The music suddenly fell silent after its exciting rise in pitch, leaving only lingering echoes in the ears.
The large red curtain that had been covering the stage was pulled back, revealing the stage illuminated by heavy spotlights and a transparent display case placed behind the masked host.
Amid the host's enthusiastic greetings, the guests who had been wandering around took their seats, and the few remaining conversations gradually faded away.
As he moved his seat over, Adrian's voice remained clear: "Unfortunately, the Frost Tower's Demon Lord did not find what he needed. However, perhaps to change his mood, he also accepted the invitation from the auction house manager here and stayed specifically to see if he could find anything that caught his eye."
"I hope he does well."
"...Sorry, I seem to be late!"
Taking a sip of her juice, Grey didn't even glance at the rare rough stone that had just been sold for a high price on the stage. Instead, she looked Hugh up and down, who was breathing rapidly from rushing back, and joked, "Your father doesn't seem to welcome you here."
Hugh said noncommittally, “That’s normal. In his eyes, I’m just a child who hasn’t grown up yet and can’t be the head of the family. But after I told him that I came here with my senior to broaden my horizons, he only scolded me a few more times and eventually let me off the hook.”
Caught off guard by the mention, I swallowed the juice I almost spat out, and turned to look at them: "What does this have to do with me?"
"It's extremely important!"
Hugh raised his voice slightly, then, noticing the commotion he had caused, sat down somewhat embarrassed and lowered his voice: "My father was also a student at the academy, so he had some contact with the teachers there. However, since he later chose to pursue a career in business, these interactions were mostly limited to commercial dealings... Ah, sorry, that's not what I meant."
"What I'm trying to say is that although you may not know this, you are actually more famous than you think."
He scratched the back of his head, seemingly struggling with how to explain it, but eventually gave up and changed the subject: "However, I did hear something else from him."
Hugh glanced mysteriously at the faces of the people at the table, then lowered his voice: "Do you know about the mysterious theft of the precious treasure stored inside the Frost Demon Tower in the north? Hmph, if you don't, let me tell you..."
“We were just talking about this.”
Grey ruthlessly interrupted Hugh's sly laughter: "Instead of all this, you'd better figure out how to clear out the snacks in front of you, or they'll all be mine."
"No, no! Wait! How did you know? Even my dad only just found out about this..."
Watching the group of people fooling around, I shook my head and once again let my peripheral vision pass by Adrian and fall onto the stage.
Of course, this was just a disguise.
To avoid arousing suspicion, I pretended to be interested in the progress of the auction as a cover, but my real purpose was to keep a close eye on the target's movements.
Adrian didn't seem to find anything unusual about it. He simply watched the students interact with a smile, enjoying the exquisite cake on his plate. His expression was relaxed and he didn't do anything out of the ordinary.
But perhaps my seriousness caught the attention of Su, who was sitting next to me.
She leaned slightly towards me, and very naturally opened the patent leather-bound catalog of auction items on the table, presenting it to me with the front side facing me, indicating that I could ask her questions if needed.
"While this may sound arrogant, we have undergone rigorous training to help Miss manage the family affairs better in the future. There's nothing in the ordinary range of goods that I don't recognize," Su said.
Flipping through the catalog, letting my gaze drift over the many raw materials and magical artifacts marked as rare and precious, and confirming that what was currently on display was Jade Marrow, I turned my attention back and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Do you find it tiring?"
Su was silent for two seconds, then nodded and shook her head: "It's hard work, but I'm still very grateful."
"If it weren't for the support of the young lady's family, I wouldn't be able to stand here enjoying my current life, savoring delicious food, learning magic, or feeling warmth and happiness. Mira and I's life was originally bleak, but it was the young lady's family that allowed us to feel warmth again."
"So we thought we had to do what we could to become a reliable force for the young lady."
They actually claim it's a reliable force...
"Wouldn't that be even harder than it is now?"
Su smiled and replied, "Even so, I will smile and continue on this path earnestly. Because it is the path I chose."
No wonder this child has the aptitude to be a mage.
Without dwelling on it any longer, I flipped through a few more pages of the catalog, watching the items on stage being snapped up at lightning speed. Somewhat puzzled, I asked Adrian across from me, "I haven't had a chance to ask yet, Professor, is there something you want to buy that's why you specifically chose to come today?"
I had been wondering before that when Adrian asked Princess Grey to come and visit, he specifically mentioned that the time should be after today's auction, and he didn't say anything about the specific reasons or the matters to be discussed. However, when asked if others could come along, he agreed without the slightest hesitation.
I still can't find the reason in his many behaviors; instead, I feel extremely disconnected and confused.
They cast illusions on me meaninglessly, amplifying my emotional fluctuations, yet when we were face-to-face, they acted as if nothing had happened, being kind and considerate; they remained silent about their purpose, yet made no attempt to conceal the presence of others when they chose a strange time to come; they exhibited strange behavior several times, making contact with people of bizarre appearances, while remaining upright and proper themselves...
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