## Chapter 170 – 170. Midnight Auction (8)
#170. Midnight Auction (8)
After my tryst with Melissa, I returned to my room and immediately summoned Lina Hessler.
She arrived, adorned in extravagant attire befitting the upcoming auction, only to be aghast at the sight of Melissa tied to a sofa.
“A black magician…”
Iris and Sylvia seemed equally surprised. Sylvia, in particular, gripped her sword hilt upon hearing the term “black magician.”
In this regard, Melissa was fortunate.
Had she faced Sylvia instead of me, she wouldn’t have lost her virginity before losing her head.
Iris’s reaction, however, was quite different.
Rather than showing hostility towards the black magician, she was secretly sniffing Melissa.
Suddenly, she turned her head towards me and mouthed something.
‘Did you… enjoy yourself…?’
The moment I saw her flirtatious smile, I felt a chill run down my spine.
I had not only changed her clothes but also magically cleansed her and changed her undergarments, yet she noticed already.
I wasn’t sure if my cleanup was inadequate or if Iris had a keen sense.
“What happened to Henriot, Brother?”
“I left him lying on the sofa. I hinted to his guard that he seemed to be enjoying some time with a maid and shouldn’t be disturbed for a while, and he understood.”
“…Henrik-nim, you said my brother was affected by black magic?”
“Yes, I sensed a faint trace of dark magic within the young master’s body.”
Indeed, I had felt dark magic emanating from beyond Henriot Hessler’s heart. It was likely the dark magic Melina had placed on his soul.
“I’ve temporarily released the entangled dark magic, so he should wake up on his own in time.”
Perhaps due to the divine power of the World Tree imbued in my mana, I was able to resist the dark magic to some extent, despite not knowing much about the dark magic Melissa had cast.
Of course, it couldn’t compare to the divine power used by priests.
In any case, the reason I released the dark magic on Henriot Hessler was simple.
This incident could potentially work against Lina Hessler.
“…Thank you for your consideration, Henrik-nim.”
If it were revealed that the eldest son, the most likely successor, had been affected by dark magic, the Baron would likely seize this opportunity.
He would portray his son as the victim and his daughter as the culprit, blinded by ambition for the title and willing to harm her family.
Of course, the real culprit, Melissa, was in our hands, but I wanted to avoid unnecessary gambles.
Above all, what I desired was for Lina Hessler to ascend to the title as soon as possible.
“I am merely fulfilling the terms of our contract, so please spare your thanks.”
Just as begging won’t create a seat on a fully booked flight, it’s faster to make room for promotion by getting rid of superiors than pushing aside competitors.
Of course, this was a method that ordinary people couldn’t use.
***
After Lina Hessler left for the upcoming auction, only myself, Iris, Sylvia, and Melissa remained in the room.
As I tinkered with the teacup brought by the maid, I quietly opened my mouth.
“Iris.”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know about Malefice?”
Before discussing Melissa’s fate, I needed to share some information about her.
However, the reactions of the two were quite different from what I had expected.
“Hyunwoo-nim, where did you hear that name?”
“Huh?”
I sensed something ominous in Iris’s coldly hardened expression and Sylvia’s sharper demeanor than usual.
After a moment of contemplation, I cautiously continued the conversation.
“That woman is affiliated with Malefice…”
Before I could finish speaking, Sylvia suddenly drew her sword and lunged at the unconscious Melissa.
There was no hesitation in her sword’s tip.
I hurriedly rose to my feet, but this time, Iris was one step ahead.
“Sylvia.”
Iris blocked Melissa, and Sylvia’s sword stopped in mid-air.
“…Iris-nim, she is a witch of Malefice.”
Sylvia’s eyes, as she looked at Melissa, were filled with deep hatred.
She seemed ready to behead Melissa if Iris retreated even slightly.
“Her fate is not for us to decide.”
“But…!”
Sylvia bit her lip with an expression of disbelief.
But in the end, she sheathed her sword and took a step back.
“…I’ll go clear my head for a moment.”
Sylvia’s figure disappeared towards the balcony.
I wondered if I should follow her right away, but then Iris quietly hugged my arm and shook her head.
“Sylvia also needs some time alone.”
I felt uneasy because it seemed like I had caused this situation, but for now, I decided to follow the opinion of Iris, who had known Sylvia for hundreds of years.
My head became complicated, and I slumped down on the sofa.
Then, Melissa, who was lying on the opposite sofa, came into view.
“Malefice is the name of a god.”
Iris leaned her head on my shoulder.
“To be precise, it’s the name of an evil god who tried to destroy the world.”
I had guessed that it was a baptismal name based on what was attached to Melissa’s name, but I never thought it would actually be the name of a god.
I was able to hear a brief account of this world’s creation myth from Iris.
Lumiel, the creator god who created the world.
Malefice, the evil god who is the master of death and demons.
The conflict between the two gods eventually led to war, and only after blood formed the sea and corpses formed a huge mountain range did the war end with the victory of the creator god Lumiel.
Malefice, who lost the war, left his fragments in various parts of this world and then disappeared.
“He had many followers. Malefice is an organization presumed to have been founded by the descendants of those followers.”
“It seems to be quite large in scale.”
“I don’t know that much about it. There’s so little known about it that many people don’t even know it exists.”
All Iris knew was that there was a leader and five executives.
“The Fourth Seat, Lavinia… I’ve never heard that name before.”
“There may have been a change of generations.”
Even for long-lived species like elves, 200 years was enough time for several generations to change for humans.
“Still, knowing the name of an executive means that she has a fairly high position within the organization.”
Iris seemed to have many things she wanted to ask Melissa.
“I’ll have to interrogate her when she wakes up later.”
There wasn’t enough time to interrogate her right now.
***
With Iris’s help, I restrained Melissa with a barrier, and soon maids came to find us.
“The young lady has asked us to help Henrik-nim and Seria-nim with their preparations.”
I followed the maid, changed into formal attire, and received the mask she handed me. This time, it was a wolf mask.
When I went down to the first floor, there was a woman wearing a fancy mask that looked like it was made of roses.
“…Iri… Seria?”
Iris was wearing an evening dress that harmonized well with green. I liked the design that didn’t reveal her chest at all, perhaps reflecting my opinion.
The slightly high heels gave wings to Iris, who already boasted model-like proportions.
“Pretty.”
“Henrik-nim looks really handsome too.”
Iris seemed pleased with the compliment and gently hugged my arm.
A typical escort would only hold hands, but we were different.
“You look good together.”
While I was chatting with Iris, Lina Hessler came down. She wasn’t wearing a mask, as she was the host of the auction.
She waved the maids back and approached me.
“My brother says he will participate in the auction.”
Lina Hessler seemed somewhat disappointed.
Well, if her brother, who was also the main figure of this auction, didn’t participate, she would have been able to monopolize all the spotlight.
Above all, even though she vaguely realized that she had been manipulated, the fact that he was participating in the auction meant that he had no intention of stepping down from the successor competition at all.
“He’s probably planning to end the auction safely and report me to the temple tomorrow morning.”
Lina Hessler gave a cold smile. It was a sneer towards her foolish brother.
Of course, it was none of my business how the two fought.
“Henrik-nim.”
Lina Hessler held out her hand to me.
“Would you escort me?”
“…Don’t you have a fiancé or lover?”
She was 23 years old, an age at which it wouldn’t be strange for an ordinary noblewoman to have already married.
“No, there was no man who caught my eye.”
I felt a little uncomfortable, but I couldn’t refuse awkwardly, so I took her hand.
It was small and soft, but there were quite a few calluses for an ordinary noblewoman. They weren’t calluses from holding a sword, but calluses from holding a pen.
“You don’t have to worry too much. I won’t try to bring Henrik-nim into the family on this pretext. Originally, it’s common for a family member to escort me, but unfortunately, I don’t have a harmonious family.”
Lina Hessler said, looking at Iris instead of me. Iris just smiled as if she didn’t care.
With flowers in both hands, I headed to the garden where the auction was being held.
Despite the late hour, the garden was as bright as day thanks to the lights embedded in the trees and bushes.
The main garden of the mansion was filled with masked people and servants.
Perhaps because of the previous attack on the auction house, some people had brought escorts.
‘If this happens, there will be many suspects even if the Baron dies.’
As we approached the auction house, all eyes and attention followed.
Even if they were wearing masks, it was hard to take their eyes off Iris because she was so pretty, but it was also because Lina Hessler was standing next to me.
“For the record, I’ve never been escorted by an outsider before.”
There was a reason why young-looking men were staring at me with eyes full of animosity.
After receiving such attention, Lina Hessler said that she was going to take care of the vassals who were participating in today’s auction and went somewhere.
Since the auction wasn’t our purpose, Iris and I moved to a corner.
“Hyunwoo-nim, would you like to try this?”
“…Isn’t this alcohol?”
“It’s said to be a fruit wine made from local specialties from a nearby territory.”
It wasn’t strong, but Iris surprisingly enjoyed alcohol.
The fruit wine was moderately sweet and delicious. The problem was that the alcohol content was quite high.
As I tilted my wine glass in a fairly pleasant atmosphere, Henriot Hessler came up on stage before long.
He looked more normal than expected.
As soon as his greetings were over, the auction began.
It wasn’t a very pleasant sight, so Iris and I left the place. Surprisingly, there were places where the stage wasn’t visible.
We spent time chatting.
Of course, it wasn’t completely empty because servants came and went from time to time.
“…Hyunwoo-nim.”
Iris, her cheeks slightly flushed, leaned on my shoulder.
“Thank you…”
“For what?”
“Just… everything…”
As I stroked Iris’s cheeks, which seemed a little tipsy, I stirred up my magic power.
As the magic power drove away the intoxication, Iris grabbed a passing servant and asked for a refill.
“More to drink?”
“Hehe, it’s been a while…”
Iris smiled awkwardly and tilted her glass back and forth.
Well, it’s been 200 years since she had alcohol, so she can enjoy it a little.
Anyway, if she gets too drunk, I can just blow it away with magic power, and all Iris has to do tonight is keep her seat.
As I spent time like that, the moon was already heading towards the center of the sky.
In other words, the auction was coming to an end.
“Hyunwoo-nim, are you going to leave soon?”
“I have to go, or she’ll get mad if I’m late.”
Iris, who knew who I was talking about, smiled softly.
“You have to be careful.”
“Of course.”
[Phantom Shifter]
[Hallucination]
At the same time as my body became transparent, a hallucination modeled after my appearance was created in the seat where I was sitting.
There may be someone among the escorts of those who participated in the auction who can feel my presence, so I headed to the mansion while suppressing my presence as much as possible.
As I got closer to the place Lina Hessler told me about, I felt a familiar presence.
“…Have you come?”
“I told you to speak comfortably? It doesn’t suit you.”
“…”
Sylvia cursed with her eyes.
