Chapter 40
“150 million…”
The man gulped.
“If you hesitate, the price will go up.”
Urged by Laria’s words, he hurriedly wrote down the amount, fearing she’d raise the price again.
“Ah, there’s one more condition.”
Just before writing the last digit, he paused.
“Let us attend the auction today. I heard there’s something I want to buy.”
Now with more than 150 million, Laria and Ishel could buy something at the auction.
Seeing their advantage, the man nodded.
Laria glanced at the docile Zenox. She felt reluctant to let it go.
‘Looks really do matter.’
If Zenox looked human, she’d worry more about the auction owner rather than Zenox.
As the man was about to hand over the check, he hesitated.
“Oh, I forgot to check its cry.”
Both Laria and Zenox exchanged glances.
A cry…? Zenox’s vocal cords were more human-like, allowing it to speak like a human, but it couldn’t make actual animal sounds.
Sweat trickled down Laria’s forehead.
“Let’s hear its cry.”
Upon the man’s request, Zenox rolled its eyes and emitted a small sound resembling a cry.
“…Keop.”
“That sounds strange.”
The man, used to various animals, didn’t find the sound wolf-like. Ishel coughed in the background, his face red, trying not to laugh. Laria quickly interjected:
“It’s a baby, and a black wolf at that.”
“Hmm, I guess… I’ve never seen a black wolf before.”
Accepting that as a characteristic of the black wolf, the man nodded.
The transaction completed, the man personally opened the door.
“Come in, welcome to the best rare animal auction in the city.”
* * *
After parting with Zenox, Laria and Ishel entered the auction house. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned temple, but the inside was immaculate. White bricks exuded a bright ambiance.
‘I thought an illegal auction would be gloomy.’
The arrangement seemed intentional.
Laria, sitting in her designated seat, observed the surroundings. It looked like an opera house with high ceilings. The stage was surrounded by round seating and was currently hidden by a curtain, as the auction had yet to start.
“I’ve seen something I thought l would never see in my lifetime.”
There was still a smile lingering on Ishel’s face.
Zenox, who was imitating the howl of a wolf, must have been really funny.
“Ah, it’s always fun being with the young lady.”
Instead of responding, Laria glanced at Ishel.
Anyone would think they went on a picnic.
Unlike the calm Ishel, Laria was concerned about Zenox, who had followed the auction house owner.
‘Did he meet the white fox?’
According to Ishel’s prophetic dream, he would find the white fox here.
‘Maybe it turned out for the better.’
This might be an opportunity for Zenox to give up looking for Whitie. Or he might mistake that fox for Whitie and live with it. Then Laria wouldn’t have to worry about revealing her identity anymore.
But she couldn’t understand why she felt so heavy-hearted.
Most of the seats were filled, and the surrounding lights went out. Suddenly, the surroundings darkened, and the people in the seats were hardly visible.
From the darkness, a sudden light illuminated the center of the stage.
‘It’s magic-made light.’
Creating light with magic was so easy that she could do it with their eyes closed.
Suddenly, the curtain disappeared and the man who took Zenox was on stage.
“Thank you for waiting! I am Black, the auction organizer.”
As the man extended one side of his cloak in greeting, the seated audience clapped.
“Today, we have brought in very rare beasts. I am confident they will satisfy all of you.”
The man’s shout signaled the beginning of the auction.
“The auction will now begin.”
The first beast to appear was a pink-winged hawk. It was an uncommon creature, but the starting price wasn’t very high.
Clearly, they had made a lot selling Zenox.
While watching the auction, Laria cast a spell to mute their voices.
This magic ensured that their conversation wouldn’t be overheard.
She explained the spell to Ishel and then asked:
“Weren’t you here to stop the auction?”
“I came to obtain the list of attendees.”
Ishel responded that the knights were planning to raid the venue when the auction was about to end.
“Do you know Zenox’s nickname?”
“There are so many, I’m not sure.”
When Laria didn’t answer, he whispered:
“Executioner.”
What’s that?
As Laria tilted her head confused by the unfamiliar nickname, Ishel shrugged.
“He wiped out all the beast smugglers in the capital.”
The reason seemed obvious without asking.
To find Whitie.
“That’s why I earnestly asked Zenox. To please not ruin the auction.”
There are still those who haven’t entered, so the plan is to arrest as many as possible, he explained.
“Don’t they think it’s a good thing I stepped in instead of getting caught by Zenox?”
Laria nodded, not necessarily agreeing but too tired to argue.
Meanwhile, the third item was up.
The bid quickly rose, as it was quite an appealing item.
“They even have a nationally protected species.”
Ishel crossed his arms as if he wanted to see how far it could go.
Laria, not particularly interested in the auction, looked around again.
Suddenly, a chilling aura brushed past her spine.
‘What is this energy…?’
It seemed Laria was the only one who noticed the faint magic power.
The red-tinged magic floated aimlessly in the air before targeting someone seated diagonally below.
It wrapped around the person’s neck like a noose, and a moment later, the man staggered to his feet.
The bustling crowd paid him no mind.
However, Laria couldn’t take her eyes off him.
‘What kind of magic is this?’
It was an unfamiliar magic but felt ominous.
Clearly, the spell wasn’t cast with good intentions.
As he passed by Laria, his masked face obscured everything but his eyes. They were as red as freshly spilled blood. There was an aggressiveness to the puppet-like man’s movements.
‘This is definitely not a regular spell.’
She had to find the caster.
However, the seats were packed, and with so many people, it was hard to find.
Instead of looking for the caster, Laria decided to put out the immediate fire.
‘It hasn’t been long since he was under the spell.’
Holding a gemstone, Laria cast a spell.
A white light, invisible to others, struck like lightning, and he fell limp as if a puppet’s strings were cut.
The red magic began floating aimlessly again.
Ishel, noticing Laria’s focus, called out to her.
“Lady Rohan?”
“Don’t talk to me.”
I need to concentrate.
When Laria cut him off, Ishuel paused with, “Hap,” and closed his mouth.
The dark red magic power found a new target.
Before any suspicious action was taken, Laria cast her spell again.
The white magic pushed the red one away.
The red magic fled.
The newly freed target looked around as if waking from a nap.
‘You thought I’d leave you alone.’
Holding more gemstones this time, Laria chased the magic.
An invisible game of tag began in the vast auction hall.
After wandering chaotically, the caster seemed to notice Laria’s magic and changed direction.
The red magic power and the white magic power collided in the air like two spears.
The light shattered as if the sun had broken.
The moment the magic power disappeared entirely-
The person sitting in the front seat turned to look at Laria.