The Demon bride

A few hundred of years ago, after the great war, the Empire was concerned by the emperor and divided into 5 lands. The Northland, Warine. The Southland, Marshforth. The Eastland, Downbridge. The Westland, Hurthend. And lastly, the middle of the empire, Runalia. Each of the lands had their own lord and was famous with many tales behind the land. Some were ferocious with only mythical creatures or beast around and some mixed with each other to learn how they could co-exist with the human.

And one of the lands that were utterly different tab the other four lands, had no single mythical beings in it due to its rule. That land stayed in the middle of the Empire, called Runalia. Runalia is regarded as the only place where humans live without mingling with other mythical beings. As long time before the Empire was even founded, the humans in Runalia feared other beings than humans and sorcerer. This fear ran down through their blood to the point that even until now they could never allow any beings to stay inside the land. Just as how humans react strongly to mythical beings, the Mythical beings also didn't want to intrude humans live and lived in their perspective lands.

In Runalia, there was a place where all humans would love to visit and that was Afgard. Other than its beauty and for being the main city of the Runalia, Afgard was best known for its slave and the black market. The patrons to the market weren't only sorcerers who searched for sacrifice, but also lustful nobles with the frightening hobby.

The town was wide in diameter and shielded with tall cobblestoned walls that circled the whole tone, guarding it against any invasion from another empire. All around the town was filled with houses and large buildings while in the middle of the path, shops, and trading stalls lifted the merriness.

On this day, the town was holding the Spring festival which was celebrated by making flower crowns to your head, giving it to your beloved as you dance around the bonfire. Near the water fountain, a man with a higher build than the other humans walked through the sea of people while humming the same tone that the choir children sang in the town's heart.

A man found himself in the middle of dark nights walking in a busy street, it dark night but it was like a day for market..

Ian White, The Lord of Warine, did not know exactly what pulled him out of his house, without him even fighting it he followed his leg to where it's taken him to.

He looked at his front and found himself standing in front of a slave auctioning house, with his crease brown Ian entered.

As he entered, an echoing voice loudly exclaimed to the auction hall. The auctioneer cued the other employee for a new slave to be brought in the stage.

"This new slave would be younger than the others. Her name is Elise from Yunan Village. Her age is still yet ripe, but as everyone could see, her skin is pure white, her face is undoubtedly pretty to look at even without her eyes. And to top all the deal, this young girl is a pure untouched virgin!" The commentator's enticing words brought some likings to the audiences who were sitting in the curved seat across the stage.

Elise was pushed to the stage, hearing the talk of the auctioneer next to her as he untied the cloth on her eyes, intense light befell on her eyes, making her squint to protect her sight before eventually looking down back at the floor.

The stage was wide and across her, the bidder sat on the chair stacked on from bellow. Standing alone in the middle of the stage, she felt even smaller. They had the self hawking in the girl, starting from the sorcerer who graded her with different standards to the disgusting noblemen who couldn't wait to taste the little slave for themselves.

In her heart, she could only understand that if someone bought her now, especially the sorcerers she would lose her life for good. Her childish mind could only think that she shouldn't attract any eyes of the audience and look down from the grinning faces of the nobles.

Even if Elise couldn't view their faces, she could sense what kind of emotion and desire running through their eyes. Lust, greed, selfish, and disgust. Some chattered about the use of a child slave and the fact that they could raise her to their taste. A few sorcerers also eyed themself on the girl, whispering how the girl would be a fitting sacrifice for a demonic ritual.

"We will start the bid, from 50 gold coins!" The auctioneer slammed his hand on the tall wooden table that stopped on his waist. He glanced around hawking the bidders who had their interest piqued.

"A hundred gold!" Suddenly a man shouted from the third seat of the auction hall, bringing the set of eyes on him.

Even less than a second he finished his words, many people seemed to have taken a liking to the girl's petite body. Elise's face was delicate and with her red hair, the complexion of her fair skin became paler while her red lips as colorful as ripe cherries. Her large blue eyes glittered like jewels from the light, flickering the interest of anyone who saw her pure eyes. The same exact pure eyes that would stir the people's evil deed to stain the girl.

For a slave, she could be labeled to be one of the rarest beauty. Not to mention, nobles love rare thing including her burning red hair. Whispers clamored around the room before another shout followed the man in less than a second. "two hundred fifty gold!"

"four hundred gold!" Another one jumped the other bidder when a crisp husky voice echoed through the room. Everyone turned their face to the man who bided, thinking that his taste must have been innocent children to bed with a disgusted expression. Because most of the bidders had half of their upper face hidden, they couldn't see the man's face but it didn't change their inner eagerness to guess which noble of merchant under the mask.

The auctioneer rolled his eyes across the room waiting for anyone to raise the price, but heard no one and hummed. "Anyone else? Anyone else?"

No one replied and the auctioneer immediately raised his hand to slam the fate of Elise to the pedophile when suddenly his hand froze in mid-air from magic.

"Four thousand gold." Ian's deep voice echoed through the hall, bringing gawking silence as it ended.

The people's eyes on the bidder snapped to the back. They couldn't possibly hear it wrong, someone had just bid a small and young slave who was mostly useless as she couldn't satisfy anyone in bed yet for four thousand gold. It was the same amount as a humongous mansion with a complete furniture store. The amount of money that people could only get a hold in their dreams.

Elise who had resigned her fate in finally rose her head in a shock. A gold to her was enough to fill her stomach for a whole year. But someone had just thought her as expensive to spend four thousand gold coins on her.

Ian walked down the stairs in glee after finally finding what he needed to find, he ascended the stair with a high jump, elegantly doing his movements with little efforts. He raised his finger on her chin and rose it up to smile at her under his mask.

"Nice to meet you, my puppy." A chuckle followed his greetings.

He know that this is what pull him out of his house.. His bride, who is yet but a woman, she must be just 8 or 9 years old.

The auctioneer had an aghast face paler than a corpse when he saw Ian jumping to the stage in ease to the point he almost collapsed in shock. Due to how dangerous auction is, Turisk, the head merchant hired the strongest sorcerers that he could find to protect the items he will sell and placed a very strong magical barrier. Once someone foolish enough to enter the stage uninvited, their body would be shredded into pieces and burn to ashes. Yet Ian didn't have to do anything and hopped on with glee! What a frightening magical power! He was taken aback greatly for a moment but eventually found his way to walk to the man. He rubbed both palms near his chest and nervously muttered in a crooked jittery smile.

"S- Sir... Please do not enter the stage... It is forbidden by the rule." In front of Ian who could enter the stage even though it had a protection magic circle that could shred the unwanted people to pieces easily, no one could keep their calm including the auctioneer who was about to piss himself. However, the man was someone important and he wouldn't dare to annoy him.

Yet when the auctioneer thought about who could be under the mask and hopped into death in ease, his face was drained from all blood, looking horrifyingly pale.