Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 37: The Highest Bidder, Part Twelve

{Lianna}

The palace-like building the gala was set to take place in looked so much bigger from the inside. Dozens of players covered the area, each one dressed in such elegant suits and dresses or equipped with such flashy armor and weaponry, that they nearly shone brighter than the chandeliers above them.

Here, Lianna took the opportunity to test out her newly acquired spell, {Through Enverna’s Eyes}.

This ability allowed her to, well, literally see through Enverna’s eyes. But, also allowed a bit more than just that.

Through Enverna’s Eyes - 0 MP

{Spell}

{Unique}

{Class: N/A}

{Desc: Experience all of Enverna’s five senses. She receives 10% less damage and deals 10% more damage depending on the advice that is given to her during this ability’s use.}

{Val: N/A}

In an instant, Lianna was practically placed in Enverna’s shoes. She could see the girl scanning her surroundings cautiously, she could feel her heart beating a little quicker than normal in her heart, she could smell the cigarette smoke coming from the left, and although Lianna didn’t care much, she could feel Enverna’s distaste for it.

The soft music playing on in the background, the intricate patterns drawn onto the golden walls, the air, cold enough to make the hairs on Enverna’s arms stand. Lianna noticed it all through her experience.

As Lianna pulled herself away from Enverna’s consciousness, she inhaled sharply.

"Hm? Lianna?" Enverna quickly noticed her odd reaction. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, just... Holy fuck, I got dizzy for a second."

"L-Lianna! Language. We want to look proper in a place like this.

"Right, right. Holy... frick?"

Enverna just rolled her eyes.

[No, seriously, holy shit, that was disorienting. Again, it’s another ability that exists solely to make Enverna better... But, I don’t mind that. I just hope I won’t be helpless in future fights. We’re probably not going to be together every single minute of every day, after all.]

Lianna and Enverna both stood by the entrance, scanning the room before them while other players walked past them.

"Here we are." Enverna inhaled slowly. Lianna had gotten good at sensing when the girl was feeling more tense than she’d have anyone else know and this was certainly one of those times. "Anyone of note?"

"Let me see."

Lianna had done quite a bit of research leading up to this. A few faces stood out instantly.

[Damn...]

To their left, sitting on the staircase leading to the second floor, was the global rank 7 player, known as the hidden blade of the Lone Wolves guild, Sabrina Terameia. A woman with hair as black as the night sky and narrow, naturally teasing, eyes. She was wearing a simple, white dress, while she laid her differently colored eyes on Lianna.

[Two Instincts,] Lianna noted. She was too far to get a good look at her status, but she could tell that much from the heterochromia she had.

Off to the right, Lianna found a man who looked like a shard of lightning cutting through the lobby. Wearing a full set of gleaming, golden armor, Karver Polin stood by a group of fangirls, his slick, blonde hair sliding down his back as his blue eyes noticed Lianna and Enverna come in. He was ranked 21 globally, one of the most prolific members of the same Shields of Saren guild that organized this event.

A man and a woman in black suits walked over to them. The man carried a pair of purple daggers at his waist, while the lady carried a white greatsword.

Lianna scanned their statuses but found nothing of note, though they were both decently strong.

"Greetings," the woman said. "We’ll be your bodyguards for the night, per the invitation provided by the Shields of Saren. We won’t be standing too close, though. Do not worry, it will feel like we are not even here."

"And, our bidding funds?" Lianna asked, arms crossed.

"As promised, whatever your total amount of money spent by the end of the night is, the Shields of Saren will cover half of that number."

"Good, good..."

As Lianna took that in, someone else began to walk to them.

Lianna had been fairly calm most of this time, but seeing her finally made Lianna share the same tension Enverna was feeling. Maybe Enverna had noticed her sooner.

A tall lady wearing a sleeveless, black vest, putting her strong arms on display, approached the group. She had on a black skirt as well and black sandals, along with so much golden jewelry in the form of a necklace, half a dozen bracelets, and a couple of anklets that Lianna wondered if her attire cost twice the amount of both Lianna’s and Enverna’s combined.

She had short, wild white hair and equally white eyes that peered back at both Lianna and Enverna with some curiosity as she said:

"Well... You two certainly are courageous. To show up in a place like this after what’s been said on the news about you... I’m quite surprised."

She was Athene Airnara, a Paladin-class, rank 4 player, and the self-proclaimed follower of The Judicator Constellation.

Which made her the second open follower of another Constellation that Lianna and Enverna had met.

Athene Airnara

MP: 75/75

---

STR: B+

END: A

DEX: C+

MYS: D

L: D

---

Traits:

Stalwart

{Taking damage reduces the amount of damage taken by 10%, stacking up to 5 times}

?

---

Instinct:

Judicator’s Judgement

{Once per day, execute a low HP opponent. Must be in close range to activate this Instinct}

As she scanned the woman’s Status, Lianna received a message just as she noticed that she’d been able to see her Instinct, though she could not see the second trait she possessed.

Target Analysis - Level Up!

{More information can now be gleaned from others’ Statuses}

[Huh... Is it because I scanned another follower? So, scanning stronger people makes my Target Analysis ability stronger?]

"What reason do we have to be wary?" Enverna asked proudly, her mask of arrogance fully decorating her refined visage. "As I’m sure you’ve heard, it isn’t like we did anything evil ourselves."

"Indeed," the paladin tilted her head, unblinking as she stared back at Enverna. "It would appear your accuser now finds himself on the run. That said, video footage can easily be tampered with. And, it doesn’t help that the person who released the video hasn’t come forward, thus making it even more likely it was some form of an edit."

[That’s ridiculous,] Lianna thought but didn’t voice. Unfortunately, the simple truth was that this lady was absolutely stronger than both Enverna and Lianna. Provoking her was tantamount to suicide.

Even Enverna quieted down, just to see what exactly the lady had in mind.

"... But," she quickly said, "given that the video is the only evidence we have, it would seem you two are actually innocent. How unfortunate," Athene sighed, "I wish I hadn’t spent the money to get in this event but, oh well, maybe some other fool will try to ruin the night. Please," she bowed, "enjoy your evening."

Just like that, like a passing storm, she walked away.

Enverna took a deep breath.

"What an incredible aura," Enverna said. "Just being near her made me feel like I had a boulder weighing me down."

"She’s right, though," Lianna said. "Someone else could try to ruin the night. So, it’s probably best if we get right down to the plan."

"I agree."

Nodding, Lianna stepped forward and gave Enverna a quick hug.

The sudden embrace caught Enverna off-guard, but she quickly calmed down and returned it.

"Be careful... And try not to miss me too much~" Lianna winked.

"In your dreams," Enverna said light-heartedly before Lianna turned and walked away, beginning her part of the night’s planned affairs.