In the residence on the fourth floor of the Mage Tower.
Skord sat slumped on the sofa, utterly dejected, like a little quail soaked by the rain.
Not far away, Froya stood with her hands on her hips and a deep furrow between her brows.
Yvonne stood beside her, clutching the book she carried with her, her face full of worry.
The silence between the three lasted until Roland arrived.
"What exactly happened?"
He asked Froya as soon as he walked in.
Froya huffed angrily. "Ask him! Just look at what he's done!"
Looking utterly miserable, Skord said, "Roland, I'd heard some stories before, so I knew you could summon devils to gain wealth or power.
"But... but I never expected the devil to trick me into taking out a loan at extortionate rates!
"Senior Froya just worked it out for me. The interest is at least six percent a month, and it's compound interest, too!
"I... I clearly calculated it as only one percent simple interest, twelve percent a year..."
"Are you an idiot? It's not as if the academy never taught you what kind of reputation devils have across the Planes! Don't you know how many people they've swindled into bankruptcy and ruined?
"If they want to trick you, of course they'll make everything sound wonderful, or threaten and coerce you. Don't you have any judgment or a mind of your own? Even if it really were twelve percent simple interest, that's still a huge amount! Do you think gold coins grow on trees?"
Froya was truly infuriated by this idiot.
"Senior Froya, calm down for now. Where's the loan Pact? Let me see it," Roland said.
"Here." Skord knew he was in the wrong and hurried to answer.
It was a Pact written on parchment, densely covered