| Auction (1)|

"C-Calm down Merl! It's a joke, a joke~"

"HAhahaha"

"Hehehe"

"It seemed that you two are indeed very close" Helen said to which everyone agreed with her.

The ride was pretty short, so I wasn't able to finish telling them everything before we got off.

The first thought that had come to mind upon arrival was that Vincent really put in a lot of work into this. The Helstea Auction House was breathtaking. It was rather misleading to even call it a house as it towered high above any of the other buildings nearby.

I've been to many national and historical monuments that were created by the most famous architects, but this was on a different level. I suspected that they had a lot of help from Conjurers from how large it was. The Auction House was a magnificent theatre with intricate designs all over. The main doors were over 4 meters in height and were made from petrified wood with carved designs on it. Compared to the naturalistic and elegant designs that I saw in the Elf Kingdom, this was more complicated and grand. It was in the shape of a half-cylinder with detailed stone sculptures of different weapons as supports.

We arrived early, so only the workers and guards were present, preparing for the event. The inside was equally, if not more stunning. The front door opened to a path that stretched out to a stage on the other end. To our left and right, there were rows of escalating seats made from a rather luxurious burgundy leather that could fit over ten thousand people comfortably. Upon looking up, I noticed that there were incased booths at the very top of the rows of seats and even higher, there was a single room attached to the ceiling and back wall with glass surrounding it, giving a clear view of the stage. It was easy to guess that those booths, as well as the single room, was for the VIP.

Turns out, that VIP room on the ceiling was the room we'd be seated in. Father and the Twin Horns, who had decided to help my father and the guards to prepare for any unwanted commotions or outbreaks, were the first to separate from us. Vincent separated from us after as he barked out orders at the workers and readied the hosts to greet the more important guests.

Tabitha led us to the room, making us comfortable inside the carefully-designed and furnished area that was meant for only the most distinguished and wealthy guests. There was a wine rack and a few reclining seats and tables with closer seats by the window. I made myself comfortable on a seat closest to the window.

The auction house was soon a panorama of cheerful and excited noise, as more and more people, who were no doubt people of some sort of influence, began filling the lower seats. There were some groups that seemed more distinguished than the rest who were personally escorted by the hosts to their booths. No doubt, they were some of the more affluent nobles in the Kingdom.

Growing bored of the hordes of overdressed nobles chatting eagerly amongst themselves, I shifted my attention to Lilia as she was teaching some sort of clapping game to Ellie. I couldn't help but smile myself as the both of them broke into a fit of giggles when either of them messed up and were flicked gently in the ear as punishment.

I then turned towards Merl, who's sitting alone in a daze.

"Hey Merl" I called.

"..." He didn't response. He might as well not being able to properly hear me.

"Merl" I called out again in a louder voice.

"Hm? Did you say something Art?" Merl replied.

"Kyu..."

I felt Sylvie's being worried for Merl. I wonder why...

"What are you thinking? Did something happened?" I asked as I sit next to him.

"Nothing...Just thinking...Hey Art, on which occasion do mana runs rampant?" Merlin seemed to hesitate a bit before asking me.

"hmm...When you're taking more mana than your core could handle or when mana are unstable in one location or place due to a difference in mana density." I thought and stated.

"I see...UUug! It's so frustrating!" Merl suddenly yelled, startling Sylvie. Clearly, his worries seemed to fade away.

"Thanks Art" He thanked me, which I respond by giving him a light nudge to his side.

"No worries"

Time passed by rather slowly until Vincent came back, leading a group of unfamiliar people inside.

The first to come in behind Vincent was an elderly man with long, deep-red hair that was aged with streaks of grey. His back was ramrod straight with broad shoulders that took off years in his appearance. The man's eyes were stern with harsh, sword-shaped eyebrows, giving him an undeniably eye-catching presence. He was wearing a red robe lined with white fur around the collar and had a cane that shined brighter than any silver I had previously seen. Trailing closely behind him was a lady that looked a few years older than my mother. While my mother had a lovely, sweet, friendly ambience, this lady's facial features reminded me of an ice sculpture; refined, elegant, noble and of no flaws, but also cold and devoid of emotion. She was wearing a shimmering silvery-white dress that complimented her dark blue hair that draped over her shoulders like a well-kept tapestry.

Behind the lady of whom I assumed was the man's wife were two younger kids that could only be their kin. The older child, a boy that looked to be about the age of thirteen or so, took more after his father. With his serious brown eyes, straight brows, and his short mahogany hair that had a shiny luster just like his father's, it was apparent as to what he would look like a few decades down the road. Despite his fierce looks, however, there was a sort of unrefined charisma that was different from his father's. It was the sort of charisma that would make him the center of any group.

The younger one, a girl that looked to be about my age, surveyed the room carefully before looking our way, probably locking eyes with Merlin who's beside me...His unique black and white hair stood out.

It would still be a couple of years until she started maturing, but needless to say, the potential was there. I couldn't help comparing her to Tess. They would both grow to be captivating to the men around them, but in very different ways. Tess was the lovely girl next door, with her comforting almond-shaped eyes that glowed a bright teal. Her peaches and cream complexion and rosy cheeks. Her unique, gunmetal hair complimented her eyes, giving her a mysterious, yet approachable aura.

No, this girl was the complete opposite. Her porcelain white complexion was a canvas for her meticulously carved facial features. Her penetratingly sharp eyes that seemed much too mature for her age was a dark black shade that appeared larger because of her long, thick lashes. Her hair was a glaring black, which she got from her mother. Compared to her dark hair and eyes, however, her small lips were covered in a soft pink shade that gave life to her doll-like appearance.

It was hard not to wonder how they would grow up to be; whether mother nature would make them bloom or wither.

Peeling my eyes off of the girl in front of me, I focused on the three guards that followed after the picturesque family.

"I didn't know we would be in here with guests, Vincent," the man said, neither harshly nor kindly.

"I apologize, Your Majesty! I assumed you wouldn't mind having a few other people with you. You remember my wife, Tabitha, right? Well, these are our close family friends," he introduced, waving his arm in our direction.

After regarding us for a moment, his lips curled up into a smile. "If they are your friends, Vincent, then they are mine as well."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. At least we'll have some company besides these guards," the lady giggled.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sharp contrast in the woman's personality to her appearance. She seemed much more welcoming, despite her intimidating looks, than her husband.

"Everyone, as you all may know, I'd like you all to meet the King and Queen of Sapin. Introduce yourselves to King Blaine Glayder and Queen Priscilla Glayder and their children, Curtis and Kathyln."

At this, my mother, who was holding my sister, Tabitha, and even Lilia, dropped down, genuflecting. Merlin and I caught on before lowering ourself a moment later as well.

Giving us a nod, the King gestured for us to stand. "No more of this, now. No need to be stiff, we're just here for the auction, after all."

As I got back up, Sylvie peeked her head out from under my robe where she was sleeping, surveying curiously the new faces.

"Kuu?" she chirped, tilting her head.

I thought I heard a gasp from one of the guards in the rear, but I wasn't able to tell since their faces were covered.

"Oh my! What a cute little mana beast!" Queen Priscilla's face brightened up at the sight as she made her way towards me.

The King and the two children's eyes looked towards my direction as well.

The guards took a step forward as well, making sure they were close enough to react in case something happened to the Queen.

"She just hatched a few months ago. Her name is Sylvie. Come out and say hello," I responded.

"Kyu~!" she cooed while hopping out of my robe and stretching her body like a cat.

"I assume this little mana beast is your bond, young man?" The King came closer, kneeling down to get a closer view of Sylvie.

I just gave a wordless nod. It should be fine with Sylv's appearance the way it is. "How fortunate you are to have a mana beast. Even infant ones are not easy to tame, yet she looks to be very obedient."

"Well we're able to communicate mentally, so it's more like a mutual agreement rather than obedience," I simply shrugged,

"What?! You mean to say that you are under an Equals Contract?"

We all turned our heads to face the source of the voice. It was one of the hooded guards behind the children.

'Damn, did I say something I wasn't supposed to?' I looked at Merlin who's giving me a side eyes with a face that is enough to answer my question.

***

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