Choi Seol-ah trembled as if her phone were vibrating in her pocket. I glanced at her. Even through the squirrel mask, I could see how pale her face was.

She stepped timidly forward and suddenly stopped in front of me. Then, out of nowhere, she bowed deeply like she was offering a formal apology.

“I’m so sorry! I couldn’t think of anything else and… I ended up crossing the line.”

“I’m not mad. Just caught me off guard. If they changed the house rules, there wasn’t much choice.”

Honestly, there was no reason for Seol-ah to be so scared. In fact, she deserved praise. She’d used her quick thinking to get us in anyway.

Although, if she dared to cross another line… well, I wasn’t sure how I’d react. I have the bad habit of drawing my knife before thinking.

I sighed and said,

“You, who’s done all sorts of bad things, are now trembling over one little lie? Where’s your villain pride?”

“…My lord!”

“Do you have a humidifier in your eyes or what? Stop sniveling already. And let go of me. How long are you gonna keep hugging me?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just so comfortable.”

Choi Seol-ah slowly released my arm and smiled awkwardly.

She began to hum a tune while walking ahead of me, wagging an imaginary tail.

I couldn’t help but laugh. It felt like walking a little dog.

We went down a cave-like, dark corridor until we reached the true auction hall.

“Wow…”

A soft exclamation escaped me when I saw the enormous hall. It embodied the meaning of “wealth,” totally different from the building’s dull exterior.

I stared at the golden-drenched interior. It was absurdly lavish.

But when I saw the guests filling the place, I frowned.

Each one held a glass of champagne, exchanging glances and greetings.

They were dressed head to toe in luxury brands, yet they still managed to look disgusting—because of what they were saying.

—Long time no see, Lord Desert Magpie. Have you been well?

—Haha, what an honor to have Lord Wild Colt inquire about me. But tell me, what are you bidding for today? I’m in the market for a new pet… or maybe a slave.

The stench from those conversations was nauseating. I wanted to shut them up on the spot. But I had to hold it in.

This auction existed at the boundary of legality. If I lost my cool and pulled my knife, things would spiral out of control.

Demons and magical beasts are my true enemies. But these people… are still humans. Trash with human faces, but human nonetheless.

I can kill demons—but avoiding killing humans is best.

If I start cutting down people at my own whim, those around me will end up in trouble.

Besides, there’s already a family dedicated to cleaning up this kind of scum. If I interfere with their turf, I’d only disrupt the balance.

‘Still… this is revolting.’

I frowned unconsciously. Just then, Choi Seol-ah, a few steps ahead, waved at me.

“What do you think about the middle row? It’s the best spot! You’ll be able to clearly see anything that catches your eye, sir!”

I nodded and sat beside her at the center.

Each seat had a tablet.

As I examined the device with curiosity, Choi Seol-ah explained:

“When something you like comes up, just type in your bid on the tablet. Why do they do it this way? Look at how many people there are! I guess it’s to keep the auction moving quickly.”

I’d expected something more old-fashioned, like raising paddles and shouting numbers. It was a bit of a cultural shock.

In my past life, I’d attended a few auctions. Not in such a depraved place, of course, but at the fish market at dawn. There weren’t even paddles—just hand signals and yelling.

After glancing over the tablet, I passed it to Seol-ah. I didn’t even know what items were being sold. I figured the system would show me when the time came. I was already too irritated to get excited about it.

Before long, almost all seats were filled. It felt like a gathering of the world’s most corrupt figures.

The thought that I was sitting among them made my stomach churn.

‘I’m only bidding for what I need and then getting out of here. Otherwise, I’m gonna end up pulling the sashimi blade.’

I closed my eyes and crossed my arms, even covered my ears. I waited silently—until I felt someone’s presence. It felt strangely familiar.

I cautiously opened my eyes. Turning my head, I saw a man approaching. Despite the crowd, his presence stood out.

It was the mask. A black-beaked mask, just like mine.

“Excuse me… is this seat taken?”

He was already beside me when he asked. His voice came out muffled beneath the beak.

I nodded. He bowed politely and sat down. If ravens could greet each other, this was probably how.

‘There’s something… familiar about him.’

I glanced at him with a strange feeling. At that moment, a man who seemed to be the host took the stage.

He wore a glittering suit embroidered with golden thread, and a ridiculous clown mask.

The clown took the mic. He spread his arms wide and introduced himself with a shrill voice:

“Good evening, everyone! Honored guests of the Pertinax Auction Hall, thank you for being here. I am the master of ceremonies tonight, ninth in the Pertinax line!”

Despite the luxurious attire, his speech was vulgar. Even his so-called jokes were tasteless. If he said any of that outside, he’d be jailed for harassment.

Even so, the audience burst into laughter. It was so grotesquely real it gave me goosebumps.

“Since you’ve waited long enough, I’ll save the jokes for later. Let’s begin with the first item!”

He nodded toward the back of the stage. What came out left me stunned.

A lioness, shackled at the neck and paws. Her body was so scarred that barely any healthy skin remained. It was clear she had been horrifically abused.

The most infuriating part? The crowd booed the emcee, saying the product was too ordinary.

The clown grinned shamelessly.

“Now, now, honored guests. Don’t jump to conclusions! Though she looks like a simple lioness, this specimen is actually a D-rank ‘Chimera Cat’—a true magical beast!”

Only then did the jeering stop. The clown continued in a honeyed tone:

“She’s also completely domesticated. Perfectly obedient to human commands. And since she’s a magical beast, our natural enemy, there’s no moral dilemma! Starting bid is 50 million won!”

The moment he finished, the numbers on the screen began to climb. At first, only the last digits moved, but soon the leading numbers changed too.

The sound of fingers tapping tablets echoed throughout the hall. Greed. Overwhelming greed.

The eyes behind the masks glowed with madness. The creature’s dead eyes reflected the numbers like a scoreboard.

I held my breath. The hatred in the air was darker than the beast’s. The atmosphere was suffocating.

The emcee cooled the tension with jokes whenever it peaked. That was part of the show.

The crowd kept laughing. But I… I was at my limit. I felt that if I slipped up, my killing intent would leak out.

“Are you alright, young one?”

The voice came from the man beside me—the one with the raven mask. I looked at him. That way of speaking… I’d heard it before.

He looked back at me. Our beaks almost touched.

He smiled gently.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Patriarch…? Is it really you?”

“You’re slow. I recognized you the moment I saw you. Never imagined we’d meet again in a place this… vile.”

It was Altair, the patriarch of the Auditore. He laughed softly.

“And tell me, what are you doing here?”

I answered calmly.

“There’s something I need, and they say it can only be found here. And you, sir? Have you taken a liking to this place?”

“Work. I come here almost every day. Believe me, I find this place as disgusting as you do. But someone has to clean up this filth, right?”

“I understand.”

Altair shrugged and then looked around. His gaze fixed on the stage. The auction was nearing its climax.

He commented quietly:

“Did you know that the only animals that trade other animals… are humans? In all my life, I’ve never seen a more vile creature than the human being.”

“……”

“Of course, if you look at it that way, that vileness is what keeps us in the assassination business. Ah… sorry. What a depressing conversation.”

Altair scratched his mask. Then he changed the subject.

“So, what are you here to bid on?”

“Ah…”

And at that moment…

“Your attention, please, distinguished guests! It’s time to present tonight’s star item at the Pertinax auction!”

The host raised his voice from his diaphragm. Some guests smiled in anticipation.

“The next item is…!”

He took a dramatic pause. The calculated silence built up tension.

Lights off. Then, all the illumination pointed toward the stage.

All eyes focused forward. Malicious smiles spread across many lips.

A girl with translucent skin was dragged onto the stage. She was completely restrained with shackles.

But one thing was certain: she was not human. I had never seen a person with such sharp ears.

“Thank you for waiting! This is, probably, an unprecedented item in the entire history of our auction! A baby dragon in human form!”

Waaaaaaaaaaaah!

The hall erupted into a frenzy.

Meanwhile, I was frozen in my seat.

[You have discovered the third fragment of 【???】.]

***

“These bastards really crossed the line.”

Altair clicked his tongue and shook his head. He hadn’t thought they’d go as far as capturing a dragon and putting it up for auction. Turned out the anonymous tip he’d received wasn’t false.

Dragons are among the highest-ranked beings among demons. Not even several heroes together could handle one under normal circumstances. Let alone capture one—that would be nearly impossible.

So, how had they brought it here? There was only one way. They must have kidnapped it as a hatchling, before it gained awareness.

It was a completely inhuman atrocity. But as the head of the Auditore, he’d already seen things like this. Humans this repugnant were plentiful.

The patriarch stared at the screen with a desolate expression.

The price kept climbing endlessly. Human evil was stacking up in numbers.

‘Time to intervene.’

Even though the auction house had ties with the government, this was something that couldn’t be ignored. If they let this slide, it could provoke a major conflict with the demons.

Eliminate the root for the sake of balance. That was the job of an assassin.

Just as he was about to signal the lionesses infiltrated throughout the place, the patriarch turned his head slightly.

“……”

Kang Geom-Ma was staring at the stage without moving. Calm, as if he harbored no emotion at all.

And yet, even that alone froze the patriarch. He could sense the emotions boiling inside him.

A fury that had surpassed its limit. Some called Kang Geom-Ma a villain, but the patriarch, who had seen him clearly, could state without hesitation—

Kang Geom-Ma was a good person. Sometimes he lost control and drew his sashimi blade right away, but it never led to the wrong outcome. His method could be aggressive, but his intent was always righteous.

That’s why, even if he didn’t know exactly what Kang Geom-Ma had come to the auction for, he was sure it wasn’t with malicious intent.

He placed a hand on his shoulder. Kang Geom-Ma turned his head toward him. The patriarch smiled faintly.

“I feel that anger too. But keep a cool head. It would be a problem if the future member of the Seven Stars got caught up in something like this.”

“……”

Kang Geom-Ma remained silent. He understood exactly what the patriarch was trying to say.

He was struggling with a great internal conflict. Even though he needed that fragment, buying a life went against his principles.

That’s why he hadn’t placed a single bid yet.

In that case, maybe it was better to cooperate with the patriarch and approach the dragon through another means.

Just as his hand moved toward his chest to pull something out, the patriarch stopped him with a smile.

“You don’t use a cow knife on a chicken.”

“But…”

“That’s what our family is for. If staying still is too hard for you, then at least act. Pretend it’s a performance.”

“A performance…?”

Without answering, the patriarch snapped his fingers.

And as if responding to that signal, shadows began to slide silently through the unlit areas.

Swoosh…

The host, noticing something strange, stepped back several times with an alarmed expression.

Panic spread like a plague among the attendees. Almost everyone knew who those hooded figures with red eyes were.

“A-A-Auditore!”

The clown screamed while hurriedly grabbing his radio. He reacted quickly. He’d hired mercenaries precisely out of fear of those people showing up.

In an instant, the Pertinax auction descended into utter chaos.

Then Altair leaned toward me and formally asked:

“Lord Patriarch, what shall we do?”

…So that’s what this was?

I was startled inside. Altair and I wore nearly identical raven masks. To others, we’d look like we were part of the same group.

Taking advantage of the confusion, he was covering for me while also placing the full responsibility for the incident on the Auditore. He was asking me to play along. The fact that he’d made me play the role of patriarch was apparently just a whim.

“What shall we do with this filth?”

He asked me again. At this point, I had no choice but to go along with the act.

I crossed my legs arrogantly and clasped my hands over my knee. I mimicked the weight and presence I’d seen in the patriarch on purge night.

“Auditore.”

“Yes, Lord Patriarch.”

With a cold, calm voice, I gave the order:

“Eradicate the corruption.”

____

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