Peruan felt as though he had been struck.

He had not expected his own words to be turned back on him like this. He had dug his own grave.

As Ren looked at Peruan, frozen with that smile still on his face, Ren grinned. His green eyes curved playfully.

“Haa...”

Peruan let out a sigh.

In the dim room, the people looked like shadows, but Ren alone was clear.

This was no joke. He seemed to have truly fallen deeply in love. What was he supposed to do about that?

He liked Ren’s smile. Whatever the reason, he /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ liked that the smile had come from him.

Peruan’s eyes flashed dangerously.

Smiling languidly, he fiddled with the corner of his mouth and asked, “Could you change that later, at least?”

“No.”

“Even your firmness is charming.”

At the effortless response, Ren let out a disbelieving laugh.

The air between them had become more comfortable than before.

Ren looked at Peruan from time to time, and each time, Peruan met his gaze. He even added the dreadful words that Ren was welcome to look as much as he liked. Of course, to Ren’s ears, they sounded less adorable than horrifying.

A grown man acting cute was harder to watch than he had expected. The thick, lingering stare and the regretful look in his eyes were burdensome too.

Maybe the reason it did not feel only irritating was because Ren had confessed his illness without hesitation.

His heart felt a little lighter.

“Tom. Would you find my fate’s belongings?”

“Yes.”

A brief smile crossed Ren’s mouth.

Perhaps Peruan heard that short laugh, because his gaze turned toward Ren.

Peruan, who had forgotten his mission for a moment and fallen into Ren, heard the host’s voice pierce his ears.

The host’s voice, amplified by magic, rang out cleanly.

Even without straining, they could hear it clearly.

“Allow me to present her! Small and adorable as a fairy, Sera! A girl not yet fifteen! We will begin at five hundred gold!”

Ren’s expression went cold. Peruan pulled his hood lower, hiding his face further. The ornaments clinked as they struck one another. Peruan wore a smiling expression. Crossing his legs, he gazed at the stage as if leisurely enjoying it.

“Even if it disgusts you, bear with it a little longer.”

“I know.”

Ren answered the whispering, soothing voice.

Even as they spoke, the auction proceeded smoothly.

“Three thousand gold.”

“Five thousand gold.”

“Ten thousand.”

Each person had received a placard when they entered. If the attendant who came with them raised the placard, they were given the right to speak. The auction prices sometimes jumped several stages at once, then rose sluggishly. Those brought up onto the stage stood there in humiliating condition, only to be dragged down again.

What the hell are they doing with people?

When Ren flinched and leaned forward without realizing it, Peruan blocked his chest and shook his head.

The two of them had made a promise. Peruan would safely free those captured here. Ren would stay quiet until they were safely released. Even if Ren caused a scene, all it would do was raise security here.

‘I know! I know, but!’

He knew, but he was so angry. He hated having to sit here and watch. It felt cowardly.

If he had not run into Peruan, Ren would inevitably have been standing in that place too. The person who had spared him from it was Peruan, sitting right beside him.

This must be the kind of “good master” Mine had talked about.

His stomach boiled.

No matter what, he would strike back at these caravan bastards.

Ren clenched his fists tight.

He had promised not to cause trouble, so he had to endure it for now.

Once they were captured? Then personal revenge would become difficult too.

So what was he supposed to do?

If he had plenty of time, he would have put it off, but time was exactly what Ren lacked.

Taking revenge here would be cleanest.

Ren’s mind spun rapidly. He scanned every corner of the dark room.

“We have a splendid performance prepared for the second part, so please look forward to it! We will be putting on quite a spectacle, so we ask for your great anticipation!”

“It’s already over?”

Ren grabbed Peruan’s hand.

Too few children had been brought up for auction. The children who had ridden in the cargo wagon with Cedric had not shown so much as the tips of their noses.

“I suspect they will be brought up after the second-part performance ends.”

“...”

Peruan, who had been looking down at the stage, turned his head.

Ren was staring hard at him. Because he had been watching him the whole time, he could detect the subtle change. Peruan’s voice was calm as he spoke evenly, but there was uncertainty in it too.

“Is something wrong?”

Peruan’s pupils widened. He smiled out of habit and let out a sigh.

“There is no need to worry. This is the first I’ve heard of a second-part performance. But it likely isn’t anything major. We simply need to watch, then examine the ones brought up afterward.”

“Do we have to watch until the end? Can’t you catch them in the middle?”

“Ah.”

Peruan sighed and swept back his hair. His eyes flashed between the loose strands that fell apart.

“This is the first time I’ve felt ashamed of myself.”

“...What are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry. We still haven’t identified the owner of this place. Bastards like that are always quick to run, so if we don’t secure them beforehand, they’ll be doing this same thing again a few months from now. My competent attendant is digging through this place from every angle, so would you wait a little longer?”

Without the smile, Peruan’s face was cold. Ren felt an inexplicable distance from him.

“People who will help clean up the situation are on their way as well, so we should only need to wait a little longer.”

He could not do anything himself. All he could do was rush someone else. Ren’s face reddened. He had not wanted to throw a blind tantrum.

“I am far too incompetent. I am deeply ashamed before you—”

“That’s enough!”

Ren burst out in anger. His delicate voice, trembling through the noisy air, drew attention. Ren bit his lip hard, then lowered his voice.

The one who was incompetent was not Peruan. It was him.

“Don’t say things like that so carelessly.”

“Understood, my warmhearted you.”

His chest stirred. Peruan was too serious as he tried to ease Ren’s heart. He could have just brushed it off!

Peruan smiled again. His soft crescent-shaped eyes seemed to hold Ren as something precious.

Ren thought he had no idea what Peruan had latched onto, or whether he was playing some kind of joke.

Wanting to say anything at all, Ren threw out a random question. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“Is there usually a second part?”

“According to the guide, it isn’t rare.”

“If it’s a play, what are we watching?”

“One moment.”

Asking for his understanding, Peruan called the manager.

“Did you call, sir?”

The manager approached with a deep bow. Before his eyes could even land on Ren, Peruan shielded him with his body and asked the manager, “What play is being put on for the second part?”

“Blood Festival.”

“Blood Festival. I see.”

Peruan flicked a coin from his hand. The manager deftly accepted the tip and withdrew while controlling the corners of his mouth, which kept twitching upward.

“Blood Festival?”

What kind of title was that for a play?

The stage hidden behind black curtains looked noisy at a glance. As if people were busy moving one thing after another.

After taking a sip of his drink, Peruan began to explain.

The restless atmosphere suggested that people were rather looking forward to the play. Even though there should have been an air-circulation magic device installed, the underground air, which had been cool and somewhat chilly, was now stirring hotly.

“It is a very old story. As the name suggests, it is truly a festival of blood, where people kill and are killed by one another. They do not mourn death, but rejoice in it, exchanging and drinking the blood from killing one another’s brothers, sisters, and parents. The story says that if one massacres one’s own family and stains the village with blood, that village will endure forever.”

“What kind of nonsense...”

The story turned his stomach just hearing it.

“They kill their families and exchange the blood to drink it?”

Was it only because Ren lacked knowledge that it felt so disgusting to him? Or had he misunderstood Peruan’s words?

Just hearing the story made his stomach churn.

“Ah. My delicate you. I’m truly sorry. It was far too frightening a story for you.”

“...It’s real?”

“It seems absurd, but it truly happened.”

“...Something like that is possible?”

To Ren, it was unimaginable.

To kill the family you loved, the brother you treasured, and exchange his blood?

“Mm. It is also something that happens from time to time in order to seize a family. There is a fine-sounding phrase, ‘For the prosperity of the house,’ so it makes for a convenient excuse. If the roots are rotten, they must be cut out, but when that isn’t easy, people do things like this. It is not common for everything to be repaid in blood, but there are times when it is necessary. A cruel method, though.”

Ren looked as though he could not understand.

“Even the fact that you do not know this is lovely. You have no need to understand it. It is only an entertaining and stimulating fictional story people enjoy. For you, it will always remain fiction. So don’t worry.”

Even if it appears in reality, I will make it fiction for you.

Peruan smiled deeply.