Ch. 264

Against my will, I ended up imagining a scene where Rovenin treated me like a woman.

The thought of him looking down at me with the same quiet gaze Ash sometimes had, taking my hand, and kissing the back of it…

“…I, I think I’m going to throw up…”

“Geenie?”

“Stop the horse…!”

My stomach lurched so badly that I had to get off in a hurry.

I grabbed a nearby tree and started dry-heaving, and Ash—flustered because he had no idea why I was suddenly like this—brought me some water.

“Are you okay? Here, try drinking this.”

“Ugh, blech.”

[Disgusting….]

To think my rich imagination, trained by Spirit Magic, would end up poisoning me.

[Why would you even imagine that…?]

[It was a reflex, what was I supposed to do! And Ash popped into my head for a second!]

‘I should avoid reading Ash’s mind for a while.’

I took a moment for some very untimely self-reflection.

And I cursed Rovenin, who had stopped his horse and was watching me, from the bottom of my heart.

‘Oh, God!’

‘If you strike that bastard dead with lightning, I’ll live a devout life from now on!’

[You think He’d believe that? God isn’t an idiot, you know?]

[I swear, I’ll make you bald.]

[Fortune favors the faithful… I believe, I believe.]

—

We arrived much later than expected, all because I’d suffered severe mental trauma midway and kept getting hit with dry heaves.

Ash also rode slowly out of concern for me, which didn’t help.

By the time we reached our destination—the pier—the place was deserted, like we were the last customers.

“I believe that’s the ship.”

“According to the invitation, it’s the ‘Kontoros’… What do you think? Can you see it?”

“I think we’ll have to get a little closer. It’s blocked by the carriages from here.”

The pier wasn’t very large, and there was only one ship docked.

A luxurious cruise ship sat moored on a secluded beach, so out of place it looked almost absurd. Its lights were off, as if no one was aboard.

But with all the horses and carriages tied up nearby, it had to be the one.

“That’s it. The Kontoros.”

As we got closer, the name engraved on the ship became visible. I could also feel a large number of presences gathered inside.

I took out my half-mask and put it on, while Rovenin was already wearing a face covering. For Ash, pulling his hood down deep was enough to hide his face.

It was a relief that even if someone saw him, he had the kind of ordinary face they’d forget by tomorrow.

In a way, you could say he was already wearing a mask.

“Shall we go, then?”

“Yes, and be careful.”

The Black Market was held at sea. I didn’t know the specifics, but it seemed they’d set up shop on the water because so many things were illegal on land.

There was no way of knowing what went on inside the ship before entering, and if the vessel was privately owned, it was even more perfect. If a raid came, they could simply set sail.

“Stop right there.”

As we approached, guards holding spears blocked our path.

But the moment they saw the mask I was wearing, their wariness visibly eased, and when I presented the invitation, they readily stepped aside.

“You’re late. You must have lost your way.”

“It’s my first time.”

“Follow me. I will guide you.”

Once they realized I was an invited guest, the guards became quite friendly.

They took charge of our horses and politely guided us onto the ship.

“We’re not too late, are we?”

“No, rest assured. It will still be in full swing.”

“That’s a relief… Hey, I brought two escorts. Is that okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“I was wondering if there are entry restrictions.”

“If you have an invitation, you are allowed to be accompanied by up to two people. Most of our other guests also bring two escorts.”

I gave a short nod. I’d heard the entry restrictions were strict, so I’d been holding out a small hope I could ditch Rovenin here.

Rovenin stuck close behind me with Ash, and to an outsider, the two of them looked every bit like escorts.

Noticing my displeased face, Ash quietly approached and asked,

“Is it going to be okay? You said there was something you absolutely had to buy, but we’re late…”

“It’s fine. The thing I’m trying to buy comes out last today.”

“…Which means it’s a very rare item.”

“My, you’re so smart.”

‘This is why I find you so adorable.’

As I whispered just loud enough for Ash to hear, Rovenin glaring daggers at me was nothing but a delight.

We followed the guard and boarded the ship.

—

What you saw from the outside wasn’t everything.

Once inside, it was obvious the ship was far larger than it had looked from afar.

The deeper we went, the more luxurious it became, until I couldn’t tell whether this was a ship or part of a palace.

‘Does the Black Market really make that much money?’

Well, it had to be lucrative enough to justify the risk of running something illegal.

“This way.”

The area we were led to had a high ceiling, and besides the guards, there were many others watching us with fierce eyes.

They were neatly dressed and stood politely, but I had a feeling every single one of them knew exactly how to cut a man down.

One of them asked for my invitation again.

“Welcome aboard the Kontoros. May I see your invitation?”

Since he stopped right in front of me, Ash and Rovenin’s escort act must not have been too bad.

“Here.”

“Yes, you’re in Row N. Please enter through the far-right door.”

‘A door? It looks like there are only stairs.’

Puzzled, I looked where he pointed. A curtain was pulled back, revealing a large hidden door.

A dark green double door.

“The auction is in progress, so please be quiet and take your seat. Row N is to your right after you enter.”

I wanted to act like I was used to this sort of thing, but I couldn’t help being curious, so I ended up walking while looking around.

The moment I passed through the door, darkness fell over me, and a strange smell hit my nose.

A pleasant yet unpleasant mix of high-end perfumes… the smell of high society.

And also the foulest smell you could encounter at a party.

Holding my breath, I slowly descended the stairs. The deeper I went into the auction hall, the more I felt a certain unpleasant heat closing in around me.

In response, my mind turned faintly cold, and my nerves sharpened.

I made eye contact with a few masked individuals.

From within the pitch-black darkness, they scanned the latecomer with nothing but rolling eyes.

It felt as unpleasant as being licked, and I could tell from their arrogant, sticky gazes alone that most of them were nobles.

From that point on, Ash started walking even closer to me.

“Watch your step.”

And he’d been telling me to be careful for a while now.

The auction had already started, so all the lights in the seating area were off. It was so dark I couldn’t even find my row, let alone read the seat number.

I stopped halfway down the stairs and stared at the invitation, then beckoned Ash closer with a small lift of my hand.

The fact that the man lowering his ear to my shoulder like a trained servant was actually the empire’s prince crossed my mind, and I whispered with a faint smile.

“I can’t find my seat.”

“What’s the number?”

“I can’t see that either.”

I narrowed my eyes and stared at the invitation again, but it would take time for my vision to adjust.

Fortunately, I had two men with me for whom darkness was no obstacle.

“Let me see.”

“Okay.”

“It’s Row N, Seat 6.”

“What row is this?”

Ash glanced around once like I had, then beckoned Rovenin over the same way I’d beckoned him. He handed Rovenin the invitation and had him find the seat.

“Would you find the seat for us?”

“…”

“If you insisted on following, you should at least do this much.”

It was a strange power dynamic.

I ordered Ash around, and Ash ordered Rovenin around—with a completely natural attitude.

It was too dark to see his expression clearly, but Rovenin didn’t answer, probably because he didn’t want to.

He was a rude bastard by nature, so I thought he might refuse, but before long, he silently brushed past me and went down the stairs.

“He’s actually doing it? I thought he wouldn’t listen at all.”

The bastard disappearing into the darkness muttered as he glared at the back of my head.

“There’s a difference between a request and a command, but he tends to listen to what I say.”

“The fact that he ‘tends to listen’… isn’t that a problem? Isn’t it normal for him to obey if you command him?”

“He listens because I don’t think of it that way.”

“Hmm. So was that just now a command or a request?”

“It was a request.”

‘I don’t get it.’

I stroked my chin and asked again.

“Then… he won’t listen if you command him?”

“He’d react more immediately to a command.”

“Then what’s the difference?”

“The fact that I rarely give commands, perhaps. And I don’t ask him to do things he would truly detest.”

“I get it. He listens because you don’t treat him carelessly, is that it?”

Even though he was royalty, Ash had an extremely low tendency to boss others around. For someone as difficult as Rovenin—someone who found other people’s very existence grating—Ash was bound to be a comfortable presence.

Maybe Rovenin felt a sense of stability from Ash, just as I did.

It was becoming clearer by the day that Ash and I had a lot in common.

‘Though that just makes my misanthropy worse…’

While waiting for Rovenin, I slowly looked around.

The auction hall was dark, but I could get a general sense of the atmosphere.

There were more people than I’d expected. A low murmur drifted from all sides, and the mood felt less festive and more tensely alert.

The heavy, stirring air had an ominous quality that made you tense without realizing it.

As my eyes adjusted, I realized this space was quite large—and that it hadn’t originally been built as an auction hall.

It seemed to be a performance hall meant for the cruise ship’s passengers.

Maybe a place for plays or concerts.

The structure reminded me of movie theaters from my past life, but since the customers were nobles, the seating wasn’t cramped. Instead, it was divided into individual tables.

The only brightly lit area was the stage at the front, where the auction was in full swing. It was wide enough for several dozen people to stand on at once.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Rovenin isn’t back…”

‘That bastard—when did he get here?’

He must have returned while I was distracted sizing up the atmosphere.

Rovenin stood beside Ash like a shadow.

A shadow that had no presence, made no sound, and didn’t deserve my attention. I was confident even a ghost would announce itself more loudly than he did.