DSFL | Chapter 76

~Chapter 76~

“You’re more sensitive than I thought, big sis.”

Even though Penny pouted, she turned back into her human form. Only then did I finally look at her properly.

“Anyway, you don’t need to worry too much about the Tower Master. He’s still in the capital—staying at an inn in the outer region.”

“…Haa.”

I let out a sigh of relief and slumped into a chair.

Good. He’s safe for now. That’s all that matters.

“But even though he must’ve changed his appearance, you still recognized him right away?”

“Oh, that’s because…”

Penny tilted her head.

“His magic aura seemed unstable.”

“….”

“You probably wouldn’t notice it, but someone smart like me—a future alchemist—can see things like that. Same with my friends. We tracked that scent, and tada! Found him!”

I had no idea who her “friends” were, but I stayed quiet.

“Anyway! You should be careful too. A mage’s aura doesn’t change unless something really serious happens.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

“Ah, that’s a tricky one.”

She scratched her cheek.

“There are a few reasons, but the biggest one is death. When someone’s close to dying, their magic changes shape to protect them.”

She paused for a moment.

“But the Tower Master is different. He’s a monster who lives forever, so I’m not really sure what caused it in his case.”

“….”

“I’d like to find out more, but there’s barely any information about him.”

Death, she said.

Even if he wished for it, could it really happen so suddenly?

“Don’t worry. He didn’t look sick or anything. Besides, you should be praising me right now!”

She suddenly held out her hand. The hopeful look on her face was honestly a little much.

Well, she did do a good job.

I opened a drawer and handed her a single gold coin.

Her eyes immediately turned cold.

“You need that much money?”

I gave her a few more coins, and only then did her scary look fade.

“The underground district is always short on money, you know.”

Honestly, it’s a relief she’s this money-minded.

If she acted nice without wanting anything in return, that would’ve been even scarier.

“Can I ask you one more favor?”

“Of course!”

I slowly opened my mouth to explain.

***

Time passed quickly, and the first day of the auction arrived.

“Let’s hope nothing goes wrong today…”

Lily sighed.

“Meeting the Tower Master right now is suicide! I can’t let my sponsor—um, I mean, my benefactor—walk into death!”

I’d wanted to meet Peril before the auction began, but Penny strongly opposed the idea.

So that plan failed.

And then…

[Ohh, you already understand the limits of fate! You’re right—fate can’t be changed. It’s a fixed path!]

So even if I tried to stop someone’s death… nothing would actually change?

[But if you’ve made the decision to act anyway, your guide will be very pleased and open up more to you. XD]

That last line bothered me.

Currently, Arkan only answers three questions a day—and even then, he skips any “tricky” ones.

That includes questions about timelines, other worlds, or even his own identity.

‘Still, shouldn’t he at least answer things about the future he showed me?’

Worse yet, skipped questions still counted toward the three-question limit.

So far, all I’d gotten was that one vague answer on the first day.

He claimed it was “the rule” or something.

And once the three questions were used up, the image in the frame disappeared immediately.

“Then can’t we just have a normal conversation instead?”

I’d tried, but even that didn’t work—he just wouldn’t respond at all.

‘Maybe if I stop the death, he’ll tell me more…’

I sighed and looked around.

The breeze had stopped, and the area grew quiet.

“Let’s go in.”

Lily gave the signal, and the guards at the wall politely nodded.

Just as I was about to follow her inside, a guard stepped in my way.

“Please show your pass.”

…A pass?

I pulled out the invitation to the Moonlight Market from my pocket.

The guard frowned.

“Guests without proper invitations aren’t allowed inside.”

Just then, Lily noticed I wasn’t following. She poked her head back out.

“She’s my temporary assistant. You don’t need to check her invitation.”

“Oh, I see. My apologies for the oversight.”

Looking embarrassed, the guard stepped aside and gestured for me to enter.

“Thank you.”

“Please understand. If we aren’t strict, we won’t be able to filter out the real guests from the fakes.”

“Don’t worry. I get it.”

Honestly, I didn’t have much room to complain anyway…

I smiled calmly, thinking of Arkan inside my bag.

‘Didn’t expect him to count as a guest too…’

Meanwhile, Lily put on a white mask and robe.

“It’s a symbol that we’re helpers from the Moonlight Market, not guests.”

On the left side of her chest, a red crescent moon was stitched into the fabric.

“Ring the bell if you need to call us.”

“Got it.”

My job today was pretty simple.

Get the necklace.

The store was even providing the money, so I just had to buy it like a regular customer.

‘Though I might have to use my own money too…’

Still, considering everything Peril had done for me, it was a small price to pay.

Lily handed me a name tag with a number on it.

Since guests couldn’t reveal their faces or names, they used numbers instead.

Mine was 23.

“All set.”

Lily smiled and showed me to my seat.

Other guests were already arriving and taking their places.

Or… were they really guests?

I stretched my fingers and leaned back in the chair.

The numbers assigned to the real second-day guests had already been distributed.

Even if they were invited on a different date, most of the seats were already filled.

‘People are really eager, huh.’

I was sure the person who started the rumors already knew the Moonlight Market was handling it internally.

After all, it’d be strange to think they were unaware of the rumors themselves.

‘…Honestly, I’m not feeling very confident.’

I just didn’t know enough.

At that moment, someone sat beside me.

He bowed slightly, and I nodded in return, checking his number.

24.

Right next to mine.

I scooted slightly to the left to give him more room.

He settled in calmly, his gaze fixed forward.

He must’ve been to auctions before.

Unlike the excited crowd, he had a haughty, composed air.

‘Must be one of the second-day invitees. Came early out of curiosity, maybe.’

Still, it was better than sitting next to someone who wasn’t invited at all.

Just as I was starting to relax, the lights in the center turned on.

“Welcome, dear guests, to the auction!”

WAAAH!!

“Looks like everyone’s really fired up since it’s been a while!”

The crowd’s cheer was loud enough to make my ears ring.

‘I want to go home…’

I clapped reluctantly, trying to look normal.

“You’ve all thought about it at least once—wanting to go beyond the limits of human pleasure or experience something no ordinary person ever could!”

…So basically, spending tons of money on weird stuff.

“The Moonlight Auction can make your wishes come true! We’re all going to die eventually! But if your one life becomes even a little more fun, then you’ll have no regrets when the end comes!”

I adjusted my posture, letting his over-the-top speech go in one ear and out the other.

Tap, tap.

Someone lightly tapped the desk in front of me.

I looked down to see a quickly scribbled note from the person next to me.

[Wanna make a bet? I’m bored.]

He passed me a pen, clearly waiting for my answer.