Ascension Of The Villain

The night was a glittering spectacle under the open sky, mingled in the grand outdoor auction. The ancient relic market that afternoon had been a lively affair, more fair than festival, with merchants peddling their dubious wares amid a chaotic swirl of colors and noise.

As enjoyable as the relic market was, it was quite uneventful without any mishaps. Vyan and Clyde were nowhere to be seen the entire duration as well. So, Iyana and Althea had fun on their own, roaming the fair all by themselves until they bumped into Ronan and Katelyn, who reluctantly joined them but later ended up being their own selves.

Since it was the last day before departure the next morning, the entire day was packed with events.

Now, the atmosphere had shifted from the bustling of the relic market to one of elegance of the grand auction. Rare artifacts, jewels, and potions—each one gained from the monster hunt—were displayed on velvet cushions, the auctioneer's voice rising and falling with each bid.

The prices were astronomical, but all in the name of charity for the less privileged, the noble purpose of the entire Monster Hunt Festival.

Iyana stood at the edge of the crowd, her sleek black mask with silver accents hiding a face of utter boredom. She had been here for hours, searching for something—anything—to make the evening worthwhile.

"And here, ladies and gentlemen," the auctioneer's voice interrupted Iyana's peace for the umpteenth time, "we have a rare potion! Brewed from the essence of a Runeclaw Sentinel's claw, guaranteed to enhance one's strength tenfold! Bidding starts at twenty thousand gold!"

A potion that could probably level a small village—how charitable, she thought, rolling her eyes.

Just as she was about to give up hope of finding anything interesting, she felt a familiar tingle as someone brushed her upper arm.

"Leaving already?" came Vyan's deep voice, laced with playfulness. She took notice of his mask that was as dark as hers, covered with burgundy filigree. "The jewels are supposed to go up for auction next."

Iyana crossed her arms and made a thoughtful face. "And you think they might be of interest to me?"

Vyan's eyes sparkled with mischief. "If I know you even a little bit, then you will like at least one of them."

He knew her taste in clothes, makeup, and jewels as good as the back of his own palms. Despite her skill with a sword and her dedication to work, she still had a soft spot for the finer, more feminine things in life—just like any noblewoman.

So when he came across a rare species of jewels before the start of the auction, collected from the legendary S-grade Nocturnus Titan, he knew without a doubt that they would captivate her.

"Bold of you to act like an expert on me after you abandoned me all day after fooling around with me last night," Iyana taunted.

"Hey, that sounds so wrong," he protested, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. "I was swamped making sure everything went perfectly today. Do you know I personally security-checked all the merchants who came today? And also, I finally managed to find the breach in the magical barrier through which Sienna got to enter."

"Sounds like someone worked hard today." She flashed him a smile and stood up on her tiptoes to pat his head gently. "Good job then. I am proud of you."

"Look at you treating me like a dog," he grumbled, although he was secretly pleased at the appreciation.

"If you don't want me to, Your Grace, I won't," she said, her tone teasing.

"Hmph," was all Vyan replied, then he nudged her with his shoulder, urging her to look at what the auctioneer was showing. "Those purple pearls look gorgeous. They would complement your eyes and hair perfectly."

Iyana tilted her head back, examining the pearls properly, then she shook her head. "Those look extremely expensive."

Aww, but I want them. I have such a perfect jewelry design in mind, she found herself thinking a little wistfully. But no, I have to control myself. No needless expenses!

While she had a lot of savings by herself, her future was still uncertain and her family could not afford this sort of cost. So, the last expense she needed was on ridiculously expensive jewels—even if they were super pretty and only one of a kind.

"Not to mention, they are not my type," Iyana added, her tone controlled.

"Right," Vyan murmured passively. But the moment the auctioneer started the bidding, Vyan raised his placard and spoke up, "Fifty thousand gold coins."

Iyana almost choked on her breath as both her and the auctioneer let out in surprise, "What?"

"Was I not clear enough?" Vyan's voice was smooth, but there was an undeniable edge to it. He locked eyes with the auctioneer, his mask giving him an air of mystery that only heightened the tension. "Fifty thousand gold coins."

The murmurs in the crowd swelled, rippling through the masquerade attendees like a sudden gust of wind.

Iyana, still in shock, turned to Vyan with wide eyes. "Are you out of your mind?" she hissed, trying to keep her voice low enough to avoid attention.

He simply gave her a half-smirk, the kind that usually preceded him doing something reckless yet brilliantly calculated. "What? Since you said they weren't your type, I thought I should probably take them off the market for my future wife then. Perhaps, it can be my wedding gift to her."

Before Iyana could respond, a voice cut through the murmurs—an icy, authoritative tone that silenced everyone. "Sixty thousand gold coins."

The crowd gasped collectively as they turned towards the source.

Jade had entered the fray. Her eyes, barely visible through the slits of her mask, were fixed on Vyan, challenging him in a way that spoke volumes.

Vyan, however, didn't falter. His smile widened, not in arrogance but in the thrill of the challenge. He knew well enough that this was more than just a bid for pearls for Jade.

For her, it was a subtle power play between the Empress-consort and the Grand Duke, whom she disliked. As for Vyan, he had seen the wistful look in Iyana's eyes as she forced herself to decide that she didn't need those jewels. Therefore, he had made up his mind. And he wasn't going to let them go for someone like Jade.

"One hundred fifty thousand," Vyan countered smoothly, his voice calm as if discussing the weather.

"Did you just go beyond doubling the price?" Iyana whisper-yelled, grabbing his elbow tightly. "You could buy so many new lands with that sort of money!"

"I got an entire grand duchy; I don't need more lands," he retorted in a low voice, sounding serious, "I need those damn jewels."

"I swear you are so petty," she scolded.

"Yes, well, I was the one who first chose them. Who told her to butt in?" he complained.

On the other hand, Jade narrowed her eyes, considering her next move until she declared, "Two hundred thousand."

A murmur of approval and awe spread through the crowd. The stakes had risen beyond what most could even dream of affording.

If the underprivileged heard of these prices, they would just fall flat to the ground, convulsing and screaming, "Rich people are utterly mad! Give us back our tax money! Who buys useless things such as jewels for this sort of price?"

After all, they were not even bidding with bronze or silver coins. They were freaking gold coins. Two hundred thousand gold coins was a huge deal—

Vyan simply raised his hand one last time and said, "Five hundred thousand gold coins."