"The final item is a manual brought by the empress herself."
"A divine-grade formation capable of taking about ten strikes from Spirit Manifestation experts!"
"I'm taking it, ten high-quality diamonds."
Justin raised his voice, throwing the diamonds at the host.
He believed the amount was enough to silence everyone else, as no one sane enough to fight that.
The auction was over before it could start, with Justin hoarding the top three items.
The auction ended with the last item sold, and the host requested to chat with Justin.
"Lady Eihwar would like to meet you," The girl announced, something he had already anticipated.
Justin nodded, approaching her quietly, taking his sword back.
He said, "Thank you, go ahead," gesturing for her to lead the way before hiding his sword.
She frowned, feeling confused as the sword no longer affected her personality.
He followed behind her to the Eihwar's office.
"Greetings, my lady."
Justin cupped his hands, putting a smile on his face.
Eihwar responded, "Drop the act, I already know.", before ordering the host to leave them alone.
"Good," Justin answered nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.
He knew his diamonds would give his identity away after all, since he gave her an onyx casually.
He suddenly continued, "How may I help you?"
Eihwar felt pissed, nearly jumping to beat him up. She held herself back, speaking her mind.
"Why did you cause such— No, how are you compensating for the damages you caused?!"
Justin smiled, shaking his head vigorously.
"What damages my lady? I've already bought three items with prices far exceeding their worth." He smirked, answering her confidently.
His words seemingly angered her, causing her to strike the desk.
She grumbled, "Nonsense, nobody forced you to do that!"
Justin's face changed, having gotten what he wanted.
He held his chin as if thinking about it, then nodded slowly. He said, "That is my fault, indeed," before pausing momentarily.
"How may I compensate you?" He asked, dragging her along his plan.
Eihwar guessed he had much more of these currencies, otherwise, he wouldn't have been wasting them like that.
"Can I get one more of those?" She questioned, revealing the onyx he had given her a few days before.
Justin shook his head, "This is a little bit too much for what I caused, no?"
Eihwar remained shut, agreeing with him.
However, it seemed like she had something on her mind.
"I will owe you a favor, add an item, or offer you something you desire." She said.
"Does a date count?" Justin responded with a massive, proud smirk.
He placed three onyxes on the desk instead of three.
She howled, "Are you insane?!" treating his words as nonsense.
"I like you..." Justin responded, boldly complementing and flattering her.
"You are petite, cute, beautiful, and strong, so why not?"
Eihwar covered her face with both of her hands, either facepalming or blushing, cutely eitherway.
"Your red horns impress me, your pale skin stands out, and your lips—"
"Wait... WHAT?!" Eihwar explained, a mix of amusement and shock covering her face.
He saw through her disguise for some reason, making her panic a little.
It was abnormal to her, making her question it.
"Pardon me, did I say something inaccurate?" Justin frowned, rubbing his hair.
"No... How did you see through my disguise?!"
"What disguise? Maybe I'm immune? I honestly don't know." Justin shook his head slowly, confusing her further.
Eihwar never intended to share her secret with anyone, and now, someone has just figured it out unintentionally and cluelessly!
Justin smiled, knowing he could use it to bind them together.
He said in a serious tone, "Rest assured, I would never reveal it, much less when it could get you hunted down..."
"And how am I supposed to believe?" She asked, still feeling the grave tension of the matter.
"..."
"What could I say?... Accept my offer and get to know me better? Or keep my secret and love me?"
"What if your secret is just some made up bullshit?"
"I wouldn't dare, would I? I'm a man of my word, especially to those whom I love."
"Then go ahead, I'm listening." Eihwar finally agreed, allowing him to sigh in relief.
He suddenly disappeared, appearing behind her. He closed in, whispering into her ears.
"Make all of them leave, please."
Eihwar hurled from the shock, kicking him away from her.
She knew he could freeze her anytime, but never anticipated such a thing to happen.
"Leave us alone, girls." She muttered, taking her seat again.
Justin smiled, sitting back into his seat.
He said, "Thank you, that's much better.", regretting nothing of what he did.
"I'm an otherworlder, I never believed in vampires or demons."
He stated as Eihwar's eyes widened.
It was a single statement, but it carried enough weight.
It wasn't every day thing that someone would go around telling others he's an outsider.
'Maybe it's because of that?' She thought, relating the revelation to his power and immunity over her disguise.
Then she nodded, making up her mind to delve a little deeper.
If it were true, then he most likely hadan explanation.
"How did you appear behind me? And how did you freeze me before?"
"It's the space law, a concept you are probably unfamiliar with."
"Can you teach me how?"
"Yes, if you earn my trust. Not only would I teach you, I'd ensure you always remain by my side."
Eihwar lowered her head, feeling his sincerity. Yet she felt conflicted for several reasons.
One, she believed he was far below her in strength and the best he could do was freeze her in place.
Second, she was a demon, he was a human, and both races didn't go well.
Third, she had no experience at all, but she had no issues learning along the way.
Eihwar thought, focusing on the first issue, leaving the rest for later.
She didn't wish to babysit and protect him, so she wanted him to prove himself worthy of her.
"We spar, and if you win, I will agree."
She suggsted, dead sure he stood no chance against her.