The room fell montarily silent.
Hadrian's gaze narrowed, his golden eyes fixed on Kael, while the tension in the air grew. The advisor beside him remained silent, but the slight smile on her lips suggested that she was watching Kael with an even sharper curiosity.
Kael felt a chill run down his spine.
"Damn it, every ti this happens, it feels like so superior being is devouring !" He hadn't spoken about his lineage to anyone, and the fact that Hella revealed it with such cold and direct precision made his heart race.
Hadrian leaned a little further forward, his eyes glowing with a mixture of intrigue and evaluation.
"Son of Elion Scarlet... grandson of Eleonor Scarlet..." He repeated, almost as if ntally calculating sothing.
The emperor seed genuinely surprised, but also very interested.
"So, it was true after all. I thought that old man had gone crazy when he announced it at the council." He said with a smile.
'I'll have to get used to this soon, coming from a humble family and being reborn as a prince isn't exactly normal,' Kael thought.
Hella looked at Kael with a penetrating gaze, her green eyes reflecting a calculated curiosity. "And what is a Scarlet, from that family, doing here, at an event like this?" Her voice was soft but had a nearly predatory tone, as if she was waiting for an answer that he didn't know how to give.
Kael swallowed hard, still trying to maintain composure in front of that imposing figure. "Well... I wouldn't have co here, but my Master forced to." His voice ca out softer than he would have liked, and he felt an increasing discomfort with Hella's gaze, which seed to pierce him with every unspoken word.
Hadrian, noticing Kael's discomfort, smiled slightly, trying to ease the tension. "I understand, so Adalric really found soone who didn't quit or get killed in the first week, that's quite rare! Congratulations!" He gestured to the room, as if wanting to shift the focus of the conversation. "For now, let's enjoy the auction," Hadrian said, smiling, much more inviting than his companion beside him.
Kael nodded, relieved for a mont of respite but still cautious.
"This woman... she's really strange, isn't she?" The question lingered in his mind, but he sighed, "Not the first ti, anyway."
["Hella Valroth" is interested in "Kael Scarlet"]
"Of course she is..." Kael muttered.
Adalric finally intervened, keeping his tone light. "Pay attention, kid, the swords are going to be auctioned soon."
Eva, who had been watching everything with a mischievous smile, stood up from her chair and grabbed her glass of wine. "Ah, of course. We can't forget the reason we're all here, can we?" She shot a sideways glance at Kael, as if enjoying the tension in the air.
"You're right..." Kael murmured, more to himself than to the others, trying to calm down. I need to learn to control these reactions, soon. I can't falter.
Eva, still standing next to Adalric, seed more excited now, her relaxed posture contrasting with the palpable tension in the air. She took a sip from her glass and smiled with a hint of amusent. "Well, let's stop talking about the past and focus on what matters. I hope the auction really starts soon, I'm getting impatient."
Adalric looked at Kael with an enigmatic smile. "Stay alert. The best offers are still to co. Swords, jewels... and other valuable items." He leaned forward, his tone more serious. "What's happening here isn't just a simple auction, Kael. So of the items for sale are much more than they appear."
Kael furrowed his brow, trying to understand what Adalric ant.
"What does he an by 'much more than they appear to be'?" But before he could ask, the auctioneer climbed back onto the stage, banging his gavel with a firm, authoritative sound.
"Ladies and gentlen, the sword auction is about to begin!" the man announced with enthusiasm, and the room fell silent in response, the gazes of the attendees fixating on the figure in front of them.
The auctioneer continued, "Prepare yourselves for the first offerings of the night. The swords forged in the northern mountains, tempered with the fire of legends, will be the first items."
The entire room seed to hold its breath as the blades were brought onto the stage. They were finely crafted swords, their blades gleaming in the golden light of the chandeliers. Each one radiated an aura of power, and Kael couldn't help but feel that sothing more was at play than just their material value.
"Five thousand gold coins!" shouted a voice in the crowd, and the bids began to rise quickly.
Kael looked at Adalric, curious. "They're just swords, right? Or is there sothing else going on here?"
Adalric smiled subtly, his eyes gleaming with knowledge that Kael had yet to possess. "Swords, yes. But these have histories... histories that could be very useful, depending on who owns them."
Eva seed bored, but her eyes still observed everything around her, attentive to any movent. "This is what people do here... buy and sell power. Or at least, the appearance of it," she said with a tone of disdain, but there was an underlying amusent in her voice.
Kael remained silent, his thoughts swirling in his mind. "Power... Appearances... How does all of this connect?"
As Kael leaned back in his chair, sitting next to Irelia—who was struggling against boredom and almost dozing off—the auctioneer continued presenting the items of the night. Magnificent swords were brought onto the stage, each one boasting unique histories and qualities, drawing increasingly higher bids.
However, at a certain point, the man on stage raised sothing... unexpected.
A long sword, unlike any of the others. Its blade, instead of gleaming steel or the dark glow of enchanted weapons, displayed a crystalline blue hue, almost ethereal. It seed too delicate for combat, as though it could shatter with a single blow.
"A beautiful piece!" the auctioneer announced, spinning the blade carefully so everyone could see it. "Made entirely of crystal! Despite its appearance, it is nothing more than a decorative sword. A rare piece, undoubtedly, but little use for combat."
The audience murmured with disinterest. For most, it was nothing but a fragile ornant, sothing an eccentric noble might want in their collection, but nothing worthy of a heated bid.
But for Kael...
[Legendary Sword "Chillrend" – Class A ]
His eyes imdiately narrowed.
Legendary? He furrowed his brow. Up until now, the System had remained indifferent to the nurous swords that had been auctioned before. But this... this was the only one it had highlighted.
"Interested in this?" Adalric asked, noticing Kael's attentive gaze.
Kael didn't respond imdiately. His thoughts raced. The System never alerts about sothing irrelevant. And if this sword went unnoticed by everyone else, then...
"A symbolic starting bid!" the auctioneer proclaid, trying to generate so enthusiasm. "Just one gold coin!"
Silence fell over the room. No one seed willing to spend even a single coin on the crystal blade.
Kael smiled.
"I'll take it."
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