CHAPTER 12: CHAPTER 12 - RAQUIF AND EVETHRA.

Unlike the demihuman domain, the demon domain, or the mystic domain, the human domain had multiple kingdoms.

Those kingdoms, despite making it look like they were friends, were never at peace.

The kingdom that was in the most pitiful situation, however, was the Ronzenmore Kingdom.

It was the kingdom that was closest to the demihuman domain. It would be more accurate to say that this was the only kingdom near the demihuman domain.

If the demihumans wanted to enter the human domain, they would need to cross the Ronzenmore Kingdom.

However, the Ronzenmore Kingdom wasn’t weak.

It had many capable people working to protect it from internal and external threats.

One of those capable people was Marquess Baneron. He was the one stationed at the border of Ronzenmore, charged with the responsibility of stopping any invasion.

Marquess Baneron rarely talked to anyone. He wasn’t even seen by many people because he preferred to stay hidden so that he could take his enemies by surprise when they came.

Yet, there were a few people, including his children and the kings, who knew how he looked.

Among those few people, one was a young baron no one knew about until the Marquess allotted him as a baron of a village some distance away from the Veldera City.

This baron’s name was Raquif Huburg.

No one knew where he came from or what he did before he became the baron, not even the Marquess’s sons.

With the information kept hidden by the Marquess, many thought that Raquif was his illegitimate son and decided not to mess with him.

At first, everyone thought he was a good person, and many liked him for that.

However, it didn’t take long for people to realize that he wasn’t what he showed.

He was a devil who had disguised himself as a human.

A devil who liked to play with people he thought were beneath him.

His tales became known when he began visiting Veldera City, hunting any girl that suited his taste.

He would play with them for the whole night, and the next day, the girl would go missing.

That was the type of man he was.

Then one day, he saw a girl—a vampire girl—who shouldn’t even be in this area, as the demon realm was far from here, and his interest flared.

Since then, he decided that he would enjoy this girl at least once.

Now, after a year-long wait, he couldn’t take it anymore, so he decided to barge into the brothel where she worked as a receptionist and force her to come with him if he had to.

So, when he saw her walking toward him willingly, his body trembled with excitement.

He was ready to have his way with her right there, in front of everyone, but—

"What’s going on here?"

The voice, lazy yet magnetic, pulled everyone’s attention.

There, he saw a guy with a face so handsome that even he, a man, was stunned for a second.

’Who is he? What does he want?’

Such questions appeared in his head, but he wasn’t the only one observing the man, Kael.

The man, who was a dragon under that human form, was also squinting at him—his status window, to be precise.

Or rather, one section in his status window.

[Name: Raquif Huberg.

Race:

Vexilith (Half Demon).

Bloodline: Demon King.

Stats:

- Strength: D+

- Defense: E+

- Agility: D

- Mana: D

Skills:

- Blood Nourishment (Active – Empowers the host when they drink the blood of their victims.)

- Healing Factor (Passive – Heals the host’s injuries.)

- Pain Manipulation (Partially Awakened – The host can increase the pain of anyone they touch.)]

’A half demon...’ Kael muttered inwardly.

He had heard about demons from Lyra, but since she had never seen any, she didn’t know how they looked.

Looking at Raquif, however, Kael couldn’t find any difference between him and a normal human.

Well, except for the fact that his mana felt murky, which he was sure not many people could sense.

Then he turned toward the girl.

[Name: Evethra Etaraxia.

Race: Vampire (Demon).

Bloodline: Ancient Vampire.

Stats:

- Strength: E+

- Defense: E

- Agility: E+

- Mana: E+

Skills:

- Blood Healing (Active – User can burn their blood to heal their wounds.)

- Blood Explosion (Active – Explodes blood by consuming mana.)

- Blood Manipulation (Sealed.)]

’She’s stronger than Lyra, but not too strong,’ he concluded.

However, before he could even take a step forward, Raquif barked. "Who the fuck are you?!"

Kael glanced at the man before he shook his head, turning toward Evethra, who was staring at him absentmindedly.

"Are you alright, Eve?" He asked, making the girl’s eyes quiver.

"H-How do you know my name?" She stuttered, but Kael placed a hand on her head, smiling at her.

"Does it matter?" He asked. "What matters is that you’re fine, and you don’t need to worry about anything now."

Evethra didn’t even know what was going on.

She didn’t know who this godlike man was, nor did she understand why he was trying to save her, but what she felt when he said that she didn’t need to worry was relief.

For a while, the air remained thick with tension.

Evethra didn’t move, enjoying Kael’s touch, which was impossibly warm, melting into her scalp like a summer breeze after a night of rain.

Her eyes trembled as she looked up into that handsome, lazy face—the kind of face that should’ve belonged to a prince in a storybook, not a man standing in front of a monster like Raquif Huberg.

The others in the hall, however, stood stunned in their spots.

Behind Kael, the wine bottles still bled their red across the marble floor.

"You—!" Raquif’s voice cracked like a whip through the silence, trembling with fury. "WHO. THE. FUCK. ARE. YOU?!"

Kael didn’t even look at him, which infuriated the young noble.

Raquif’s lips curled back in a snarl as his fingers twitched with the urge to lash out, but something about Kael’s calmness... it unnerved him.

The way he stood, the stillness of a hunter who didn’t even need to pounce—that was what made him pause.

Kael finally moved, but not toward Raquif.

He turned his attention instead to the older woman who had been shielding Evethra moments ago.

Her breath was still ragged, her cheeks flushed with fear, and the bright red handprint that marred her skin was still fresh.

She stood frozen as Kael stepped past the vampire girl, reaching her with a quiet grace.

She blinked as he neared her, the blush of fear changing into something else.

"Y-Young man, I... I appreciate your concern, but you shouldn’t have interfered. You don’t know what you’ve done." She lowered her voice. "That man is—"

Kael didn’t let her finish. He gently cupped her bruised cheek with a hand so tender it made her breath hitch.

"You’re shaking," he said softly.

His fingers glowed with a faint golden light as he wished to heal her.

A moment later, the slap mark vanished.

Warmth seeped into her skin, spreading down her neck and chest like honey, and she nearly let out a moan if she didn’t purse her lips.

Her eyes widened, blinking rapidly. "W-Wha..."

Then, she giggled nervously, putting a hand over her mouth. "Oh, my... that was shameless of me..."

Kael smiled. "I didn’t mind."

He stepped back just as Raquif’s boots echoed against the floor.

The baron was watching everything, and in his eyes now—past the anger and pride—was calculation.

This man... this stranger... He was far too calm. Far too confident.

’He healed that slap with magic,’ Raquif thought, narrowing his eyes. ’Without a chant. Without a spell circle. Heck, it was so fast that I couldn’t even tell it was magic. Who the hell is this guy?’

But what bothered him more was the attitude.

’He knows who I am,’ Raquif thought grimly. ’He knows what I can do... and yet he acts like none of it matters.’

That could only mean one thing: Kael had someone powerful behind him.

What he didn’t know was that Kael didn’t know who he was. All he knew about the baron was that he was a bad guy who needed to be eaten alive.

Raquif clenched his fists, then forced a smile.

"Let’s not make a scene over something this simple," he said with a carefully calculated tone. "I was buying Evethra. That’s all. I’ve waited a year. I’ve paid more than enough for the house. It’s her turn to repay the favor."

Kael tilted his head.

"Oh?" He said, raising a brow. "So you’re buying her."

Inwardly, however, he wanted to transform into his dragon form and bite the guy’s head off—something he couldn’t do in his human form.

’Really an inconvenient form,’ he sighed inwardly.

Raquif’s smile, on the other hand, stiffened at the lack of reverence. "Yes. And I’m sure you’re new here, so I’ll explain how it works."

He walked toward the counter and leaned on it as if this place belonged to him. "If someone wants to claim a girl from this establishment permanently, they pay. The highest bidder wins. It’s that simple."

Kael’s eyes flicked to Evethra, who was trembling, clearly wishing he would say something—anything—that meant she didn’t have to leave with Raquif.

She had been ready to die a while ago, but now, there was hope in her eyes.

That hope pushed her resolve deeper into her mind.

Kael turned back to the noble.

"I see," he said. Then, without hesitation, he added, "Well, I like her too. So, I’m going to buy her."

Evethra’s breath caught.

Raquif’s calm cracked for just a moment. "You...?"

His jaw clenched. "You want to go against me in a battle of wealth?"

From the side, the older woman gasped.

"Don’t," she whispered harshly to Kael.

"Please. This man... all his wealth is deposited in the brothel streets. If we gather all of it in one place, I doubt even a count could win against him."

Kael raised a hand lazily, silencing her.

"Let him speak."

Raquif sneered now, fully confident again. "If you want her... let’s make it official. We both name our price. Whoever offers more... gets the girl. Agreed?"

Kael took a long sip from a goblet that wasn’t even his, then exhaled through his nose.

"Agreed."

Raquif turned, barking at the ladies gathered outside the door of the inn, and all of them were too frightened to do anything but obey.

"Bring the coins and call for everyone to bear witness to this duel of wealth."

The women scurried off.

Kael glanced down at Evethra, who was still staring up at him like she couldn’t understand what kind of miracle had walked into her life today.

But there was worry flickering in her eyes, which was caught by Kael, who chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"Girl, have some confidence in me, will you?"

In response, Evethra smiled, her cheeks covered in a rosy hue, her body fidgeting.