Jacob Department Store (5)
The escort man pressed the walkie-talkie clipped to his ear and spoke.
The elevator that had been rising suddenly stopped, pouring out a brilliant light.
“Here you are.”
The elevator panel displayed no numbers. It had shown “4” just moments before, now it was gone.
I stood there without saying a word. The man explained.
“This is a special floor reserved only for VVIPs.”
A place designed to let only approved individuals enter.
When the elevator door opened, a long black corridor stretched out, its walls completely painted black.
The only thing that could show the way was the blood-red magic-stone lamps set into the floor.
From the room at the end of the corridor, faint light leaked out.
“This way, please. We’ll be leaving.”
With those words, the men turned back toward the elevator.
I escorted Marian toward the light leaking from the door.
And when I opened it…
music poured out.
A powerful beat shook the entire space.
Vivid lights painted the faces of the pale people with whatever color they wished.
The vampires had transformed and danced wildly inside, shaking their heads.
“What is this…?”
While Marian blinked slowly, a man climbed onto the stage.
“Everyone, ju---st---look---!”
The man shouted into the microphone.
The music stopped.
The dancers, who had been twisting their bodies in every direction, all froze.
The lights kept spinning.
“Great! The long-awaited auction begins now!”
I had arrived just in time, it seemed.
Otherwise I would have been swept up in some awkward three-way dance.
—Waaaah!
—Kyaa!
—Woo-hoo!
The crowd clapped and cheered.
Intense red lights flooded the stage while heavy curtains slowly rose.
And then the box revealed on the tray.
“The first auction item is ‘Bloody Spell.’ It’s a perfume famous for being used by the legendary Imperial Witch of the Gilorian Empire. One drop is enough to capture the heart of your loved one.”
Gasps rose from the crowd.
“Of the twelve Bloody Spells still left, this is the final one. The auction begins now!”
Hands shot up quickly.
Some nodded with admiration, as if they had already used it.
“Twenty million Cram.”
“Thirty million Cram.”
“Oh! Big bet! Fifty million Cram.”
The numbers climbed wildly.
Bids were automatically recorded on the magic document.
A hologram in the air showed exactly who had bid how much in real time.
“Your reactions are very passionate. Please allow me a moment, ladies and gentlemen. Bloody Spell may be powerful, but it has side effects. It can do more than simply captivate. It can completely control the other person’s emotions. So if you truly wish to fall in love, use it in the proper amount. The user must also be careful not to become obsessed with excessive desire. Otherwise, you may end up with irreversible results.”
The MC explained solemnly. His skin was extremely pale.
“Again, starting now.”
“Ninety million Cram.”
“Ninety-five million Cram.”
“One hundred million Cram---!!!”
The auction atmosphere grew even hotter after hearing the side effects. Do these people really think they can use that thing?
“No more? Now I’ll count. Three, two.”
The numbers spun in a blur.
The hologram changed.
“Two hundred million Cram!!!”
A bid of two hundred million Cram for a single perfume.
The MC continued quickly.
“Counting again. Three, two, one. Sold!”
A vein bulged on the MC’s neck. A huge smile spread across the face of one of the women in the audience. She was being congratulated.
The winner’s face flushed red.
“Please come up to the stage, winner.”
Overcome with joy, she shouted repeatedly as she climbed the stage. An auction-only deposit account floated above.
She deposited the winning amount right in front of everyone’s eyes.
Without a trace of hesitation, she opened her magic-stone walkie-talkie.
After a few quick taps, the account numbers rose. The deposit started immediately.
100,000,000 Cram.
150,000,000 Cram.
The numbers climbed in an instant.
150,000,000 Cram.
170,000,000 Cram.
But at 170,000,000 it stopped.
“Eh? Is there a problem? System team, check quickly!”
The MC looked behind the stage and gave the order. The elf winner, looking panicked, kept tapping her magic-stone walkie-talkie.
“Eh? Strange… The balance is still there…”
Her already pale face turned even whiter.
Everyone below the stage watched, so the tension and shame must have hit hard. She had no money yet she had participated.
—Looks like she’s going to pay with her body.
—How long will it take if we only bid thirty million?
—Good, good.
Sly voices came from below the stage.
“System team, what’s going on? Is there a technical error? Ah… None.”
This was clearly the MC’s malicious action.
He was deliberately spreading the situation through the microphone to make the winner more and more panicked.
“Miss, please check your balance. There is no technical error according to the system, but the deposit has not gone through.”
“I’m sure the balance is enough. Why isn’t the deposit working? Let’s go to the bank right now. I’ll deposit it immediately.”
The elf with the youthful face shouted loudly. Panic and shame were thick in her voice. Her expression looked like it would break into tears any second.
“Miss, the rule of the auction is to deposit immediately at the spot. If it’s difficult…”
The MC deliberately trailed off. The elf winner’s face twisted badly. The MC glanced down with a look of sympathy.
“All you Jacob Department Store VVIPs, you all know the method, right?”
“YES!!!!”
The members chanted in unison like a cheer. The atmosphere was strangely off. Only the confused face of the elf winner on the stage remained.
“Then everyone agrees?”
“YES!!!!”
“Since the other members have agreed, I will make a special proposal. The auction rule is immediate deposit. However, when less than one-third is missing, we offer a special method for the VVIPs. The method is—”
At that moment something rose from below the stage. A rectangular box, about as tall as a person.
“It’s blood donation.”
When the box opened, a thick blood-red magic circle was drawn underneath.
“This magic circle is a special device that collects your blood. The blood gathered through this auction will be used in a good place. It’s a meaningful event for Jacob Department Store to return it to society.”
The MC smiled happily.
“You all participated too, right?”
“YES!!!”
The people shouted ecstatically.
Only the elf winner who had climbed onto the stage looked completely lost.
“Senior, this looks like blood theft to me.”
“Perfect bloodletting.”
The people here had conspired to force the elf winner to perform bloodletting.
They were tricking a completely innocent young elf into offering her blood to the Jacob Department Store.
I had to stop this.
“Miss, please decide. Whether you fill the remaining amount with blood donation and own the Bloody Spell, or give up here.”
The MC asked politely. The elf winner’s pupils shook. Her heart was shaking too.
“Wait a second.”
I stepped forward. Everyone’s eyes turned to me.
“You said it’s the last remaining Bloody Spell out of twelve. Do you have a certificate?”
For something so rare, there should be a product certificate. Proof that it’s a potion made by an Imperial witch.
“As expected of a centaur, you’re thorough. This bottle is the proof. It’s the bottle with the Imperial witch’s mark.”
The MC pointed to a faintly engraved mark on the white porcelain surface. There was a faint light along with some unknown symbols.
But I didn’t know it.
The Imperial witch’s mark.
I hadn’t even heard of the name Imperial witch.
“Merely the shell guarantees the truth of the contents…? That’s hard for me to accept.”
I walked slowly toward the stage.
The MC was startled.
The elf winner was too.
And the person in the robe, who had been crouching in the corner until now, slowly approached me.
Her pupils spun quickly. She nervously tore at her own nails.
“Ah, here goes.”
At the same time she stepped onto the magic circle. The circle began to whirl violently.
Her blood shot into the air. The blood twisted and swirled on its own. A bloody stench swept across my nose.
The people’s throats bobbed.
Then the box opened. The swirling blood was sucked into the box like it had an open mouth.
“Ugh.”
The elf who had climbed onto the magic circle staggered, then started vomiting on the spot.
A nearby employee rushed to support her, but her pale face lay on the floor with white foam coming from her mouth.
“Damn it.”
She had mistaken me for a competitor. The one who would steal the Bloody Spell.
That was why she had jumped onto the magic circle without hesitation and offered her own blood.
“Miss, are you okay?”
One employee ran over quickly, but the others were only watching.
The victim’s limbs began to twitch. Classic symptom of excessive bleeding.
“Senior, should we just watch like this?”
Hearing Marian’s worried voice, I turned that way.
The magic user in the deep robe quickly passed by my side.
The mage took out a potion from her pocket and poured it little by little into the victim’s mouth.
‘So this kind of thing happened more than once.’
The members remained calm even in the chaos.
While someone collapsed and twitched, they watched like it was everyday life.
The pale-skinned elves below the stage all looked at one place. They were dressed up like vampires.
And you, without any hesitation, calmly watched the fallen victim on the stage, gulping down saliva.
The mage checked the victim’s condition, then slowly stood up.
A faint sandalwood scent spread over the mage.
‘What kind of scent is this?’
It was definitely the same scent I smelled from the woman who had put her nose into an artifact book in the library.
I couldn’t see her face because of the deep robe, but when she gave the potion her hand appeared from under the robe.
A small scar was engraved on her palm. The same mark she had on her hand as the youngest of the three Eric siblings, Emily.
And a glimpse of red hair inside the robe.
‘Hmm…’
While I kept the mage’s appearance in mind, the victim let out a low groan as if waking up.
The employees supported the victim and moved her to another room.
The MC picked up the microphone.
The numbers on the hologram changed.
175,000,000 Cram.
“If you donate blood one more time, you will become the complete owner of the Bloody Spell. Everyone, please congratulate her!”
The people cheered and clapped toward the victim being dragged to another room.
A grotesque, creepy scene.
“Now, the second auction begins.”
“Waaaah!!!!”
Cheers rang out again.
At that moment a clear and crisp voice came from behind me.
“Did you enjoy the view?”
It was Noris Molton.