BVIB 27

Chapter 27

Roselyn leaned in, studying the boy inside the cage carefully, and gave a small nod. “This one looks suitable.”

“Ah, I should mention,” the attendant began, his tone cautious, “this particular item hasn’t been fully broken in yet. He’s a Kalutan, as you might have guessed. As you know, those savages aren’t easy to tame…”

He let the words hang, casting a wary glance at the boy. “But, if you can break them, they make the strongest slaves.”

Roselyn nodded, silent and impassive.

Inside the cage, the boy glared at her with those intense green eyes, sizing her up before his gaze shifted to the bodyguard standing behind her. Slowly, his eyes dropped, the defiance in his posture never wavering.

“Of course, a control device will be provided,” the attendant added smoothly, “but I must warn you, we spent a great deal acquiring this one. The immediate purchase price is rather high.”

“How much?” Roselyn asked, tone flat.

“Six hundred ninety-eight million, five hundred thousand Orlang,” the man replied.

Roselyn hesitated. “That’s steep.”

Even if it wasn’t her own money but Marquess Garen’s, the price was exorbitant—especially considering the average slave sold for between one and two hundred million. This was outright price gouging.

“Four hundred million,” she said, clicking her tongue quietly.

The attendant, who had been speaking in measured, practiced tones, faltered for the first time.

“If you’re not just taking me for a fool, I’d appreciate if you dropped the games,” Roselyn said coolly. “But if you are serious, you’d best be ready for the consequences.”

Behind her mask, her red eyes locked with the attendant’s brown ones, unwavering.

The attendant swallowed hard, a bead of sweat trickling down his neck. Four hundred million? That’s what we used to sell them for…

He was just about to nod his agreement when a voice rang out from behind Roselyn.

“Five hundred million.”

She froze, her eyes narrowing behind the mask. “I’ll take the boy for five hundred million,” the newcomer said, voice calm but cutting through the room like a blade.

Roselyn didn’t move, but inside she let out a long, silent sigh. Already? They’re here sooner than I thought.

She turned, slowly, to see who had interrupted the negotiation.

A man stood there, leaning on a cane, his face obscured by a gray wolf mask. He wore gloves, every inch of skin meticulously concealed.

Beside the Gray Wolf, another attendant waited—the same blank white mask as the others. Flanking him was a personal bodyguard, hidden behind a black mask and a heavy cloak.

“I made my decision first,” Roselyn said, her voice calm but edged with warning.

She’d hoped to be gone before running into these people, but luck had not been on her side.

“But you haven’t finalized your purchase yet, have you?” the Gray Wolf replied smoothly.

“No, I was simply negotiating,” Roselyn replied evenly.

“And so I offered a higher price,” the man in the gray wolf mask countered.

Roselyn gave a short, derisive laugh. The mockery was unmistakable, and she saw the man’s gloved hand tighten around his cane.

“It seems you’ve forgotten your place here. Or… perhaps this is your first time attending one of these?” she said, her voice light with amusement.

She chuckled again. “Still, you shouldn’t let everyone see how inexperienced you are…”

The man bristled. “Just what exactly are you implying?”

Roselyn lifted her chin, her posture confident and unhurried as she felt the eyes of the room settling on her.

“Unlike the common rabble, we have our privileges,” she said, idly flicking her fingers, her tone as casual as it was cutting.

“There’s no need to swarm over a single item like a pack of dogs,” Roselyn said coolly. “Did you mistake this place for a common auction house?”

The auction for the noble guests was nothing like the regular underground market. Here, there were no frenzied bids, no shouting matches. This was a spectacle crafted for the elite, meant solely to feed their sense of superiority.

For these three exclusive hours, there was no auctioning at all. If you wanted something, you simply paid the price. First come, first served. Tradition dictated that others defer to whoever made the first claim.

“If you’re so eager to show off your commoner instincts, perhaps you’d be more comfortable in the public auction,” she added, her voice laced with mockery.

The man’s eyes narrowed behind his mask, a flash of indignation in their depths.

You can cover your skin, but you can’t hide those green eyes, Roselyn thought, a sly smile playing on her lips.

“I have a question, attendant.”

“Yes, Red Cat. Please, go ahead.”
The attendant’s posture was even stiffer than before, as if Roselyn’s presence alone demanded discipline.

“How much does an adult Kalutan fetch?” she asked.

At that, the man in the gray wolf mask faltered, just for a moment.

The attendant wore a puzzled look. “An adult Kalutan is extremely difficult to capture, let alone tame. They’re rare—hardly ever sold. If one were to appear, the bidding would start at no less than a billion.”

Roselyn tilted her head at a slight angle, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

“It’s just—there’s been a strong scent of beast in the air for a while now… I can hardly stand it.”

She laughed quietly.

“If I’m not mistaken, our gentleman here looks an awful lot like a Kalutan himself.”

The man in the gray wolf mask drew a sharp breath, his eyes burning with intensity as he glared at Roselyn.

“What do the rest of you think?” she asked, casting her gaze around.

“How dare you! I don’t know what you’re insinuating,” someone huffed indignantly.

“Those vivid green eyes are a telltale trait of the Kalutan, aren’t they? Of course, with all that skin hidden away, I can’t be completely certain…”

Her eyes crinkled prettily behind the holes of her mask.

“If you’ve nothing to hide, why not take off your gloves and show us?”

“…A Kalutan, you say?”

The attendants in white masks, stationed around the slave corner, all turned in unison toward the Gray Wolf and his bodyguard.

“What nonsense is this? Is this how you treat your honored guests?” the man in the wolf mask snapped, his voice rising in indignation.

“In that case, why not simply remove your gloves and settle the matter?” one of the attendants replied coolly. “All we need is a glance at your skin to confirm.”

Just then, a new figure entered the room, his steps measured and deliberate.

“Ah, pardon the interruption. I only came in because things were getting rather loud,” he said.

This man wore a red mask—expressionless, but strikingly different from the others.

A red mask…
Roselyn’s gaze lingered on the newcomer.

The white masks signified mere hired staff; the red mask, however, denoted someone of far greater authority—a key figure, a manager of sorts.

She fell silent, waiting to see how the situation would unfold.

The Gray Wolf fell silent.

Of course he couldn’t prove anything.

If Roselyn’s suspicions were correct, this man was the Kaluta king’s half-brother.
A jealous older sibling, who had come all the way here to eliminate his younger brother’s child—the second prince.

In her previous world, he had succeeded.
He had killed the boy and sent his severed head to the Kaluta king, making it appear as if the deed had been done by a noble of this very empire.

The loss had driven the Kaluta king mad with grief and rage, leading him to declare war.

In the end, the Emperor of Dianitas slew the king of Kaluta in battle, but the wounds he suffered during that fight proved fatal. Not long after, the emperor himself died, and the course of history was changed by that single, bloody act.

Not long after that change in rulers, Roselyn herself had perished.

I have no intention of letting another war break out…
That was why she’d come—to ensure negotiations with Kaluta started on better terms this time.

She had no intention of letting anyone interfere.

“No answer, then?” the man in the red mask said, his voice echoing in the tense silence.

“In that case…”

Roselyn saw the red-masked man’s blue eyes curve with cold amusement behind his mask.

“I suppose that means we can treat you as nothing more than cattle.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Gray Wolf and his black-masked guard exchanged a glance—and bolted for the exit.

But the exit was blocked by the man in the red mask.

He laughed, watching them rush toward him.

Suddenly, something inky and unnatural stretched from around him, coiling and twisting into a massive, shadowy sphere. In a flash, it engulfed the fleeing men, leaving only their heads sticking out of the orb’s surface.

They were utterly trapped, caught by the darkness.