Chapter 41
The hood concealed his face.
Even so, he was staring straight at Laria.
It was as if he had recognized exactly who had interfered with him.
Laria didn’t avert her eyes—she met his gaze head-on.
Though the surroundings were filled with noise, she heard nothing.
It felt as though everyone else had vanished from sight and only the two of them remained.
Surely, he must be feeling the same way.
The suffocating tension was palpable.
She couldn’t move a single finger, yet her mind was working furiously.
How would he act next? What kind of sorcery would he use to subdue her?
She couldn’t use anything too conspicuous.
It would draw too much attention.
The man seemed to think the same, for he did not make a rash move either.
As the stalemate dragged on, Laria probed the ominous aura seeping from him.
I’ve seen this before.
Her eyes widened as memory struck.
It was the very aura that had engulfed the Craseum mansion.
It had been weaker now, which was why she hesitated, but on closer inspection, she was certain.
No way… was he the one who cast the forbidden spell on the Craseum estate?
Laria’s gaze sharpened at once.
She had to uncover his identity.
As if reading her thoughts, the man suddenly rose to his feet.
When he tried to flee, Laria instantly stood as well.
“Lady Rohan?”
“I’ll be right back.”
Before Ishuel could stop her, Laria slipped away.
Weaving through the seats, she pursued the hooded figure, his back always just out of reach.
No matter how fast she went, the distance between them never closed.
Leaving the hall behind, Laria confirmed the corridor was empty and hurled a spell.
A white glow bound his feet.
But he merely swept a hand through the air.
Blade-shaped energy cut through her spell like paper.
Laria snatched any jewel from her pouch and clenched it tightly.
Countless attack spells flickered across her mind like pages in a book.
As she chanted, the gemstones shattered one after another with a sharp crack.
The chase turned into a running battle along the corridor.
Her white energy clashed repeatedly with his crimson sorcery, wrapping, colliding, scattering.
While she reached for another gem, the man began to cast a teleportation spell.
Bang!
Yet the spell collapsed before it could fully form, dissolved into nothing.
“Tch.”
He clicked his tongue, irritated at being thwarted again.
The voice—middle-aged, masculine—made Laria’s eyes narrow.
Whether disguised by potion or not, it was a clue she could not ignore.
Can I take him on?
In terms of skill, she was not inferior—but the gemstones were a problem.
Eventually, she would run out.
Maybe I should gamble everything on one strike.
She considered pouring all her remaining jewels into a single devastating blow.
It was a reckless gamble, but if this dragged on, she would be at a disadvantage.
White light began to swirl around her, building up.
Noticing, the man pulled several glass vials from his robe.
Explosive potions?
She halted her casting to prepare a defense, but he smashed the vials on the ground.
The bottles shattered, and liquid splattered everywhere.
The metallic tang of blood filled her nose.
Laria realized—it was blood.
The once-clean floor was smeared red.
Standing amid the spreading pool, the man began chanting.
A ghastly power unlike anything before seeped upward from the blood like smoke.
Something terrible was about to happen.
“!”
Dark sorcery rode the air, brushing against Laria’s robe.
Ssshhh. The fabric hissed as it melted away.
Her face hardened.
If that touched human flesh, it would dissolve skin in an instant.
She instantly gathered all her remaining jewels and erected a barrier.
A shield of light spread out, sucking up the dark mist like fog drawn into a vacuum.
Damn it.
Seizing the opening, the man began another teleportation spell.
This time, Laria couldn’t stop him.
If she relaxed even a moment, the deadly fog would surge outward.
The teleportation array completed, and he looked at her.
Though the hood hid his face, his piercing stare burned like a blade.
Laria glared back, refusing to look away.
And then—whoosh—he vanished before her eyes.
The crimson fog, too, was swallowed entirely into her barrier.
“Haa…”
Relief washed over her, and with it a crushing wave of exhaustion.
She collapsed onto the floor, spent.
Never before had she cast at such intensity.
She had poured every jewel she carried into the fight—and still failed to capture him.
She rarely encountered other sorcerers, but this man was in a different league altogether.
Had she brought fewer jewels, she might have lost her life.
Who on earth is he?
With so few clues, she couldn’t even begin to guess.
First, I need the guest list from the Crown Prince.
If she pressured the auction house master, she could narrow it down.
Most attendees would have entered under verified identities.
And Laria thought she recognized the forbidden art he had used.
Mind control.
She recalled the guest whose eyes had gone vacant, moving like a puppet.
The Craseum mansion had borne the same sinister sorcery.
His goal must be to enthrall Zenox.
“This is worse than I thought…”
Whoever he was, she had to find him.
Once she recovered enough strength, she slowly stood.
I should return to the auction.
If she stayed away too long, the Crown Prince would become suspicious.
And the auction was nearly over.
From the host’s attitude, Zenox was likely saved for the finale.
The thought of the young wolf cub surrounded by greedy stares quickened her steps.
Right now, Zenox felt like someone she had to protect.
When she slipped back into the hall, she reclaimed her seat.
Thankfully, Ishuel wasn’t so dense as to question her absence.
“Perfect timing. I think Zenox is about to be brought out.”
Laria let out a sigh of relief.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience!”
The host’s voice boomed across the hall.
“For the final item of tonight’s auction—the greatest treasure of all—we now present it!”
The chatter fell silent as the guests turned back to the stage.
“You’ll be astonished when you see it.”
Drawing out the anticipation, the host delayed the reveal.
“Even I was shocked when I first laid eyes on it. Not even an adult beast, but a cub—so adorable you’ll find it enchanting simply to watch it breathe!”
Unwittingly, Laria nodded along.
Zenox, in his wolf cub form, was indeed unbearably cute, even asleep.
Well, at least he’s not lying, she thought.
“The bidding will begin at two hundred million!”
Laria nearly leapt from her seat.
Two hundred million?!
She had bought him for only one hundred fifty million!
So she had indeed called out far too low a price—rage boiled inside her.
If only she had brought Solike instead of the Crown Prince, she wouldn’t have made such a blunder.
Solike would have wrung even more money from them.
She glared at the host, then shot a look at Ishuel—the one who had tried to sell Zenox off for a mere thirty million.
Catching her stare, Ishuel whispered, “Zenox sure is expensive!”
Thirty million, and he dares say that…
Her resentment toward the Crown Prince deepened.
“And now, I give you—the black wolf of legend, bearer of golden eyes!”
The curtain behind him began to rise.
Eager bidders already clutched their paddles in hand.
As the drapery lifted, something came into view.
Huh…?
Instead of a wolf cub, a human figure’s lower half was revealed.
Perplexed, she watched as more of the body came into sight—lean, well-defined muscles unmarred by excess flesh.
Even from a distance, his physique was breathtaking.
When his broad shoulders appeared, Laria unconsciously held her breath.
Though his face was still hidden, his presence alone pressed down on her.
Next came a strong jawline, lips firmly set.
Her eyes trembled violently in recognition.
The curtain finally lifted all the way, unveiling a sharp-featured man radiating killing intent.
A face all too familiar.
When did he turn back into a human?!
Standing on stage was Zenox—in human form.
