“Do you think I came here to buy this worthless thing? I didn’t come to waste my time!”
“Y-yes! If you knew who we are right now…….”
The host rubbed the head where the water bottle had hit him and licked his lips with his tongue.
“Tsk, what a shame. I heard the Moon’s Shop only lets in verified guests, but to think such rude people got in! There are too many problems with today’s auction.”
No one spoke up in response to his words.
The host’s cold gaze swept over the room for a moment before he gave a smooth smile.
“Well, fine. A guest is still a guest!”
It seemed the okay sign had come down from the Moon’s Shop.
At that moment, Number 21, who had been sitting next to me, raised her hand and cheerfully shouted.
“It’s obvious what most people here are after! I’d like to ask if the shop side might have stashed it away!”
What the, she can speak properly after all.
“How was that? I did good, right?”
She nudged my side with her elbow.
Unbelievable. How long do I have to keep up this act?
Then, she suddenly stood up as if she had spotted something ahead.
“L-looks like it’s break time.”
It was an excuse she hadn’t even tried hard to come up with. I stared at her back in confusion, then spotted Ricardo tapping me.
“The assistant side took care of it.”
Looking beside him, the seat for Number 24 was empty.
Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief.
Then that means the necklace was retrieved too.
“More importantly, did the person next to you say anything?”
“……Should I answer honestly?”
“Of course.”
Ricardo hesitated before opening his mouth.
“I was threatened.”
“……”
“So I threatened back.”
Something about this story felt off.
“What were you threatened with?”
“They said they’d slit my throat, hang the necklace on it, and put me up as an auction item.”
“What did you say…….”
Ricardo obviously dodged the answer.
“But that person asked if I wanted a path to the library.”
“……!”
The note I saw in Orphen.
[The monster told me it was a path to the ‘library,’ but I don’t know what it’s for.]
That word had appeared in the explanation about the item that was said to change its form.
“So I said yes.”
“What?”
“I was curious.”
Well, I guess if you’re curious, there’s nothing you can do.
“After that, he seemed very angry at what I said.”
“……Why would he get angry?”
“Maybe because he has a strange personality.”
Judging by what followed, it seemed the shop had taken Number 24 not long after that.
‘It’s weird that he followed them so obediently.’
Maybe because things were going too smoothly. A sense of unease started to creep into a corner of my mind.
It was then.
―Lady, it is now midnight!
A strange voice echoed in my head. I couldn’t tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
An odd voice that gave no clue about its age.
But I easily recognized who was speaking to me.
Arkan.
―Hoho, I don’t usually barge in like this, but I had one question to ask. Please pardon the intrusion.
Without giving me a chance to respond, he quickly fired off his question.
―Are you planning to hand me over to someone else? I cautiously ask if you’re about to commit a heinous act, like picking out carrots from a soup!
So he could hear me all this time.
And yet he kept his mouth tightly shut until now.
‘No.’
―Thank you for your answer!
Before I could even finish replying, Arkan’s voice disappeared.
‘While we’re at it, there’s something I want to ask too.’
…….
‘Hey, Arkan? Can you hear me?’
Silence followed.
……Should I just throw him away.
In the meantime, the spotlight suddenly turned on the host. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
“To reflect the guests’ opinions, we’re putting a new item up for auction!”
A new item?
I instinctively followed Lily with my eyes as she stood near the host.
“Yes. This is the cursed necklace you all so desperately desired!”
For a moment, I couldn’t believe my ears.
Lily placed the box on the auction table.
“There seems to have been a slight miscommunication. Haha, sorry for the confusion! Still, since the item has safely made it to the auction, please do calm your anger.”
It must’ve been the item the Tower had.
If not……
But contrary to my expectations, the necklace inside the box had the same design as the one Number 24 had shown earlier.
“It’s a necklace made a very long time ago. It was once said to restore youth, and wars were even fought over it at one point.”
Lily exited the stage. I followed her with my eyes and soon got up as well.
Whether she noticed I was following or not, she turned into a hallway wall. I grabbed her wrist and followed behind.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
At my words, Lily silently removed her mask.
“Why did you put the necklace up for auction? We were supposed to keep it until the second day…….”
“I had no choice!”
Lily opened her pale lips.
“Now that I know what they’re trying to do……!”
“Explain so I can understand.”
Her jaw trembled.
“To restore his power, we have to tell his name. Only then can the soul become whole, and the Tower become strong again. After all this time waiting for him, I can’t lose him now that he’s so close.”
No way.
Lily gripped my shoulders tightly.
“Bianca, they’re on our side. Lord Peril has been away for too long, and his strength has weakened, right? So, everyone just needs to acknowledge his power. Then he’ll fall into a deep sleep soon enough……”
“……”
“Y-yeah! That’s why we used Lord Peril’s name to bring people here. Makes sense, right?”
So, they interpreted the mentioned wizard as Peril?
There were countless things I wanted to refute, but this space belonged to her.
If I provoked her, I might not get out of here.
I raised both hands and nodded.
“I understand.”
“I knew you’d get it!”
She let out a small sigh of relief and hugged me.
“So, what do you plan to do from now on?”
“Nothing. The preparations are already complete.”
“……What preparations.”
“I’ve already set a magic circle around the auction hall.”
Haha, she sure works fast.
“Everyone will sleep soundly for about two hours.”
So the necklace was just a decoy to buy time.
“Oh, before that, there’s one favor I’d like to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like you to retrieve the necklace before the magic circle activates.”
The urge to curse surged to my throat, but I barely held it back.
“You know, right? This shop is dear to Lord Peril. If we lose our investors, the place will surely collapse.”
And the person who realizes that is…!
‘Ah, maybe I should just run.’
The thought suddenly came to mind. If even Lily was like this, there was no hope left.
Rather than falling into a powerless sleep and watching Eileens’ life unfold……
I stopped at that thought.
But only for a moment—I then moved my feet. Once I reached a secluded spot, I took Arkan out from my bag.
“It’s my turn to ask a question this time, right?”
He responded as if he had been waiting.
[I’ve been waiting!]
“You said the picture you showed me might be an ‘old future.’ Assuming that’s not wrong, if I change the future, would something change within the limits allowed by fate?”
When I first heard it, it sounded absurd, but now it kind of matched the current situation.
If I entered Eileens’ memories, that would be the past, making the term ‘old’ appropriate.
From her perspective, ‘me’ was someone from a distant future.
[Haha! It looks like you’ve almost arrived at the right answer. Yes! If you’re asking whether it could affect your ‘current’ self, then yes, it’s possible. You’re thinking of choosing another path, aren’t you?]
“That counts as a question too, doesn’t it? Yes. I want a different fork in the road.”
I thought it wouldn’t work since I wasn’t entering Eileens’ subconscious, but intentionally peeking into it.
Guess that was lucky.
“If I’m not the owner of the old future, can I still affect things by changing someone else’s future?”
That was actually the main point.
Eileens had lived a long life. So surely, Peril would be in her memories too.
‘If I can’t meet the current Peril, then I just need to find him there.’
[My lady, humans are always at a crossroads. Like right now, when you’re torn between talking to me more or retrieving the necklace!]
Below the message, Arkan’s face popped up with a ‘^^;’ expression.