REYNOLDS LEYWIN

I absentmindedly took a sip from my cup of coffee, and a scalding sensation startled me out of my daze. Vince and I were seated at the small table on the outside patio discussing business plans for the Helstea Auction House.The topic had shifted toward security parameters; we were approaching the stage where it would be necessary to completely restructure and enhance the guard teams.

In addition to capable non-mage adventurers, we had recently managed to recruit a few long-range augmenters, an extremely powerful addition to the

security. While it was still widely prevalent for augmenters to go the melee route due to functionality and ease, ranged augmenters, like archers and crossbow men, continued to be a much more powerful asset in defensive settings. Vince was challenging me on whether we should employ conjurers for the upcoming event.

“Hmmm… I know how beneficial it’d be to have conjurers who could set up barriers and help support the augmenters, but I’m against it.” I took another, more careful sip from my cup.

“You mind elaborating? You just said it’d be helpful to have them,” he said as he rhythmically stirred his tea.

Setting down my cup, I replied, “If we’re just talking about firepower, I’d be all for it, but you know it’s not as simple as that, Vince. It would affect team morale having even a few conjurers on a team of augmenters. You yourself

know how snobby conjurers can get. I swear, they think they’re angelsincarnate; most of them think of augmenters are some sort of primitive beasts

because they use their hands to fight. Even if we did manage to find a fewwho weren’t so rotten, the team might think we’re hiring conjurers because I don’t trust them.”

Vince gazed blankly at a smudge on the stained table; it was hard to tell whathe was thinking. “You have a point. I put you completely in charge of thesecurity aspects, so we’ll go with what you say, but we need to be absolutely

certain the Tenth Anniversary Helstea Auction goes well.

Even the royalfamily will be there this time. We can’t let any commotions get too big.”

I nodded in agreement, giving my friend an appreciative smile.

“We need to take your son with us to the auction. He mentioned he wanted asword, right? I didn’t know you’d taught him how to use a sword. I expectedthe boy to take after you, with that infighting style you’re so good at with

your gauntlets.”

I sighed. “I never taught him how to use the sword, Vince.

He’s had a graspof sword fighting since he was four years old.” I could hardly believe thewords coming out of my own mouth.

“You can’t be serious! Lilia was still scared to go down the stairs by herselfwhen she was four,” Vince sputtered.

“He apparently learned by watching me train and reading books about it,” Icontinued. “Vince, that’s not even the part I care about, though. It’s when wespar. His gaze when we practice, his reactions and fighting style—I don’t feellike I’m sparring with my eight-year-old son. It feels like I’m fighting someveteran sword master. The only reason I can handle him right now is becausehis body is still immature, but the way he reacts to my moves—it’s

something that only comes with decades of experience in life-or-deathfighting.”

“Mmm. I can’t say I don’t know what you’re talking about.

I sometimes find it hard to believe your son is actually only eight. Are you scared of him,Rey?” he asked seriously.

“No. That’s one thing I’ve become more and more sure of. No matter what,he’s still my son. I know he cares deeply about his family, too, and as hisfather, that’s all I can ask for.”

ARTHUR LEYWIN

During the past two months, Lilia and my sister had made obvious progressin mana manipulation. It was no longer necessary to infuse my mana intothem anymore, so they were able to train by themselves now. Of course, it would still take a few years for them to form a mana core—especially Ellie,with her short attention span—but I did drill into both of them the importanceof keeping their training a secret. I didn’t need to remind my parents or Mr.and Mrs. Helstea how important it was to keep this a secret, but it wasobvious that all four of them were excited for the day Lilia and Ellie wouldawaken.

Sylvie had been sleeping much more in the past months, but there werenoticeable changes in her too. For one, her intelligence was rapidlyincreasing. Her thoughts to me were more intricate and containedcomplicated emotions that went past just ‘hungry’ or ‘sleepy.’ In the few short months since she was born, it felt like she had gained years ofemotional intelligence.

But the major change was that she had learned how to transform.

All right, it wasn’t really something as drastic as ‘transformation,’ but shewas able to manipulate her body a little. It seemed to have happened quite suddenly.Sitting beside her, I'd been pondering how I would mask her appearance in the days to come as she continued growing larger. Then shestarted whining and scratching herself as if uncomfortable. The next thing I knew, her red spikes had begun retracting while her horns got smaller.

It was a mind-blowing surprise. Since then, Sylvie just kept her spikes and horns retracted most of the time, making her look like a cute, black-scaled fox with little horns.

Vincent and Tabitha insisted on trying to give me more thank-you gifts. I had been planning to train Lilia even if I wasn’t able to acquire the cloak or mask. After all, she was part of the family who had helped my family, so as

far as I was concerned, it was an honor and a pleasure to be helping them.

After refusing several of their gifts, we had finally settled on something Iwould accept: a sword.

My body had finally grown big enough to properly handle a small swordwithout toppling over awkwardly at the slightest mishap. It wouldn’t be much bigger than an adult-sized dagger, but it would finally allow me to train andpractice my swordsmanship with something other than a wooden stick. Wehad decided to make the procurement of my first sword a family event and

visit the Tenth Anniversary Auction with the Helstea family.

As I waited in the living room downstairs for my father and Vince to getready, I heard an obnoxious pounding at the front door. Sheesh, knocking once is plenty, I thought.

“I’ll get it,” I called, slightly annoyed. I was close by anyway; no need totrouble the maids when I was right next to the door.

"Can I hel—oof!”

I was hit with the nostalgic sensation of being smothered by a pair of foampillows. A classic method of assassination, but shouldn’t it be used while I’m sleeping?

“Oh my goodness,” a woman’s voice exclaimed. “You’re alive! Look how big you’ve gotten! I’m so sorry, Art! I wasn’t able to protect you! I’m so glad you survived!” The lady sniffled.

“Mmfph! Mmmfph!”

“Angela, I don’t think he can breathe,” a comforting voice pointed out.

“Eep! Sorry,” Angela squealed.

Peeling my face away, I smiled at the sight of my companions. “It’s so good to see you guys again!”

My giant guardian angel, Durden, patted my head, and I saw his narrow eyes getting watery, which triggered a tear from me as well.

Adam smacked me on the butt. “Little brat! Do you know how devastated everyone was after what happened?” Then he chuckled and said, “It’s good to see you again.”

“You’ve gotten better-looking, Arthur.” I turned to see the charismatic HelenShard squat down in front of me, her signature bow still strapped to her back.

She lightly pinched my cheek and gave me a sympathetic smile before standing back up.

Suddenly, I was embraced again, and heard a sniffling sound. This time, I was astonished.

It was Jasmine. Cold, aloof Jasmine. She stayed mute and just tightened herarms around me, letting out soft sniffles.

I couldn’t resist the urge to pet her head, and she quickly pulled away fromme, her face scarlet. Standing up briskly and trying to regain her composure,she shot me an embarrassed nod and turned away.

At this point, Sylvie woke up from her nap on the couch and trotted toward us.

“Whoa! What is that?” Adam exclaimed. The rest of the Twin Horns had the same surprised reaction, and even Jasmine turned back to look at the mysterious mana beast.

“She’s my contracted beast, Sylvie,” I announced as she hopped onto the top of my head.

“Holy crap! You already have a contracted beast? Do you know how valuable it is to have a bond? Oh man, I’ve been looking for a beast to tame these past few years, but with no luck. And the ones they sell are way too expensive, too. Lucky brat!” Adam was practically pulling his hair out in jealousy.

Bonds—or “contracted beasts,” to use the official term—were highly sought after by both types of mages. It was a bit more advantageous for a conjurer to have one since, while the master prepared spells, the bond would be able to protect them. However, they were very useful for augmenters as well, who often sought after beasts to contract them as mounts or as a partner to have

their back.

“What’s with all the commotion down—ah! You’re here!”

My father, wearing his uniform, leaped down the flight of stairs and rushed toward his former party members, giving them each a hug.

My mother and sister came down right behind him. “Everyone! It’s so good to see you again!” my mother exclaimed. She didn’t have the chance to say anything more, as the women all threw themselves at her and started drooling over my baby sister, who was also dressed very nicely for the event. My parents hadn’t seen the Twin Horns for almost as long as me, so everyone was excited.

“Oh my goodness! Alice, Ellie looks just like you! She’s going to grow up to be so pretty!”

“…Cute.”

“Rey is going to have his hands full soon with potential candidates. Can you tell me how old you are?”

“Four!”

The girls were a jumble of excitement as they ogled Ellie.

Vincent came down soon after with Tabitha and Lilia. The husband and wife wore matching clothes, a black suit and black dress, while Lilia was sporting a flowery dress under a warm cloak. After all the introductions were made, it was decided that the Twin Horns would come with us to the Helstea Auction House for the Tenth Anniversary event.

On the way there, I filled them in on what had happened after my fall. My dad had explained the basics to them in his letter, but they were dying to know the details. They were quite shocked to learn I had been in the kingdom

of Elenoir for over four years. But it was a short ride, so I wasn’t able to finish telling them everything before we arrived.

We arrived early, and only the workers and guards were present, preparing for the event, and the first thought that came to my mind was that Vincent had really put a lot of work into this.

The Helstea Auction House was breathtaking. It was misleading to even call it a house, as it towered high above any of the other buildings nearby. I suspected they’d had a lot of help from conjurers, considering how large it was. I’d been to many national and historical monuments, created by the most famous architects, but this was on an entirely different level.

The Auction House was a magnificent theatre in the shape of a half-cylinder, adorned and supported by intricately detailed stone sculptures of different weapons. The main doors—over twelve feet in height, made of petrified wood carved with a series of simple yet elegant symbols—were far more complicated and grand than the naturalistic and elegant designs I had seen in

the elf kingdom.

The inside was equally stunning, if not more so. The front door opened to an aisle that stretched out to a stage at the other end. On either side of us were rows of escalating seats, covered in luxurious burgundy leather, providing seating for over ten thousand people comfortably. Upon looking up, I noticed that there were encased booths at the very top row of seats, and above that was a single glass-walled room attached to the ceiling and back wall, giving a clear view of the stage. It was easy to guess that those booths, as well as the

single room, were for the VIPs.

Father slipped away shortly after we entered the building, along with the Twin Horns, who had decided to help him and the guards to prepare for any unwanted commotions or outbreaks. Vincent barked orders at the workers

and ensured the hosts were ready to greet the more important guests, then hurried off after my father.

As it turned out, that VIP room near the ceiling was the room we were to be seated. Tabitha led us up, inviting us to make ourselves comfortable in the carefully designed, well-furnished area, which was meant for only the most

distinguished and wealthy guests. There was a wine rack, a few reclining seats and tables, and other seats closer to the window. I made myself comfortable on a seat near the glass.

The auction house was soon a panorama of cheerful faces and excited noise as more and more people—no doubt people of some influence—began filling the lower seats. Some groups seemed more distinguished than the rest and were personally escorted to their booths by the hosts. I assumed they were some of the more affluent nobles in the kingdom.

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

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

The first to come in behind Vincent was an elderly man with deep red hair, worn long and aged by streaks of grey.

His broad shoulders and the ramrod-straight posture of his spine took years off his appearance. The man’s eyes

were stern with harsh, sword-shaped eyebrows, giving him an undeniablyeye-catching presence. His red robe was lined with white fur around the collar, and he carried a cane that shone brighter than any silver I had ever seen.

Trailing closely behind him was a lady who looked a few years older than my mother. While my mother had a lovely, sweet, friendly appearance, this lady’s facial features reminded me of an ice sculpture: refined, elegant, noble, and flawless, but also cold and devoid of emotion. Her shimmering, silvery-white dress complemented the dark blue hair that draped over her shoulders like a well-kept tapestry.

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

The younger child, a girl who looked to be about my age, surveyed the room carefully before locking eyes with me.

I couldn’t help comparing her to Tess. They would both grow to becaptivatingly beautiful, 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 her rosy cheeks. Her unique gunmetal hair complimented her eyes, giving her a mysterious yet approachable aura.

But this girl was the complete opposite. Her porcelain white complexion was a canvas for her meticulously carved facial features. Her penetratingly sharp eyes, which seemed much too mature for her age, were a dark brown shade and appeared larger because of her long, thick lashes. Her hair was raven black, but in contrast to her dark hair and eyes, her small lips were a soft pink

shade, giving life to her doll-like appearance.

It was hard not to wonder how each girl would grow into her features—

whether Mother Nature would make them bloom or wither.

Peeling my eyes away from the girl in front of me, I turned my attention to the three guards who followed after the picturesque family. Then the man spoke.

“I didn’t know we would be in here with guests, Vincent,” he said in a carefully neutral voice.

At the sound of his voice, my mother and Tabitha—who had been chatting by one of the windows, Ellie in my mother’s arms—spun toward him and dropped to one knee, genuflecting. I caught on and lowered myself a moment later as well, while Vincent chattered cheerfully.

“I apologize, Your Majesty! I assumed you wouldn’t mind having a few other people with you. You remember my wife, Tabitha,” he said, waving his arm in our direction. “King Blaine, Queen Priscilla, may I present my close

friends Alice and Reynolds Leywin, and their children, Arthur and Eleanor.”

We were in the presence of royalty. This was the Glayder family—the king and queen of Sapin, and their children, Curtis and Kathyln.

After regarding us coolly for a moment, the king’s lips curled up into a practiced 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 the guards,” Queen Priscilla said with a giggle. I raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sharp contrast between the woman’s personality and her appearance. She seemed much more welcoming, despite her intimidating looks, than her husband.

With a nod, the king gestured for us to stand. “No need to be stiff. We’re just here for the auction. Same as you.”

His wife added, “We’ve come all the way from Etistin—we’re so looking forward to it, aren’t we, dear?” The king didn’t reply.

As I rose, Sylvie peeked her head out from under my robe where she wassleeping, curiously surveying 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 of Sylvie, and she made her way towards me. The king and the two children also looked in my direction.

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, Your Majesty,” I responded. “Her name is Sylvie. Come out and say hello,” I coaxed.

“Kyu!” she cooed, hopping out of my robe and stretching her body like a cat.

“I assume this mana beast is your bond, young man?” The king approached, kneeling down to get a closer view of Sylvie.

I just gave a wordless nod. It would be fine, I thought, with Sylv’sappearance the way it was.

“How fortunate you are. Even infant beasts are not easy to tame, yet she looks to be very obedient.”

I simply shrugged. “Well, we’re able to communicate mentally, so it’s more like a mutual agreement rather than obedience.”

“What? You mean to say that you are under an equals contract?”

We all turned our heads toward the source of the voice—one of the hooded guards behind the children.

Did I say something I wasn’t supposed to?

“I’m not completely sure what that is, but I think so. She was the one that initiated the contract, though.” I shrugged again, hoping to change the topic.

Were the details of our contract that big of a deal? I’d been careful not to reveal too much about Sylvie’s origins so far, stating only that I’d discovered her in a cave where her mother had died to protect her. I hadn’t needed to

study mana beasts or bonding due to the circumstances, so I couldn’t be surethat I wasn’t giving something away out of sheer ignorance.

“Let me take a closer look at your bond,” the hooded guard exclaimed,carefully navigating around the king and queen.

Before I could decline, the king stepped in. “This is neither the time nor place to study someone’s pet. You are on duty, Sebastian.” His gaze was harsh as he rebuked the guard, and he turned to me. “My apologies…”

He paused, clearly hoping I’d provide the name he had forgotten.

“Arthur. Arthur Leywin,” I finished for him, giving a curt bow. He and his wife gave me a small smile, but just then we heard a clear voice announcing that the auction would start soon.

I settled into my seat, but a cold shiver made me turn back. Sebastian, who had taken off his hood, was staring intently at Sylvie, nestled on my lap.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! May I say that it is the highest honor for me to be

here tonight. All of you are gathered here today for one reason and one

reason only, I presume—for the chance to obtain one of the rare and valuable

items in this auction!”

Applause thundered in enthusiasm at the old gentleman’s ardent introduction.

“If everyone in the audience would now kindly turn to face the back room at

the very top, we have a few exceedingly important figures who have blessed

us with their presence. Please join me in welcoming the King and Queen of

Sapin!”

The auctioneer flicked out the tail of his suit and kneeled. The audience

immediately followed suit, each person lowering respectfully into a bow,

since they couldn’t kneel in their seats.

The king and queen, in response, stepped toward the window in front of me

and waved their arms slowly in a practiced motion.

“Next, the man who has made this whole event possible. Please give a big

round of applause for Vincent Helstea!”

The auctioneer’s introduction was followed by another round of applause as

Vincent stepped up next to the king and queen, giving a deep bow in return.

I remained seated, looking down at the crowds of people below. They were

supposed to be of much higher class than me, but I couldn’t help looking at them as if they—

No, I told myself; I shouldn’t think like that. I’m not a king anymore. Hell, I

hadn’t even gone through puberty yet. No point in acting like someone who

no longer existed.

I turned my gaze toward the king and queen, studying them. Despite the stoic

expression the king always carried, his demeanor was not domineering. He

had a strong, charismatic presence, making it easy to see why the majority of

the citizens of Sapin would respect him, but that was it. He hadn’t earned his

seat; his father had given it to him—the Glayder family had been the royal family since the founding of Sapin. I wasn’t surprised to see that King

Glayder’s mana core was only at the red stage.

Turning my gaze to the queen, something caught my eye that I hadn’t noticed

at first. Strapped to the back of her dress was a white wand. I couldn’t sense

her mana, which meant either she was carrying an artifact to hide it, or she

was at a level high enough that I couldn’t sense it.

Queen Priscilla caught me observing her and gave me a knowing smile,

revealing her pearly white teeth. Her smile threw me off guard, and I flinched

and quickly turned away. I could feel how hot my face was, making it all the more embarrassing. The word ‘beautiful’ wasn’t sufficient as a means of

describing her. Oddly enough, though, I had noticed that, ever since coming

to this world, I lacked any sort of sexual attraction toward these older women.

At first I had thought it might’ve been due of the lack of necessary hormones

in my prepubescent body, but the more I thought about it, I felt like it boiled

down to the fact that my mother was just a bit younger than I had been before

being reborn into this world.

I had never really paid attention to human psychology, but it was interesting

to note that women in the same age group as my parental guardian were

unappealing sexually. Maybe that was just me—no way to tell.

Of course, that didn’t mean I’d go for children my own age—like Tess or

Lilia, or even this ice princess, Kathyln. They could be the very

personification of beauty itself, but it didn’t change the fact that mentally they were on the level of a child. I couldn’t see Tess as anything other than a friend or a sister, even when she was so obvious in showing her attraction

toward me. Maybe when she was older and more mature, I would start

thinking about it.

I sighed. Being popular sure was a hassle.

“…Kuu.”

I looked down to see Sylvie staring at me cynically, her half-open, judging

eye seeming to say, ‘Are you serious?’

I laughed in embarrassment and pushed Sylvie’s face away to redirect her

hurtful stare.

A large hand lightly squeezed my shoulder. “Arthur, a sword is up for auction

right now. Tell me if you want it so I can put in my bid. Don’t worry about

the price—perks of being the owner of this place,” Vincent whispered.

“Thank you.” I turned my attention to the large screen that magnified the

items so the audience in the back could see what was being auctioned off.

“This short sword was forged by a master smith who is also a fire artificer,

ensuring that the forging process was of the finest quality. The weapon is

imbued with the core of a Thunder Hawk mana beast. Reinforcing this sword with just a little mana will produce currents of electricity around the edge of

the blade, enhancing its cutting power and even having a mild paralyzing

effect. The bidding will start at fifty gold.”

Excited cries erupted immediately, as nearly every noble boy who sought to

become a mage tugged at his parents’ sleeves, begging them to bid. I

remained motionless, my head propped up on my arm as I stared down at the enlarged image of the sword.

Good weapons are expensive, but I was taken aback at the amount they were

asking for this sword.

The currency of this world was straightforward; copper was the lowest form

of currency, then silver, followed by gold. A hundred coppers were worth one

silver coin, and a hundred silver coins made one gold. While a simple housein Xyrus could fetch at least a gold coin, an average family was capable of

living just fine on a handful of copper coins a day—perhaps twenty silver

coins a year. The opening bid for this sword could provide a modest living

for a family for over two hundred fifty years. And although the little shock

ability could come in handy, the sword itself was clearly subpar at best,

compared to the blade I had wielded in my previous life.

Vincent’s gaze had been constantly shifting from me to the weapon. Clearly

he hoped I would at least be interested in this weapon that most people would

kill over.

I shook my head in response.

“No worries. That was just the start. Let me know when you find something

you like. Oh! I almost forgot,” he whispered, leaning closely so only I could

hear. “I have the items you wanted in the back. I’ll have one of the workers

deliver them to me after this event is over.”

My ears perked up and I turned to him quickly. “You managed to find a

voice-altering mask as well?”

“It took a bit longer than I expected, but yes, I finally did manage to find one.

I also got you a coat made from a nightmare fox, which should make it harder

for you to be detected by the unsuspecting eye. It seemed like something you

would want so I snatched it while I could,” Vincent replied softly, shooting

me a wink.

“That’s more than I had hoped for.” The mask was essential for me to

become an adventurer, but the coat would no doubt be useful as well.

“Don’t worry about it—just stay safe. I’m the one who’ll have to deal with

your family if anything happens to you, you know,” he chuckled.

I just smiled wryly at this. No. I wasn’t going to give my family a reason to

grieve again like they had done before.

There were a few interesting items along the way. There were several beast

cores, most of which were B-class or lower. The prices for those were

astronomical. Even a C-class core was around fifty gold, and each class multiplied this figure exponentially. There were a few more artifacts and

cores, but none of those were things I wanted.

The king himself bid on a few of them, winning an A-class beast core. It

wouldn’t be until a mage actually absorbed the core that they would learn

whether or not the beast core still contained a will. Chances of finding a core

that still had its will intact were slim; most beasts knew instinctively when

they were near death and passed the will on to their offspring or chose to

disperse it before dying. And even if the will remained in the core, it had to be compatible with the user. I assumed the king was hoping to get lucky. The

queen, meanwhile, bid on a mana absorption ring and a few other items

useful for conjurers.

As we approached the latter half of the auction, the items began increasing in

value. As more and more items were sold off, my interest started to wane—

until a large square container, covered by a sheet, was rolled out onto the

stage by a few workers.

I couldn’t control my agitation when the auctioneer removed the sheet to

reveal a cage full of female humans chained together, unclothed except for

dirty sacks covering their private areas.

I was disgusted to see the noblemen begin frantically bidding on the young

female slaves, who were soon stripped to show their assets like animals.

Being born in a small town with people who didn’t support slavery had made

me almost forget the fact that slaves actually existed in this world. My world

had abolished slavery hundreds of years ago, so the idea of owning a slave was something I just couldn’t get used to.

Memories of killing the slave traders who had abducted Tessia came back to

mind. If I hadn’t been there to rescue her, what would’ve happened? A shiver

ran down my spine at the thought of Tessia being abused by a corrupt

aristocrat. Come to think of it, hadn’t I inadvertently prevented a war between

the humans and elves?

The taste of metal in my mouth brought me back to reality. I realized I hadbitten down too hard on my lower lip and quickly wiped the blood off my lips

with one finger.

Tabitha and my mother had grown solemn at the sight of the slaves, but they

simply shook their heads and focused their attention on Ellie and Lilia

instead. Even though the Helstea family was a prominent noble house, they

were opposed to slavery and opted to hire their servants instead of buying

slaves. Vincent’s face flushed with guilt, but he quickly regained his

composure. I was sure he didn’t approve of this, but the popularity of slavery

and the demand for slaves were too high to ignore.

As I turned my head away from the spectacle, I spotted the prince murmuring

something to the little princess, but her face remained expressionless.

This was becoming tedious. I was beginning to think it would be better to

hold off on getting a quality sword and just settle for a decent practice sword

until my body matured a bit.

Rising from my seat, I was leaning back to stretch my stiff body when I

spotted the hooded guard, Sebastian, eyeing Sylvie with a disturbing twinkle

in his eyes. The beady-eyed, bony conjurer underneath that hood fiddled impatiently with his metal staff as his eyes stayed greedily fixed on my bond.

After a few moments, he noticed that I was glaring back at him. Giving a

stifled cough, he straightened his robe and spread out his normally hunched

shoulders as if to make himself look bigger. Staring down at me, he gave a smug grin, as if he had every right to do what he was going to do.

This foolish plebeian has the audacity—!

VINCENT HELSTEA

It was a pity Arthur wasn’t able to find a suitable sword.

No matter, though; there were enough swords in storage, and I was sure he

would take a liking to at least one of them.

“Your Majesty, I hope you’re finding it worthwhile to visit our humble

auction house,” I murmured respectfully.

“This place is anything but humble, Vincent. I’m not sure how you managed

to secure an A-class beast core from a silvercoat bear, but you’ve managed to

build quite the network. Let’s just hope the beast will is still intact.” He clapped me excitedly on the back.

“Don’t get your hopes up too much, dear. You know how rare it is,” the

queen said quietly in response. Then she turned back to resume her

conversation with Alice and my wife. They seemed to be discussing

something about the kids.

His Majesty and I had turned our attention back to the main stage when a

terrifyingly oppressive presence suddenly filled the room, constricting my

body. I tried my hardest to move, to try and find the source of this domineering bloodlust, but my body refused to obey.

What the hell was going on? This was the most secure area in the entire

building, with the king’s guard inside, and my own guard securing the

entrance to the room.

My breathing turned shallow as the overbearing pressure gripped at my

insides. I could feel beads of cold sweat slowly rolling down my face as if

they, too, were afraid.

With an extreme effort, I was able to turn my gaze slightly to look at the

guards. While they were at least able to move their bodies, it was clear that

they were just as confused about what was going on as I was.

I had no idea what to expect next. I had assumed that I would live for quite a

bit longer, yet here I was, at Death’s door, trying to struggle out of his icy

grasp.

What in Hell’s name was happening?

ARTHUR LEYWIN

Damn it. I lost control.

I quickly turned away from Sebastian, who was currently pale-faced and

shaking on the floor, and hoped no one had noticed. I had only meant to giveSebastian a little scare, not to terrify everyone in the room.

Taking a quick peek around, I let out a small sigh of relief when I saw that

my mother and sister were all right. My sister was startled and crying, but

they were both far enough away to not have been directly affected.

I hadn’t thought it would be this bad with this body of mine.

This was the first time I had let my killing intent loose. Even when I was up

against the slave traders, I had chosen not to emit any kind of intent so I

could catch them by surprise.

The king’s augmenter guards had their weapons unsheathed and were in

defense positions around the royal family by the time I withdrew the pressure

I had exerted on the room.

“Who’s there? You dare try and attack the royal family?” the king roared as

he pushed his wife and children behind him. Queen Priscilla had her wand

out and was silently muttering a spell as she herded her frightened children—

along with my mother and my sister, Ellie—behind her husband and the

guards.

Vincent called for more guards and ordered the others to scout the area for

any sign of assassins nearby.

Time ticked slowly for me; everyone in the room was in a state of panic and

tension. My mother had grabbed me, holding firmly onto me and my sister as

the guards ran around with their weapons held close. My father stopped in

briefly but, after making sure we were all right, left to search with the others

for the mysterious attacker.

It wasn’t until they confirmed killing an intruder on the roof of the auction

house that everyone calmed down.

I gave a sigh of relief too, but unlike everyone else, my relief wasn’t for the

fact that the danger had been eliminated—it was for the fact that I had been

provided with a convenient scapegoat.

Thank you, intruder on the roof. Your sacrifice was not in vain.

“Oi, Sebastian. How could a royal guard fall on his arse over a littleintimidation from an intruder? You’re going to die early like this.” A hooded,

spear-carrying augmenter shook his head, trying to sound tough in front of

his comrades.

“I slipped, that’s all!” Sebastian snarled, slapping away the extended hand of

one of the guards.

He regarded me suspiciously for a moment, but said nothing else and turned

away in disdain.

“Now for our final item—who will be the lucky individual fortunate enough

to acquire this?” The auctioneer’s dramatic voice echoed from below as

another cage covered by a silky cloth was dragged onstage. Vincent had

announced that the intruder had been killed, and although everyone in the

room was still noticeably tense from the initial threat, their attention was now

focused back at the stage.

After a dramatic pause, the tarp covering the cage was removed, revealing a

small, feline-looking animal, about the size of a large dog.

As the cloth was drawn back the auctioneer bellowed, “An infant world lion!

For those who are ignorant of this magnificent mana beast, an adult world

lion has the capability of becoming at least a B-class mana beast. I dare say

that, if well taken care of, this infant world lion could even become an A-

class beast! And you know what that means—taking care of and treasuring

this fine beast will allow its master to become a legendary beast tamer!”

The audience below us erupted into a frenzy as hands shot into the air,

bidding without even waiting for the auctioneer. To my surprise, King

Glayder smacked the glass with his hand as his eyes stayed glued to the mana beast. Having never traveled to the Beast Glades myself, I was intrigued by

cub as well.

Sebastian walked over to the edge of the room to get a better view of the

world lion cub. However, he merely gave a dissatisfied snort before walking

back, getting another greedy eyeful of Sylvie.

I normally wouldn’t have minded someone being jealous of the fact that I had

a bond, but it was obvious that Sebastian intended to try and take Sylvie away

from me. Needless to say, my patience with his constant leering was growing increasingly thin.

“Now, now! I won’t be able to start the bidding until everyone gets settled!”

The auctioneer shook his fingers, a satisfied grin plastered on his face as he

waited for the crowd to quiet.

As the bidders all reluctantly settled back into their seats, the auctioneer

finally announced the starting bid. “We will start at one hundred gold!”

Growing up in the humble outpost of Ashber—where a single gold coin

could feed my family for ten years—I had never realized just how much

money the affluent class spent.

The price for the world lion immediately soared. It soon passed four hundred

gold, and the bidders had no intention of stopping.

“Five hundred gold!”

“Five-fifty!”

“Six hundred!”

“Seven!”

“One thousand gold coins!” the king bellowed into a voice-amplifying

artifact.

At the sound of their king’s voice, the crowd’s bidding war stopped. It was

obvious that, although there were plenty who could afford to bid higher, they

considered it unwise to bid against their own king.

It didn’t seem fair once the king stepped in, but at least he’d had the decency

to put up a high-enough price.

The auctioneer counted off and the price was eventually settled at a thousand

gold coins, or one white-gold tablet—something I’d only seen in books and

pictures.

Vincent walked up to the king with his hand held out. “Seems no one wants

to bid against you, King Glayder,” he congratulated him.

“One white-gold tablet seems more than fair,” the king said as he peered

down at the stage, obviously excited.

“Thank you for the consideration,” Vincent replied dryly. “What are your

plans for the new royal pet? Will you use it for yourself, or perhaps give it to

your son?”

“As tempting as it is for me to acquire a bond, I’m thinking of giving it to

Curtis,” he said casually. “Of course, that all depends on how he does,” he

finished, patting his son’s head.

“D-Dad!” Prince Curtis, whose face had visibly brightened at his father’s first

remark, stuttered with worry.

Adding fuel to the fire, Queen Priscilla said, “Curtis, I believe you’ve been

slacking off on your sword lessons.”

“Ah! Mom! That was supposed to be a secret!” The fierce-looking prince

tugged on his mother’s sleeve as his eyes jumped back and forth between his

mother and father.

“Mama, can I have a pet?” Ellie asked.

“Ha! I don’t know,” my mom teased. “Mana beasts only want to be pets for

nice ladies.”

“Ellie is nice! Right, brother?” She pulled on my sleeve, sending me out to

battle on her behalf.

“Hmm? Who knows.” I shot my sister an evil smile, then placed Sylvie on

her lap before she started crying.

The Tenth Anniversary event ended without any further commotion—besides

what I had caused—and the guards escorted us all back downstairs.

We reached the storage room behind the stage, where the items the king had

purchased were being hauled to the carriage by workers. Vincent handed me

a package wrapped in black cloth.

I accepted it graciously. “Thank you,” I said.

“For everything you and your family have done for us, this is hardly enough,”

Vincent replied. “Arthur, we have some swords in the back if you want totake a look while you’re here. They might not be anything special, but I’m

sure you’ll be able to find a solid sword to last you until your body finishes growing.”

“Oh! Are you planning on taking sword lessons?” the king inquired, putting a

hand on his son’s shoulder. “My boy has just started learning as well. Maybe

you two can spar one day.”

“Swords are merely a hobby for me, Your Majesty. I could never hope to

reach your son’s level,” I replied, turning back to take Vincent up on his

offer.

“Your Majesty, Prince Curtis would only become infected with bad habits if

he began sparring with mere commoners,” Sebastian’s hissy voice rang out.

I turned back to retort, but just then my father and the Twin Horns came into

view.

“Ah, here you are! How did you enjoy the auction?” my father asked, picking

Ellie up after paying his respects to the king and queen.

My father pulled Vincent aside, and he and the Twin Horns began their

debrief of the event.

Sebastian approached the king. “Your Majesty. If I may have a word with

you,” I heard him say.

King Glayder shot the conjurer an irritated glance but leaned toward him to

listen. I couldn’t make out what Sebastian was saying, but I could tell by the

furrow of the king’s brows that he didn’t like what he was hearing. King Glayder looked at his royal guard with a stern gaze but let out a sigh.

The two walked towards me, and what they had just discussed now became

obvious by the way Sebastian wasn’t even looking at me but at my bond.

However, instead of talking to me, the king approached my father.

The king smiled at him, but his eyes remained distant. “I don’t think I caught

your name. You must be this young boy’s father, correct?”

“Reynolds Leywin, Your Majesty, and yes, this is my son. Is anything the

matter?” my father replied, bowing.

“Sebastian here has been a royal guard for many years and has helped our

family an uncountable amount of times.”

His voice stayed relaxed he spoke to my father, but the condescension in his

tone was still apparent. “For the exemplary services he has provided me, and

therefore the country, I do feel the need to reward him at times. You see, he

has taken a fancy to your son’s bond. I know it’s not easy to sever a contract,

and I’m sure the boy has grown close to his little pet, but I would be more

than willing hire a mage to take care of the contract and would compensate

you and your family for the trouble.”

“Y-Your Majesty,” my father stuttered, caught by surprise at this outrageous

request. Taking a glance at me, he turned back to the king. “I must apologize,

Your Majesty. Neither I nor my wife had anything to do to with my son’s bond. He acquired it himself, so I cannot speak on his behalf on matters of his

bond.”

“Hmm.” The king turned his attention in my direction, regarding me loftily,

and found me returning his gaze. He realized then that, for the entirety of

their conversation, I had been staring icily at him and his guard.

“Boy. Didn’t your father teach you to lower your gaze when speaking to your

superiors?” Sebastian snarled in disdain as he slammed the end of his metal

staff to the ground.

“Sebastian, silence!” The king held up his hand. In addition to the royal

family and their guards, the king’s request had caught the attention of the rest

of my family, as well as Vincent’s.

“Hello, child.” The king approached, standing an arm’s length away from me.

“I’m sure you’ve just heard me speak to your father, so I won’t repeat myself.

How about it? My royal armory would certainly have a sword befitting any

aspiring young knight.”

Not wanting to make a commotion, I swallowed back the profanity that was

itching to spew out of my mouth. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your

gracious offer, but I must refuse. Even the most magnificent sword couldnever replace Sylvie.”

“How dare⎯”

“Sebastian!” King Glayder snapped. Turning back to me, he spoke again, in a

much more impatient tone. “How about a trade, then? The world lion cub I

just purchased for your bond?”

“Father!” Curtis scurried over to his father, grabbing his arm. “I thought the

mana beast was mine.”

Ignoring his son, the king waited for my response.

“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. I do not wish to give, sell, or trade my

bond,” I reiterated, failing to mask the annoyed expression on my face.

“I have asked you twice, child, for a favor. Twice,” he emphasized, his tone

growing grave. “I will ask you once more: Will you give me your bond?”

The air was tense and everyone’s attention was directed at me. Sebastian

gave me a menacing look from bloodshot eyes. The rest of the royal guards

stood, alert, near the two, carefully observing the situation.

“Allow me to ask you a question in response, Your Majesty. How much are you willing to sell your children for?” I asked coolly, never batting an eye.

Thrown off-guard, the king offered no response. I continued, “You have

asked me twice and I have rejected you both times, yet it seems your pride

won’t allow you to accept my refusal. You don’t seem to be aware of what you are asking me, so I hope my question will make it clear. How much

money would you require in exchange for your son or your daughter, King

Glayder?” My voice didn’t so much as waver.

I heard the sharp whistle of a sword leaving its scabbard. “Insolent peasant!”

a guard roared. “You dare insult the king and his family?” And he charged at me before anyone had the chance to respond.