Chapter 25
“Something about this feels really off…”
“Why?”
When Narcía frowned again, Violette tilted her head in confusion. Unlike Violette—who had followed the man without a second thought—Narcía had been on edge for a while now. He flicked his hood back and whispered in a low voice.
“The whole atmosphere is suspicious. Everyone looks rough, and they just let us meet the owner right away? They didn’t even ask who we were, even though our faces were covered. Shouldn’t they at least ask for our identities?”
“Well, people can look rough. Why are you judging people by their appearance? That’s mean, Narcía.”
“That’s not the point. Something’s wrong. Let’s get out of here first. It’s an illegally run place anyway—we can bring the knight order later and—”
At that moment, Narcía froze as he tried to open the door and leave. His face hardened as he spoke quietly to Violette.
“The door’s locked.”
“Huh?”
“We’re trapped.”
Startled, Violette rushed to his side and yanked at the doorknob, but it didn’t budge. Only then did she realize how serious the situation was. She ground her teeth.
“Ah, those bastards…”
“They don’t look like they’re planning to let us go quietly.”
Violette felt a genuine sense of betrayal. To think they’d stab her in the back like this. The reason she’d trusted strangers so easily was simple—no one had ever dared mess with Violette Rascal before. The unfamiliar feeling made her temples throb.
The fact that she was being humiliated like this in front of Narcía only fueled her irritation. She pushed back her hood and ran a hand through her hair.
“Maybe I was too naive.”
“Or just stupid. Still, I had guards posted just in case. I told them to come looking if they didn’t hear from me within thirty minutes of entering the shop. We just need to hold out until then. I doubt they’re planning to kill us.”
So that was why he’d seemed so calm—he had something to rely on. But Violette couldn’t stand the situation. Waiting for Narcía’s guards to rescue them would mean relying on him yet again. Just then, something occurred to her, and a sly smile crept onto her lips.
“Narcía, you have the holy sword on you, right?”
“The holy sword? I do, but what are you planning to do with it? Fight your way out?”
Narcía let out a small scoff. If it were just the one man from earlier, escape might’ve been possible—but this was their base. Just from a glance, there were at least five or six staff members, and who knew how many of the customers were on their side.
At that moment, a rattling sound came from outside, followed by approaching footsteps. Violette urged him in a hurried whisper.
“Just give it to me. Quickly.”
“What are you even going to do with—hey! Where are you touching?!”
“Hold still!”
When Narcía hesitated, an irritated Violette shoved her hand straight into his pocket. After fumbling around his body, she found an amethyst at his waist and broke into a bright smile.
“Found it.”
The instant the holy sword appeared in Violette’s hand, the door burst open. Five men with vicious expressions stormed into the room. When they spotted Violette holding a sword and smiling coldly, they hurriedly grabbed their weapons.
“W-What the hell?!”
“Where did that sword come from?!”
As the men hesitated, scanning her from head to toe, Violette calmly walked toward them.
“Narcía, stay here and behave. Big sister will be right back.”
“What?”
Before Narcía could ask anything else, Violette charged at them with sword in hand. The sight that unfolded next left Narcía staring in a daze.
There was a reason Argon had tried to recruit her into the Imperial Knight Order.
Violette Rascal—she was the greatest thug of the Rascal Marquisate and its finest knight.
Each time she swung her blade, a violet aura burst forth from her body. It was sword aura—something only an exceptionally small number of knights ever awakened.
‘Sword aura…?’
Only then did Narcía understand how someone with such a slender frame could become such a terrifying brawler. A knight who wielded sword aura could defeat dozens of ordinary knights alone.
Without shedding a single drop of blood, Violette cut down her opponents one by one. It was a sight hard to believe even when seen with one’s own eyes.
With every movement she made, large men collapsed to the floor, and the situation was resolved in an instant. The only one still conscious was the employee who had guided them to the room. Slumped on the floor, he trembled uncontrollably.
“Don’t be so tense. Your friends aren’t dead. I just knocked them out—just knocked them out.”
Resting the sword on her shoulder, Violette squatted down in front of him. Though her hood was pulled back and her face fully visible, her presence was far more terrifying than when it had been hidden. She grabbed his chin and forced his head up.
“I’ll ask again. Where’s the owner?”
“H-He really isn’t here! He’s been gone for days…! Y-You can ask me instead! I practically run the place!”
“You already lied to me once. Why should I believe you?”
“P-Please believe me! I’ll answer anything, anything at all!”
Still unconvinced, Violette furrowed her brow slightly and turned to Narcía.
“What do you think?”
“Ask him first. We can decide what to do after we hear his answers.”
The terrified man had no idea what would come out of her mouth next. He was genuinely afraid of Violette. The fact that this beautiful woman was the same person who had just cut down his companions still hadn’t fully sunk in.
At the same time, he was convinced of one thing—this devilish woman had to be a mercenary sent by a rival business! She’d taken advantage of the owner’s absence to steal their secrets.
“The magical beast egg you gave me as a prize that day. Where did it come from?”
“P-Pardon? The magical beast egg?”
“Yes. The black one with red spots. Where did you get it?”
“We b-bought it at an auction house. But why—”
The man asked in confusion, but Violette’s expression hardened.
“Which auction house? Don’t make me ask twice. Answer properly!”
“H-Hiltenturn Auction House!”
At the mention of Hiltenturn Auction House, Narcía—who had been standing quietly—stepped forward.
“Hiltenturn Auction House? You mean the one run by the Hiltenturn Trading Company?”
When the man nodded vigorously, Narcía’s face went cold. Sensing something amiss, Violette whispered to him.
“Isn’t the Hiltenturn Trading Company backed by the Kegriner family? It’s the biggest one in Navian Territory.”
Narcía nodded and questioned the man.
“You mean the auction held every full moon? Every item there goes through inspection at the inner castle. How could a magical beast egg end up at auction?”
The Hiltenturn Trading Company held a high-end auction every full moon, selling rare and valuable items. Nobles from other territories could participate, which meant every item was carefully reviewed under the authority of House Kegriner.
And the final approver of those reviews was the acting lord of Navian Territory—
Violette Rascal.
‘Did Violette mess something up again…?’
Convinced she’d been careless once more, Narcía narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her. Just as he was about to press her, the man shook his head hurriedly.
“No! Not the official auction. There’s another one held at dawn the next day. It’s members-only. Everyone wears masks, and you can’t tell who anyone is. For the past few months, magical beast eggs have been appearing there regularly, so we bought ours from that auction…”
“Hah.”
Narcía let out a short, humorless laugh. After lending the Kegriner name to help develop Navian Territory, they’d been pulling tricks like this behind his back. It was beyond ridiculous.
“Then where does the trading company get those eggs from? Do they buy them somewhere else too?”
“I don’t know the exact location, but I’m certain the company obtains them directly. They even advertised that the egg we bought had been acquired firsthand at dawn the previous day.”
Narcía rubbed his lips thoughtfully.
That made it even less likely that someone was directly summoning the eggs from the Demon Realm. It seemed far more likely that, for some unknown reason, the eggs themselves were crossing over one by one.
