go against our Coven or Country. The agreement can't be used to ask us to harm anyone, and your people cannot harm ours while the agreement is in force." The witch proposed.
ƥandasnovel.com "Likewise. If any of your family attacks a resident of the Den, the deal will be considered to have been breached and nullified, with an unpaid debt. If you are asked to harm those of the Den, you may either choose to disobey or forfeit and have the benefits you have gained undone."
Wolfe knew that [Favor] would reactivate the Bloodline Curse if they violated the agreement. The spell was a nasty one when you broke the terms, which was why Wolfe usually didn't get too specific with the deals that he made. That way, he could collect as he saw fit and not have anyone accidentally breaking their deals.
The witches winced at those terms, but the conditions were fair, and they knew it.
They conferred for a few more seconds before the Grandmother of the Captain turned to Wolfe with her hand outstretched.
"On behalf of me and my family, you have a deal with the previously agreed upon terms."
They shook hands, and Wolfe felt the spell settle in over two-thirds of the village's two thousand residents.
"Goddess woman, how many children did you have?" Wolfe laughed as he realized why it had been the old woman to make the deal.
"Forty-seven daughters of my own, and each of them had no fewer than fifteen. This started out as our family's vacation retreat, but once we decided that Coven politics were too stressful, we started turning it into a proper village and bringing in a few skilled outsiders, as well as the Witches that our sons married into the family and the husbands of my daughters."
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