Beep~

“Huh? Sounds like someone’s calling you,” Lucas said, raising an eyebrow as my phone buzzed loudly.

Coming to think about it, I was still getting used to how things worked in this strange world—a blend of modern and medieval vibes.

It wasn’t like the high-tech world I came from.

Sure, we had phones, cars, and motorbikes, but everything else?

It was like stepping into a fantasy novel, complete with kings, nobles, and even the whole ‘defeat the demon king’ trope.

Except that the demon king isn’t really the final boss.

“Yeah?” Picking up the phone, I replied.

[Aestrea, I’ll need your help.]

A familiar voice came through the phone.

“The Saintess?” Lucas, standing beside me, blurted out in surprise as he recognized her voice.

He wasn’t exactly subtle.

“The Saintess is asking me for help, huh? That’s a first.”

I sighed and gave a dry chuckle.

[Aestrea, I’m serious. I really need your help.]

The tone of her voice caught me off guard—it was unusually intense.

My smile faded, and my brows furrowed as I asked, “What’s going on? What do you need help with?”

[There’s a masked auction happening in the black market. I need you to go with me.]

My frown deepened.

“Why me? Can’t you ask John? He’s stronger than I am. Honestly, he’d make a much better partner for something like this.”

[…It has to be you.]

“…Why though?”

[…Only people with partners can attend the auction.]

I froze at her words for a moment.

Lucas, meanwhile, caught on faster than I expected.

His eyes widened comically, and then he broke into a sly grin, giving me an exaggerated thumbs-up like he was rooting for us to get together.

Before I could say anything, he turned and strolled off, shooting me a mischievous look over his shoulder.

What the fuck?

Just yesterday, he was teasing me about Rose, and now he’s shipping me with the Saintess.

It doesn’t make sense… does he want me to build a harem or something?

Fucking weird…

“I still think John’s a better choice,” I muttered, trying to wriggle my way out of this.

The last thing I wanted was to step foot in the black market again, especially with my history.

The lab’s owners—those lunatics—were still out there, and I wasn’t eager to cross paths with them anytime soon.

[No. You’re the only one I can trust to play the role of my partner. If you help me with this, I’ll… I…]

She paused for a moment.

[I’ll g-give you anything you want…]

“…Anything?” the words briefly escaped my mouth.

[…Yes. Anything.]

Her response came quickly, leaving no room for doubt.

A slow grin crept across my face, despite the little voice in my head warning me that this could only lead to trouble.

“In that case, I want…”

.

.

.

.

On the way to the masked auction, I met up with Saintess Christina. The moment her eyes landed on my outfit, her expression soured.

She frowned so hard I thought her face might freeze that way.

“This won’t do,” she muttered, and before I could protest, she dragged me into a nearby boutique.

One expensive shopping spree later, I found myself in a suit so fancy it practically sparkled. The price? Over 100 gold coins.

Seriously, 100 gold coins?!

That’s enough to live on for ten years if you use them wisely! But Christina didn’t even blink as she handed over her card.

Just how loaded is she?

“…It should be around here…” Christina muttered softly, grabbing my arm as we turned to one of the back alleys.

We continued walking for a while before we were interrupted by a huge man. His skin was tanned, and he wore a detailed goat mask that gave him an ominous vibe.

His eyes lingered on Christina for a moment, widening slightly as though he recognized her., but he quickly composed himself.

“To attend the Masked Auction, you’ll need to select a mask from the table,” he said, gesturing toward a small wooden table set to the side.

“We’re familiar with the rules,” I said with a polite smile, waving off the explanation.

“…Oh, of course. Then, please choose one of the masks on the table,” he said, stepping aside to give us room.

There were quite a few, an oni demon mask, a bear mask, a wolf, and much more. The Saintess Christian ended up choosing the Oni demon mask…

As for me…

“…This…”

I found a suitable mask for me; it was completely white, with oversized eyeholes and a wide, crescent-shaped grin that was just unsettling enough to make it intriguing.

“This one,” I said, picking it up.

The goat-masked man nodded in approval and stepped aside, revealing a dimly lit corridor that stretched into the distance.

I turned to Christina, smirking slightly as I offered her my hand.

“Shall we, love?”

Her eyes widened for just a heartbeat before a small smile graced her lips.

Without missing a beat, she slipped her hand into mine.

“Yes, darling,” she replied, her voice smooth and sweet as honey, fluttering her eyelids in a seductive demeanor.

Even the goat-masked man seemed a bit flustered by our actions, it seemed that our acting was thoroughly amazing.

At the end of the dimly lit corridor, we were greeted by another attendant, also wearing an animal mask—this one resembling a fox.

He bowed slightly, one hand over his chest in a formal gesture.

“I’ll show you to your seats,” he said in a calm and polite tone.

We followed him silently, weaving through a series of hallways before arriving at one of the VIP seats.

The elevated position gave us a clear view of the grand auction stage below.

It seems like Christina had came prepared.

Once the attendant left, I leaned back in my chair, crossing my legs casually.

“So… what exactly are we doing here?” I asked, glancing at Christina.

She hesitated for a moment with a conflicted expression, before finally sighing.

“An elf is being auctioned off,” she said softly.

As I was about to cross my legs, I froze immediately after she said those words. My fists clenched tightly, as a faint mana pressure started leaving my body…

“Aestrea, calm down…!” She gripped my shoulder tightly, just enough for me to wake up from my daze of rage.

These bastards…!

Huff…!

Taking a deep breath, I slowly picked up the auction catalog lying on the small table in front of us and started flipping through the pages.

And just like Christina said… as one of the highlights of the auction…

A High Elf was being auctioned off as a slave.

“She’s going to be sold as last, so… I should have enough money to buy her out,” she muttered softly, looking at her phone.

It seemed like she was checking her balance or something.

And I also took the opportunity to look at mine.

“…Shit.”

[Balance: 1 Platinum Coin, 211 Gold Coins, 77 Silver Coins and 13 Bronze Coins.]

‘When did I get a platinum coin?’

I pondered slightly.

One platinum coin was worth 1,000 gold coins, which meant I had way more money than I thought.

Still, I could’ve sworn I only had a little over 200 gold coins before this.

“How many coins did you bring?” I asked curiously.

“…A little over two hundred platinum coins…?” she tilted her head, thinking about it before replying softly.

I blinked.

That was an absurd amount of money, enough to buy an entire state directly!

But yet, that amount of money was still dozens of times away from enough to buy a Dragon’s Heart.

Before I could comment, the lights in the room dimmed, and the murmurs of the crowd quieted.

A spotlight illuminated the stage below, and a woman stepped into view.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our Masked Auction! I, Olivia, will be your host for this evening,” she announced, her voice bright and confident.

Applause rippled through the room, and then she continued.

“Without further ado, let’s begin with our first item!”

The auction began, item after item appearing on the stage. Paintings, rare artifacts, and elixirs were presented and sold for jaw-dropping amounts.

The crowd was lively, bids flying back and forth at an almost dizzying pace.

“Sold for number twelve!” Olivia declared after one of the items—a stolen painting—was purchased for an obscene sum.

She then turned her attention to the next item with an enthusiastic smile.

“Now… Item number 16… A Unity Dragon-Phoenix Elixir!” she announced loudly, and immediately, the crowd went into a small uproar.

This kind of elixir was very precious, especially for lovers, it could potentially increase their strength more than three times if used correctly with your lover.

If you used it alone… it wouldn’t have as good as the normal effect, but your power would increase by at least two times.

“The starting bid will be 10 gold coins!”

The host declared, and as she did so, another bid came lightning fast.

“100 Gold Coins!”

“150 Gold Coins!”

“300 Gold Coins…!”

The number climbed rapidly, finally settling at 300 gold coins. The room fell silent as the auctioneer called out the final bid.

“300 Gold Coins going once, twice… and sol—”

“500 Gold Coins.” Another voice resounded, and everyone’s gaze turned to one of the VIP rooms where the silhouette of a woman could be seen.

No one dared to increase the bid after knowing that it was one of the VIPs.

“500 Gold Coins going once, twice… and sold!”

The host smashed her little hammer against the podium.

“Congratulations to our Vip #1 for purchasing the Unity Dragon-Phoenix Elixir!” she clapped frenetically.

But then, her smile quickly turned into a story-telling face, as she announced the next item…

“Now… the moment you were waiting for!”

Immediately, Christina leaned forward as she heard those words.

The highlight of the auction was about to appear.

“We went through great lengths and difficulties to obtain this particular ‘item’, and I believe anyone can see its value and rarity!”

The host announced as the sound of chains grazing against the ground echoed loudly. I immediately clenched my fists…

And Christian bit her lower lip tightly.

With a beautiful, golden long hair, although it seemed lifeless. Skin as white as the purest snow was now, completely dry.

But even in this state, her beauty seemed almost ethereal.

Her long ears quivered softly, as she contained a hunched posture.

It was obviously an elf, but not just a normal elf…

A High Elf.

“Because of the extreme rarity of this item, the bid will be starting with 1 platinum coin!” The host announced loudly.

And just after a few moments…

The biddings exploded.

“2 platinum coins!”

“3 platinum coins!”

“4 platinum coins!”

“10 platinum coins!”

The bids climbed higher and higher, the excitement in the room palpable. By the time it reached 57 platinum coins, the crowd finally started hesitating.

“57 platinum coins!”

The crowd stopped bidding, and it was at this moment that Christian raised her bidding stick.

“60 platinum coins,” her voice echoed through the whole room, making everyone turn to her.

“65 platinum coi—!”

“70 platinum coins,” Christina cut in before the other bidder could finish, raising her paddle higher.

The room went in full silence.

No one raised their paddles, so, after swallowing hard, the host opened her mouth.

“70 platinum coins going once, twice, and sol—!”

“—300 platinum coins.”

A familiar and calm voice came out.

It was the bidder from the #1 VIP room.

And her bid had completely crashed Christina’s.

Christina froze, her eyes wide, and her lips trembled as she bit down hard, trying to keep her composure. Her fists clenched on the armrests of her chair, knuckles turning white.

I was shocked too, but more than that, I felt helpless.

There was nothing either of us could do.

“300 platinum coins going once, twice, and sold!”

The host’s voice reached out to us as she declared loudly.

“Congratulations to our Vip #1 for purchasing the rare High Elf!” she clapped loudly, and soon enough, the others followed.

“And with that, we conclude this auction! Thank you all for attending!”

The host bowed as the stage lights dimmed.

I glanced over at Christina. She was staring down at her lap, fists still balled tightly, her whole body tense.

“Christina…” I muttered softly.

She seemed truly upset that she didn’t win that bid.

I was about to try and comfort her until I heard a voice calling me.

“Aestrea Moon, our lady invites you.”

A lady wearing a rabbit’s mask approached me.

“If you come with us, our lady intends to diminish the value of the High Elf and sell her to you,” the rabbit-masked woman continued smoothly.

As soon as I heard those words, I frowned slightly.

But, seeing the Saintess’s face gives a bit of hope…

“Lead the way,” I replied.

The rabbit-masked woman bowed slightly.

“Please follow me.”

Christina slowly followed me behind, as we reached the door of the VIP room.

But before we could enter, the rabbit woman extended her arm, stopping Christina in her tracks.

“Only he can enter…”

I frowned even more knowing that it was something fishy. So, I took the opportunity and told the Saintess to get out.

“No, I’ll wait for y—!”

“—Christina.” I interrupted her, brushing her cheek with my thumb while looking directly into her dim yet beautiful pink eyes.

“I’ll get you quickly, don’t worry…”

She blinked, her pink eyes quivering before she bit her lip and gave a reluctant nod.

She was very hesitant as she slowly backed away, but not before glancing over her shoulder one last time.

“Please, this way,” the rabbit-masked woman said, gesturing toward the door.

Gosh…

Why did this only happen to me?

I complained inwardly as I opened the door.

And immediately froze…

“Oh my~… look who’s here.”

Lounging on an ornate sofa, a glass of wine in her hand and a smug smile playing on her lips, was none other than…

Yara Devereux.

The Underground Queen herself.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep