Chapter 144

As the sudden dismissal order came from him, Gideon asked with a dumbfounded look.

“…Pardon?”

“Since when do you get to decide that?!”

Astonished, Evelyn furrowed her brows and glared at her fiancé. Meanwhile, Axion offered an uncharacteristic smile and spoke.

“You’ll be better off staying with me.”

He meant that in the face of unforeseen dangers, it would be safer for her to accompany him. Axion’s power far outstripped that of ordinary men since restrictions that would bind others would weigh little on him, whether gaining access to restricted areas or confronting would-be threats.

With no real grounds to argue, she reluctantly accepted.

“…Very well. I’ll rely on you then, Axion.”

At that, satisfaction softened his features. He bent close and briefly pressed his lips to her hair.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Serpene was both a clandestine marketplace for illicit dealings and, at the same time, a social hall of another sort. Nobles vied to win more items at auction, striving to earn full membership through their bids. While they reveled in their sense of superiority, Serpene quietly amassed immense wealth through shadowed coin.

‘So this is how they run a black market operation.’

True to a place that valued money above all else, Serpene was governed by its own peculiar rules. Much like a system of mileage, badges were awarded according to the value of one’s purchases, and the rank of each badge drew stark lines in how its bearer was treated.

Thanks to Marcen, she already possessed the highest rank, the platinum badge.

To her surprise, Axion also wore one, gleaming on his chest, though where he had gotten it she couldn’t guess. Together with him, she approached Serpene’s entrance and presented the silver card to the attendant. The man inspected both card and badge, then bowed with utmost courtesy.

“We will escort you inside, honored guests.”

As the doors to the black market swung open, Evelyn exchanged a silent glance with her fiancé. Now it was time to pursue the true purpose of their visit.

They passed through a long corridor, dazzling in its splendor.

While they walked, she leaned close and whispered softly, her voice low enough for him alone to hear.

“Hey, you’re not even going to disguise yourself?”

For someone who had come to infiltrate Serpene in search of its hidden master, he looked altogether unchanged, as if he had simply strolled in from an ordinary day.

What if we’re thrown out together like this?

Just as unease began to creep over her, the man gestured lazily toward his tie pin.

“It’s an artifact. It automatically alters my appearance.”

The reason she could still see his true face, he explained, was because he had specifically disabled the spell for her eyes alone.

Wait, doesn’t that seem even more useful than the disguise potion from the Magic Tower?

Evelyn, who had been listening quietly to his explanation, widened her sparkling eyes with sudden excitement.

“Oh, if you had something that convenient, you could have told me!”

She had known him for more than ten years, long enough to trust his skill beyond question. If he had crafted the artifact himself, it would surely surpass anything else in usefulness.

As though reading the thoughts spinning through her mind, Axion’s lips curved into a smooth, knowing smile.

“I’m not giving it to you.”

Though his lips curved upward, his words carried only refusal. For a moment, she wondered if her fiancé was joking, but it did not quite feel that way.

In response, her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked up at him.

“Why not?”

At her question, Axion tilted his head, as though to ask if she really needed the answer. His gaze lingered on her, deep and searching, as if lost in thought. Evelyn rolled her eyes impatiently, wondering what on earth occupied his mind when his lips finally parted.

Loosened, they released a voice low and resonant.

“Because you’ll only wander into dangerous places again.”

“….!”

The truth of his words struck her so directly that her eyes wavered, their focus faltering.

Axion’s smile curved into something more mischievous. He gently closed his hand around hers, then slowly bent closer until his whisper brushed against her.

“Go with me. Then I’ll consider it.”