Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 40: The Highest Bidder, Part Fifteen

{Enverna}

Almost immediately after Lianna left, Enverna and the other Players were all siphoned deeper into the halls. Enverna couldn’t help but feel nervous, remembering Lianna’s statement to her.

The others likely didn’t notice, but to Enverna, Lianna had looked nervous.

[She left in such a hurry... Does she suspect that the night’s danger may be present elsewhere?]

A little bit of analysis soon made it clear, at least in her opinion, why Lianna hadn’t told Enverna to go with her. If Jack ended up making his move here, as they believed he would, the gala would be left with no one who knows what he can do to defend it. Or rather, no one who saw him fight in person.

[But, what if you’re right? Then... You won’t have anyone to protect you.] Enverna asked Lianna in her thoughts, but of course, the girl had already made her decision.

Now, all Enverna could do was follow her group deeper into the building, as the time for the auction arrived.

[Right... The Shields of Saren promised to pay half of whatever total amount we end up spending on bids. I should try to get something nice for Lianna. Maybe something that might help make her stronger in the future. In addition to keeping an eye out for any trouble, of course.]

"So," Haiko said, pulling Enverna’s attention back to her, "Enverna, tell us a little about yourself."

"What would you like to know?" She asked as the group of players funneled into the halls, cameras and excited reporters following them in all the while.

"How long have you been in Telvan?"

"Almost two months, now."

"Really? Have you gotten to see all of the guilds yet?"

Haiko’s question invited some suspicion in Enverna’s mind, but she wasn’t about to act like her assumption was right just yet. Instead, she casually replied:

"No, I have not."

"Ah, really? Can I ask what brought you to sign up with the Watchful, then?"

"It was the guild my fiance was joining," Enverna replied. "I..."

[Good grief, this is embarrassing. But, for now, I should at least keep the act up.]

"... I wanted to be with her, so I joined," Enverna said with a shrug.

"I had a feeling that was the case," Haiko replied, wrapping her arm around Enverna’s back. "How about you come check out our guild, then? You might find that it’s a little more agreeable than the Watchful. Save for the lack of a fiance present there, anyway."

[Ah... As I suspected, this whole conversation has pretty much been a recruitment attempt.]

It wasn’t her first time dealing with such a thing. So, Enverna knew that the right course of action here was to let her down carefully.

"I am sorry, but at the moment, I am still getting used to the city. Being in the Watchful makes things easier since I don’t have to think about moving around and all. Plus, I get to be with the woman I... The woman I love," Enverna forced the words out, hating how they burned her heart. "I would rather remain where I am for the moment."

"I understand," Haiko replied. "But, if you ever get tired of the Watchful, or you get sick of being your own wife’s coworker, feel free to call us up."

"Certainly."

With that out of the way, the group finally arrived at the theatre.

Here, players of all shapes and sizes went to sit while a man on the stage, with the spotlight on him, waited with a polite smile for everyone to settle in.

Enverna sat down next to Haiko. As all of the players were soon in their seats, with the reporters still standing by the doors aiming their cameras at them, a couple of workers went and began distributing odd signs to people.

Enverna received one with the number 41 on it.

"That’s your paddle," Haiko said, sensing her confusion. "You hold it up when the bidding starts, the auctioneer declares that you have the item, and if no one contests you, the item goes to you."

"Ah, I see."

"Get comfortable," Haiko advised. "I’d guess that we’re going to be here for a while."

[... I hope everything goes well.]

---

{Lianna}

The streets were colder than normal. The lights, a little dimmer. And the air, a little quieter.

Or, perhaps, Lianna was just nervous. Striding toward the Watchful’s guild hall, she checked above her head to see if that quest message that kept blinking in and out of existence had come up again. But, no. There was nothing there to keep Lianna company than the neon lights she liked so much. And nothing to spur her on toward her guild than the lingering feeling of worry in the back of her mind.

[Did I seriously get it wrong? I mean, I hope I did. if I didn’t then Enverna would be stuck at the gala all by herself!]

Using {Through Enverna’s Eyes}, Lianna saw her fiance arriving at the theatre. She could feel the girl’s anxiety, how being alone had her feeling so worried. But, Lianna couldn’t do anything about it at the moment.

The auction was just about to start.

[Okay, okay, she’s fine for now. Just... Hurry, Lianna.]

Arriving back at the guild sometime later, the first thing Lianna heard were screams.

As it was confirmed for her that, in fact, she hadn’t gotten it wrong, Lianna tried to enter the guild’s premises only to be blocked by a barrier.

[Huh?]

Using {Target Analysis} on it, she found this:

{Fiendish Technique: Restricted Field - Cooldown: 30 days}

{Place a dome-shaped barrier around a location, preventing anyone from getting in and out without permission} 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

{Duration: 15 minutes}

[Fiendish...] Lianna read. [Crap, crap, crap... Is the ’Storm Fiend’ already here!?]

The screams, which once again sounded off, were almost like the universe itself telling Lianna that she was right.

[But, what do I...?]

For a while, Lianna stood there, staring at that barrier. She poked and prodded it, walked along its side to see if she could find any openings, and studied the structure, to no avail. However, something did begin to happen.

[... I feel like I’m understanding how this thing works,] Lianna thought, placing a hand on it. [It’s like... A series of different segments, all forming a thread of sorts. Not actually one, big dome, like I thought. Weird.]

Lianna pressed her hand against it.

[But... If I’m understanding this right, it should have holes, shouldn’t it?]

Testing that theory, she pressed her hand against it harder and harder.

Another message appeared.

{Target Analysis has leveled up to Lvl. 3!}

[What, again!?] Lianna pulled back. [Wait, so it’s not just about scanning people? Scanning strong magic will also help level it up?]

{Analyzed spells no longer have an effect on you.}

{Analysis can come from a multitude of factors. Exposure to a spell, being told how the spell works, watching the spell be cast, etc.}

{Note: Target Analysis’s benefits only affect you. Others, even when being affected by spells through you, will not make use of this ability’s benefits.}

{Spell: "Restricted Field" has been analyzed!}

Lianna blinked.

[What?]

Just to test that statement, Lianna placed a hand against the barrier once more.

And, her limb went straight through it.

[Holy...] She read through the ability’s description again, just to make sure she understood it fully.

That last part was disappointing.

[Ah... So, even if a spell doesn’t affect me, it will still affect Enverna. And, at the end of the day, she’s the one who packs the firepower between us. So, yeah, great, I can survive a little while longer, but what about her?]

Lianna shook her head.

[Never mind that for now. Just head in.]