Chapter 166: The Midnight Auction (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 166: The Midnight Auction (4)
Though it was a contract that couldn't be put in writing, the agreement made Iris and me official guests of Lady Lina Hessler.
“Iris, I’ll be back.”
“You have to be careful, okay?”
I gave the worried Iris a tight hug and secretly slipped out of the castle.
It would soon be noon, the time I’d promised to meet Sylvia.
Of course, knowing Sylvia’s personality, she wouldn’t want me to come out to meet her, but after last night’s incident, both she and I were wanted criminals. I had no choice.
Thanks to my mask, they couldn't make a composite sketch of me, but the fact that Sylvia was an elf with pure white hair had already spread throughout Wavel.
Well, she probably acted that way thinking she'd never have to return to Wavel, but to assassinate Viscount Hessler tonight, her help was indispensable.
‘Besides, in Iris’s current state, she can’t cast perception-hindering magic on others.’
For Sylvia to enter Wavel, I, the one who could cast the spell, had to go meet her.
I passed through the bustling streets and used Phantom Shifter magic to cross the city wall.
‘Is that her?’
As I reached the meeting spot, located just off the main road, I felt a familiar presence.
“Have you been waiting long?”
There, with her back to a small hill, stood Sylvia, her pure white hair fluttering in the wind.
“…I just arrived.”
“That’s a relief.”
Perhaps she'd decided to keep her expression in check, because she looked as composed as ever, even though it was me and not Iris who had come to meet her.
“The streets were pretty crowded, so I thought it might take you a while.”
“…I also saw Luna and Elly off safely, so you don’t need to worry.”
But it seemed she couldn't stand the mention of other women, as a frown briefly creased her brow.
I considered teasing her a bit more, but then I remembered what Iris had told me last night.
‘An order to fuck me…’
It was absurd, but as a man, I couldn’t help but find the idea appealing.
I stole a glance at Sylvia.
Her pure white hair cascaded down to her waist, her snow-white eyes were reminiscent of the first snow, and her figure was voluptuous.
No matter how many times I saw her, her beauty made it hard to look away.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Sylvia turned to look at me.
“…Is there something you wish to say to me?”
“No, just that you’re beautiful.”
At my true feelings, which had slipped out unintentionally, Sylvia’s face contorted in a way I’d never seen before.
If I had to compare it, she looked similar to how she did when she found out Iris and I had promised our future to each other.
“Just kidding.”
Sylvia’s lips parted and closed repeatedly.
She looked like she had a lot to say, but perhaps not wanting to make another mistake, she ultimately kept her mouth shut.
I sat down on a nearby pile of rocks and explained the deal I’d made with Lina Hessler.
“…Assassination, you say.”
“Without your help, it would inevitably cause a huge commotion.”
Sylvia seemed uneasy with assassination as a method, but when I told her Iris had agreed to it, she didn’t say anything more.
After a moment of silence, I discussed our future plans with Sylvia.
“You heard everything from Iris, right?”
“Are you referring to the journey to the Santala Kingdom?”
“Yeah. To take down Resilia and prevent a war with the Northern Empire, releasing Iris’s seal is the surest way.”
“But the Northern Empire is one of the continent’s foremost military powers. It won’t take them long to assemble their forces and cross Peledeia’s border.”
“That’s why we have to hurry.”
To get there, we needed to cross the borders quickly.
Today might be the last day we could afford to take our time.
From the Veilhaven Republic to the Nivia Kingdom, and from the Nivia Kingdom to the Orsia Duchy.
Finally, we would cross the Sutra Great Desert to reach Saradin, the capital of the Santala Kingdom, and obtain the ‘Flame of Ash’ enshrined in the central temple. That was the goal of this journey.
“…We don’t know how long we’ll be held up in that vast desert. I, for one, simply cannot understand your decision to remain in Wavel, Sir Hyun-woo.”
Controlling the Great Forest was essential for the safety of the elves, but the fate of Peledeia hung on this journey.
Ideals and reality.
Sylvia, who was so devoted to her people that she infiltrated the auction house alone, chose reality over ideals.
“I know it is shameless of me, but I implore you, Sir Hyun-woo. Please persuade Her Highness so that we may leave for the next city as soon as possible.”
She bowed her head respectfully, which was unlike her.
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen it. Just this morning, she had bowed her head to apologize to me.
“Sorry, but I have no intention of granting that request.”
Click. I opened a bottle of water I’d taken from my inventory.
I quenched my thirst and leisurely admired the scenery. I’d never been there, but it felt like I was in Sweden.
“…May I ask the reason for your decision?”
“It’s simple. If we ignore this and leave, Iris will be miserable.”
She wouldn’t show it on the outside, though.
She’d probably just suffer in silence.
Of course, I’d feel uneasy too, but it would be nothing compared to how Iris would feel.
“You might be right, we might not make it in time. But that’s not your problem to worry about.”
I put the now-empty plastic bottle back into my inventory.
Normally, I would have just tossed it nearby, but I remembered that elves love nature, so I couldn’t bring myself to litter.
“I made a vow. That no matter what, I would make Iris happy.”
Of course, those weren’t words that Iris herself had spoken.
“…Even if it means the fall of Peledeia?”
“I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
I stared intently into Sylvia’s eyes, which clearly revealed her complicated feelings.
A slight tremor rippled through her snow-white pupils.
“You can think of it as baseless confidence for all I care. It’s not like we’re on good enough terms to be persuaded by a few words, right?”
I got up and started walking toward Wavel. Sylvia followed me without a word.
“…I do not trust you.”
“You know what? If you were a man, I would’ve beaten you half to death.”
Amidst a strange war of nerves, we slipped over the city wall unnoticed.
*
That evening, Iris and I were invited to have dinner with the viscount and his wife.
Of course, it seemed Lina Hessler’s older brother, Henriot Hessler, would also be in attendance.
“…I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
Lina Hessler came to see us just before dinner.
“I tried my best to keep your presence a secret, but I don’t know where the information could have leaked from…”
“It must mean that maid wasn’t the only one under a black magic spell.”
I’d put the maid with the magic circle on her thigh to sleep for the time being.
Trying to dispel a spell without knowing its exact effects was too risky.
“…For now, I’ve introduced Sir Henrik as a 3rd Circle mage and Miss Seria as a 1st Circle mage. I’ve told them you came to Wavel to purchase slaves, and that you sought me out to sell magic books to raise the funds. If you act according to that story, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“Magic books? You collect them?”
A noble lady’s collection of magic books… If that were true, I’d be very interested.
But Lina Hessler gave a short laugh, as if to say that was impossible.
“Of course not. It’s a baseless rumor I spread to attract mages who might be interested. Judging by your reaction, Sir Henrik, it seems to have been a pretty good bait.”
I was a little disappointed. Magic books were hard to come by in this world, too.
Unlike me, who was disappointed, Iris didn’t seem particularly interested.
If anything, she looked like she wanted to get this meeting over with as soon as possible. It was probably because of ‘Lelia’s Little Key,’ which I had transcribed for her earlier today.
I recalled the sight of her engrossed in the manuscript, even when I brought Sylvia back.
‘Lelia, the Witch of Curses…’
Iris was convinced the author of this book was an 8th Circle archmage who had reached a level equal to her own.
It would be great if she could learn curse magic from someone like that, but it seemed impossible for now.
Given that Iris knew nothing about a mage named Lelia, she must be from another world entirely—not Earth, and not this one.
“Is there anything we should be particularly careful about at dinner?”
“You don’t need to worry about table manners. My father will likely just be curious about you, Sir Henrik, a 3rd Circle mage. However…”
Lina Hessler trailed off, as if something was bothering her.
“…This might just be my needless worrying, so you can take it with a grain of salt.”
She picked up her teacup as if her throat was dry, then continued.
“Be careful of my brother Henriot’s maid.”
“His maid?”
“Three years ago, my brother brought a mysterious woman to the castle and assigned her as his personal maid. At first, rumors flew that he’d brought home a prostitute or something… but it was only after she became his maid that his merchant guild started succeeding, and the neutral vassals began to side with him.”
“To call that a mere coincidence… does seem a bit suspicious.”
We’d already found a black mage at the auction house and black magic within the castle.
That didn’t necessarily mean the maid was a black mage, but I couldn’t just ignore the intuition of someone who had lived in this castle for decades.
“Thank you for the advice. I’ll investigate the maid when I have the chance, so you don’t need to worry.”
Only then did Lina Hessler’s expression brighten.
“Thank you. By the way, who is that?”
She pointed to where Sylvia was sitting with her hood pulled up.
“She’s our colleague. She’ll be helping us deal with Viscount Hessler’s guards.”
“Ah…”
Lina Hessler gave Sylvia a brief nod. Sylvia, still hooded, returned the greeting.
After that, we went over the finer details of the plan until it was time for dinner.
The layout of the manor, the order of the auction, and the time to strike.
Despite the lack of time, the plan quickly took shape.
And so, the sun began to set.
Knock, knock.
A maid knocked on the door.
“Lady Lina, the dinner banquet is ready.”
“Alright, I’ll be down with the guests shortly.”
Iris and I followed Lina Hessler down to the banquet hall.