One man. Two women. A merchant. An old noble. A young nobleman. A woman wearing enough jewelry to probably fund an entire village.
"Those are all the NPCs to keep in mind for now." She muttered to herself, before reaching for another pastry. "Then I will just have to watch everyone for now."
The lights suddenly dimmed. The chatter immediately died down. A spotlight appeared over the stage.
The auctioneer stepped forward.
"Esteemed guests." Her voice echoed throughout the auction hall. "Welcome to tonight's special auction."
Aefia stopped chewing. Here we go.
"Tonight, we have several extraordinary lots prepared for you."
A large curtain behind him slowly opened. The first cage was revealed. Inside sat a pair of grown men with their hands bound.
Aefia's expression immediately changed. She lowered the pastry. So it really was slaves.
The audience murmured. Some sounded excited. Others were discussing prices.
Aefia's fingers curled against the armrest. She had expected it and she had known it would happen.
But knowing something from a story and actually seeing it happen were two entirely different things.
Her eyes narrowed beneath the veil. The auctioneer continued. "Our first lot tonight is a rare pair—"
Aefia glanced toward the other VIPs.
Nothing. No reaction from the majority.
Then—
A hand was raised. "One hundred gold."
Another bidder immediately followed. "Two hundred."
"Three hundred."
The numbers continued rising.
Aefia watched silently.
Down below, the auctioneer raised his hammer. "Sold!"
The crowd applauded. But Aefia didn't. Her attention remained fixed on the floor. It went on and on.
It hadn't even started yet, the main part.
The seventh cage rolled onto the stage, and the casual chatter in the VIP gallery instantly thinned out.
Beneath the fishnet veil, Aefia stopped chewing. The iron bars enclosed a figure unlike the previous lots—smaller, draped in heavy, dust-caked rags, with pale skin that looked almost translucent under the harsh spotlight. A faint, rhythmic pulse of blue light radiated from the metal collar locked around the captive's neck.
That is not a human. Her thoughts sharpened instantly. And that definitely wasn't in the original chapter notes.
Down below, the auctioneer's voice boomed across the hall, dripping with theatrical delight. "Ladies and gentlemen, a rare acquisition! Recovered directly from the outer ruins of the shattered abyss. A creature of pure blood, perfectly preserved!"
The nobles leaned forward, sudden greed flickering in their eyes. The bidding opened aggressively.
"Five thousand gold!"
"Seven thousand!"
Aefia's fingers tapped a quiet rhythm against the velvet armrest. The plot wasn't just shifting; it was actively fracturing. The game's script had clearly stated that the high-value item wouldn't appear until the final hour, yet here it was, dragged out prematurely to bait a specific crowd.
Her gaze swept across the VIP gallery once more, ignoring the rising numbers on the auction floor. The old noble in the corner was gripping his cane too tightly, knuckles turning white. The woman draped in jewels had stopped fanning herself. And the young nobleman—the one sitting two seats down, casually swirling a glass of dark amber liquid—wasn't looking at the cage at all.
He was looking at her.
Or, more specifically, at the stolen VIP card resting beside her tea cup.
Aefia didn't flinch. She simply picked up her teacup, tilting it gracefully as if completely unaware of the heavy, calculating stare. Beneath the veil, a thin, knowing smile crept across her lips.
Found you.
"Twelve thousand gold! Going once..." the auctioneer's hammer hovered in the air.
The young nobleman across the room slowly raised two fingers, his lips parting in a lazy, sharp grin. "Fifteen thousand."
The hall fell dead silent. Fifteen thousand gold for a single unknown asset was an absurd, astronomical figure—precisely the kind of high-stakes gamble that would throw the entire auction off-balance.
"Fifteen thousand going twice..." the auctioneer stammered, sweat beading on her forehead below the mask. "Sold to the gentleman over there!"
As the gavel crashed down, the lights in the main hall didn't just dim—they snapped off entirely. Pitch blackness swallowed the auditorium, instantly followed by the sharp, metallic shriek of heavy gears locking from the outside.
In the sudden darkness, a collective gasp echoed from the crowd, quickly drowned out by the sound of glass shattering in the rear gallery.
Aefia didn't hesitate. She kicked her chair backward, the wooden legs scraping loudly against the floor, and turned to head out of the auction room.
It was break time, finally.
She headed out to the backstage, sneaking around quietly—looking for nothing.
"My Lady? What are you doing here?" The young gentleman's voice echoed from a corner.
She turned her head around, but didn't say a word.
"Ah! You must be lost. Would you like me to guide you back?" He offered politely.
"I am afraid I don't want company. I will pass, thanks." She answered, getting up and dusting her knees. The hallways was absurdly silent, the lightbulb above was flickering. The area was so neon, the white walls looked green.
She looked directly over his shoulder to look at the exit, them walked that way, shoving past him.
A few steps away from the threshold, the man suddenly turned around.
"My lady, I have a question. If you don't mind?" He asked, his hands clasped behind him as he smiled.
"Speak..." Aefia looked down, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I have seen you haven't made a single purchase yet in the auction." He took a step forward.
"And what does that have to you matter?"
"Is it possible, that you are penniless and came here just for the show? Or are you... Perhaps... The 'Assassin of the Night'?"
Aefia paused, staring wide-eyed down at him. Then looked away immediately.
"It is simply because the current purchased aren't promising. I am eyeing a certain product that has been in my mind for the past couple of days. When I heard that will be brought to the stage today, I willingly came early so I don't lose it." She replied over her shoulder.
"Ah... I see," he held a surprised tone of voice. "But still. I thought that all sales for today were done?"
"Pfft," Aefia chuckled. "Did you honestly think that? On a day where the sales were two for the price of one? The auction staff were probably already certain that because of that offer, they will have to have some extra stock. If you have missed it, I can't judge you. Because this was all a last minute thing."
He looked surprised at her sudden explaination. "What...? But I have been coming here for the past five years—"
"The owners and the managers can change. New rules may have been made too. You can't just stick to the belief that just because something has been happening same for the past five years straight, that it would be the same this year too. If you recall carefully... That special product they had brought out—and which you had bought—was unlike usual. That magic wielding humanoid beast was very strange actually."
She turned to look at him. "I thought that you knew. But it got me questioning myself too. What are you really?"
He flinched, his gloved hand coming up to grip the brim of his top hat, pulling it further down his face to shadow it away from her line of sight.
"I am sorry to have interrupted you my lady. I hope you have a pleasant evening." He abruptly said.
What a wierd psycho. Aefia scoffed silently in her mind.
She turned on her heels and left, without a single glance backwards.
And if she did, she would have seen the weird look he was shooting her from behind her back... Or how a dark circle was blooming underneath his feet before dying down as he started to walk out.
***
The bid continued a short while later.
Aefia sat comfortably back in her plush VIP armchair, crossing one leg over the other. She delicately lifted her porcelain teacup, taking a slow, unbothered sip while the rest of the venue's aristocratic guests still rattled from the mysterious lock-down minutes prior.
Across the gallery, the young nobleman—the very same "weird psycho" she had encountered in the backstage hallway—was staring directly at her. His top hat was tilted just high enough for his sharp, unsettled eyes to lock onto hers. The arrogance he had displayed when dropping fifteen thousand gold had completely vanished, replaced by a tense, probing gaze that practically screamed, Who on earth are you?
Except... She was from Earth.
Aefia met his wide-eyed glare beneath her fishnet veil. Slowly, with unmatched aristocratic poise, she raised her teacup toward him in a silent, mocking toast, tipping it slightly before bringing it back to her lips.
The nobleman flinched, his jaw tightening as he turned his head away, gripping his amber glass so hard the stem nearly snapped.
Down on the stage, the auctioneer cleared her throat loudly into the microphone, trying desperately to regain control of the room.
Sweat glistened on her pale face below her half-mask as she wiped her forehead with a silk handkerchief.
"E-esteemed guests! We apologize for the momentary, ah... technical malfunction!" the auctioneer announced, her voice echoing across the silent hall. "As a gesture of goodwill—and to address an unexpected turn in our scheduling—we are pivoting directly into a special emergency showcase!"
The crowd began to whisper nervously.
"Due to an extraordinary demand and a sudden depletion of our initial stock, our patrons will be pleased to know that we are liquidating an exclusive secondary batch tonight," the woman continued, raising her hands to command attention.
"The management is currently gathering funds to secure a high-ranking, mythic-class specimen from the eastern territories. Thus, for tonight only, we present our newly arrived special pieces—sold strictly in pairs, at unprecedented promotional rates!"
A heavy iron gate at the back of the stage slowly rattled upward.
Aefia stopped swirling her tea. Her gaze sharpened, tracking the line of figures being led onto the stage by heavily armed guards. Familiar faces came into view—people she recognized from the Competition.
Fifteen candidates, Aefia thought, her mind instantly running through the plot that had been deduced not so long ago. I guess I was indefinitely right about this. I was aware that they were going to sacrifice the new workers, that is why I said I would like to apply for a job, at the reception. I also placed a list of names and said they were my enemies and I wanted them sold away from me. The auctioneer lady really was generous.
She smirked silently.
Her eyes scanned the lineup on stage.
Down below, the auctioneer slammed her gavel against the wooden pedestal.
"We shall begin the bidding for the first pair at a starting price of just two hundred gold pieces!"
Aefia set her teacup down on the saucer with a soft, decisive clink. She leaned back, resting her chin on her gloved hand, her eyes darting between the terrified candidates on stage and the dark, blooming shadow secretly creeping across the carpet beneath the young nobleman's chair.
She slammed down her heel hard on the carpet, and the shadow immediately dissolved away.
Pure, elemental magic can't battle the dark magic of some psychotic NPC.
Slowly, she raised her hand.
"That kind lady over there. What would you want?" The auctioneer asked, pointing at Aefia.
"Give me the platinum blonde and blue-eyed one. Twenty million gold." She declared, raising her voice high enough for everyone to shut up instantly.
Sasha gritted her teeth, looking down at her. Aefia! I know you are there!
The auctioneer lady stared with disbelief. "Oh... We have a desperate customer! Sold!"
Aefia smiled to herself, lowering her hand and making a move to stand up. "I would like to end my purchasing here. Thank you."
"Huh? W-well... We have many more better options here. Won't you like to choose another one?" The lady asked.
"No. I am good." She replied, turned around to head towards the grand doors. "Keep the product here until the auction ends. I am becoming a bit tired, so I would like to head out first."
"Sure thing. Thank you, dear customer." The auctioneer turned away. "Now..."
As soon as Aefia was out, she looked down at the card in her hand.
This VIP token had just gotten her the freedom to pull that bold move there. She was honestly happy to have stumbled across it. But for now...
Without a hesitation, she tore it and tossed it into the flames. Then reached towards her hat, taking it off too.
"That is done... Now I will just..."
*********************
First draft: 12.11.2025
Rewritten: 03.10.2026