Chapter 57: Fool

What a hopeless fool, Bogut Marquis thought as he stood behind the scenes.

Let him enjoy himself a little longer. I’ll make sure to give him special attention later.

“Oh? Even you can lose your temper over someone like that, Marquis?”

A Black-robed Mage teased.

“Of course. He has no right to lay a hand on what’s mine.”

The Marquis tapped the armrest of his chair lightly with his finger, then, as if remembering something, he asked, “Is the plan absolutely foolproof?”

“Naturally. Even if I don’t make a move, those feeble nobles won’t be able to resist the followers of the demon.”

The mage replied.

“All for His Highness.”

“All for That Lord.”

The elegance of the nobles met the fanaticism of the cultists. The two exchanged glances and smiled, as if everything was under control.

Tonight’s auction was a ‘trap’, meant to turn the nobles attending into supporters of the Second Prince.

The principle was simple: the slave trade was forbidden and could not see the light of day. The law of the Imperial Family was written in black and white—no one could openly defy it.

Yet these nobles never tired of it. Bogut Marquis wasn’t the only slave broker in the capital, but he was certainly the most famous.

In recent years, the Iris Princess had made moves to strengthen her own power, and had cracked down on many slave dens.

But she couldn’t possibly know all the hidden noble networks—Bogut Marquis’s line was just one of them.

Imagine what would happen if the nobles’ slave dealings were exposed? The answer was obvious: their family’s reputation would be ruined, the individual brought before the courts, and the other nobles would hound them mercilessly until all their wealth was devoured.

What Bogut Marquis intended was to ‘strike first and accuse later’.

He would arrange for a group to expose the nobles’ transaction site. The discoverers could use this secret to control the nobles, and after weighing the pros and cons, these nobles would be forced to lend their support.

That group was the demon cult—the Second Prince’s gloves, while the nobles would become his hidden blades.

Perhaps, in time, the nobles would realize they’d been played by the Second Prince. But by then, they’d already been hitched to his chariot, and there was no turning back.

“Let’s just hope nothing unexpected happens…” the Marquis muttered under his breath.

Just then, a sudden commotion came from outside. Magic surged violently—he heard the sound of the floor being smashed, and even the crystal chandeliers seemed to be falling.

“Your people have already begun? Isn’t it a little too soon?” the Marquis asked.

The Black-robed Mage’s expression darkened. “No, they shouldn’t have started yet. It should be another half hour… Let’s hope it’s just an accident.”

He drew back the curtain and walked toward the stage.

***

About ten minutes earlier.

“El-senpai, what should we do? That girl is the one from before…”

Vita’s voice was urgent, the volume rising without her realizing.

El took a deep breath. “Calm down first. Even if she’s sold, the actual exchange won’t happen until after the Slave Auction ends. We still have time. Don’t blow our cover.”

Vita nodded and looked back at the stage.

The auctioneer was enthusiastically introducing the cat-eared girl. “As you can see, she’s a mute. But I’ll wager, that voice of hers kissed by angels will more than satisfy you all.”

With that, he pulled out a freezing gun and sprayed white mist into the opened iron cage.

“Ahhh!” The girl screamed, her voice carried clearly to the audience by the amplifiers.

Though the sound was filled with terror, it was still soft and sweet, greatly provoking some nobles’ destructive desires.

Much of her snow-white skin was exposed, flushed red from the cold, absurdly making her appear even more alluring.

“She is no ordinary slave. As a demi-human from Draka, she’s able to understand the Imperial language—clearly, she’s received a fine education. Perhaps she was even a noble back home, but… all that is nothing but dust on the wind now.”

The auctioneer sounded rather regretful.

“I can only say, she’s worth her weight in Gold Dragons. Starting price: two hundred Gold Dragons!” His expression changed so quickly—El had never seen someone go from sadness to sycophancy in a single second.

A sense of helplessness rose in El’s heart. At least for now, he couldn’t stop the nobles’ abuse.

The atmosphere in the hall ignited immediately. “One thousand Gold Dragons!” Someone even called out, “Two thousand Gold Dragons!” The price kept climbing, soon surpassing her ‘weight in gold’.

At this moment, Darien, Duke Xielifen’s Second Son, spoke up from the audience: “Four thousand Gold Dragons. I’ll give the Marquis some face.”

Everyone in the hall drew a sharp breath. To bid so much for a demi-human—wasn’t this worthy of Duke Xielifen’s son? Without a doubt, he’d won the auction.

The auctioneer smiled. “Then, as per custom, this slave will be delivered to your side at once…”

Duke Xielifen’s Second Son was someone worth drawing in. Among the four major dukes in the capital, he was the only one yet to choose a side—his importance couldn’t be overstated. He’d always enjoyed special privileges at the Marquis’s auctions.

“El, something’s wrong—the girl’s about to be taken away. What do we do?” The ‘demon’ said with anxious “concern”, but El knew he was only trying to fan the flames.

An attendant stepped forward, holding the cat-eared girl’s slave contract, and ordered her to follow him up to the audience seats. Next, he would hand both the contract and the girl to Darien.

As for what would become of the girl… no one cared.

What should I do… El lowered his gaze to his palm. He still remembered the sensation of patting the girl’s head, and those sorrowful, oversized eyes that had already lost all hope in this world.

But what about the plan? What if, because of him, everything fell apart? Who would pay the price for his recklessness?

“El-senpai.”

Hearing Vita call him, El turned and, through his mask, saw the determined look in her eyes.

“No matter what, I’ll support your choice.”

Sensing El’s hesitation, Vita spoke.

Something stirred in El’s heart. At that moment, his hesitation vanished. He drew the “White Rose” from his storage ring.

“Kid, don’t tell me you really plan to do something?”

Angell didn’t bother to hide his astonishment this time.

El nodded and began to prepare his spell with spiritual power.

“Idiot, she’s not worth it! Have you thought about it? If you insist on saving just her, you could ruin the entire operation. The consequences would be far greater than you can imagine!”

“I know. But I promised—I would save everyone. I won’t break my word.”

This time, the demon was genuinely flustered. “It’s pointless, El! No one cares what happens to her. There are thousands, millions of tragedies in this world—do you really think you can help them all? She’s just a slave! Who cares?”

“But she cares.” Remembering the girl’s hopeless eyes, El replied.

Angell almost laughed in exasperation. “I see now, kid. You just can’t accept failure. Listen to me: in your life, there will always be things you can’t make right. Things won’t always go smoothly. You’ll understand when you’re older…”

“In that case, I hope I stay naïve forever. If you want me to give up, wait until I’ve grown up. At least for now, I want to try.”

El said inwardly. The spell in his hand began to take form, and people in the audience were already noticing something was amiss.

“Idiot…” The demon was left speechless.

Too idealistic… He’ll have to lose something before he truly grows up.

And then he’ll walk the same path as I did?

Maybe, deep down, Angell had some hopes for El…

All my life, I’ve been losing things, until I became numb… But you’re different…

Maybe the kid’s right. At least let him hit a wall once, but if possible, let him forge ahead unimpeded.

“Now!” El shouted.

A pure white soul phantom appeared behind El, graceful and feminine.

The temperature in the Sanya Opera House plummeted. Frost crept everywhere in an instant—nobles in the audience were caught off guard by this sudden “Frost Nova”.

At the same time, El and “White Rose” together swiftly chanted, conjuring two purple magic circles. “Arcane Missiles” shot forth, trailing comet-like streaks.

Hidden cultists were puzzled—wasn’t it too early? Had the plan changed?

Since someone’s already started, I might as well join in. That was what most of them thought.

Waves of violent magic surged forth. Black-robed shadows appeared one after another, joined by the sharp sound of drawn swords.

The hunt for the nobles had officially begun.