NOVEL NEXT Chapter 139: Renji's Secret
Butler Judge then felt the power of the Mana Bomb… It was definitely at the level of a First-Circle Spell.
There was no doubt about it.
However, he obviously noticed that Julia didn't cast it with her own abilities. She used a medium to reach that level.
Perhaps, this was her only feasible method in order to pass his test.
Nonetheless, she still did it! It was an incredible feat.
"Impossible…" Butler Judge couldn't help but shake his head as he also knew Julia's attitude and intelligence. There was no way for her to be able to do this.
His first thought was Renji, the Mage Guard. She must've asked the man for assistance and created this result.
Butler Judge paused for a moment as he considered not to accept this result or become a good butler and honor his words.
If he didn't give in, it felt as if he wasn't acknowledging Julia's effort to solve problems, and it might be bad for the child...
After some time, the Butler sighed.
"Haa~ It seems we're going to an auction."
Julia cheered and started spinning in triumph as she looked at Van, who returned a smile.
***
In the next few days, Julia continued her daily training with Van.
Then, on the day of the event, when the manor was still shrouded in darkness, as it was still early in the morning, a carriage rolled to the front gates. It was the same black carriage that Van was familiar with.
It was being pulled by four black horses and seemed like the signature of the Archmage Family.
Julia, bundled in a fur-lined cloak far too large for her, bounced on her toes beside the carriage.
"How long until we get there? Will there be other kids? Can I bid on something myself?"
Butler Judge adjusted the straps of their luggage before giving a reply. "Patience, my lady. The Ashenveil Tower is about a four-hour ride. You may observe the auction, but you will not be bidding."
Julia pouted but didn't argue. In any case, once she started bidding there, the butler would have no choice.
On the other hand, Van sat silently by the carriage door, while his Ocularis Lens scanned the perimeter.
[ No additional guards detected. ]
'Renji's not coming… Just the coachman.' Van felt a bit confused. After all, the young lady was here. Renji should be protecting her on this journey.
However, it seemed that Renji was the guard of the Manor, not of the granddaughter of the Archmage. Now, Van couldn't help but feel curious.
There must be something inside the manor to be protected by such a powerful Magician.
Nonetheless, the journey continued…
As the carriage passed down the mountain path, the sun was already rising...
Julia pressed her face to the window as her earlier excitement had finally died down.
"What's Subject Zero?" she asked suddenly.
Judge, who had been reviewing a ledger, didn't look up. "A rare specimen."
"But why is it called Zero? Is it weaker than Subject One?" She asked as she looked at Van. She knew that Van was Subject One of another Tower.
"The numbering is subjective… It's not important…" Judge said...
Van's Ocularis Lens detected the faintest tremor in the butler's fingers.
Lie.
'As expected…' He mused. Van then glanced at Julia and gave her a signal. It was something they had developed after being together for a few months.
"No… Tell me more about Subject Zero! There must be something!" Julia complained as she looked at the butler.
Butler Judge didn't immediately speak. He was truly weak when it came to the young lady…
Van had also noticed this, and there seemed to be a story behind this.
"Then, you shouldn't speak of this ever again if I answer you. Including you." Butler Judge said as he looked at Van.
"Yes! Yes! I promise." Julia replied.
Van also nodded and promised.
Just like that, the butler's face softened, and he explained the matter of Subject Zero to Julia.
The butler explained that the Ashenveil Tower would also auction various Sword Slaves or even Mage Slaves, like many other Towers. Normally, Subject One would be their strongest or best slave as the person would either have great potential or be incredibly strong already…
However, there were extremely rare cases in which the Towers would actually auction off Subject Zero. They were slaves or individuals who exceeded the norm.
"Hooo~" That's awesome! What kind of Sword Slaves are they?" Julia was now interested.
"Something similar to Sir Renji." The butler said.
This answer confused the two for a moment.
But the butler then further explained that one of the Subject Zero was actually Renji, the Battle Mage, a couple of decades ago.
He was sold with such a value because of his ability to control both Aura and Mana.
It was a very rare case and if the butler wasn't mistaken, Renji was from a now long-gone Principality.
Then, as years passed, Renji's status within the Manor changed as he had become the Archmage's most trusted mage.
Julia and Van were shocked.
"About Renji—" Julia wanted to ask more about Renji's situation but the butler reminded them of her promise.
"R-right… We will not talk about it." Julia said.
However, she still felt unsatisfied. So, instead of asking questions about Renji, she turned to a different topic.
"What kind of people go to this auction? Nobles? Are some heroes trying to buy their family members or loved ones?"
"You're reading that fairy tale again, young lady…" Butler Judge commented before he replied.
"There were nobles or even criminals in some cases… And many in between. The Ashenveil Auction trades in power—spells, artifacts, and living weapons. Alliances are made and broken there."
"Living weapons?" Julia's muttered… "A… You mean slaves?"
"Yes… Buying the best ones can be called an investment.
Hearing this, Van did his best to hide his expression.
It seemed that a large part of the culture of this Phyrexian Kingdom revolved around slaves. It wasn't something he planned to change, but he was certainly planning to become free someday.
For now, since his life wasn't in danger and he was actually getting benefits from staying in the manor, he decided to simply be calm and wait for his opportunity.