Episode 176: Pertinax Auction House (5)
A chill lingered in the overheated auction house, as if it were a lie. With the appearance of a girl, Chloe.
Look at it-
The already bloodshot red eyes. The blood vessels are dangerously lined around the irises, centering on the red eyes.
How can someone have eyes like that? Those eyes that glow with murderous intent are truly worthy of being called yandere.
‘What happened to your promise to vacate the seat for 30 minutes, Your Majesty…?’
I inwardly scolded Al’Tair. Then I lowered my eyes slightly.
As expected. He is holding the Japanese sword in his right hand tightly.
The white blade of the sword must have turned red from drinking its fill of blood. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, but you don’t seem to have any intention of greeting me properly.
In his left hand he held an ominous bundle. The bottom of the cloth was damp.
A thick liquid drips down. The contents are… what she just cut off and captured herself. The villain’s head.
Actually, it makes no sense for me to be trembling at Chloe now. Even if her powers had grown explosively, she would be no match for me.
It’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality. But when Chloe goes into that ‘mode’, I get nervous. I think it’s PTSD. Their first meeting was so intense.
‘shit.’
Chloe stepped forward, her feet moving as if time had stopped.
Only then did Hondo sense the strange air current and turn his head. Hon looked back and forth between me and Chloe, then tilted his head in a cute way.
“Why is that person doing that?”
―… … .
Am I the only one who feels this sense of crisis? I don’t mean to blame the soul, but I think it’s worth being alert.
Why does it seem like I’m the only one who reacts to those murderous eyes?
It was the same with Ryozo before. Am I being sensitive or are they being insensitive…?
But I was about to say something back to that innocent face. Oh, I really have something to ask her.
‘You’re back.’ There must be some meaning to those words. Let’s first deal with this situation and then talk some more.
I stood up, holding my knees. I didn’t seem to have any intention of talking to the other person, but I had just acquired the [Blessing of Communication].
In that case, I should make good use of that protection. I plan to use it to pierce her ears, which are closed and immersed in murderous intent. Otherwise, I will have to show my skills.
I took a deep breath and activated [the Blessing of Communication]. I was determined to knock on whatever it was.
-Chloe.
“… … .”
I called his name. His steps didn’t stop.
-I think there has been a misunderstanding.
“… … .”
His footwork had become a bit more nimble. A katana in his right hand, a bundle in his left. An alarm went off in his head, telling him that this combination was extremely dangerous.
Even if you manifest [the protection of communication], it won’t work. In other words, it means that the other side is refusing communication itself. They don’t want to hear or say anything.
Tadadot.
Chloe jumped high into the air. She leaped so high that she could almost touch the ceiling with one leap. She launched herself off the ceiling.
If I were to put into action the phrase “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” it would be exactly that scene. I groaned.
‘I’m going crazy.’
Now that it has come to this point, I cannot avoid a collision. I must respond, even if it is a bit excessive. That is the moment when my hands went into my pockets.
Wedge!
Suddenly, another figure rushed towards Chloe from the side. It was Knox. Appearing like an electric current, he swung the Hongryundo at his younger sister without hesitation.
Chloe, sensing the surprise attack, also swung her Japanese sword.
Chaeng! The swords interlocking in the air of the auction house. The owners of those swords were all family.
Knox chewed his lower lip.
‘I came in just in case.’
While I was briefly looking around somewhere else, Chloe entered the auction house.
The reason was that the person wearing the crow mask looked like Kang Geum-ma.
Knox knew this fact all along, but kept quiet.
Because I know better than anyone that Chloe’s eyes turn when she sees Kang Geum-ma. Moreover, my younger sister is very thirsty because her return to the academy has been delayed. That’s why I hid the truth.
But Chloe knew by smell that the crow mask was a swordsman. She kept twitching her nose and finally… … .
He’s not even a dog, and he can tell who someone is by their smell. Even my little brother had the talent to make people shiver.
Knox looked at Chloe again. Her eyes were hollow, like hollow shells.
In this situation, it was impossible to do it moderately. Chloe had been repeatedly developing her combat sense during the vacation. As expected, her potential and experience were combined, and she was reborn as a formidable assassin.
If Chloe doesn’t take this seriously, she’ll end up suffering.
Knox shook the Hongryundo boldly again. It was the same moment that Chloe swung her sword.
Whoosh! The two sword blades that seemed to be entangled tore through the air. Both were illusive attacks that had manifested [Crow’s Protection].
However, their intentions were different. Knox wanted to avoid a direct hit on his brother.
Chloe, on the other hand, was a distraction to hide the secret. Tch, Chloe clicked her tongue.
Immediately afterwards, she rolled her waist and tightened it. And using that elasticity, she spun around. She charged the sword with acceleration and struck. She struck without stopping.
Kaga River!
Knox received the two Hongryun swords by crossing them in an X shape. To be exact, he held on. Even though he buffered them, his hands felt numb.
The pressure from each and every blow was no joke, as the speed at which it could be attacked was impressive.
Even though I’ve lost my mind, isn’t this really an intention to kill?
Even in this moment of confusion, Chloe regained her rotational power and continued to attack. It cut down on her left and right vision, and in a blink of an eye, she was suddenly stabbed from behind with a blade. It was an attack full of anticipation.
Knox opened his eyes wide. He reduced his thoughts and prioritized action.
The siblings’ swords clashed ceaselessly. Inside the dark auction house, scenes that seemed to have been cut and pasted together from a movie film appeared one after another.
Sparks flashed and blinked in the air like car taillights. Occasionally, a silvery line appeared on the ground.
Buck! Buck! Buck!
The two swordsmen played together as instruments, almost like background music. The siblings danced on a stage that resembled an opera house.
It was a fierce battle, just without any bloodshed. If things continued as they were, neither of them would be able to finish the battle. Furthermore, as the battle intensified, it was Nox who was on the defensive.
Of course. Chloe, whose reason had flown away, was planning to completely finish off her opponent. Knox’s goal was to subdue his younger sister, who was much more difficult.
Regardless of skill, it was a fight where Knox was at an overwhelming disadvantage.
‘I have to step forward.’
I put my hand on the handle of the knife, leaving my soul behind.
But at that moment.
“stop!”
A loud roar shook the room. Finally, the siblings’ swords stopped in front of each other’s necks.
A bead of sweat pooled at the tip of Knox’s chin and fell onto the blade below. The sweat washed away some of the thin layer of blood on Chloe’s sword.
It took a moment for the excitement of the fierce battle to subside. The brother and sister, who had been aiming at each other in that position, eventually put away their swords.
“Haa- haa-.”
Knox took a deep breath, his hands on his knees. He ran his hand over his chin. A puff of sweat dripped down his face.
He straightened his back unsteadily and looked up. Chloe’s eyes gradually came into focus.
‘… Looks like you’ve come to your senses.’
Only then did Knox take a deep breath and look back. The Auditore members, led by the lord, entered.
The master looked around and then sighed deeply. Then he wiped his face and shook his head.
“I thought you were quiet for a while, but here you are again. How long are you going to keep annoying this old man until he’s satisfied, Chloe?”
Chloe blinked her hazy eyes. Then she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Knox caught her sister. He looked down at his exhausted sister in his arms.
After all, he must have used up all his potential, but he must have felt exhausted. He would not be able to move a finger for a few days. Knox hoped so inwardly.
The situation has calmed down.
The owner spoke to me with an awkward smile.
“I never would have guessed that you would have come into the auction house while I was away for a moment. You must have looked like an eyesore.”
I shook my head.
“No. Knox should be praised more. He showed up at the right time and ended the situation. If I had intervened, the situation would have escalated.”
“My lord!”
At that moment, Choi Seol-ah came running out of breath. She barely managed to hide herself at the dangerous moment, but then appeared with a worried expression.
Choi Seol-ah fidgeted as she narrowed her eyes. She rolled her eyes and avoided eye contact. It seemed like she was being stung.
‘But even if he were there, I don’t think the situation would have gotten any better.’
Above all, he had no stamina to complain about. Just looking at Chloe in yandere mode makes me feel like Jin is getting sucked in.
I looked at the soul next to me. She was sitting there blankly. The expression on her face that she had shown me before was a blank expression.
It’s going to be hard to have any more conversations with him.
But it feels so awkward to say goodbye to my soul like this.
In any case, we need to get a clue about the fourth fragment from her.
If you just let the soul go like this, things will become very troublesome.
Should I take your soul like a stray cat? Strangely enough, there was no provision in the dormitory rules that said you couldn’t live with anyone.
Perhaps Miracle Guardian M Game Company didn’t think that far.
However, apart from her long ears, she is a typical teenage girl. Despite her shabby appearance, she is also pretty.
I was shaking and shaking.
‘It won’t work.’
What would happen to my image if I stayed in the same room with a kid like that?
Because useless stories might be going around among the cadets. It’s dizzying to even imagine.
… before that.
“My lord, what are you planning to do with that little dragon?”
In response to my question, the master stroked his beard and thought about it for a moment. After a moment of hesitation, he answered.
“Actually, I’m a little worried about that part too. Normally, I should have sent it back to the Demon Realm, but the route it came through was through an auction. If the Demons find out, they’ll be up in arms. They could even use it as an excuse to say, “That’s right.”
The owner said it as if he was in a difficult position. It is exactly as he said.
If the demons nitpick over this, things could easily get worse.
The worst case scenario is that they invade using this as an excuse.
The Demon Tribe has already lost two of their legion commanders. They must be reorganizing their formation right now.
Humans put the Demons up for auction? It was like pouring oil on a burning house.
“Then, how about this? After getting the principal’s permission, we’ll manage that dragon at the academy. Under the guise of a cadet. After all, its appearance isn’t much different from a human’s. And after talking to it for a while, I’ve found that it’s not a demon that would harm humans.”
The owner’s eyebrows furrowed at my opinion.
“You communicated with the demons?”
“Yes. I happened to obtain a blessing that allowed me to converse. Anyway, my point is that the Academy secretly manages dragons.”
The owner, who had been listening quietly, nodded.
“Hmm. Now that I hear it, it’s not bad. No, I wonder if there’s a better direction. Joaquin Academy is an extraterritorial jurisdiction. And because of the recent events, security has become much tighter. Now, there’s no room for crime prevention. However.”
The master looked at the spirit once and continued speaking.
“I think we need someone to act as a guardian. That way we can convince the principal.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.”
“… … ?”
I silently turned my gaze toward Choi Seol-ah.
The moment our eyes met, an ominous look appeared on her face.
* * *
Not long after finishing his conversation with Kanggeomma, Al’Tair received a phone call. It was a Swiss international number.
“Yes, Your Majesty. The situation has been roughly settled.”
[You’ve worked hard. The long journey that started from Claude has finally come to an end.]
“Haha, what a struggle. It was just by chance that I was at the auction house… … .”
Al’Tair explained in detail what had happened. The swordsman on the other end of the receiver listened with astonishment.
[… I knew something like that would happen. Why on earth was Kang Geum-ma there?]
“I didn’t ask that. It was just because he was there that things ended smoothly. Isn’t that the only thing that mattered?”
[Well, that’s true. Or I can go and ask him myself sometime soon.]
“Directly? Then surely… … ?”
The owner seemed to see the corners of the mouths of the phone callers and the inspectors going up.
[That’s right. Since the preparations for Chilseong’s succession are almost complete, I should also return to the Academy. In exactly one month, the succession will take place at Joaquin Academy.]
