Chapter 27
“What the hell! It’s a complete baby! They’re locking up something like that in a cage and putting it up for auction? Are they seriously insane?”
Viole gasped in horror at the sight, covering her mouth with her hand. Soon after, other baby beasts and even unhatched beast eggs were lined up for auction. Narcia watched all of it silently—who was buying the beasts, how the payments were processed, and how the purchased beasts were delivered.
“Three hundred twenty… two hundred eighty… four hundred thirty…”
Narcia’s eyes flashed as he quickly recited the numbers. That day, a total of five beasts were up for auction, including the unhatched ones, and the total winning bid amounted to a staggering 13 million gold—a sum that could feed a commoner family for ten years.
The amount far exceeded his expectations, and Narcia felt something was off. Even if wealthy merchants or minor barons participated, 13 million gold was far beyond what the scale of the auction could reasonably reach.
“Seems like there are some proxies involved.”
“Proxies?”
“Yeah. They’re hired by nobles to bid on their behalf. Otherwise, there’s no way these amounts could come out. This is going to be bigger than expected.”
Narcia slowly wiped his lips. Of course, human affairs are never perfect, but he had never imagined that something like this could happen under the management of his own family.
Moreover, the nobles using proxies were likely from other territories. Even if they were caught in the act, there was no way to punish them in Navian territory. As if reading his thoughts, Viole looked up at him with a bright smile.
“Narcia, should we stir things up a bit?”
“Stir things up?”
“Tell the Duke, and let’s make this public. There are several nobles involved, right? What we saw already involves drugs, tax evasion, and beast trafficking. It’s better to punish them now. Let’s report it ourselves before anyone suspects us.”
Narcia appeared to ponder for a moment. He had originally intended to resolve this quietly within Navian territory.
However, with other nobles involved in drug trafficking, tax evasion, and beast smuggling, it would be difficult for just the two of them to handle it. If they reported the incident first, as Viole suggested, it would actually prove that the Duke Kegreiner had nothing to do with it.
“But if we do that, we won’t be able to avoid punishment for the Spotted One…”
“With so many bad people around, is it really a problem that we had a beast? We didn’t even buy the Spotted One. If it’s a big deal, we can just pin it on that shop. Say we were forced to take it!”
Viole’s shameless attitude—wanting to not only destroy the shop but also frame them—made Narcia chuckle as he poked her cheek lightly.
“You’re really wicked.”
“It’s not like I didn’t know when we got married. So, you don’t like it?”
“I don’t particularly dislike it.”
Narcia’s lips curved into a faint smile again. He watched Viole as she vented her frustration at the trade guild, cradled in his arms.
Viole constantly caused unusual incidents, always shameless and sly, leaving him bewildered. Her energy was so intense that just being near her drained him. She was like someone throwing stones into the calm lake of his life, making it ripple violently.
Yet strangely, he didn’t dislike her. She brought tension to his otherwise lax life. Days with Viole were tiring, but never boring.
“Ah, they’re putting the restraints on. Narcia, give me the Holy Sword! I’ll just quickly—”
“It’s okay. Time’s up.”
Unable to bear seeing the beast suffer, Viole tried to rush forward, but Narcia gently restrained her. At the same time, his gaze shifted to the clock on the wall.
Soon, commotion could be heard from outside, and a man who appeared to be a staff member ran frantically into the auction hall, shouting:
“Raid! Get out quickly!”
“What?”
“Damn it!”
The word “raid” immediately threw the hall into chaos. As people scrambled toward the narrow exits, Narcia raised his hand and began chanting. A massive amount of magical energy gathered in his palm, forming a sphere.
“Arcana Virsha.”
His eyes flashed, and all entrances to the auction hall were sealed with magic. A transparent pink magical barrier blocked every pathway. Startled, people hesitated, stepping back.
Narcia, now returned to his normal form, strode toward the stage. Staff tried to stop him, but Viole, sword in hand, covered him. Their presence was so overwhelming that no one dared approach.
All eyes in the chaotic hall turned to them. Narcia, standing on the stage and removing his fox mask, spoke with a solemn voice:
“I am Narcia Kegreiner, Sub-Duke of Kegreiner. As of 20:35, the 16th day of the 732nd year of the Empire, I hereby close the Hilton Auction House on charges of drug distribution, tax evasion, and beast trafficking. By the authority of Lady Viole Kegreiner, the lord of Navian territory, all participants in this auction are hereby arrested on the spot.”
The hall fell silent. Narcia had rarely appeared publicly in official settings. Now, announcing the closure himself, the seriousness of the situation finally dawned on the people, their faces going pale.
“W-why is the Sub-Duke of Kegreiner here…?”
“D-damn it…”
Some tried to flee, but the magical barriers held firm. They were trapped like rats in a cage. Soon, knights from Navian territory raided the auction house, dragging out guests and staff alike.
Even as he watched the hall clear out, Narcia’s expression remained slightly unsettled. The plan was perfect, and everything went as he anticipated—but somehow, it had all unfolded too easily. He could not shake off the uneasy feeling.
Navian Territory Detention Center. Late in the evening, Viole and Narcia went there in person. On the day of the raid, over 50 people were caught on the spot by the Navian knights.
Guests who merely observed without bidding lacked sufficient evidence and could not be detained, but the results were significant. The previously quiet detention center was now overcrowded beyond measure.
“Ah, I married you to focus on magic and ignore household matters, but somehow we’ve gotten even busier.”
Narcia let out a dry laugh as they walked toward the center. Viole blinked at his sudden comment. He wasn’t wrong; since she brought the Spotted One, his time spent in the annex had noticeably decreased.
Until just now, he had been drafting a letter to send to Duke Kegreiner himself. Normally, Viole, acting as temporary lord, would handle all of it alone—but somehow, he ended up accompanying her for everything.
Realizing that helping her was purely out of Narcia’s goodwill, Viole felt a deep sense of gratitude.
“My husband is the best! I’m so glad I married you.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“But it’s nice being with me, right?”
Viole, full of playful energy, pressed her face toward him.
Narcia stared blankly for a moment at her sudden words. He couldn’t understand how her train of thought arrived at that conclusion, but somehow her enthusiasm no longer felt burdensome.
He subtly raised the corner of his lips as he avoided her gaze.
“Well, I guess it would’ve been better if there was less smoke smell.”
“Huh? That was a long time ago! It shouldn’t smell!”
Narcia’s tone was playful, but Viole, not catching on and embarrassed, buried her face in her sleeve while sniffing.
“Do I really smell? Smell again.”
“Well, it’s not completely gone.”
The two bickered as they entered the interrogation room. Inside was the head of the Hilton Auction House. He looked visibly haggard, clearly having suffered much over the past few days.
“Sub-Duke! I’m innocent!”
