Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead

The place was huge.

I did not expect the auction to take place at such a grand scale when the invitation first came.

Mr. Lapui not only invited the Romero house but had the connections to send their regards to many of the old Royal families.

I was informed by the lady standing behind me that the king of Jade kingdom would be coming to the event as well.

That prideful guy hit rock bottom and lost more than half of his assets after the revolt that took place when the Gods had descended.

My gaze slipped to Noah's figure as I realised that this may be a good opportunity for the boy to learn more about the other kingdoms and maybe even make connections with the other heirs…not that he was ever interested—

Ughhh

Sighing loudly, I shook my head slightly as I glanced at Dario's parting back.

He was the first one to run towards the humongous glass panel that stretched across the far end of the lounge.

Typical, I thought.

The boy always liked shiny things.

Following behind him slowly, I folded hands behind my back.

As I approached the glass, the full scale of the Lapui Auction House revealed itself in a way that felt...overwhelming, even for someone like me.

We were high up, on the seventh floor.

And through that glass wall, every single square inch of the Lapui Auction house seemed to be visible to us.

Even though we seemed to be at one of the highest floors of the whole building, nothing was left out from our view.

The interior of the property was a circular like structure.

From here, every inch of the grand circular structure lay open to our eyes.

It looked less like a building and more like a colosseum built for kings and gods.

The first three floors were standing-only.

A sea of heads moved below, with thousands of guests packed into the ring-shaped balconies.

The crowd buzzed like a beehive—nobles, merchants, and collectors brushing shoulders, laughing as they whispered, pretending they didn't notice the power struggles unfolding before them.

The fourth and fifth floors were calmer. Private seats lined the balconies…elegant booths and plush chairs with food trays and grand looking tables.

The kind of floor reserved for mid-level nobility or rich merchants pretending to be royalty.

The crowds thinned here, there was less noise while more people seemed to be forming groups and connections.

Floating between the fourth and fifth levels was a strange platform.

It was oval in shape, pure black, yet glowing faintly with streaks of silver mana.

It hovered midair with no support, and a single mic floated above its center.

Dozens of enchanted lights were set around it, ready to shift and follow the speaker as it moved around the place.

That was where the auctioneer would stand.

That was also where I would stand.

I frowned.

I didn't like heights.

And I especially didn't like talking above people like some divine announcer.

But this wasn't about what I liked. It was about presence. The Lapui House wanted a show of unity, of strength.

And they got it.

Because here I was, on the seventh floor, glass throne room, about to descend onto a floating stage in front of a million people.

How wonderful.

I sighed and turned away from the window. The kids were all gathered behind me now. Some excited, some nervous.

Dario was still glued to the glass, like a child at a candy store.

Aurelia sat sideways on one of the black, velvety sofas, kicking her feet lazily while curling a loose strand of her hair.

Seraphina had her arms tucked close to her chest, eyes as calm as usual.

And then there was Noah.

He leaned along the white edges of the grand room, but what I didn't expect was the expression on his face.

Noah D. Romero.

The guy everyone called heartless and feared across nations was smiling.

Yeah.

That fucker was actually smiling.

He was holding a glass of vine while casually talking to Erza.

A vein popped out of my head as my lips cracked just a little wider.

That was one habit he picked when Damien's 'antiques' hit him a little too hard.

Over the months, it had been quite a few encounters between me and that fake god of a spirit inside Noah's head.

I had tried my best to act like I didn't notice it, but from the moment he had first introduced me to it when Sylvie was going through a trial, I had known it.

Whatever this Damien that lived inside Noah's head was…he was anything but a god.

I didn't say much.

After all, I knew some questions were better left unanswered.

The only good thing was that this Damien seemed to be one hell of a crackhead with almost no obvious intentions to harm Noah.

I looked at all of them for a long moment.

These were the next ones.

And even though they irritated me more often than not…they were my grandchildrens.

"I suppose this is where I tell you all to behave," I said, my voice calm as I smiled lightly.

"But that would be asking too much, wouldn't it?"

Dario spun around.

"You're going now? Already?"

I nodded. "The Lapui Head doesn't like delays."

"Good luck," Seraphina murmured. Her voice barely carried over the hum of the glass room.

I gave her a small smile. "I won't need it."

Aurelia flopped her head back dramatically. "Don't trip and fall. That would ruin your cool scary-grandpa image—Grandpa."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said dryly, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

Erza stepped forward, giving me a long look. "What is this whole speech thing about anyways?"

I gave the lot a smile.

"Oh, you'll know it soon." I replied.

"Loud and clear."

They all quieted then.

Even Aurelia.

It wasn't just a speech, after all.

Even the Lapui's wouldn't have guessed that today would be the day I try to unite humanity again.

Today would be the day I let the world in on a little secret I found.

The reappearance of hollows.

***

P/S: I'll be mass releasing 10 chapters soon for the privileged readers as my latest tier, The God Tier.