As Ian got down and followed the lead of the jittery auctioneer, he went to enter a room that the man explained as the room of the head slave merchant, Turisk. Alex followed him from behind. At this point, the young man had resigned himself and decided to lend Ian a hand so he could finish whatever “shopping” he mentioned and got back before another troublesome matter would brew.

Turisk being an illegal slave merchant couldn’t say anything much and stayed in silence after offering the Lord a seat. He inclined his chin, ordering the beat-up female servant to serve the Lord a tea. Immediately, the servant pulled herself, clinking the metallic chain and collars that took Alex’s attention into a frown. When the servant noticed this, she bundled her long chain in order not to make any noise as it would seem these two particular people sitting in front of Turisk is someone that’s greatly important. The blobbing sound as the scalding tea being poured down to the white teacup brought a prolonged sound to the grave silence in Turisk’s office. Ian crossed his legs and sat leisurely on the couch with an unfading traces of smirks in his face while waiting for Turisk’s subordinate to bring back Elise and the slave contract.

In front of him, Turisk who always haughtily screamed at his subordinates now kept on fidgeting on his seat like a fish on land. Ian was certainly looking in a good mood but the man was known for his fickleness, if one dared to do something that offended him who knows what fate would they meet.

Ian glanced at the servant who served him the tea. Her gaunt face was filled with bruises and injuries, the type of injury that she would have received from a beating. Mr. Sieve possessed a sadistic nature, he thought with a chuckle to himself. It was always humorous to see someone who love to strike his servants being overly scared with him now.

Humans never changed, he thought to himself. They love to see others in pain but would never want to receive a similar pain. An egoistic nature that had never and would never change. He couldn’t remember when the last time he had those emotions, perhaps before he lost his humane self and become something that defied the Gods.

The servant noticed Ian was looking at her but was unable to look back in fear and placed the cup with a stuttering clink. Ian shifted his glance and noticed the servant sneakily glanced at him when he wasn’t looking. He pulled his lips to a smile under the mask and replied with an amused tone that did the opposite effect and scared the life out of the people in the room. “Much appreciated.”

The female servant ran away to the corner of the room, thinking that Ian was irritated by her stealing glances. For once, Turisk felt lucky to become the servant who could tuck their tail from the man as they had carried out their job.

Other than them, Alex was also in the room. He didn’t sit next to Ian and stood behind, exploring the room which had preserved the animal heads hanged around the hall with a hum. “Hunting must be your hobby, Mr. Seive,” Alex commented.

Turisk Seive pulled the corner of his lips with a hard struggle to smile. “Yes, it is.”

“That sound nice, have you ever go to the North? That’s the best place for hunting.” Alex replied, making a small conversation that could lighten the tense mood.

“N- No… I haven’t.” Turisk felt a bit calmer after hearing Alex’s easy-going conversation but soon he regretted for thinking such a thing.

“Well, you should. But like hunting in the North I thought slavery is forbidden now. I never knew they are still open for business.” A grim sneer slipped out of Alex’s mouth. He wasn’t in a certainty a bad person if he had to say for himself, however, he could see just how malicious this man Turisk is and couldn’t help himself from antagonizing the foul man. Alex had disliked this slave trafficking since he was a child even though he was also a noble. He found this hobby of the nobles to be utterly disgusting and hateful.

The proud nobility excepting him couldn’t care less about these slaves since the slave trafficking had started long when the Empire had just founded and the people who profited the most from these slaves are the nobles. This misfortune had run too deep that no one could do justice for these people.

Tursik looked down fidgeting in agitation without a word. The man beside Lord Ian wasn’t a sane person he thought or hope for. Like Ian, Alex has his own enjoyment in seeing people in fear.

“Shush-” Ian whispered with a finger across his mask. “I’m here to buy one. If you come out and say this, wouldn’t I become his partner in crime?”

“You don’t have to worry, Ian. You’re Ian White, the Lord of Warine after all. Who would say anything that you do?” Alex taunted.

Ian took the teacup and sniffed the vanilla fragrance with a cold chuckle. “I guess you are right. But I wouldn’t also like rumors to fly around.” He turned his eyes toward Tursik in a meaningful glance. “But I believe that you are very tight-lipped, right Mr. Sieve?”

“Y- Y- YES, I will make sure no one would ever hear a wind out of this!” Turisk swore with an exaggerated nod. Ian White, the Lord of Warine, who wouldn’t know his name in this whole empire? Even the most frightening and hideous mythical beings that stayed in the abandoned land of Marshfoth knew well what to do when they heard his name. And that was to run away! He didn’t kill people due to his amusement and Warine the land he was responsible for never suffered from anything. Instead, the land was far prosperous for over centuries. But the man had the least humane heart. He would kill people he disliked with only one word, “I don’t like his face” no one knew what he meant or what kind of face that he disliked, but they knew they should avoid him. And what was more mysterious to Lord Ian was that no one knew who he is, whether he is a human or a sorcerer or whether he is a mythical being.

Right after Tursik spoke, his subordinate came back with Elise on the side and after some knock, they entered the room to see Turisk clenching his jaw while Alex smiling beyond joy. Ian turned his face toward the new guest and fixed his eyes on the little girl who kept on stealing glances to him meekly.

“This is the slave contract, my lord.” The subordinate came as he placed the paper across the table with an ink and fountain pen.

Elise saw Ian, her new buyer who she should call now as ‘Master’. After signing the last line on the paper and placed down the pen Ian rose up from the seat. His long legs brought him faster to the girl.

The shadow in front of her increased in size before eventually decrease when Ian bend his back to level his sight with the girl. He wanted to greet the girl and wash her out of her fear, but he spotted the collar on her neck and felt his tongue clicked on its own.

“It seemed that my puppy is collared by someone else-” Ian’s hand tracked across the heavy collar in distaste. His eyes flickered with a light, having a cold piercing look yet at the same time holding a scalding-fury that came out of nowhere. “-A collar that is not to my taste.” as he spoke, the chain crumbled into small particles that were akin to ashes.

Elise’s eyes widened in surprise, she ran down her fingers across her neck and hand to feel for herself that the heavy collars had really disappeared without a trace! She rejoiced that the collar was gone from her neck but now only fear could be seen in her small face.

“A sorcerer” She murmured as she took a step back in a startle. Her last wish was to be taken in by a sorcerer, but her misfortune struck a jackpot and served her with the last boss who probably would want to use her as a sacrifice! She knew she had very bad luck and often met misfortune but today, this misfortune was a thousand, no a million folds worse than ever!

Turisk, the guard, and the bruised servant had the same aghast face. Turisk and the guard had a grimmer face as they couldn’t believe the collar made by the sorcerer of the tower for a very expensive price could come undone in a few seconds. Not only that he was able to enter the protection magic circle that was placed on the stage, but he could also turn the magical device into ashes!

“Should we go now, my puppy?” Ian said as he spread his palm for the girl to take in.

Elise who was still imagining what kind of sacrifice she would end with felt pressured to place her trembling hand on the palm and stood without doing anything.

Seeing Elise’s hesitation that was impudent for a lowly slave, the slave guard shouted. “What are you doing?! Your master is ordering you! Take his hand now!”

Elise jumped and took Ian’s hand with glassy eyes. Biting her lips, her face grew paler each second. As Ian saw her glassy eyes and the red lips with she bit on. A rustic blood scent wafted to his nose in sequence. His brows knitted in a tune, he looked at the girl which was filled with wounds, but the scent of sap was stronger from her back.

Quickly, he turned the girl around to look at Elise’s back which had a diagonal whip wound. Almost instantly, his eyes turned cold with bloodthirsty glint hovering to the deep red eyes. One who saw his eyes at the moment would know exactly how the tremendous fright was. He knew these scars with only a glance, it was a wound made by a whip. A long time ago, he had seen this, and now seeing the wound he could feel something snapped in the back of his mind.