## Chapter 166 – 166. Midnight Auction (4)
#166. Midnight Auction (4)
Although it was a contract that couldn’t be left in writing, by making the agreement, Iris and I were able to become guests of Lady Lina Hessler.
“Iris, I’ll be back.”
“Please be careful?”
I hugged the worried Iris tightly and slipped out of the castle discreetly.
Noon, the time I promised Sylvia, was fast approaching.
Of course, Sylvia’s personality meant she wouldn’t want me to come and meet her, but because of last night’s incident, Sylvia and I were wanted criminals, so I had no choice.
Thanks to the mask covering my face, no composite sketch of me was made, but the fact that Sylvia was a white-haired elf had spread throughout Waible.
Well, she probably thought she wouldn’t be coming back to Waible, but her help was essential to assassinating Baron Hessler tonight.
‘Besides, Iris isn’t in a state where she can cast perception-obstructing magic on others right now.’
I had to go and meet Sylvia so I could cast the magic for her to enter Waible.
I passed through the crowded streets and used Phantom Shifter magic to get over the castle walls.
‘Is that it?’
When I arrived at the meeting place, slightly off the main road, I sensed a familiar presence.
“Did you wait long?”
Sylvia stood there with her white hair fluttering, her back to a small hill.
“…I arrived just a little while ago.”
“That’s a relief.”
She must have decided to at least try to manage her expressions now, because she looked the same as usual, even though it was me, not Iris, who had come to meet her.
“I thought it would take a long time because there were quite a few people.”
“…Luna and Ellie were safely escorted, so you don’t have to worry.”
But she couldn’t stand hearing about other women, and her brow furrowed for a moment.
I wondered if I should tease her a little more, but then I remembered what Iris had told me last night.
‘To order someone to sleep with you…’
Even though it was absurd, it was the kind of thing that would be attractive to a man.
I glanced at Sylvia.
White hair that reached her waist, snow-white eyes reminiscent of the first snow, and a voluptuous figure.
She had an appearance that was hard to take your eyes off of, no matter how many times you saw her.
Perhaps she felt my gaze, because Sylvia turned to me.
“…Is there something you wanted to say to me?”
“No, just that you’re pretty.”
Sylvia’s face contorted more than ever at my unintentional, honest words.
If I had to compare it, it looked similar to when she found out that Iris and I had promised each other a future.
“Just kidding.”
Sylvia kept moving her lips.
She looked like she had a lot to say, but she didn’t open her mouth, perhaps not wanting to make any more mistakes.
I sat down on a nearby pile of rocks and explained the contract I had made with Lina Hessler.
“…Assassination, you say.”
“I’d have to make a big commotion to do it without your help.”
Sylvia seemed reluctant to use assassination as a means, but when I told her that Iris had agreed, she didn’t say anything more.
After a moment of silence, I discussed future plans with Sylvia.
“Iris told you everything, right?”
“Are you referring to the journey to the Santala Kingdom?”
“Yeah, the most certain way to remove Resilia and prevent war with the Northern Empire would be to release Iris’s seal.”
“But the Northern Empire is one of the strongest military powers on the continent. It won’t take them long to prepare and cross Peledia’s border.”
“That’s why we need to hurry.”
We need to cross the border quickly to get there.
Today might be the last day we can afford to relax.
From the Veilhaven Republic to the Nivia Kingdom, and from the Nivia Kingdom to the Orsia Principality.
The goal of this journey was to eventually cross the Sutra Desert and arrive at Saradin, the capital of the Santala Kingdom, and obtain the ‘Ashen Flame’ enshrined in the central temple.
“…I don’t know how long we’ll be stuck in that vast desert. I still can’t understand Lord Hyunwoo’s thoughts about staying in Waible.”
The control of the Great Forest must be achieved for the safety of the elves, but Peledia’s fate is at stake in this journey.
Ideals and reality.
Sylvia, who was dedicated to her people enough to infiltrate the auction house alone, chose reality over ideals.
“I humbly ask Lord Hyunwoo to persuade His Majesty to take steps to leave for the next city as soon as possible.”
Sylvia bowed politely, unlike her usual self.
It wasn’t exactly the first time I’d seen her like this. Just this morning, she had bowed her head to apologize to me.
“Sorry, but I have no intention of granting that request.”
I opened a bottle of mineral water 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, Iris would have a hard time if we left this unresolved.”
She wouldn’t show it outwardly, though.
She’d probably suffer alone in her heart.
Of course, I’d feel uneasy too, but it wouldn’t compare to how Iris would feel.
“You’re right, we might not arrive on time. But that’s not your problem to worry about.”
I put the empty bottle back into my inventory.
I would have thrown it away nearby in the past, but I remembered that elves love nature, so I hesitated to throw it away carelessly.
“I swore I’d make Iris happy no matter what.”
Of course, Iris hadn’t said those words out loud.
“…Even if the end result is the destruction of Peledia?”
“That’s why I’m here, to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
I stared intently into Sylvia’s eyes, which revealed her complicated feelings.
A slight tremor appeared in her white eyes.
“You can think of it as unfounded confidence if you want. It’s not like we’re close enough to be persuaded by a few words anyway, right?”
I got up and started walking towards Waible. Sylvia followed me without a word.
“…I don’t trust you.”
“You know what? If you were a guy, I would have beaten you until you died.”
In a strange battle of nerves, we crossed the castle walls unnoticed.
***
That evening, Iris and I were invited to a dinner with the baron and his wife.
Apparently, Lina Hessler’s brother, Henriot Hessler, would also be attending.
“…I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
Lina Hessler came to see us before dinner.
“I tried to hide your presence as much as possible, but I don’t know where the information leaked from…”
“It must have been that the magic was on more than just that maid.”
I had put the maid with the magic circle on her thigh to sleep for now.
Removing magic with unknown effects was too risky.
“…First, I’ve introduced you as Henrik-nim, a 3rd Circle mage, and Seria-nim, a 1st Circle mage. I’ve told everyone in Waible that you’re here to buy slaves, and that you came to me to sell magic books to raise money for the slaves, so if you act accordingly, there won’t be any problems.”
“Magic books? Do you collect those?”
A noble lady’s collection of magic books? If that was true, I’d be interested.
But Lina Hessler laughed briefly, as if that couldn’t be the case.
“Of course not. It’s just a rumor I spread to attract wizards who might be interested in the rumors. Judging by Henrik-nim’s reaction, it seems like it was a pretty good bait.”
I was a little disappointed. Magic books were hard to find in this world too.
Unlike me, who was disappointed, Iris didn’t seem particularly interested.
She seemed to want to end this meeting as soon as possible. It was probably because of the ‘Lelia’s Little Key’ that I had copied for her during the day.
I remembered her profile as she was engrossed in reading the copy when I brought Sylvia.
‘Lelia, the witch of curses…’
Iris was convinced that the author of this book was a Great Mage of the 8th Circle who had reached the same level as her.
It would be nice to learn curse magic from such a person, but it would be difficult right now.
Judging from the fact that Iris knew nothing about the mage Lelia, she must be a mage from another world, not Earth or this world.
“Is there anything we should be particularly careful about during the dinner?”
“You don’t have to worry about dining etiquette. My father is just curious about Henrik-nim, who is a 3rd Circle mage. But…”
Lina Hessler trailed off, as if something was bothering her.
“…This may just be my concern, so you can listen with one ear and let it out the other.”
She grabbed her teacup, as if her throat was dry, and then continued.
“Be careful of Henriot-oppa’s maid.”
“The maid?”
“Three years ago, Henriot-oppa brought a woman of unknown origin to the castle and assigned her as his direct maid. At first, there were rumors that he had brought in a prostitute, but… Henriot-oppa’s trading company started to succeed, and the neutral vassals started to side with Henriot-oppa after she became his direct maid.”
“It’s hard to say it’s just a coincidence…”
A black magician had already been found at the auction house, and black magic had been discovered in the castle.
That didn’t mean the maid was a black magician, but I couldn’t just ignore her intuition, as she had lived in this castle for decades.
“Thank you for the advice. If I have time, I’ll investigate the maid, so you don’t have to worry.”
Lina Hessler’s face brightened at that.
“Thank you. But who is that person?”
She was pointing at Sylvia, who was sitting with her hood pulled up.
“She’s our colleague. She’ll help us deal with Baron Hessler’s guards.”
“Ah…”
Lina Hessler bowed briefly to Sylvia. Sylvia also bowed with her hood up.
After that, we reviewed the detailed contents of the plan until dinner time.
The structure of the mansion, the order of the auction, and the time of execution.
Even though there wasn’t much time, the plan quickly took shape.
And so, the sun went down.
Knock, knock.
A maid knocked on the door.
“Lady Lina, the preparations for the evening banquet are complete.”
“Okay, I’ll take the guests down soon.”
Iris and I followed Lina Hessler down to the banquet hall.
