NOVPUBThe signal Ludger sent was relayed to all the other members.
‘The boss can’t move? Is this operation still going to hold up?’
Violetta, now inside the Key Master’s private room, hesitated for a moment after hearing the news through her communicator.
But they had already accounted for this kind of situation. If something like this happened, backup was supposed to step in.
All she could do now was trust the plan.
Click.
The Key Master locked the door behind him, a nasty grin spreading across his face.
“Hehehe. Hey, sweetheart. How about we play a little game?”
“Oh my, I do love games.”
Violetta replied, her voice sharp and clear, any trace of drunkenness gone.
The Key Master, who had expected her to stumble around in a daze, blinked in confusion.
CRACK!
In a flash, Violetta’s delicate hand grabbed him by the collar.
As he gawked in disbelief, she narrowed her eyes, giving him a dangerously alluring smile.
“How about a game like this?”
SLAM!
With a brutal twist, she hurled him to the floor.
“Gahk!”
He didn’t even have time to brace himself, the air knocked out of his lungs as he hit the ground hard, eyes rolling back.
Violetta flexed her hand, channeling mana through her body as a soft glow lit up along her arms.
‘Body reinforcement through mana. Such a strange feeling.’
The only magic Violetta could use was <Elemental Manifestation> and <Mana Release>.
Even then, her elemental control was limited to wind. She wasn’t a real mage, more like someone who picked up scraps of magic through second-hand learning.
But Ludger had seen her potential—and filled in what she lacked.
She had finally realized just how much magical talent she actually possessed.
Among the five schools of magic, she was naturally gifted in Manifestation Magic.
With Ludger’s help, she quickly learned <Enhancement> and <Telekinesis>, the other branches of Manifestation.
She hadn’t reached any deep mastery yet, just scratched the surface, but for now, that was more than enough.
‘First things first, I need that key.’
Violetta searched the unconscious Key Master’s body.
But no matter where she looked, she couldn’t find it.
Which meant he didn’t have it on him.
‘This is his room. So it has to be somewhere around here.’
She walked over to a large, tightly shut cabinet and yanked it open.
And then she saw it.
“...You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Keys.
Dozens, no, hundreds of keys hanging neatly inside.
Even at a glance, she could tell they were all used for various doors in the Kunst Auction House and Hotel.
* * *
‘Damn it. Why the hell do I have to go myself?’
Hans grumbled to himself as he pulled on his coat and got ready to leave.
“Hans? You’re heading out?”
“Yeah. The boss can’t move, so I’ve got no choice. Arfa, I’m leaving this device to you.”
“Oh, right. About that—Hans, there’s a problem.”
“What? What problem?”
Arfa pointed at the device Hans had handed over.
“This thing... it’s not working.”
“What? No way.”
“I tried pressing the button, just to check. Nothing happened. Maybe the signal’s weak?”
Hans’s face turned serious as he inspected the gadget Seridan had made.
It was supposed to be simple. Press the button at the right time, and it would work. The red light on the device would turn on as proof.
But when Arfa tried pressing it, there was no red light.
Just a harsh static noise.
Realizing something was wrong, Hans quickly called Seridan over the comm.
“This is <Kafka>. You there?”
[Yeah, this is <Wells>. What’s up?]
“This thing you made isn’t working right. That’s normal?”
[Huh? Really? Hold on. Where are you now?]
“Building across from the auction house.”
[Hmm. What’s the status?]
“Static noise, no red light. Otherwise, it looks fine.”
[Sounds like a signal issue. Maybe there’s some interference between inside the auction house and where you are.]
Seridan muttered something under her breath before coming to a conclusion.
[The light still comes on, right?]
“Yeah. It’s not totally dead, just not working properly.”
[If it’s a signal issue, there’s only one fix. You’ve got to get closer.]
“Closer? How close?”
[Closer than across the street, that’s for sure.]
Unbelievable.
Hans could feel the headache coming on.
Now Arfa had to come along too.
[What are you going to do?]
“...We’ll do it. The boss left this to me.”
[Alright. Good luck, <Kafka>. I’m heading out too.]
Ending the call, Hans rubbed his temples and turned to Arfa.
“Let’s move. We’ve got to go now.”
“Alright.”
Hans and Arfa wrapped the device in a cloth and left the building.
* * *
In her VVIP room, Erendir had been lying there, bored out of her mind, unable to take it any longer.
‘I mean, I could just leave and go home, but... that feels kind of lame.’
She figured she should at least be able to tell Rine—her first real friend—what kinds of mysterious things were up for auction here.
She imagined herself explaining it all to Rine later, showing off.
Rine, eyes shining, listening closely.
She could just see herself basking in admiration, playing the cool senior.
‘Not bad.’
That little daydream gave her a spark of motivation.
She got up and quickly got ready to head downstairs.
Her attendant, who had been waiting near the door, rushed to her side.
“Your Highness, where are you going?”
“The auction’s just starting, right? I thought I’d take a look.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll escort you to the highest VVIP section.”
With her attendant leading the way, Erendir headed to the auction hall.
The spacious hall on the first floor.
Rows of seats like an opera house, filled with guests dressed in the finest clothes.
Erendir was seated in the VIP section, reserved for only the most exclusive guests.
It overlooked the auction floor from above—prime real estate.
Just as she sat down, the auction began.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for joining us once again at the Kunst Auction House!”
The host greeted them warmly and jumped right in.
“Now! The first item of our second-day auction is—this! The Mermaid’s Tear!”
Oooooh!
They were kicking things off with something big.
The Mermaid’s Tear was a dazzling blue gem, living up to its name.
Shaped like an actual tear, it glowed with an ethereal, pure light, as if a real mermaid had wept it from some legend.
‘Wow.’
Even Erendir, who normally couldn’t care less about jewels, found herself mesmerized.
“Bidding starts at 1 million denars! Place your bids freely!”
The auction heated up right from the start.
By the time the price hit 500 million denars, Erendir wasn’t impressed anymore—she was disgusted.
‘It’s just a gem, not an actual mermaid’s tear. Spending that kind of money on something so pointless? You could feed entire villages with that.’
The whole room started to feel uncomfortable.
A heavy mix of desire and greed poisoned the air.
Not as overwhelming as being near her sister—but still, this wasn’t a place she could feel at ease.
‘Maybe I should just leave.’
Just as that thought crossed her mind, someone sat down in the empty seat beside her.
“You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Ah, well...”
The voice belonged to a woman with sky-blue hair, tied in a side ponytail.
But what really caught her eye were the woman’s sea-blue eyes, staring straight at her.
There was something mysterious, almost otherworldly, about her—so much so that Erendir’s first impression of her beauty and presence seemed completely natural.
“They say the Mermaid’s Tear is a gem formed from the tears of a legendary mermaid who lives in the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° great ocean. Of course, the one up on that stage is a fake.”
“And how can you be so sure of that?”
“I’ve seen the real thing. The light might be similar, but a true Mermaid’s Tear holds a gentle, flowing mana—like calm water. That one doesn’t.”
Her sea-blue eyes gleamed, as if they could cut straight to the gem’s very essence.
She could sense that from this far away?
Erendir couldn’t help but be impressed, and her curiosity about the woman who had just approached her suddenly deepened.
“Who are you, exactly? You don’t seem like an ordinary guest to be seated here.”
“Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself.”
With practiced ease, the woman reached into her jacket and pulled out a business card between her index and middle fingers, handing it to Erendir.
The gesture lacked any sort of traditional formality, but somehow it suited her perfectly. Erendir took the card.
On it was written: [Casey Selmore].
Below the name, it read: [Occupation: Detective].
Casey Selmore. Casey Selmore.
As she mouthed the name silently to herself, Erendir suddenly gasped.
“Wait! You’re the Casey Selmore, the famous genius detective?!”
“Oh? You know me?”
“Of course! You’re the one who caught the notorious criminal James Moriarty! And you even earned the title of Azure for your water-elemental magic!”
As someone who studied magic, Erendir knew exactly how impressive that was.
Very few mages in the Mage Tower earned a color title.
“I never imagined I’d meet you in a place like this. It’s an honor. I’m...”
“Princess Erendir, third in line, right?”
“Huh? You knew?”
“No. We’re meeting for the first time today.”
“Then how did you...?”
As Erendir stammered, Casey smiled slyly.
“You looked bored stiff watching the auction. Plus, the back of your hair’s slightly flattened—you were lying down until just a bit ago, weren’t you? I can still smell a hint of the air freshener they use for cleaning the rooms.”
“......!”
Caught off guard, Erendir quickly reached up to fix her hair.
Casey shrugged, continuing her deduction.
“You’re not wearing perfume, and barely any makeup. No one else in this VIP section would dare to be so casual. Which means you’re someone who doesn’t have to care about appearances. Someone with such overwhelming status that nobody would dare judge you.”
She looked back at the auction stage, her eyes gleaming.
“You’re not even enjoying this auction, yet you’re sitting here in one of the highest-ranking seats, only for personally invited guests. There’s already a rumor going around that a royal is attending today’s event. Add all that up, and there’s only one answer, right?”
“...You’re amazing.”
Erendir couldn’t help but admire her. Everything she said was dead-on.
Now she understood why Casey Selmore was known throughout the continent as a genius detective.
But then, a question hit her.
Why was Casey Selmore, of all people, attending this auction?
“You look like you’re wondering something.”
“Well, yeah.”
“Well, I happened to be in Rederbelk, and got an invitation. Hard to say no when they’re offering fancy rooms and VIP treatment, right?”
“Then... you’re here just to watch the auction?”
“If I had to give a reason... intuition?”
“Intuition?”
“Yeah. The bigger the event, the more eyes and attention it draws. And where that happens, something always goes down.”
Something... happens?
Erendir wanted to dismiss it as a joke.
This was Kunst Auction House—one of the most secure places she’d ever seen, almost rivaling the Imperial Palace.
Not to mention the private guards brought in by all the powerful guests. Any criminal showing up here would be taken down instantly.
“You think I’m joking, don’t you?”
“Huh? No, that’s not—”
“I get it. It’s natural to think that way when someone suddenly claims something will go wrong. But just wait. You’ll see soon enough.”
Erendir couldn’t shake off the strange feeling she got from Casey’s confident words.
* * *
An alleyway adjoining the Kunst Auction House.
Near a dumpster behind a restaurant, Hans and Arfa crouched against the wall, fiddling with the device.
“Is it like this?”
“Oh, Hans! Look at this. The light’s on now. I think we’re getting a proper signal.”
“Good. At least we don’t have to go further in. And call me <Kafka> here, alright? You trying to get us caught?”
“Oh, right! Got it. Then call me <Dumas> too, okay?”
“I was gonna.”
Hans grumbled under his breath as he got ready to activate the device at the exact time they’d planned.
But then—
“Hey! Who’s there?”
A voice rang out. One of the security guards in a suit had entered the alley.
Bald, with a thick beard, holding a flashlight.
‘Shit!’
Hans froze. Of all times for an external patrol to show up here.
“What are you doing back here?”
If the guard called for backup, others would show up fast.
Hans racked his brain for what to do.
But before he could react, Arfa straightened up and walked toward the guard.
‘Hey, hey! What are you doing?!’
Hans hissed at him, but Arfa ignored it.
“Huh? A kid?”
The guard saw the young-looking Arfa and, just for a moment, let his guard down.
And that was his mistake.
WHAM!
“Guh!”
Arfa’s small fist slammed straight into the man’s gut, and despite being two heads taller, the guard crumpled instantly.
Hans just stood there, stunned.
‘What the hell did I just see?’
He dropped that giant in one hit? Sure, Kunst’s outer guards were weaker than the ones inside—but still, no ordinary guy could pull that off. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Arfa, acting like nothing had happened, turned back to Hans with a bright smile.
Like he was asking, Did I do good?
That stupid grin only made it harder for Hans to figure him out.
‘What the hell is this guy?’
