I wipe the cold sweat from my forehead as I stare at the nine-tailed fox woman seated before us. She doesn’t say a word, but her blue eyes pierce straight into my soul like daggers. The sheer pressure radiating from her makes my knees feel weak. Aleena stands firm beside me, but I can tell she’s not completely unaffected either. As expected of Edrel’s disciple. I’ve only ever seen her gentle, loving side.

The fox woman makes a small gesture with her hand, motioning for us to sit opposite her. The burly guard immediately barks at me, "The Master said sit!"

I grit my teeth and grab Aleena’s hand. We walk over and lower ourselves into the two ornate chairs facing her. Even as I try to raise my head, an invisible force presses down on me, forcing my gaze slightly downward. The sheer weight of her presence is suffocating.

The fox woman waves lazily at the burly guard. "Serve our guests."

He scurries away in terror and returns moments later with a silver tray holding three cups of fragrant tea. One for her, one for Aleena, and one for me.

I force myself to stay calm and slowly sip the tea. The warm liquid helps ease the tension in my throat a little. Aleena drinks hers too, but I can see the worry in her eyes. I want to ask her what’s wrong, but I know better than to speak freely here.

The fox woman finally speaks, her voice low and commanding. "I did not expect visitors today. Your persistence is the only reason I agreed to hear you out."

I lower my head slightly. "Thank you for seeing us."

She glances sideways at Aleena. "Who is this man to you?"

"He is my husband." Aleena answers without hesitation, her voice steady.

A visible squint appears in the Auction Master’s eyes. I catch it clearly. She leans back slightly, her nine tails swaying behind her like living flames.

"I will introduce myself first," she says smoothly. "My name is Cinder Borges. I am the founder of the largest Auction House in Alowood and one of the best on the Luladel continent."

Aleena introduces herself gracefully. "I am Aleena Fenagors."

I keep it simpe. "I am Jacob."

Cinder furrows her elegant eyebrows. "Jacob? No noble title?"

"I won’t answer that," I reply flatly.

This seems to pique her interest even more, but she doesn’t push. Instead, she asks, "What request is important enough for you to bring your wife all the way here?"

I take a steadying breath and speak clearly. "I am here to request that you sell one of your slaves to me."

The moment the words leave my mouth, a violent burst of mana explodes outward from Cinder. The pressure hits me like a hammer to the chest. I feel invisible hands choking my throat. I cough violently and spit out a mouthful of blood onto the luxurious floor. My vision blurs as several warning notifications flash before my eyes.

Aleena reacts instantly. She sweats heavily but clenches her fists in rage and throws herself in front of me, shielding my body with hers. She holds me tightly, absorbing the worst of the mana blast. Because of her strength, the effect on her isn’t as severe.

"Stop this at once!" Aleena screams at Cinder. "If you dare harm my husband, Edrel will take your head!"

The pressure eases slightly, but I continue coughing up blood, my chest burning. The nine tails behind Cinder sway dangerously, their tips glowing with golden light briefly. She stares at us with cold, calculating eyes, clearly evaluating Aleena’s threat.

I wipe another streak of blood from my mouth as the crushing pressure finally lifts. The nine-tailed fox woman, Cinder Borges, slowly retracts her violent mana. The invisible force that felt like it was crushing my organs eases, but the damage remains. My chest burns and my vision still blurs slightly.

She leans back in her luxurious seat, her nine tails swaying lazily behind her. Her blue eyes lock onto Aleena. "Do you truly know Edrel?"

Aleena glares at her with bloodshot eyes, her body trembling with rage. "Why did you harm my husband for no reason?!"

Cinder slams her hand on the armrest of her seat with a loud crack. "Answer my question!"

Aleena ignores her completely. She turns to me instead, gently wiping more blood from the corner of my mouth with her sleeve. "Jacob, are you okay?" Her voice cracks with worry as she holds me tightly, shielding me with her body.

Seeing herself being ignored, Cinder’s expression darkens further. "You are even stronger than your so-called husband. This man is trash. You shouldn’t waste yourself on someone so weak. How dare a weakling demand I sell one of my slaves?"

Her words cut deep. I feel humiliation burn in my chest, but I stay silent, focusing on steadying my breathing. Aleena can’t hold it in anymore. Tears spill down her cheeks as she starts crying. Without hesitation, she pulls out her Adventurer card and tosses it toward Cinder.

"Confirm it yourself," she says, her voice shaking with anger. "See if I am truly affiliated with Edrel."

Cinder catches the card and hands it to her burly bodyguard. "Run a quick search."

The massive man nods and hurries off with the card.

While we wait, Cinder glances back at Aleena. But my wife speaks first, her voice cold. "I will remember what you did to my husband today. He has amnesia and is still recovering. You had no right."

Cinder sneers, her nine tails flicking dismissively. "A weakling is still trash no matter what. Amnesia or not."

I finally manage to sit up properly. My body screams in pain — I have internal injuries and partial organ failure from that casual mana burst. I smile wearily but say nothing.

Inwardly, dark thoughts swirl. I am still too weak to challenge an S-Rank. The power gap is massive. But I swear to myself that one day I will have my revenge. I will make this arrogant fox woman my personal cum dumpster. I will break her completely.

Power is everything. At my current level, I must tread very carefully. I also reaffirm my deep hatred for fox women. They are vile, cunning creatures — a hundred times worse than wolfkins. Taming a strong one like Cinder would require enormous effort and strong subjugating power.

The burly man returns quickly. He hands the Adventurer card back to Aleena and bows to Cinder. "The investigation confirms it. Edrel is indeed her tutor. Recent sightings show he has been seen with both Aleena and Jacob."

Anger flashes across Cinder’s beautiful face. She waves her hand dismissively at the guard. "Scram."

As he leaves, she speaks in a cold, audible voice. "I am not afraid of Edrel coming for me if I killed you both right here. But I don’t want anything that would affect my business." She pauses, her nine tails writhing. "So I will spare your lives for this insolence. Now tell me — which slave do you want me to sell you?"

I take a slow, painful breath and sit back properly in my chair. "The slave I seek is named Miranda."

Cinder furrows her elegant brows. "Miranda? I don’t recall any slave by that name."

She waves for the burly man again. "Search through the records. Find if any of my slaves bear the name Miranda."

The guard bows and rushes off once more.

The air in the room is thick, almost solid, pressing down on my chest with every breath I take. Neither Aleena nor I say a word. We sit like statues, anchored to our chairs, while Cinder remains seated behind her desk, her gaze fixed intently on the doorway.

Suddenly, the heavy doors burst open, shattering the fragile silence.

The burly guard rushes back into the room in a frenzy, nearly stumbling over himself. His breath comes in short, ragged gasps as he stops a few paces from Cinder’s desk and immediately drops into a deep, trembling bow. Sweat beads across his forehead.

"Boss, we ran a quick check and confirmed that Miranda isn’t part of the inner or outer slaves," he reports.

"Then?" Cinder’s words cut into him like a knife, though the shock on her face is impossible to hide.

"She is among the unwanted slaves you placed under the command of the lizard men working the auction," the guard says.

A genuine reaction flashes across Cinder’s face. She briefly glares at me as if regretting what she did earlier before turning back to the guard.

"Go get her immediately!"

The guard scurries away without another word. Once he’s gone, Cinder stares at me, disbelief written all over her face.

"Seriously, I thought you wanted me to sell one of my inner slaves to you—"

"It doesn’t matter!" Aleena suddenly cuts her off mid-sentence. "You didn’t even wait to hear what we wanted to say before doing what you did. You’re a vile woman. Just accept it," she says with an expressionless face.

I don’t stop her either. I just want this bullshit to be over with so we can get Miranda out of here.

Soon after, the door opens again, and a disheveled woman wearing tattered clothes and chains around her legs follows the guard into the room. Her eyes are hollow, as though every trace of life has already been drained from them.