EeDechi glanced at Dempsey Everly's Justice Value. It was 62—not bad at all.
The four of them and one cat moved into Dempsey Everly's home, a luxurious villa in the Western District. Dense trees shielded the property from the noise of the streets, while servants bustled back and forth. It was clearly the residence of an extremely wealthy family.
As they entered the lavish living room, servants brought them tea and desserts. The four of them settled onto the fox-fur sofa, while Cheeko leaped onto EeDechi's lap and curled up in her arms.
Just then, an elegant, beautiful woman descended the stone steps of the spiral staircase.
She had fiery-red, wavy hair cascading over her shoulders and wore a fitted silk gown. She had a voluptuous figure and fair, smooth skin, while her large, bright eyes were lively and expressive.
Franco's eyes immediately locked onto her.
Without making it obvious, he straightened his collar and smoothed down the golden bangs over his forehead, making sure to preserve his image as a handsome gentleman.
"This is my wife, Jenny Everly," Dempsey introduced her enthusiastically. "Jenny, these are some adventurer friends I recently met. This young mage is Franco, and this veteran adventurer is Barrett…"
"Nice to meet you." Jenny Everly raised her slender, fair hand in greeting.
Her gaze first settled on Franco's handsome face. She held his eyes for a full two seconds before finally looking away.
Franco responded with a polite, gentlemanly smile, but inside, he was ecstatic.
I have a chance! Another lonely young wife!
That night, the dinner party began.
Servants carried in silver trays laden with delicate dishes and fine wine.
There was white bread spread with foie gras, mustard blood sausage, tender veal steaks with wild mushrooms, duck legs glazed with orange sauce, fish in white cream sauce, and wild boar braised in red wine.
When a silver dome was lifted, it revealed a large roast goose with rich layers of fat and tender red meat beneath the skin. It had been brushed with a honey glaze, leaving its golden, crisp skin glossy with caramelized syrup. The aroma was mouthwatering.
And that wasn't the end of it. After the main feast came an assortment of sweets, drinks, and pastries: raspberry cream pudding, blackcurrant liqueur, lemon-cinnamon apple pie, mille-feuille, rum fruitcake, and delicate flaky pastries filled with minced meat, spinach, and cheese.
EeDechi ate with gusto, her face shining with grease.
Barrett, meanwhile, kept eating while quietly watching the interactions around the dinner table.
Franco kept up his refined, restrained manner. He tied on a pristine white napkin, slowly cut into his steak with a silver knife, speared a small piece, and placed it in his mouth, putting on every bit the air of an aristocrat.
Partway through the meal, a servant informed Dempsey that a guest had arrived. Dempsey excused himself and left the table.
Jenny shifted her chair a little closer to Franco.
Franco was an excellent conversationalist. Every so often, he shared an amusing anecdote from his travels, making Jenny giggle.
Resting her chin lightly on one hand, Jenny gazed at him with unmistakable affection.
"A mage as witty, charming, and handsome as you is hard to come by," she said softly. "If only I'd met you a few years earlier."
"You flatter me, madam." Franco held her gaze. "Meeting at all must be fate. The gears of destiny were always turning to bring us together—so it can never be too late!"
Barrett nibbled on a chicken leg, his brows gradually drawing together.
The more he listened to Franco and Jenny, the more obvious the flirtatious atmosphere between them became.
Franco's old habit was about to rear its head again, while the captain remained completely oblivious, happily stuffing herself with food and drink.
Barrett quietly tugged at Franco's sleeve and whispered, "Behave yourself. Don't do anything stupid."
"You're worrying over nothing, old man. I'm merely making more acquaintances in high society. That'll make it easier for us to track down information on skyship technology." Franco delivered the excuse with complete conviction.
Jenny slowly rose from her seat, her supple waist swaying gently.
"I'm going to fetch a bottle of three-hundred-year-old Moonplum Red," she said. "It's a precious wine. The servants aren't even allowed into the cellar."
Before long, she returned with a crystal bottle sealed in gold foil and gracefully approached the table.
Her hips swayed beneath the silk gown as she walked in her high heels. When she passed Franco's seat, he quietly slipped his wand out from beneath his robes and cast a silent Grease spell.
"Ah!"
Jenny's foot slid out from under her. She lost her balance and fell backward, while the priceless bottle of red wine flew from her hand and headed straight for the marble floor.
At that critical moment, Franco reacted instantly.
He whipped out his wand and gave it a quick flick, casting a Levitation spell. The bottle stopped in midair.
At the same time, he planted his feet firmly and slipped an arm around Jenny's waist, catching her securely against his chest.
"Are you all right?" he asked in a deep, resonant voice filled with concern.
Holding Jenny in his arms, he gazed deeply into her eyes, his gaze warm and affectionate.
"I'm fine. Thank you."
A shy blush instantly spread across Jenny's cheeks. Almost instinctively, she slipped one arm around Franco's neck as she gazed into the handsome mage's eyes.
You could actually pull a stunt like that?! Barrett still had a chicken leg in his mouth. He was so stunned that he forgot to chew.
After bathing in the blood of the Dragon Progenitor, Barrett's physical capabilities had improved dramatically. His senses had grown extraordinarily sharp, and some of his latent potential had been awakened as well.
The instant Franco cast the Grease spell, Barrett sensed the fluctuation of magic. He therefore knew exactly what had happened.
EeDechi could certainly sense the magical disturbance too, but to her, such a tiny fluctuation was no more significant than the flutter of a mosquito's wings.
In EeDechi's eyes, that minor bit of magic was nowhere near as important as the strawberry cream cake in front of her.
After this little incident, Jenny and Franco continued flirting shamelessly.
Franco was clearly holding himself back because EeDechi was there. Otherwise, the two of them might already have kept flirting until the conversation ended in bed.
…
The next morning, Archmage Raffaelli came to visit. He was also a friend of Dempsey Everly's, and the two of them chatted pleasantly.
Barrett told him that they were looking for Longfellow Campbell and hoped to learn about the ancient technology behind skyships.
Raffaelli's expression immediately turned troubled.
"Longfellow Campbell is a two-hundred-year-old epic-level mage who lives in seclusion. No one knows where he is. He only ever appears at the Dragon Island auction."
"Then we'll go to the Dragon Island auction!" EeDechi declared with heroic swagger.
Raffaelli sighed. "Ordinary people can't get into the Dragon Island auction. It's a grand event held once every ten years. Only the most prominent nobles, wealthy merchants, mages, and powerful officials are qualified to attend."
He gave a bitter laugh. "Even I might not qualify."
"Aren't you one of the Mage Alliance's rotating chairpersons?" EeDechi asked in surprise.
"There are fifteen rotating chairpersons like me."
"…"
The mysterious Dragon Island lay hidden in the vast ocean. Once every ten years, it opened trade with the City Alliance, and whenever that happened, the Dragon Island auction was held.
According to legend, as long as you had enough money, you could buy anything at the Dragon Island auction—even youth, time, and love.
Archmage Raffaelli and Dempsey set out together to compete for preliminary-round qualification.
That's right—this was only a contest to qualify for the preliminary round. Only after earning a place in the preliminaries would they have a chance to distinguish themselves from the other preliminary candidates and win admission to the auction itself.
"So we have to attend the Dragon Island auction too?" EeDechi asked.
"Hmm… At the very least, you'll need to make it through the preliminary round," Archmage Raffaelli advised. "Though realistically, getting into the Dragon Island auction is almost impossible for you."
He paused, then added, "Well, not impossible—just extremely, extremely unlikely. But if you make it through the preliminary round, you might at least get the chance to meet Longfellow Campbell."