The group continued deeper into the Night Market.
At first—
they simply walked.
But that didn't last long.
Kaelira's attention was constantly being drawn toward the various stalls surrounding them.
Weapons.
Magic items.
Strange pieces of armor.
Jewelry.
Potions.
Even food that none of them could immediately identify.
Her eyes darted from one stall to another, clearly fascinated by everything around her.
"Master."
Draven glanced toward her.
"Huh?"
She pointed toward a nearby stall.
"Look at that."
Draven followed her gaze.
Kaelira was already walking toward it.
Draven stared at her for a moment.
Then—
he followed.
Pythia smiled and walked after him.
Ryke glanced at Aldric.
"Are we really doing this?"
Aldric shrugged.
"Apparently."
Ryke sighed.
*So much for leaving quickly.*
---
The first thing Kaelira bought was a small magical accessory.
Then—
she found something else.
And something else after that.
Every time they walked past another interesting stall, she would stop.
"Master."
Draven looked at her.
She pointed toward another item.
"I want that."
Draven looked at the item.
Then—
he looked at her.
"Do whatever you want."
Kaelira blinked.
"I can?"
"The money is yours."
Her eyes immediately lit up.
"Right!"
She turned toward the merchant.
"How much?"
The merchant gave her the price.
Kaelira paid without hesitation.
Ryke watched her.
*She's spending it already.*
He shook his head.
*I guess that's what happens when you suddenly get a few hundred gold.*
Pythia also stopped at several stalls.
Unlike Kaelira, however, she took her time.
She carefully examined each item before deciding whether it was worth buying.
Aldric occasionally purchased something as well.
Most of the time—
he barely even looked at the price.
Ryke couldn't help staring.
"You people really spend money like this?"
Aldric glanced at him.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Ryke looked away.
"I'm just saying."
He sighed.
"I've never seen people spend money so casually."
Kaelira turned toward him.
"That's because you don't have money."
Ryke's expression twitched.
"...Thanks."
Kaelira smiled.
"You're welcome."
Ryke rubbed his forehead.
*She says things like that so casually?*
Draven continued walking ahead of them.
He occasionally stopped whenever something caught his attention.
Unlike Kaelira—
he wasn't interested in buying everything he saw.
But there were a few things that caught his eye.
Some magical materials.
A few useful-looking items.
And several things he thought might be useful later.
He bought some of them.
Nothing excessive.
Just enough to make the trip worthwhile.
The longer they stayed—
the more bags and items began appearing among them.
Kaelira looked pleased with herself.
"That was fun."
Ryke glanced at her.
"You spent quite a bit."
Kaelira nodded proudly.
"Yeah."
She looked down at the things she had bought.
"I still have money left."
Aldric scoffed.
"For now."
Kaelira immediately looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you won't be able to help but spend the rest even if you try."
Kaelira frowned.
"I won't."
Aldric raised an eyebrow.
"You've already bought six things."
Kaelira paused.
"...Seven."
Aldric stared at her.
"That doesn't make your argument better."
Kaelira smiled.
"I know."
Pythia covered a small smile.
Ryke sighed.
*They're all insane.*
---
They continued deeper into the Night Market.
The further they went—
the more crowded it became.
The streets were narrower here, and the stalls were packed closer together.
More people moved through the market.
More eyes were watching.
At first—
Ryke didn't think anything of it.
Neither did Kaelira.
But Pythia noticed.
Her smile slowly faded.
She glanced toward one of the nearby stalls.
A man standing behind it was staring at them.
Not at the merchandise.
At them.
Pythia's eyes narrowed slightly.
She looked away.
A few steps later—
she noticed another person watching.
Then another.
Her gaze shifted toward Aldric.
He had noticed too.
His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes briefly swept across the crowd.
*Interesting.*
Draven also noticed the change.
He didn't stop walking.
But his attention became sharper.
Kaelira glanced around.
"Hmm?"
She looked behind them.
"What?"
Ryke followed her gaze.
"What are you looking at?"
Kaelira narrowed her eyes.
"People are staring at us."
Ryke's expression changed.
"Really?"
He looked around.
Several people immediately looked away.
Ryke swallowed.
*That's not good.*
Aldric continued walking.
"Just ignore them."
Kaelira frowned.
"But—"
"I said ignore them."
His voice was calm.
"Don't give them a reason to approach us."
Kaelira nodded.
"Okay."
They continued.
But—
the attention didn't stop.
In fact—
it seemed to increase.
People whispered among themselves.
Some pointed toward them.
Others simply watched from a distance.
---
Elsewhere—
inside a bar located in the second district—
several people were already on the move.
The bar was crowded.
Drinks were being served.
Voices filled the first floor.
But on the second floor—
a man sat alone at a table overlooking the room below.
A drink rested in his hand.
His gaze remained fixed on the commotion happening outside.
He could see people moving through the Night Market.
Merchants whispering.
Customers pointing.
A few people rushing through the streets.
The man raised an eyebrow.
"What the hell is going on?"
He took a slow drink.
"Why's everyone so riled up?"
A woman's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"They're all worked up because some idiots are going through the market throwing money around."
The man glanced over his shoulder.
An ebony-skinned woman with blue hair approached his table.
She had a calm expression on her face.
"They're practically begging to attract attention."
The man looked back toward the market below.
"So that's what it's about."
His gaze returned to the woman.
He studied her for a moment before smiling.
"And to whom do I have the pleasure?"
The woman walked over.
Then—
she pulled out the chair beside him and sat down.
"The name's Hestia."
The man's smile widened.
"What a lovely name..."
His eyes moved over her.
"...for a lovely lady."
Hestia gave him a small smile.
"Hold your horses, tiger."
She leaned back slightly.
"I'm here for business."
Her eyes narrowed.
"So you can call me Night Sperro."
The man's expression changed slightly.
"Night Sperro?"
Hestia nodded.
"A little birdie gave me the feeling you were looking for me."
The man stared at her.
"So it's you."
He took another sip of his drink.
"I wasn't expecting someone quite so..."
His gaze moved over her again.
"...well, you certainly aren't what I imagined."
Hestia smiled.
"You almost made me blush."
The man chuckled.
"Then I suppose I should get straight to business."
He placed his drink on the table.
"You've got the information on the item?"
Hestia nodded.
"Yes."
The man watched her carefully.
Then—
he reached inside his clothes.
A small pouch appeared in his hand.
He placed it on the table.
Hestia glanced at it.
She picked it up and opened it just enough to see what was inside.
Her expression changed slightly.
She quickly closed the pouch and slipped it away.
"It's among the items being put up for auction tomorrow."
The man's eyes narrowed.
"Auction?"
Hestia nodded.
"Yes."
She leaned slightly toward him.
"It's taking place tomorrow at twelve."
"And it'll be held in the third district."
The man's expression became more serious.
"So the item is going to be there?"
Hestia stared at him.
"That's what I said."
She sighed.
"I did my research."
"I even went through the trouble of getting this."
She reached into her clothes and pulled out a small pass.
She placed it on the table.
"The auction pass."
The man glanced down at it.
Hestia smiled.
"And I'm willing to let you have it for just seven gold coins."
The man stared at her.
Then—
he reached into his pocket.
Hestia watched him expectantly.
Suddenly—
**THUD!**
Something landed on the table.
Hestia caught it before it could roll away.
She looked down.
Three gold coins.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Three?"
The man took another drink.
"That's my offer."
Hestia stared at him.
"You really are a cheap bastard."
The man shrugged.
"Take it or leave it."
Hestia looked at the three coins.
Then—
she glanced at the auction pass.
For a moment, she remained silent.
Finally—
she sighed.
"Fine."
She reluctantly picked up the three gold coins.
Then—
she pushed the auction pass across the table.
The man reached out and took it.
Hestia stood.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
She turned and walked away.
The man watched her leave.
He picked up the auction pass and examined it for a moment.
Then—
he leaned back in his chair.
He took another drink.
His gaze shifted toward the crowded first floor.
The pass remained in his hand.
And a faint smile appeared on his face.