Chapter 35
Moving people is surprisingly easy.
The right atmosphere, some provocative words, and visible signs of danger in plain sight.
When these elements combine, the resulting chaos has the power to paralyze an individual’s reasoning in an instant,
Transforming hundreds or even thousands of people into one massive current.
My subordinates, who were stationed in the underground waterway of the central gallery with weak defenses,
Had placed barrels of gunpowder throughout the area in advance and detonated them simultaneously at the designated time.
However, the purpose of these actions was far from destroying the central gallery.
This place, reinforced with magic, was built to withstand far greater forces.
Even the pillars, which bore the brunt of the impact, were merely scratched rather than destroyed.
Still, the explosions were powerful enough to cause vibrations throughout the central gallery,
And these intense tremors successfully caused massive confusion among the people inside and outside the gallery.
My original plan was to take advantage of the chaos, raid the auction, and steal the targeted “item.”
But with Auriel Stardust’s unexpected assistance, the plan was enhanced.
As one of the performers, Auriel had free access to the central gallery.
Several of my subordinates, disguised as members of her church that I had eradicated yesterday,
Successfully infiltrated deep inside the gallery without any resistance, where another plan was set in motion.
At the moment of the planned shock,
They used a hastily prepared fire magic spell imbued in scrolls to create the appearance of a fire in the auction hall.
The cries of “Fire!” shouted by my subordinates added fuel to the panic,
Turning the gallery into utter chaos.
No matter how valuable the auctioned items were,
The fundamental instinct for survival overwhelmed everything else.
As a result, the gallery, which had been packed with people moments ago,
Was now almost empty.
Through the thick smoke, I could see a few people collapsed or sitting dazed on the floor.
But that was no longer a problem.
Even the navy soldiers guarding the auction had fled,
So I began walking toward the target item I intended to take.
At that moment…
“…Interesting. This… was your doing, wasn’t it?”
“…”
A voice came from right next to me.
But I wasn’t particularly surprised.
I was already aware of her presence.
Even amidst the chaos, this person remained calm and steadfast.
The woman in the white crow mask, who had competed with me earlier, was now addressing me.
“Why would you think that? Do you have any evidence?”
“No. But… you were suspiciously calm while everyone else was panicking.”
As she spoke, a dark crimson aura began to emanate from her body.
The electrifying sensation it caused made me frown slightly.
‘This woman… she’s strong.’
Even though it wasn’t a special kind of magic,
The sheer presence of her power, enough to affect even me, told me she was no ordinary person.
At least 10th Rank…Perhaps even higher.
In response, I began releasing my own magic power.
The golden aura surrounding me pushed back against her crimson energy.
Then…
“!…”
Her body flinched slightly as she took a step back. She seemed a bit startled by the unexpected turn of events.
I spoke to her in a cold voice.
“And yet, the same could be said of you. In my eyes, you seem more like the culprit of this incident.”
“…”
My warning-filled words caused her to fall silent for a moment as she gazed at me quietly.
Then…
“…Haha. Well, I suppose that’s one way to see it. Fine. Minor details don’t matter to me anyway.”
With that, she withdrew her magic power.
As she relaxed her stance, I, too, retracted my energy and looked at her.
Due to the crow masks we both wore, neither of us could see the other’s face.
But one thing was clear—this woman was not someone to be underestimated.
Knowing that, there was no need to engage in a meaningless battle.
And more importantly, there was still something I had to do.
“Now then… Shall we get going? We need to secure the item, don’t we?”
She spoke calmly as she walked forward, drawing the sword at her hip.
Passing by me, she headed toward the stage where the auction had been held.
I followed behind her, making my way to the stage as well.
Through the thick smoke, I reached the stage where I picked up the rattling box.
“Is that all you’re taking? There are still plenty of valuable items inside.”
She pointed toward the back of the stage with a calm voice.
Indeed, the storage area likely held countless treasures that could make anyone drool.
However…
“I don’t need them. Take as much as you want.”
“Won’t you regret it? This is a rare opportunity. If you don’t indulge in greed now, when will you?”
“I don’t like unnecessary greed. I’ve achieved my goal, so the rest is up to you.”
Although it wasn’t something I would normally say, it was true in this moment.
There was no need to push my luck.
With those words, I stepped off the stage without hesitation.
The white crow woman shrugged lightly and headed toward the storage area.
And with that brief yet intriguing encounter behind me, I was about to leave the gallery when…
“Ugh…”
“Elkana… Are you okay?”
“Ugh… Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me—this is nothing.”
“…?”
As I pushed through the smoke, a familiar voice reached my ears.
I instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.
And there…
“What are you two doing here?”
“…Huh?”
“Ah… Father?”
I saw two familiar figures before my eyes.
For some reason, Ambasha was wearing a navy uniform,
And Elkana was limping with an injured leg.
To make things more perplexing, they were carrying a large sack over one shoulder.
Seeing this, I felt a mix of confusion and exasperation.
***
Due to the sudden commotion, Arcroyal found herself forcibly thrown into handling the situation.
Even amidst the chaos, she worked to organize her subordinates and focus on her duties.
“This way, please! Quickly move so you don’t block the others exiting behind you!”
“Any injured, come here! We’ll administer emergency treatment!”
People poured out like a torrent, as if they were vomiting up the events of last night’s indulgence.
There were quite a few injured among them, and Arcroyal and her navy officers did their best to guide them and prevent further chaos.
“Phew…”
“At least things didn’t turn into something worse. Thankfully, no major injuries or fatalities.”
Although there were several injuries, no deaths had been reported so far.
Furthermore, news had just come in that the situation in the storage area had also been brought under control.
While the perpetrators managed to escape quickly, they had at least prevented further damage.
However…
“This isn’t the time to relax. We still have no idea who did this or why.”
Even though the situation was stabilizing, Arcroyal’s expression remained ice-cold.
“That’s… true, but…”
“Stay vigilant. The situation here seems mostly under control, so now we’ll begin assessing what happened.”
“Understood.”
“And…”
Arcroyal bit her lip, hesitating slightly before continuing.
Two people still hadn’t shown up—Elkana and Ambasha.
They had likely been hurt by her earlier suspicions and were now missing amidst the chaos.
The weight of guilt tightened in her chest. Now that things had calmed down somewhat, she immediately gave her subordinates new orders.
“Leave only the minimum number of people here and follow me inside. We’ll investigate and search for any remaining survivors.”
“Yes, Admiral!”
Officially, they were investigating the incident and rescuing survivors.
But in reality, Arcroyal could think only of Elkana and Ambasha.
“If they haven’t come out yet, they must still be inside… Maybe they’re badly injured and waiting for rescue…”
Hoping desperately for their safety, Arcroyal headed toward the smoke-filled central gallery.
Then…
-Whoosh!
She gathered magic into her fingertips and released it in a burst.
A swirling wind emanated from her, quickly clearing the smoke from her surroundings.
“Move in!”
“Yes!”
With her vision cleared, Arcroyal and her navy officers swiftly moved inside.
As they continued, they helped anyone still lying on the floor and retrieved those who hadn’t yet escaped.
Soon, they arrived at the auction hall.
‘I’ve come this far, but they’re still not in sight… Where could they have gone?’
A sense of unease gnawed at her.
Driven by this anxiety, Arcroyal intensified her magic output, quickly dissipating the lingering smoke within the auction hall.
And then…
“…Huh?”
“!”
At that moment, Arcroyal’s expression froze.
As the smoke cleared, the scene before her eyes came into view.
It was Elkana, collapsed on the floor and bleeding.
And standing before her…
A plague doctor in a mask,
Carrying a large sack filled with auctioned items on one shoulder
And the unconscious Ambasha slung over the other.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment