Chapter 30

The carriage carrying Shaterian, Eched, Eurell, and Taltos headed north to the central district, where Mesh had purchased the necklace.

To be precise, they were heading to a place called Cent Village.

The four of them sat huddled together in a single carriage, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. The other knights would arrive discreetly, divided into smaller groups.

Inside the carriage, silence reigned.

Taltos, who couldn’t stand such an atmosphere, attempted to break the ice with his characteristic cheerfulness, but no one responded warmly. 

Eventually, he gave up, leaning back against his seat and muttering, 

“I should’ve sat next to the coachman.”

It was Eurell who finally broke the prolonged silence.

“Why are you so certain it’s Cent Village?”

Cent Village was a crime-riddled area, closely tied to the northern district’s slums, and home to a sizeable black market.

Even so, Eurell found it curious that Shaterian had singled out Cent Village as their destination for matters related to dark sorcery. After all, there were two other small villages nearby.

“There’s going to be an illegal auction somewhere in the northern district tonight. The entrance tickets can only be purchased at the black market behind Cent Village.”

“An illegal auction?” 

Taltos, his demeanor suddenly serious, asked again.

“Yeah. That’s the base of the dark mages. I knew they sold stolen goods and slaves there, but I didn’t expect it to also involvedark sorcery.”

Slavery had been abolished over a century ago, yet transactions still occurred in secret.

“I’ve heard rumors about illegal slave auctions.”

“How do you know about this, Lady Shaterian?”

“So that’s why you suggested stationing knights around the area.”

Taltos and Eurell voiced their doubts, while Eched merely nodded silently.

Ignoring the questioning gazes, Shaterian shrugged.

‘If I said it’s because of my memories from a past life, they wouldn’t believe me anyway, and I have no intention of explaining.’

But what Taltos said next was utterly absurd.

“Don’t tell me… you’ve been there before?”

She let out a hollow laugh at the ridiculous suspicion.

“What kind of person do you think I am?”

“I don’t mean now, but I thought you might’ve gone there during your academy days. You seem to know a lot about the ticket sellers and the auction items.”

Eurell quickly added, 

“It’s not an accusation.”

But it wasn’t entirely wrong. If she hadn’t regained her past life’s memories, she might have frequented that place, plotting crimes.

By the time their conversation had run its course, the carriage reached Cent Village and came to a halt at its entrance.

The streets were sparsely populated, with only a few shops open.

The layout made it easy for any outsider to stand out.

The plan was simple. Shaterian and Eched would head to the northern shop, while Eurell and Taltos would handle the eastern shop.

Since there were two entrances to the auction house, both needed to be blocked to completely capture the culprits.

After splitting up, Shaterian and Eched began walking.

There was no hesitation in her steps. Her strangely vivid memories seemed to urge her toward the destination.

Passing by the wary gazes of locals, they entered a deserted alley.

After traversing several such alleys, they finally arrived at the back-alley black market.

Descending a staircase lit by torches, they opened the shop door. A bell chimed—a sound Shaterian recognized from her dream.

“What brings you to such a shabby place?” 

The shopkeeper asked politely, though his eyes were filled with wariness.

“I’m here to make a purchase.”

She replied nonchalantly, scanning the shop. None of the scattered items seemed particularly noteworthy.

“What are you looking for?”

“I’ve heard you sell interesting things here. Like a mysterious potion that makes someone fall in love?”

Clink.

She placed five gold coins on the counter.

“Well, well. We have quite the generous customer.”

The shopkeeper smiled slyly as he pocketed the gold coins. Watching them disappear into his pouch made her heart ache.

‘My hard-earned money. I’ll make sure to file this as an expense.’

While she was thinking this, the shopkeeper pulled out a bottle.

It was the same one from her dream—a blue liquid inside, with strange symbols engraved on the cork stopper.

“This is the potion of love. Just one drop, and the person will fall hopelessly in love with you.”

“Hmm…”

She grabbed the long-necked bottle and shook it.

The blue liquid inside was so clear that it reflected her distorted face, which smiled faintly.

“It’s very effective.”

Oh, it was effective, all right.

It was laced with dark sorcery that could certainly kill someone.

“Do you have anything else interesting?”

“Is there something specific you need?”

“Well, life’s been dull lately. I’d like to buy a toy to amuse myself. Got anything like that?”

“A toy, you say?”

The shopkeeper immediately understood her meaning and asked slyly. She nodded in confirmation.

“Yes. Money is no object.”

“Hoho. It seems the noble lady has been very bored. In that case, I can recommend a good place.”

That’s more like it.

The reason she had paid five gold coins for a potion worth one was to loosen the shopkeeper’s tongue.

The shopkeeper glanced at Eched standing behind her, then lowered his voice.

“There’s going to be a big market tonight. It’s famous for selling all kinds of goods.”

“All kinds of goods?”

“Yes. Things so rare that even a noble lady like yourself couldn’t imagine.”

“Rare items… I like the sound of that.”

Thud.

She pulled a heavy pouch from her chest and placed it on the counter.

When the shopkeeper cautiously opened it and saw the gold coins inside, his face lit up with a wide grin.

‘Of course, he’d be pleased.’

The amount she had offered was enough to buy prime real estate in the central district.

Naturally, the money came from Eched’s pocket.

If she had that much money herself, she would’ve left the capital long ago.

The shopkeeper cleared his throat, trying to hide his excitement, and handed over a gold ring. It didn’t seem to carry the aura of dark sorcery.

“This is the ticket to the market. You can enter by going through the curved trees in the western forest around sunset, and you must make physical contact with the person you are entering with.”

“Simple enough. I’ll be going now.”

“Enjoy your time.”

As she was leaving, she spotted two masks among the cluttered items and decided to purchase them as well.

Capturing this shopkeeper would happen after they entered the auction house.

By sunset, his freedom would end.

“Enjoy your last moments of freedom.”

She muttered as she handed the ring to Eched.

Inspecting the ring, Eched found some ancient script engraved on the inside.

“It’s an ancient magical script. It seems there’s a fairly skilled mage involved on that side.”

“What? Does that mean the mage is a dark sorcerer?”

“Well, I can’t definitively say the magic itself is dark sorcery. But one thing’s for sure—there’s a mage cooperating with a dark sorcerer.”

Eched’s expression grew serious.

If a mage was aiding a dark sorcerer, the situation had become rather complicated.

Dark sorcery, despite its reputation for placing curses that steal lives, wasn’t inherently as dangerous as it seemed.

To take someone else’s life, one had to offer their own. Furthermore, the conditions for activating the spells were so intricate that they were difficult to handle.

Dark magic, while superficially similar to dark sorcery, was an entirely different matter.

Dark magic required no incantations, no rituals, no spells.

The only thing necessary for dark magic was one’s soul.

In simple terms, it was a means of exchanging one’s lifespan for immense power.

Twilight had fallen in the blink of an eye.

They soon arrived at the western forest.

Standing between the crooked trees, Shaterian, now wearing a mask, extended her hand with the ring. A door appeared between the trees, and just as she was about to open it—

“Shaterian.”

“What?”

Eched suddenly called out, stopping her.

“I don’t think you should go in.”

“Why? The dark sorcerers will likely be hiding in the back, and if we want to catch them during the auction, I’m better at tracking energy.”

“I know, but… I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Oh, is this an extension of your ‘bad feeling’ from before? Is it because you’re a Divine Beast and can sense human energy?”

“You pick up certain things when you’ve lived long enough.”

“Lived long… Hearing that reminds me how old you are. Don’t worry. I’ll stick by your side, meet others inside, and I have the dagger you gave me. I’ll manage.”

She wasn’t entirely confident, but having come this far, she had no intention of backing out.

“But Eched, why don’t you ask me anything?”

After all, she was suspicious in every way.

Before any investigation, she already knew everything. It was a situation where one might suspect her of being involved with the dark mages.

“I could’ve set up this trap because I hate you.”

“You wouldn’t do something so foolish, knowing who I really am.”

Hmph.

Now that she thought about it, he was right.

“And most of all, I trust you. I trust you, Shaterian.”