21 Volume 02 - Chapter 06: Helstea Auction (i)

(A/n the writing in tis is a bit off since I am really tired after all the study I did. Anyways...)

Walking silently inside, I sat on a couch as Sylvie jumped and curled in my lap. Letting out a tired 'kyu', she closed her eyes and fell asleep. My eyes fixed on her sternum as I observed her core stage. She was making a satisfactory progress... for now at least. 

Resting my head against the couch, I let my mind wander off to the events that unfolded just a few hours ago. 

>> Flashback <<

"Beethoven 'Für Elise' right?" The words boomed in my ears like a thundering gale as I looked at the girl approach me. Her gait was confident, each step brimming with power and an unbridled certitude. What amazed me was the name. 

A solo piano act, commonly known as "Für Elise" was one of Ludwin van Beethoven's most popular compositions. It was not published during his lifetime, only being discovered by Ludwig Nohl 40 years after his death. However, all of these events unfolded on Earth. Not here. It was impossible for someone to recognize the melody as Beethoven's work. 

The prospect of other people reincarnating in this world crossed my mind a few times. There were two possibilities. 

One; This world was a hub of reincarnation. People from many different worlds reincarnate into this one. A common occurrence. 

Two; My reincarnation was a planned act. Or maybe a by-product of something else. Whatever it was, it may be forced. 

After eight years of non-stop observations and research, I couldn't find a single reincarnate in this world, other than myself. So, most possible conclusion was the latter one.

However, as soon as I saw the piano, I could tell it was the handiwork of someone who reincarnated from earth. The design was sleek and too advanced. Since people here lived a really simple life, coming up with such a complex design was not possible for the natives. 

It wasn't like I was trying to look down on people here. But the lack of basic modes of transportation and even the lack of knowledge about other continents showed how under-developed this continent was. The possibility of another continent was never clarified by Sylvia. But I do think it exists.

Thinking back to current situation, if I just feign ignorance, I will never be able to lay my hands on this other one who reincarnated. Playing along I played a tone that many would remember. 

And viola. 

I wasn't expecting it to be a girl but, in any case, I found a fellow reincarnated. She made her way towards me and with a grin, she looked down at me, "Fufufu~ Here I was thinking I am alone. Finally found someone else", she said. 

"I am not sure what you're referring to", I replied. 

She bent and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "Don't you think you can fool me. I'll be waiting", she whispered in my ear. Handing a small piece of paper in my hand she looked at me once. Her golden eyes glistened once again, a slight sheen of mana forming around her. Letting the restraints on my primary core loose for a split second, I let her know that I wasn't going to be a pushover. Her eyes widened as she smirked once again. With one final look at me she started moving outside. 

I merely blinked and she was gone, leaving my hand in the air as I was about to ask her who she was. 

I looked down and opened the crumpled piece of paper. 

"Saturday Night, 10 PM, ****" My eye twitched as I looked at the name once again. This certainly is troublesome. 

Way too much.

> Flashback ends <

"Haha Arthur! I heard you were beaten by a bunch of wom-, oh, you look just fine", Vincent spoke, correcting his glasses. I looked at him and sat straight, nodding at him. 

Situations like these were the most confusing. What was I supposed to do? Laugh at his joke or do something else? I can't just stay stoic like this. But then again, the awkwardness in my smile does more harm than good in most cases. I was about to reply with a weak and forced laugh, so he doesn't sulk at his failed joke, but my attempt was interrupted as mom and Tabitha walked in. 

Soon the whole place echoed with murmurs as the women started talking about their adventures. I looked at Sylvie in lap, 'Are you awake?'

'I am. Just trying to escape Aunty Ellie.'

'Did you notice them?', I asked her. 

'I did. They were following me for quite some time', Sylvie replied, her eyes still shut. 

'So, they know you're living here?', I asked. 

'No. They just looked at me and Ellie and then went back. I think they're collecting intel on rare mana beasts', she replied. 

'Quite the narcissist you are', I shot at her. 

'I deserve to be. I am a dragon after all', she said in an exaggerated tone. 

'Here, take some meat', I said.

Her eyes shot open; however, she didn't get what she was expecting. 

"Look Ellie. Sylvie's awake now. You can play again", I spoke up as I felt Sylvie's claws dig into my skin. "Ouch."

"Yayyyy!" Ellie ran towards me and took Sylvie away from me. 

'I will remember this, Arthur. You traitor, snitch', I interrupted her by severing our mental connection. 

That was tiring. Looking down at my fist, I looked at the crumpled piece of paper again. Looks like I have a meeting tomorrow. However, before that it seems like I have to meet someone else. Familiar mana signatures made their way to the Helstea Manor. 

The doors leading inside opened with a huge bang as a familiar red-haired, scar-faced man walked inside. However, his demeanor seemed to have totally changed. I was expecting him to carry the same unruly attitude but seeing the seriousness on his face, I could say he had some hard time. 

"Reynolds we're her-", he paused as his eyes met mine. The other members of Twin Horns bumped into him as he just froze in place after seeing me. 

"You idiot, why are you... huh?" Helen petrified too as she saw me. I could see her eyes glisten as tears formed and shone because of the LPA.

(A/n LPA = Light Producing Artifacts)

Maybe it was longing or some lingering regrets that they couldn't save me, I could see tears of despondency well up in everyone's eyes. Like an active volcano, their feeling bubbled up and seemed to explode any moment. 

"Arthur?" A sweet, amicable voice spoke. The other members paved way as the small figure came forward. Tears were already falling down her cheeks as her lean, tender shoulders trembled ever so slightly. I stood up and stood in front of her. I wasn't sure what to say or how to react, so I just stood there, waiting for something to happen and react accordingly. 

She took a step forward... and then another. Soon she was running towards me at full throttle. Her arms wrapped around my frame as she fell on her knees. Burying her face inside my shoulders she cried, as her tears drowned the scruff of my shirt. I looked down at her. She was the most confident and stoic of the Twin Horns, yet at this time her mask was broken. Shattered. 

It seemed like her entire being had been fragmented. She looked... felt so... small. I placed a hand on her back and another on the back of her head as I slowly patted it. 

She wasn't family. She wasn't my mother or direct family, nor she had known me for a lot of time. Then... why? Wasn't this feeling of infatuation and regret at someone's loss reserved to family? 

Regardless of what I thought, I couldn't come up with a logical explanation to comprehend this. Maybe it's just me who was the Odd one out.

She peeled her face away from me as she grabbed me by my shoulders and looked at me in the eyes. Her eyes seemed like two ruby stones floating in a sea of white, tainted by a few streaks of red as she continued to cry. 

"I'm sorry, Arthur, I am so sorry", she muttered, looking down as she bit the corner of her lower lip. 

"It wasn't your fault", I spoke as I looked at her. I wasn't very good at consolations or expressing my emotions or comprehending them. However, I could understand the guilt she felt for something she wasn't even responsible for. She didn't owe me anything, nor was she liable to save me. Still, she felt like this. Telling her it wasn't her fault was the least I could do for her. 

Just as she nodded and finally left me, the familiar sensation of being mushed between clouds invaded my senses. 

So soft...

"Angela! You'd kill him!" Durden's voice boomed from behind as Angela's grip on me wavered. She looked at me with teary eyes, "W-We all thought..."

"I am alive now", I replied, cutting her off as she gave me a weak smile and stepped to a side. Durden walked up to me as he ruffled my hair gently. His eyes still showed disbelief---unsure if I was real. 

Looking behind him I could see Adam hesitating to come forward. His face showed embarrassment as he made his way towards me, his spear still tucked at his back, "Good to see you back, brat", he said. 

"He was actually the one who cried the most, you know", Helen spoke with a gentle smile on her face. Adam stuttered as everyone nodded in affirmation, making Adam even more embarrassed than before. I looked around to see Alice and Reynolds walking towards the Twin Horns. Although seeing the twin horns again wasn't unpleasant, I wonder why they came here. 

----------------------------------------------------

Sitting beneath a tree in the lawn of Helstea Manor, I continued to gaze emptily at the sky. 

Devoid of smoke and any other kind of pollution, the sky looked like a pitch-black, endless void with diamonds sewn in an intricate pattern over them. 

"How have you been holding up, Jasmine?" I asked, without looking back. The leaves rustled as Jasmine appeared and stood by my side. She also looked up at the stars and continued looking at it. Cold wind blew, brushing my hair against my eyes. I looked up at her---her jet-black hair fluttered wildly in the brisk wind while her red eyes seemed to be shining in the dark of night. 

"I am fine... and you?" She asked, hesitatingly. Looking up at her, I tapped the grassy ground, signaling her to sit down. She corrected her robe and sat right beside me, her shoulder touching my own. 

Silence lingered for a few moments between us as we continued to enjoy the mildly cold night and the sky full of stars. "We thought we lost you... forever", she spoke. 

"But I am not... and you shouldn't blame yourself too. It wasn't your fault. You did all you could", I consoled her. Placing a hand on her back, I drew circles on them while keeping my gaze at the sky---captivated by the sublime enchantment it had on my entire being. 

Her back trembled at my touch, almost recoiling back but she continued to sit there, accepting whatever I did. Her head plopped on my shoulder, as she let out a tired sigh, "Can I stay like this for a moment?", she asked.

Wait... shouldn't I be the one doing it? Well, since she asked, I might as well let her. Not like I have anything to lose by partaking in this activity. 

"Yes, you can", I replied in a low tone, wrapping both of us in a layer of fire mana. The stiff muscles in her body visibly relaxed as she took in deep breaths. Letting her sleep on my shoulder, I let my mind wander off to tomorrow. 

So many things at once. The Annual Helstea Auction Ceremony and my meeting with the reincarnate too. Then I realized I had one more problem to deal with.

Jasmine had fallen asleep on my shoulder! Looks like I have to spend the night outside.

------------------------------------------------------------

 Walking down the stairs I saw the Twin Horns standing by the door. Reynolds has asked them to help him with the guard duty in the Helstea's Annual Ceremony.

"Oh my goodness! Alice, Ellie looks just like you! She's going to grow up to be so pretty!"

"...Cute."

"Rey is going to have his hands full soon with potential candidates kukuku. Can you tell me how old you are?"

"Four!"

The girls were a jumble of excitement and estrogen as they ogled Ellie.

Vincent came down soon after with Tabitha and Lilia. The mother and father duo were matching in a black suit and dress while Lilia was sporting a flowery dress under a warm cloak. After everyone introduced each other, it was decided that the Twin Horns would come with us to the Helstea Auction House for the Tenth Anniversary event. On the way there, I filled them in on what had happened after the fall. My dad explained to them the basics in his letter, but they were dying to know the details. They were quite shocked when they learned I was in the Kingdom of Elenoir for over four years.

The ride was pretty short, so I wasn't able to finish telling them everything before we got off.

The first thought that had come to mind upon arrival was that Vincent really put in a lot of work into this. The Helstea Auction House was breathtaking. It was rather misleading to even call it a house as it towered high above any of the other buildings nearby. I've been to many national and historical monuments that were created by the most famous architects, but this was on a different level. I suspected that they had a lot of help from Conjurers from how large it was. The Auction House was a magnificent theatre with intricate designs all over. The main doors were over 4 meters in height and were made from petrified wood with carved designs on it. 

Compared to the naturalistic and elegant designs that I saw in the Elf Kingdom, this was more complicated and grand. It was in the shape of a half-cylinder with detailed stone sculptures of different weapons as supports.

We arrived early, so only the workers and guards were present, preparing for the event. The inside was equally, if not more stunning. The front door opened to a path that stretched out to a stage on the other end. To our left and right, there were rows of escalating seats made from a rather luxurious burgundy leather that could fit over ten thousand people comfortably. Upon looking up, I noticed that there were incased booths at the very top of the rows of seats and even higher, there was a single room attached to the ceiling and back wall with glass surrounding it, giving a clear view of the stage. It was easy to guess that those booths, as well as the single room, was for the VIP.

Turns out, that VIP room on the ceiling was the room we'd be seated in. Father and the Twin Horns, who had decided to help my father and the guards to prepare for any unwanted commotions or outbreaks, were the first to separate from us. Vincent separated from us after as he barked out orders at the workers and readied the hosts to greet the more important guests.

Tabitha led us to the room, making us comfortable inside the carefully-designed and furnished area that was meant for only the most distinguished and wealthy guests. There was a wine rack and a few reclining seats and tables with closer seats by the window. I made myself comfortable on a seat closest to the window.

The auction house was soon a panorama of cheerful and excited noise, as more and more people, who were no doubt people of some sort of influence, began filling the lower seats. There were some groups that seemed more distinguished than the rest who were personally escorted by the hosts to their booths. No doubt, they were some of the more affluent nobles in the Kingdom.

Growing bored of the hordes of overdressed nobles chatting eagerly amongst themselves, I shifted my attention to Lilia as she was teaching some sort of clapping game to Ellie. I couldn't help but smile myself as the both of them broke into a fit of giggles when either of them messed up and were flicked gently in the ear as punishment.

Time passed by rather slowly until Vincent came back, leading a group of unfamiliar people inside.

The first to come in behind Vincent was an elderly man with long, deep-red hair that was aged with streaks of grey. His back was ramrod straight with broad shoulders that took off years in his appearance. The man's eyes were stern with harsh, sword-shaped eyebrows, giving him an undeniably eye-catching presence. He was wearing a red robe lined with white fur around the collar and had a cane that shined brighter than any silver I had previously seen. Trailing closely behind him was a lady that looked a few years older than my mother. While my mother had a lovely, sweet, friendly ambience, this lady's facial features reminded me of an ice sculpture; refined, elegant, noble and of no flaws, but also cold and devoid of emotion. She was wearing a shimmering silvery-white dress that complimented her dark blue hair that draped over her shoulders like a well-kept tapestry.

Behind the lady of whom I assumed was the man's wife were two younger kids that could only be their kin. The older child, a boy that looked to be about the age of thirteen or so, took more after his father. With his serious brown eyes, straight brows, and his short mahogany hair that had a shiny luster just like his father's, it was apparent as to what he would look like a few decades down the road. Despite his fierce looks, however, there was a sort of unrefined charisma that was different from his father's. It was the sort of charisma that would make him the center of any group.

The younger one, a girl that looked to be about my age, surveyed the room carefully before locking eyes with me.

It would still be a couple of years until she started maturing, but needless to say, the potential was there. I couldn't help comparing her to Tess. If I wasn't the one training her, she and this girl could've been on equal grounds. 

Peeling my eyes off of the girl in front of me, I focused on the three guards that followed after the picturesque family.

"I didn't know we would be in here with guests, Vincent," the man said, neither harshly nor kindly.

"I apologize, Your Majesty! I assumed you wouldn't mind having a few other people with you. You remember my wife, Tabitha, right? Well, these are our close family friends," he introduced, waving his arm in our direction.

After regarding us for a moment, his lips curled up into a smile. "If they are your friends, Vincent, then they are mine as well."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. At least we'll have some company besides these guards," the lady giggled.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sharp contrast in the woman's personality to her appearance. She seemed much more welcoming, despite her intimidating looks, than her husband.

"Everyone, as you all may know, I'd like you all to meet the King and Queen of Sapin. Introduce yourselves to King Blaine Glayder and Queen Priscilla Glayder and their children, Curtis and Kathyln."

At this, my mother—who was holding my sister—Tabitha, and even Lilia, dropped down, genuflecting. I caught on and lowered myself a moment later as well.

Giving us a nod, the King gestured for us to stand. "No more of this, now. No need to be stiff, we're just here for the auction, after all."

As I got back up, Sylvie peeked her head out from under my robe where she was sleeping, surveying curiously the new faces.

"Kuu?" she chirped, tilting her head.

I thought I heard a gasp from one of the guards in the rear, but I wasn't able to tell since their faces were covered.

"Oh my! What a cute little mana beast!" Queen Priscilla's face brightened up at the sight as she made her way towards me.

The King and the two children's eyes looked towards my direction as well.

The guards took a step forward as well, making sure they were close enough to react in case something happened to the Queen.

"She just hatched a few months ago," I responded, without giving much details. 

"Kyu~!" she cooed while hopping out of my robe and stretching her body like a cat.

"I assume this little mana beast is your bond, young man?" The King came closer, kneeling down to get a closer view of Sylvie.

I just gave a wordless nod. It should be fine with Sylv's appearance the way it is. "How fortunate you are to have a mana beast. Even infant ones are not easy to tame, yet she looks to be very obedient."

"Well we're able to communicate mentally, so it's more like a mutual agreement rather than obedience," I simply shrugged.

>> COPY PASTE END << (A/n Sorry)

"What? You mean to say that you are under an Equals Contract?" We all turned our heads to face the source of the voice. It was one of the hooded guards behind the children.

"Who knows?" I replied, lazily. 

"Let me take a closer look at your bond!" the hooded guard exclaimed, creeping closer to us.

Before Sylvie could shoot her charged blast of pure mana, the King stepped in.

"This isn't the time nor place to study someone else's pet. You're being rude, Sebastian." His gaze turned harsh as he rebuked him.

"Arthur. Arthur Leywin," I finished, giving a curt bow. As he and his wife gave me a small smile, we took our seats in time to hear the clear voice declaring that the auction would start soon.

I turned back just to see Sebastian, who had taken off his hood, staring intently at Sylvie, who was nestled on my lap. 

'He's the one', Sylvie spoke as my eyes widened. 

'Are you sure?', I asked. 

'A hundred percent I am', she confirmed.

'Hmm. We'll do it then', I told her, still talking through our bond. 

She made a confused look, so I opened the wall around my mind and let her read my intentions. She looked at me, asking me for confirmation.

'Arthur, are you really sure?'

'Have I been wrong before?', I asked. 

'Never... fine, I'll do it', she agreed as I stood up. Excusing myself, I walked outside the room and started climbing some stairs. Sylvie was still with my parents. Once I reached the top, I saw a door with a huge lock on it. Gripping the lock in my hand, I crushed it, breaking it down to small pieces.

The door opened as I walked to the other side. It was an open roof with no boundaries or balustrades. Standing on the edge of the building, I closed my eyes, "Sylvie... bring him here", I whispered under my breath. 

Some things are unforgivable.

In this world I made a promise to myself to live like a normal human. Live a life full of happiness and peace. With a family... or a group of people I care about. And now someone was trying to disrupt that peace. 

Some things are really unforgivable.