~Chapter 79~
“Do you think I came here just to buy this junk? I’m not here to waste my time!”
“Y-Yeah! If you knew who we are…”
The host rubbed his head where the water bottle had hit and licked his lips.
“Tsk, what a shame. I heard Moon’s Shop only accepts verified customers, but such rude people! This auction is a mess.”
No one argued with him.
His cold gaze swept over the room, but soon he smiled smoothly again.
“Well, fine. A guest is still a guest!”
It seemed Moon’s Shop had given him the go-ahead.
Just then, the person sitting next to me—number 21—cheerfully raised his hand.
“I think we all know what everyone here is really after! I’d like to ask if the shop secretly kept it for themselves!”
What? He can actually speak properly?
“How did I do? Pretty good, right?”
He nudged my side with his elbow.
God, how long do I have to keep up this act?
Then, he suddenly stood up like he saw something.
“L-Looks like it’s break time.”
A lazy excuse. I watched him suspiciously when Ricardo tapped my shoulder.
“The helpers took care of it.”
I looked beside him. Seat 24 was now empty.
I finally sighed in relief.
That must mean they got the necklace back too.
“By the way, did the person next to you say anything?”
“…Should I be honest?”
“Of course.”
Ricardo hesitated, then answered.
“He threatened me.”
“…”
“So I threatened him back.”
That’s… a strange turn of events.
“What did he say to you?”
“He said he’d cut off my head and auction it off with the necklace.”
“And what did you say?”
Ricardo avoided answering clearly.
“But… he did ask if I knew the way to the library.”
“…!”
The note I saw in Orphen.
[The monster told me it was a path to the ‘library’, but I didn’t understand what that meant.]
It was a word used in the description of a shape-shifting item.
“So I said yes.”
“What?”
“I was curious.”
Well… I guess that’s understandable.
“After that, he got really mad.”
“Why would he get angry?”
“Maybe he has a weird personality.”
Apparently, not long after that, the staff took Number 24 away.
Strange that he went along so easily.
Maybe because things were going too smoothly, a feeling of unease crept into me.
Then—
“Lady, it’s midnight!”
A strange voice echoed in my head. I couldn’t tell if it was male or female, young or old.
But I instantly knew who it was.
Arkan.
“Haha, I usually don’t show up like this, but I had a question. Forgive me for the sudden visit!”
Before I could reply, he quickly asked:
[Are you planning to give me to someone else? That would be as cruel as picking carrots out of soup—I ask with concern!]
So he was listening all along.
He just chose not to speak until now.
“No.”
“Thank you for your answer!”
As soon as I replied, Arkan’s voice vanished.
I’ve got a question for you too.
…
“Hey, Arkan. Can you hear me?”
Silence.
…Should I just throw this thing away?
Just then, the spotlight returned to the host, who cleared his throat and spoke:
“Everyone, in response to your feedback, we’re now presenting a new item!”
A new item?
I automatically looked toward Lily, standing near the stage.
“Yes! The cursed necklace you’ve all been waiting for!”
For a moment, I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.
Lily placed a box on the auction table.
“There seems to have been a slight misunderstanding. Sorry for the confusion! But now that the item is here, I hope you’ll forgive us.”
This must be the necklace the Tower Master had…
But strangely, the necklace in the box looked exactly like the one Number 24 showed earlier.
“This is a very old necklace. Rumor says it can bring back youth, and people once even fought wars over it.”
Lily walked off the stage. I watched her go, then followed.
She slipped into a hallway. I grabbed her wrist.
“What are you doing?!”
Lily took off her mask, seemingly out of excuses.
“Why did you put the necklace up for auction? I thought it would be saved for the second day…”
“I had no choice!”
Her lips were pale as she replied.
“Now that we know what they’re planning…”
“Explain clearly.”
Her jaw trembled.
“To restore his power, we need his name. Only then can his soul be complete, and the Tower stand strong again. I’ve waited so long for him—I couldn’t let this chance go.”
No way.
Lily gripped my shoulders tightly.
“Bianca, they’re on our side. Lord Peril has been gone too long—his strength has faded. But if people recognize his power again, he’ll fall into a deep sleep… peacefully.”
“…”
“Right! That’s why we used his name to draw people here. Makes sense, right?”
So the wizard they mentioned… was Peril?
I had so many things I wanted to argue. But this was her domain.
If I upset her, I wouldn’t be able to get out of here.
So I raised my hands and nodded.
“I understand.”
“I knew you’d get it!”
She hugged me.
“So, what now?”
“Nothing much. Everything’s ready.”
“…Ready?”
“The auction hall is surrounded by a magic circle.”
Ha… how fast.
“Everyone will fall asleep for two hours.”
So the necklace was just to buy time.
“Before that happens, I need a favor.”
“What is it?”
“Can you retrieve the necklace before the spell activates?”
I held back the curse rising to my lips.
“You know how much Lord Peril loved this store. If we lose our investors, we’re finished.”
And she still understands that?
Maybe I should just run.
If even Lily was acting like this, there might be no hope left.
Better than falling into a magical sleep and watching Ailins’s entire life…
I paused at the thought…
Then began walking again. When I reached a quiet place, I took Arkan out of my bag.
“Now it’s my turn to ask questions.”
He responded like he’d been waiting.
[I’ve been waiting!]
“You said the image you showed me might be from an ‘ancient future.’ Assuming that’s true, if I change the future, could it alter fate in any way?”
At first, it sounded ridiculous—but given the current situation, it wasn’t that strange anymore.
If I entered Ailins’s memories, that would technically be the past—making “ancient” accurate.
To her, “me” was someone from a distant future.
[Haha! Looks like you’ve figured it out. Yes! If you’re asking whether your ‘current self’ can be affected—it’s possible. So you want a different path?]
“That’s question two, right? Yes. I want a different road.”
I thought I wouldn’t be able to enter Ailins’ memories intentionally, but maybe I could.
“And if I change someone else’s future—could that affect the present?”
This was the real question.
Ailins had lived for a long time. Surely her memories included Peril.
If I can’t meet him now, I’ll find him there.
[Lady, humans are always standing at crossroads. Just like now—you must choose whether to keep talking to me or go after the necklace!]
A little emoji popped up under his text:
^^;
