Chapter 175 – Pertinax Auction House (4)

The commotion at the Pertinax Auction House had finally come to an end. The villains had been slaughtered. The administrator, Pertinax IX, lost that cunning head of his.

Even the stragglers hiding behind the stage were dragged out by the hands of the assassins. They drooled yellow and begged desperately for their lives.

“P-Please… let me live…!”

Auditore responded only with a sharp blade.

Slash!

Auditore’s work was brutally meticulous. They sliced necks like picking ripe fruit. And they collected every enemy’s head in a sack, leaving not a single one behind.

The participants knelt like criminals, bowing their heads. Auditore removed their masks and thoroughly verified their identities.

“Damn it… of all days, Auditore had to strike today…”

“Quiet. Unless you want to lose your head.”

“……”

Knox silenced him with a dry tone. The participant only whimpered silently, face filled with humiliation and misery.

Among them were high-ranking officials and celebrities. Tomorrow, their names would be plastered across every newspaper headline.

Even that one minor celebrity who never made it big… tomorrow they’d be a superstar—in the worst way possible.

Participating in the Pertinax auction wasn’t illegal, but there was nothing good about it becoming public. The higher your status, the worse the fallout.

And today, of all days, they auctioned off a dragon—a member of the demons. Looking at it logically, many attendees could be accused as accomplices to a serious crime.

Even if they escaped legal judgment, they couldn’t avoid social condemnation. Still, many sighed in relief deep inside.

After all, it was better than being one of the villains whose heads now lay at the front of the stage.

“Y-You damn bastard assassins…!”

Slash!

The story of the Pertinax Auction House came to an end. Fast. Clean. All within the span of a single night.

***

Clank.

I undid every shackle binding the young dragon.

She’d been chained with rusted iron—not ordinary restraints.

After all, how else could they have held even a young dragon without magical suppression properties?

Still, the moment I touched them with my sashimi blade, they shattered like thread.

I carefully observed the dragon.

Despite the name, her appearance was nearly human, save for her sharply curved elven ears.

“Grrrr…”

She let out a low growl, as if clearing phlegm, and glared at me with narrowed eyes.

A fierce, savage look full of hostility.

But she didn’t resist as much as I’d expected. Though her aura was wild, it didn’t feel like she’d pounce on me right away.

She was more like a stray cat, soaked in rain, still wary of humans.

She must’ve been kidnapped and abused by humans for quite some time. In that sense, her reaction was surprisingly composed.

If I were her, I would’ve snapped the moment the chains came off.

I would’ve cursed the humans who did this to me.

‘Who’s the real monster here, huh…?’

I felt a moment of emptiness, then turned to the patriarch of Auditore and said:

“Patriarch, could you prepare a private room for me and this dragon?”

The patriarch blinked once before nodding.

“Well… just as I was starting to feel nostalgic—like in the old days with the former patriarch. Guess it’s time to return to reality. Alright, I’ll take care of it right away.”

“Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you. Thanks to you, we resolved this cleanly, when it looked like it’d end with a bitter taste. Anyway, I’ll give you about 30 minutes. After that, we need to continue the investigation. I hope you understand.”

I gave him a small smile.

“That’s more than enough, Patriarch.”

He returned a bright smile. Without further explanation, he instructed the assassins to clear the area immediately.

Auditore followed orders with precision and speed.

They tied the spectators like sausages and dragged them out.

I also asked Choi Seol-ah to leave. She pouted and softly complained, saying she wanted to stay with me.

But at a single disapproving look, she backed off instantly.

…The once bustling auction hall fell into a deep silence. So deep, even the slightest sound would echo off the walls.

Finally, I stood once more before the dragon. She flinched instinctively.

I frowned with pity and crouched to her level.

Then I spoke softly.

“I’m sorry.”

“……?”

The dragon tilted her head. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand—she’d picked up scraps of language while in captivity.

But why? Why would this human in a raven mask apologize?

Every human she’d ever met was arrogant. Regret was not part of their vocabulary.

‘What’s wrong with this human?’

As her mind spun in confusion, I extended a hand.

She curled up again, tightly. She shut her eyes. Her heart sank.

In the end, a human was a human. Just like the others, he’d fake kindness and then strike.

And yet, the dragon couldn’t resist.

The scars of abuse were etched into her skin.

…But then.

A warm sensation enveloped her entire body.

How long had it been since she’d felt something like that?

As drowsiness crept over her, she cautiously opened one eye.

And then she saw it.

Her eyes flew wide open.

The wound where the raven-masked man touched her was closing.

[Humanity Level has increased.]

Kang Geom-Ma didn’t even bother checking the status window that formed on his retina.

He activated [Blessing of Regeneration] and focused entirely on healing her.

At that moment, he resembled an old-fashioned doctor, working quietly behind a plague doctor’s mask.

***

[You have obtained the third fragment of 【???】: ‘The Dragon with Torn Wings’. Total obtained (3/7).]

—Flash!

== ==

『 She soared through the skies, boasting her wings.
Though that symbol was brought down by human hands.
The one who helps her heal shall rule the firmament.
And with those wings, shall reach where the stars shine.
Oh, lead us to that place. 』

== ==

♪♬♩♫♪

[NEW! By completing the hidden mission ‘The Dragon Who Regained Her Wings’, you have been granted a reward.]

[▷ You can now manifest the “Blessing of Communication”.]

[……]

[……]

[Hint: Use the Blessing of Communication to talk to her. You may gain a clue about the fourth fragment.

※Also, her name is Horntail. If you call her by her nickname, “Horn,” you’ll gain her trust faster. (>▽<) Horn is adorable (……)]

***

At my age, I already feel stiff in the neck. Sometimes just looking at the status window makes my blood pressure spike.

…And now, as a reward, they give me the “Blessing of Communication” and outright tell me to talk to the dragon.

That last message was too much. It even felt like it was written by a creep.

‘Do I really have to just walk up and talk to the dragon?’

Sure, it was instinctive to heal her. Her skin was wounded by human shackles and she trembled pitifully.

That’s why I manifested the Blessing of Regeneration and Transfer without thinking much. It wasn’t the first time I’d healed someone.

But talking is a different matter. What if she doesn’t respond even if I try? It feels too uncertain.

I turned my head toward the dragon.

She was inspecting her body curiously. The hostility burning in her eyes earlier had mostly subsided.

‘She’s young… surprisingly docile.’

Still, it was hard to start a conversation. Even if I’d helped her, I was still human.

There was a sense of implicit guilt.

And I hadn’t fully sorted my thoughts yet.

As I collect fragments, I’m starting to question if demons are really the enemy.

In the second fragment, the ancient killers were angels.

And now, in the third, it’s the humans who are the true villains.

Naturally, my thoughts began to drift.

It seems like the memory of 【???】 is trying to make clear that demons aren’t the true enemy.

‘Come to think of it, when I fought Vesna, I also heard:
“Show me true evil.”’

The intent of 【???】 is becoming clearer.

There are no direct hints, but it feels like the goal is to keep understanding little by little.

Once I finished gathering my thoughts, I looked at her. She noticed my gaze and turned her head.

“Hmmng.”

She let out an adorable noise and backed away on her rear.

Even though she looked my age, she acted like a little child. The complete opposite of Mesther.

While I hesitated, she was the one who spoke first.

She tilted her head awkwardly, mimicking a human bow.

“Th-Thank you…”

I activated the Blessing of Communication and replied.

—You don’t need to thank me.

“Huh…?!”

Her eyes widened as if she’d just seen an alien.

I sat down beside her with some hesitation.

—What’s your name?

I already knew it from the message, but I wanted to hear it directly.

After all, it’d be odd to know her name without having met her.

“My name is Horntail…”

—Can I call you Horn? It’s easier to pronounce.

Horn nodded gently.

I felt a bit guilty. I knew how to gain her trust. I couldn’t deny it was a tactic, no matter how clean it looked.

As I sighed, Horn fidgeted and asked:

“How can you speak the demon language? I don’t feel any magical energy from you, so… I guess you’re human, right?”

—Yes, I’m human. I learned the language… by chance.

“…Oh.”

Horn looked a little disappointed. Maybe when she saw the mask, she thought I might be a demon like her.

“Anyway… thanks for healing me. It was confusing, but no human had ever helped me like that before. But I know you’re not lying. Dragons are born with the ability to sense lies.”

―……

It was impressive how fluently she spoke for a young dragon.

She reminded me of Mesther for a moment.

Even among the Ancients, age meant something different.

And with dragons, that cultural gap must be even bigger.

I looked into her eyes. Her gaze had softened.

It seemed she had confirmed from our short exchange that I wasn’t a bad person.

I looked at her for a moment and then took off my mask.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t shown her my face or even told her my name.

As soon as she saw my face, Horn’s lips trembled.

A heavy silence fell. Neither of us said anything.

“Ah… Aah…”

Suddenly, she touched my cheek.

Her wet lashes trembled with tears.

“You’ve returned.”

I froze, stunned by her words.

“Returned”? What did she mean by that?

My once blank mind filled with questions.

And just then,

Bam!

The door to the auction hall burst open.

I only moved my eyes toward the entrance… and my body froze.

“…Geom-Ma, is that you?”

Ah. Something’s gone very, very wrong.