Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead

"If the Hollows are truly back…then this auction is pointless."

Heads turned.

It was Prince Callum; he was standing alone on the edge of the fifth-floor balcony.

The man looked down at me, his expression unreadable.

"Because what use is gold…if the sky falls upon us all over again?"

And just like that—

The energy shifted again.

Everything turned quiet, again.

This time, not out of fear.

But out of false beliefs.

The kind that only comes when you realise the end might be near.

The kind that makes you re-evaluate everything.

Even the Lapui Head himself—watching from a hidden booth, stood up.

I could feel his gaze burning into me from the repercussions it would have on him.

And just looking at how someone could be at such an important position and still so idiotic at the same time was beyond my understanding.

***

The crowd seemed to be moving.

Not in the usual rich-noble kind of way. This wasn't polite shuffling or gentle murmurs.

No—this was panic.

Some were shouting at the guards to prepare for transport.

Others were calling aides through wrist comms and scrolls.

A few had already started rushing toward the exits, even though the Lapui guards had quietly sealed the doors.

The room that was once full of prideful nobles and whispering schemers now looked like a cracked hive of scared bees.

The auctioneer beside me had gone pale.

She wasn't smiling anymore as her perfect posture seemed to be fading, her arms trembling slightly as she took in the chaos unfolding across all seven floors.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered.

I sighed, long and slow.

Then I turned back to the crowd, watching them scramble.

Watching them forget themselves.

Raising my hand again, I poured mana into the mic string tied around my neck as floating obsidian platform lit up with faint golden lines.

The speakers across the entire Auction House echoed with my voice—loud, calm, and sharp like a blade.

"So this is how it ends, then?"

"At the first whisper of danger, the nobles flee?"

A few heads turned.

Most still panicked.

So I raised my voice again—this time stronger. Mana weaving into my every word.

"You fools." I bellowed, half screaming.

That caught more attention.

Silence rolled in again like a tide.

Even the nobles trying to sneak toward the doors quitely stopped in their tracks.

I kept going.

"Do you think you'll be ready when they come? When the Hollows descend again?"

"Do you really believe you'll survive just because you own a castle, or a flying ship, or a golden chair?"

I pointed toward the obsidian platform, hinting at the artifacts, the ancient weapons, the forgotten relics as well as the rare items which were currently sealed in glass cases by the Lapui family.

"This is not just a trading hall." I continued, feeling tired having to explain this to them again and again.

"It's a damn battlefield in disguise."

"The only difference is…you get to choose your weapon before the war starts."

Now they were listening.

Their faces turned towards me and some even lowered their heads while some clenched their fists.

"This auction is crucial,' I continued, "because the world is changing."

"You think money matters now? It doesn't."

"All that matters now is buying what you need to survive."

I stepped forward, standing near the edge of the platform, my voice dropping a tone lower.

"You want to protect your families? Your lands? Your names?"

"Then stop whining like children and start preparing like warriors."

For a long moment, no one said a word.n

Then, slowly, one of the nobles stepped back to their seat.

Then another.

And another.

The panic didn't vanish, but it froze.

Because deep down…everyone knew.

This wasn't the time to run.

This was the time to arm up.

Even the auctioneer beside me finally found her breath again.

She looked at me differently now. Not just with fear—but with understanding.

I looked back toward the crowd, my gaze steady.

"This auction…will continue," I stated, nodding at the Lapui head standing above who I thought almost had tears in his eyes as he vigorously nodded his head, waiting to finally take control of the event as I finished my piece with a last sentence.

"And I suggest you bid wisely."

'Good,' I thought.

Let them feel the fear.

Let them remember what it's like to be hunted.

Because this was just the beginning.

And whether they liked it or not—

The war had already started.

***

---------------------------------------

I let out a long sigh as soon as Venus D. Romero finally stepped off the platform.

"Old bastard," I muttered under my breath, adjusting the golden cuffs on my sleeves. "Dramatic as always."

Outwardly, though, I smiled. I had to. A smile wide and full of warmth, even if inside I wanted to strangle the man for turning my auction into a war council.

Everyone was still stunned. Eyes wide. Bodies stiff. Their faces were pale like the ghosts of the past had personally whispered in their ears.

Venus had done what no man in the last decade had dared to do.

And now?

My auction was at the centre of history.

I straightened my back, patted down the creases on my coat, and jumped from the balcony to the floating obsidian podium.

My boots clicked softly against the enchanted stone floor as I landed, everyone looking at my figure with bated breaths.

'All eyes are on me.' I realised.

As it should be.

Venus, who simply gave me a half-smirk stepped away into the shadows behind the podium.

"Try not to kill the mood again," I whispered at him as we passed each other.

He chuckled but didn't reply.

Typical, I groaned.

But now?

Now, it was my stage.

***

P/S: Please note that the Kalki and the Hollows are one and the same. The only difference is that when the Kalkis die, they leave behind their powers in different parts of their bodies, which are known as hollows. Humans can integrate with these hollows and use the power as their own.

However, to stop the confusion, any of you must be having, the so-called hollows with which the humans integrate will be known as the hollow weapons, while the species in itself will be called The Kalkis.