Chương 33: Disguised Auction

Ch 33: Disguised Auction

"Don't you think you should be watching her first battle instead of wasting your time copying spells, Eric?" When I raised my head from the module I was working on and my gaze landed on the pointy-eared woman in front of me, I found Zira staring at me with crossed arms. She was only doing this because the group of Greys she had just brought to the gambling ring were too busy losing credits to my slot machine, all five of them celebrating and cursing every time they pulled that lever made of illusion.

"Is Sahirah fighting now?" I'd kind of lost track of time. This place had no windows or anything else to indicate the time, and that was pretty much by design since keeping the Grey gamblers here for as long as possible meant more profit for all of us.

"Of course she is," said Zira.

"She's going to face a huge Granar from the Eastern school. You're not planning to miss it, are you?" Kip and Kap, who were naturally inclined to stay still for hours on end and be fine with it, turned their heads toward us at the mention of their species. It was as if they too wanted to abandon their posts as bouncers to see how Sahirah would fare against one of their own.

Zira just waited for my reply, an indirect offer to take over my role managing this place while I went outside to offer emotional support to Sahirah.

"Sahirah would want me to keep doing what I'm doing." We had actually discussed this in the morning, deciding she only wanted me to see her battle when she reached the finals, where she would certainly face the Maltronian.

"Whatever she told you, I can assure you without any doubt that she will be happy if you go there and watch her battle." Zira insisted.

"And your own fight will be next. Don't tell me you're planning on missing that too." Well, with my newly assigned role as city officer, I totally could miss it without fear of consequences. But was that really the best I could do? Even if Principal Dickhead was now powerless to retaliate against us in any meaningful way, he certainly was still capable of making our lives more annoying. Also, it was not like I was behind schedule in the production of the orbs.

By stamping the modules, I could probably make forty spheres per day, and I still had six days ahead of me until the agreed delivery date with the Mayor. And even if I was also working on the translation prototypes to test with Sahirah somewhere outside the school as soon as possible, I could totally set those things aside for now to check how the tournament was going. I pushed back my chair and stood up.

"Well, I suppose you're right," I said.

"You're in charge of this place while I'm gone."

"M-me? In charge?" She hesitated. I smiled.

"Just keep being the golden goose of an elf you are, and you'll be fine." This was all said as I crossed the illusion door and made my way toward the training area.

The merchants, nobles, and teachers from other schools were gathered around the temporary fighting ring. Niko and Lili stood side by side on the ground near the stands where the Grey guests moved to their seats to watch the fight that was about to begin. The duo was practically hidden in a dark corner, where they likely thought the night was ensuring no one would notice them.

"Oh." I was unable to stay quiet as I got closer, noticing Niko trying to be stealthy as he held Lili's hand. And she seemed extremely embarrassed, looking around as though they were doing something much more scandalous. The flames of revenge burned inside my heart like never before.

"Niko, nice to see you here!" I said.

"How are you and your life mate doing?" It was extremely hard to keep a straight face as their hands came apart as if they suddenly had become radioactive. Lili got defensive really quickly.

"This stupid animal doesn't know how to respect boundaries!" she said arrogantly.

"The Zufi are all like that, you give them too much space, and before you know it they're holding your hand and sleeping in your bed!" She noticed faster than Niko and I did how unfortunate her example had been, and her cheeks went red as her gaze landed on the ground as if it suddenly had become the most entertaining thing in the world.

Niko stared at me awkwardly, and judging by the way he was scratching the fur near his snout with a clawed finger, I could tell with full certainty that he now knew how Sahirah and I felt every time he called us life mates.

"Hello, my friend." He finally overcame the awkwardness.

"You and your life–" He paused, and then he rephrased his sentence.

"You and Sahirah will fight next. You got here just in time to watch her fight."

"Can I watch from here, or am I interrupting something?" I added salt to the wound. Lili's pointy ears dropped so low and her face got so red that I felt slightly guilty about my little revenge. Niko, on the other hand, only sighed, as if he knew he deserved every moment of awkwardness I was providing him with.

"Of course you can watch from here, Eric." I let out a playful huff, moving a little ahead of the couple so that they wouldn't be bothered by my presence. From this new position, I could see Lathara next to the arena. She was adjusting Sahirah's light white robe, something that reminded me of a kimono with large pockets for spells.

Also, I couldn't help but notice how this was the first time I was seeing her black hair gathered into a bun, likely a preparation that all competitors with long hair were required to make. It took some time for her to notice me, but just like Zira had predicted, a small smile full of teeth covered her face the moment she noticed me among the crowd. I waved at her, which only widened her smile. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Yet, the warm moment was short-lived, because Principal Dickhead jumped to the center of the fighting ring with a flashy spell, immediately becoming the focal point of all attention.

"Esteemed guests from everywhere across the continent." He surveyed the crowd, his body facing the private open tents where the richest people were sitting.

"Tonight you'll get to see the first fights between the rare species champions and the best warriors the three common species can offer." He slowly walked toward the corner of the fighting ring, where his gaze landed on Sahirah.

"And tonight you'll finally get a glimpse of what the rarest among them can do in real combat." He somehow found me among the crowd, and when our gazes met, he said, "I'll share a few more words after her fight. That's all for now." The crowd barely reacted to his words, treating it as just another between-fights announcement. But I felt something weird in his tone and posture, a suspicion that his look alone was telling more than his words did. I knew whatever it was, it certainly wouldn't be good.

Still, this feeling didn't linger, and soon enough I was just watching Sahirah climb the stairs to the fighting ring. She glanced at me one last time before getting into position. From the other side, a large Granar also climbed into the fighting ring, his pockets filled to the brim with spells, showing how much care his school had put into providing him with an arsenal. Cute. That was the single word that came to my mind. I had provided Sahirah with a couple of copies of a single spell for her fight.

We both knew my greatest design constraint had not been raw power, but actually limiting her output so that she wouldn't accidentally kill her opponent, a very real possibility given the sheer amount of mana she had.

"How long do you think it'll take her to win, Eric?" Niko and Lili approached me on their own, and while she was still avoiding looking directly at either of us, the fact she hadn't left made me suspect those two might last more than a few days together...

"Ten seconds," I said.

"Maybe less." I wasn't looking down on her opponent, but knowing how the Granar typically had so little mana, I just couldn't see how the poor scaled guy could resist the spell Sahirah was carrying.

"It's starting." Even Lili set aside all embarrassment as Principal Dickhead shot a glowing sphere into the sky to signal the start of the fighting. Sahirah was already holding a copy of the Mana Wave spell, both hands resting on top of the Mana Drain modules. The crowd was on edge. The Greys weren't showing much excitement, as if afraid to look silly, but the few Zufi merchants among them were the absolute opposite, letting loose and standing up to watch as mana currents started to flow from Sahirah to the paper.

I just smiled as her white robes started to float as though she were in zero gravity, some of her loose strands floating as though she were submerged beneath invisible water. The Granar on the other side of the fighting ring tried to stop her. He cast his version of Haste. The jump brought him closer to Sahirah, where he would be at his strongest. Yet, Mana Wave activated before he could get closer. It happened instantly. An expanding wave of blue mana grew with Sahirah as its epicenter.

It hit the Granar and passed straight through his body. He stopped advancing and started to shake as his knees bent, stunned just like those Mimics had been.

"That must be painful," said Niko. I didn't reply, because it was obviously painful. Yet, as bad as it looked, this was actually safe for his life. Mana Wave was actually a much fancier version of the unfinished spell that had neutralized the Mimics back then, and the output of the Mana Projection runes had been carefully limited by three redundant safety modules. The whole crowd stood and cheered as the Granar raised both hands to forfeit, not even trying to stand and resist.

Sahirah smirked and looked in our direction. But her happiness didn't last. Principal Dickhead suddenly jumped into the fighting ring with the assistance of a spell, and he suddenly grabbed Sahirah's wrist, raising her arm to present her as victorious. I noticed the strength of his grip made her slightly uncomfortable, but unfortunately it was just something she would have to bear for now.

"The first Nadiri to ever set foot on Navar wins this fight." He positioned himself behind her so that Sahirah was the one in the spotlight.

"So the time has arrived for those few more words I had promised you." An ominous smile covered his face.

"You all have seen what she can do. And as much mana as she has now, it's only a fraction of what she can get with twenty more years of consistent meditation." Principal Dickhead's gaze landed on me.

"We are talking about near archmage potential here. The kind of power that could be useful to a noble family, to a company, or for someone interested in being the first to publish research on such a new life form." Sahirah's confused expression was hard to watch. Just like me, she seemed to be having trouble understanding what Zorik was getting at. But understanding came quickly.

"And all that potential can be yours if you're willing to sign the papers ensuring you'll provide her with an adequate private education." He turned to the private tents with the richest people and added, "And of course, a small contribution to this school to facilitate the paperwork and cover the expenses of the damage she has already caused to our humble training facilities." This was so absurd that it took me several seconds to believe what I was witnessing.

Even Lathara herself and the other teachers stared at Zorik in disbelief at the fact he was basically auctioning Sahirah in public, in a way that I couldn't even tell was legal according to Grey law. It was such an unimaginable dick move that my blood boiled, my mind already going through the spells I had stored in my Mind Library, considering what I could do.

Yet, as I attempted to calm down, trying to convince myself that since we were city officers now I would risk making the situation worse by taking action, the situation only got worse.

"Get out of the way, you poor Zufi." A very well-dressed Grey was already pushing a Zufi merchant aside, trying to get to Sahirah before the others.

"You can't even cover my bid. Why are you even bothering to leave your seat?" Several Greys started moving toward the fighting ring at once, some climbing it in a rush, surrounding Sahirah and the Principal and talking over each other amid the chaos. Worse yet, a few even grabbed Sahirah's robe, pushing and pulling like a bunch of paparazzi trying to talk with a celebrity. And for a moment there, it really looked like she didn't know what to do.

The pressure of having to suddenly deal with an annoying crowd and the prospect of potentially getting herself in trouble if she attacked those wealthy people with Mana Wave were apparently too much for her to handle. She stared at me with pleading eyes, and that was all it took for me to spring into action.

"Wait, Eric, you–" Niko tried to say something, but before he could finish his sentence my Casting Assistant had already drafted Haste, which I immediately activated, bursting forward toward the crowd. I cast Haste once. Twice. And the third time took me near Sahirah like a rocket. I didn't hesitate, and the moment my feet touched the ground, I was already inkless casting a simple but strong light emission spell.

I got a glimpse of several Greys covering their eyes, Principal Dickhead ready to target me with one of his spells, yet one of my hands was already in my pocket, and the Presence Erasure spell activated the very moment I grabbed Sahirah. We instantly disappeared from the crowd's perception. Still holding Sahirah, I burning my mana to cast Haste once more, reusing the same version I had used to reach the school roof for my conversation with Niko.

It shot us up and forward at the same time, a jump over the crowd that was followed by a deceleration spell. I hadn't seen Sahirah's face through any of this, but I knew she wasn't against fleeing by the simple fact that she was holding me so tightly I barely had to make an effort to carry her. It was only when the crowd disappeared behind us and I took us to an empty classroom that I finally stopped casting Haste.

I had no idea what she was thinking when she left my arms, as the first thing she did was check the state of her own robes, which had been pushed and pulled when those idiots abused all boundaries when trying to buy her. When her eyes met mine, there was still some disbelief and a trace of fear on her face.

"That was... too much."

"Too much?" I said.

"That was fucking insane!" For an instant, neither of us spoke, and we only kept listening to the chaos outside, now from a safe distance. I noticed Sahirah's hands were trembling as she listened to it, but I didn't mention it, giving her space after such an awful experience.

"Thank you." She came closer on her own, pressing her forehead against my chest, but not hugging me, as if all she wanted now was a moment of peace to think about the insane situation we went through. I let her have it, and she stayed there for a while. When she spoke again, her voice sounded regretful.

"You're going to miss your fight now."

"I don't care. I just hope it doesn't give Principal Dickhead any ground for retaliation," I said.

"We're not going to participate in this thing anymore, and I doubt we can even sleep in our room tonight." She lifted her head from my chest.

"The gambling ring?" Well, the illusion spell on the door made it safe, and we could get some sleep in the chairs, though it would certainly suck to spend the night in there. I sighed.

"I guess that's the best we can do tonight." With a self-deprecating smile, I added, "Do you think most city officers have to go through this, or is it just us who are that unfortunate?" As awful as the situation was, my humor landed, and she replied with a smile of her own.

"We need to talk to the mayor soon, because a girl is not going to any private school." I nodded, making several decisions on the spot. We would test my translation prototype tomorrow, away from the school to hopefully avoid a direct confrontation with Zorik and the nobles interested in Sahirah's potential. It was unfortunate, yet our best tactical choice in this escalating war was avoiding conflict.

But only until we knew exactly how legal this disguised auction was and how we would strike back against all this insanity.