Reincarnated as the Final Villain's Vessel

Chapter 228: Kidnapping?

I felt those gazes pierce through the glass overlooking the hall and land directly on me. They weren’t hostile, but they still sent a cold shiver through my body.

I raised my head from the guests and stared at the dark glass, unable to see who was on the other side... but I could feel him.

It only took a few seconds before he finally looked away from me. I did the same and returned my attention to the large hall below.

Hundreds of nobles and wealthy people moved about there, and the faint noise of their conversations reached even the place where I was standing.

As the auction’s starting time drew closer, many of them began taking their seats. At the same time, all the other private rooms filled up, and two more Rank 6 arrived.

Five minutes before exactly seven o’clock, everyone was already seated. Only a few servants stood along the sides of the rows, while my other teammates could be seen in the corners of the hall.

A short while later, the noise died down until it became nothing more than whispers echoing between the seats, then the area above the stage at the end of the hall lit up.

There stood Marquis Valimont with his dark eyes and gray streaks running through his hair. He smiled and clapped his hands twice, stopping every conversation and drawing all eyes to him as his voice spread through every corner of the hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Valimont. It is my honor to host this distinguished group of guests once again."

"As usual, today we will present a collection of Artifacts, rare materials, and items gathered from various places both inside and outside the empire."

The Marquis clasped his hands together. "I hope each of you finds what you’re looking for, and leaves this place satisfied with your experience."

"And now, let’s not drag this out any longer and begin the auction."

The next moment, the Marquis gave the audience a slight bow, while applause echoed throughout the hall.

I could see the smiles on the guests’ faces as the Marquis stepped away and disappeared from the stage. At the same time, an elderly man wearing a formal suit and small glasses stepped onto it.

With a deep cough, the applause came to an end before the old man’s deep voice spread throughout the hall. "Then, honored guests, let us open the auction with something simple."

The next moment, the man stepped aside, and the floor beneath him opened as a small platform rose from below, carrying a sword made of white metal resting on a specially made stand... other screens displayed an enlarged image of it, allowing even those farthest away to see every detail.

The auctioneer ran his hand along the white blade. "We have this beautiful sword, forged from the remains of an ancient monster. Its blade can cut through the toughest Rank 6 monsters, and its unique metal has the ability to absorb twenty percent of the power of incoming attacks and disperse it."

"This beautiful Artifact has not yet been given a name, so its buyer will earn that great privilege."

The auctioneer withdrew his hand from the sword, his gaze returning to the audience. "The bidding will begin at sixty-five million."

I sighed. "My poor little heart can’t handle these numbers."

It didn’t take long before people started bidding and the number displayed on the screen kept rising, but as soon as it reached ninety million, a familiar voice called me from behind.

"Caius."

Not surprised, I turned around to see Raph. Before I could ask anything, he gestured with his head for me to follow him. "Come with me. I need you somewhere else."

I raised an eyebrow, but followed him without asking. As I stepped into the corridor, thoughts about those gazes began running through my mind.

We walked in silence, passing a few other guards as we headed toward the private rooms. Then I asked, "Where are we going?"

The guard gave me a sidelong glance as he answered, "You’ll know soon enough."

Although he didn’t answer directly, I understood everything. It turned out this guard was one of them as well... damn it, they really were everywhere.

Before long, we arrived at a familiar door. It was one of the private rooms I had visited before.

Without hesitation, Raph reached out, opened the door for me, and stepped inside, gesturing for me to follow... although I was tense inside, I made sure not to show it.

The first thing I saw was that radiant soul, distorting my vision and making every detail of the room unclear in my eyes. I barely stopped myself from frowning. "I’ve brought him, sir."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Raph bow deeply, and I couldn’t see the person in front of me until I canceled my ability.

His back was facing us as he stood before the glass overlooking the hall, wearing a gray coat that reached his knees and a wide-brimmed hat that hid most of his features.

"You may leave now." His voice was deep and cold.

Raph nodded as he straightened himself, giving me a sidelong glance. "You stay here."

With that, he turned around and left, closing the door behind him. The only ones left were me and this man... and honestly, I had no idea what I was supposed to do at this point.

The next moment, he turned toward me, revealing part of his features. He looked to be in his thirties, but with his rank, who knew how old he really was?

With his hands in his pockets, he looked at me, allowing me to clearly see the scar on his cheek and his eyes filled with gray light.

"Hello, Caius Astroweild. It’s good to see you young and in good health." Although his words sounded polite, his cold tone suggested otherwise.

I had no choice but to go along with this and gather as much information as possible. "Thank you, but may I know who you are, sir?"

Staring at me with an expressionless face, this man’s gaze sent a shiver through my body, but he soon turned away and walked toward the small bar at the side of the room.

"You may call me the Envoy."

The Envoy?... I’d never heard of that before... I was beginning to doubt where this meeting was leading.

While I remained where I was, the man reached the table and picked up two glasses. Then, with a bottle that appeared in his hand out of nowhere, he filled them both with crimson liquid.

He picked up one of them and pointed to the other with the same hand. "Go ahead, don’t hesitate."

His cold voice carried no emotion, whether good or bad, while the hat hid part of his face from me.

I hesitated for a moment before walking to the table and reaching for the glass... I stared at the luxurious crimson liquid for a few moments, making the man, who had returned to stand beside the glass wall, speak.

"Don’t worry, this wine doesn’t contain anything harmful."

I raised my head and brought the glass to my lips, taking a small sip. The taste spread across my tongue, followed by warmth down my throat, only for the door to open the next moment as the Marquis’s voice filled the room, carrying what sounded like annoyance... or anger.

"Why are you here?"

For a moment, I thought he was talking to me, but his eyes were fixed on the Envoy.

"Don’t you welcome your guests, Mr. Valimont?"

While I stood off to the side, unsure what was happening, the Marquis stepped into the room, his eyes fixed on the man. "I welcome invited guests, and you are not one of them."

"That saddens my heart." The cold voice echoed through the room.

For the second time, the Marquis asked the same question. "Answer me. Why are you here?"

Standing beside the glass wall, the man pointed at me with the same hand holding the glass. "Of course, for him."

Damn both of you... could you just let me return to the Axis, then fight each other however you want?

Unfortunately, all I could do was watch and hope I wouldn’t end up caught between their intentions... wasn’t it the Marquis who told me someone would come? Then why was he reacting like this?

"You know what I mean... you’re not the one who was supposed to come."

The Envoy paid no attention to the Marquis’s anger. "I’m sorry if I’ve disturbed you... I only follow orders, and I’ve come to take him to the Lady."

Wait... take me to the Lady?... No, this wasn’t part of the plan. "I don’t remember agreeing to go anywhere."

The Envoy turned his head toward me. "Don’t worry. You’ll return before the auction ends, and Marquis Valimont will..."

"But I don’t agree to this." The Marquis cut off the Envoy’s words, while the latter let out a quiet sigh and walked toward the table, leaving his glass there.

"I’ll be leaving now, Mr. Valimont, and I apologize for any inconvenience I’ve caused." His emotionless tone carried no real apology.

Did the Marquis’s words really stop him?

And just when I thought he was simply going to leave, I felt a hand on my shoulder while the Marquis shouted, "Stop..."

But even his shout faded away, replaced by the faint sound of shattering glass.

Everything happened faster than I could process, and before I realized it, I was somewhere else.