"We will start the bidding at 400 gold co—"
"3,000 gold coins!" I barked out, cutting him off mid-sentence as my finger slammed down on the betting crystal in front of me.
The announcer paused, blinking as the sudden shout echoed through the auction hall.
"Three thousand from VIP Room 7!" he finally called out, adjusting his tie and trying not to sound rattled.
A beat later, a smooth yet mocking voice came from another booth.
"3,100," Grandenzil said with unhurried confidence from her VIP room.
I didn't miss a beat.
"4,000," I snapped, my tone like steel as I stared through the one-way glass at her VIP window. My glare burned through it even though I couldn't see her directly.
"Four thousand gold coins from Room 7," the announcer echoed, clearly surprised by the escalation.
A hiss of frustration cut through the moment.
"Fuck!" Grandenzil's voice exploded from her booth, no longer silky or composed.
The announcer didn't even try to hide his amusement this time.
"Four thousand going once... going twice... final and last call..." He paused dramatically, his eyes flicking toward our VIP section.
"Sold for four thousand gold coins to Room 7!" he shouted, pointing up toward our booth.
I sat back down with a smug smile pulling at my lips. My fingers drummed against the armrest rhythmically, like a war drummer declaring victory.
"Well," I exhaled with a grin, still watching the glass, "guess I got what I wanted for the night."
Turning my head slightly, I looked over at Sammy, who was still bound in magical chains—arms and legs secured, mouth gagged with a thick strap of frozen cloth. Her dark eyes were narrowed into hateful slits as she tried to glare daggers at me.
Grinning wider, I stood and slowly walked over to her, each step deliberate and heavy.
"Well," I murmured, crouching in front of her, "I suppose there's one more thing I want."
Her eyes widened, and she tensed, straining against the bindings as I reached toward her face and yanked the gag down roughly.
"Fuck you, let me go!" she shouted, spitting the words out before she could catch her breath. "Grandenzil would butcher you if she knew you're doing this to me!"
"Now, now," I said, rubbing one ear and wincing theatrically. "You really need to stop yelling. My ears are sensitive, you know."
"Like I care!"
"Tch. "Rude," I muttered, ignoring her defiance as I leaned back on my heels. "Anyway, I'll give you one chance, since you were kind enough to bring me here without much fuss."
I stood up again, folding my arms. My expression turned cold.
"Tell me about the Crimson Bandits," I said, tilting my head slightly, "and why they attacked the church carriages heading toward Armillian this afternoon."
Her face twisted in confusion. "How did you know that!?"
"Fuck's sake, woman," I growled, grabbing her jaw and forcing her to look up at me. "Stop shouting. No one can hear you."
Then I punched her. Hard.
Her head snapped to the side, blood spattering slightly onto the pristine white marble floor.
"Ugh… fucking bitch," she groaned, head bowed.
"How did you know they attacked the church and not the viscount's son?" she slurred, glaring up at me through the pain.
I crouched again, my voice calmer now. "Because I was there. I fought them off to protect both the church and the viscount's people. And here's the funny thing..."
I leaned in closer, whispering near her ear.
"The bandits had more troops focused on the church side. They weren't interested in the noble brat. Just the priests."
Her breath hitched. For a second, the anger on her face wavered.
"And when my girl and I got there, we wiped the floor with them," I added casually.
Sammy blinked, incredulous. "Wait—are you blushing right now?"
"Yes, I'm blushing," I muttered, cheeks burning slightly. "Still not used to being someone's soulmate, okay?"
"Seriously?! In this situation?" she said it, exasperated.
Crack!
Another punch silenced her.
"Yes, I'm still embarrassed about it. Kayda's intense, alright?" I rubbed my temple. "Now answer my damn question. How do the Crimson Bandits operate? And why do they have such advanced tactics while being low-level and poorly classed?"
Tears welled up in her eyes as she flinched, her lips trembling.
"Please stop punching me. It hurts a lot," she whispered.
"Answer," I said firmly, lowering my voice and face until I was nose-to-nose with her.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
"The Crimson Bandits are all orphans. We were taken in young. Trained hard. Raised to be shadows." Her voice was hoarse. "The leader always said, 'You must always be ready to run, so be faster than everyone else.' We lived by that."
I stood and crossed my arms. "Ah. Makes sense. But you're not quick enough. Is that why you're just a bartender?"
Her glare returned with renewed venom. "Not everyone can be a frontliner. I'm better at remembering things. That's why I'm an info broker."
I smiled.
"I see. So… you know many things."
"Yes," she said, hesitantly.
"Great," I said, pulling a wicked grin. "I want you to tell me everything."
Her expression twisted. "Why would I do that?"
I responded by conjuring a shimmering ice dagger in one hand, the blade gleaming ominously in the dim light.
"Because I'm in a positive mood, and I'd hate to ruin that." I took a step closer.
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the weapon. "Where did that come from…? "Wait, did the weapons you auctioned just appear out of thin air?"
I shook my head in mock disappointment. "You're slow on the uptake."
Then I plunged the dagger into her foot.
"Augh!" she screamed.
"Tell me what I want to know and stop stalling. The auction ends at midnight. We don't have much time."
Another dagger formed in my hand.
"Fuckin' bitch…"
"No, that's not what I wanted to hear," I said sweetly while stabbing her other foot.
She howled again, her whole body trembling.
"Now start talking, demon girl."
"AUGH! Fine, I'll talk!"
(Three Hours Later)
The room was still and cold. The silence buzzed like static, the air heavy with the scent of blood and frost.
"It seems the auction is finally over," I said, brushing a speck of blood off my coat sleeve. "Thwonderfulwonderful a great chat, Sammy. I'd love to do this again sometime."
I was standing near the door now, fully dressed in my white coat and wearing an elegant full-face mask sculpted from enchanted ice. My figure looked like a noble specter, cloaked and unreadable.
Turning back, I gave the room one last glance.
Sammy was hanging by her wrists, chained to a hook in the ceiling. Ice daggers pinned her to the wall in five places—shoulder, thigh, side, hand, and calf. Half her face was skinned, blood trailing down her jaw and neck in thick rivers. Her breath came in shallow rasps.
"I mean… if you survive the night," I added with a cheerful wave.
With that, I closed the door and walked away.
'Kayda is either going to be proud of me or furious when she hears what I got from Sammy... Meh, probably both.'
I descended the stairs humming softly, heels clicking on the polished stone floor. When I reached the ground level, one of the auction house employees—a slim man in a tailored black suit—approached and bowed.
"I hope ma'am enjoyed the auction. Would you like to collect your items now or on a later day?"
"I'll take them now," I said politely, adjusting my gloves. "Could you escort me to the receptionist?"
"Of course. Right this way."
I followed him through a gilded hallway lined with magical torches and glass-encased relics. Soon, we reached a counter where a sharply dressed receptionist waited. Her brows furrowed slightly as she saw me.
"Weren't there two of you earlier?" she asked, tilting her head. "You arrived with a demon woman."
"Oh, her?" I gave a coy laugh. "Yeah, she's still in the room. After I got the chakrams, I was in such a good mood… We had a little fun."
The woman's face flattened into a glare. "You'll be charged for any damages or cleaning."
'Fair enough,' I thought, remembering the broken furniture and blood-soaked floor.
"That's fine. Take 1,000 gold coins from my share to cover repairs and cleaning," I said with a dismissive wave.
"Very well," she said more professionally, clicking a few things on a crystal pad.
"Out of the 15 weapons sold, you earned 300,000 gold coins," she began. "After deducting the 15% cut, the 100 gold coins for damages, and the 74,000 gold coins you spent on your purchases, you're left with 180,000 gold coins."
Ten silver cases clinked as they were set on the desk, followed by a sleek black box containing my new items.
"That's a lot of money," I said, pulling the box closer. I opened it with anticipation.
Inside was a white coat with a red trim and buttons—tailored perfectly. Beside it were six stunning chakrams, stacked like dangerous halo rings.
Each chakram gleamed with a polished, obsidian-like shine and was about sixty centimeters in diameter. The curved blades on each edge were razor sharp and spaced like a propeller. Their structure hinted at dual-purpose design: clockwise spin for precision slashes and counterclockwise to shred and rip with wild force.
Tiny diamond-shaped carvings were etched into the ring—channels for elemental energy.
"These are gorgeous," I breathed, lifting one and sending ice mana into the grooves. The diamonds frosted over, syncing with me instantly.
"They should be," the receptionist muttered. "A blacksmith king made them."
"I didn't know that," I said distractedly, still admiring the craftsmanship. I floated each chakram into the air behind me, letting them orbit lazily.
A familiar voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"At least you know how to use them," a woman said behind me.
I stiffened.
Turning slowly, I came face-to-face with Grandenzil.
She stood with her usual cocky confidence, an eyebrow raised. Beside her was a much smaller girl in a black coat and mask—her presence unreadable.
"Oh, you two must've been the other bidders," I said coolly.
"Yes," Grandenzil said, her lips twitching into a smirk. "I was about to ask for the chakrams, but seeing you control them like that... I suppose Peanut here still has a ways to go."
She lightly tapped the masked girl's head.
"Her main weapon is chakrams?" I asked, curious.
The girl puffed up a bit, arms crossed. "Yes."
"Rare to see," I said with a nod, floating the chakrams behind me before tapping the cases and stowing them in my dimensional storage.
Grandenzil's eyes widened. "Dimensional magic?"
"Indeed," I said nonchalantly.
"I'll be going now," I added, nodding politely and moving toward the exit.
"Wait!" the smaller girl called out. "What did you mean?"
I paused mid-step, glancing back. "Mean what?"
"You said it's rare to see someone using chakrams… but you use them too."
I smiled under the mask. "I use them, yes. But they're not my main weapon."
"Then what is your main weapon?" Grandenzil asked curiously.
I tilted my head, pretending to think.
"Well, I'm good at many things. Hard to say."
"Tch."
I reached into my storage and pulled a large boulder of shimmering black demon rock, holding it out.
"Here," I said, handing it to the smaller girl. "A gift. Since you're the first person I've met who uses chakrams seriously."
Grandenzil's jaw dropped. "What?!"
"As for my main weapon?" I said, turning away.
"I'd say... magic."
Then I vanished into the crowd.