We dressed in suits and headed toward the Aquilus Grand Auction Hall.

In front of the auction house, a dense crowd of reporters had gathered in full force.

Unlike Korea’s Special Auction, the Aquilus Auction was treated like a grand festival.

While the auction itself wasn’t broadcast live, reporters and cameras were freely allowed inside.

Joo Seunghyuk and I entered the auction hall under a shower of camera flashes.

The moment we stepped in, a staff member immediately approached and guided us to our seats.

The interior of the Grand Auction Hall resembled an opera house. The staff led us to a box seat on the second floor.

It was tradition for S-rank ability users to sit in box seats, while all other ranks sat in the central auditorium seats. Even corporate moguls and guild masters weren’t exempt from this rule.

Across from us in the opposite box seat, I spotted Do Hyeokjin.

He waved energetically upon seeing me. Despite having heard about his impending death, he fortunately looked bright. I waved back.

At that moment, Seunghyuk firmly grasped my hand and pulled it down.

“Hyung.”

“Hm?”

“I’m better than him.”

“...I know.”

Apparently satisfied with my answer, Seunghyuk smiled brightly and pulled me into a hug. But something felt... off.

“Seunghyuk, what are you doing?”

“A pheromone shower.”

His voice was gentle, but what he said was far from wholesome.

“...I see. Got it.”

“Yes.”

“You like getting your pheromones on me?”

“Yeah. I like it a lot.”

Seunghyuk beamed, his eyes curving with delight.

“Then keep going.”

Well, if he likes it that much, I guess there’s no reason to stop him. I’m a Beta, after all—I can’t sense pheromones anyway.

Besides, we were in a private, separated space thanks to the box seat.

“Okay.”

“.......”

Still, I thought he might at least pretend to hesitate when I said that, but it seemed Seunghyuk had no concept of that kind of basic social restraint.

Without a second’s pause, he responded and resumed applying his pheromones. Or rather, I assumed he did—being a Beta, I had no way of knowing what exactly he was doing.

“Seunghyuk. But, um...”

“Yes?”

“If you want to do pheromone showers, wouldn’t an Omega be better? I can’t even feel—ah!”

Suddenly, Seunghyuk bit my neck without warning.

“There you go again, saying mean things.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, I just—I'm a Beta, so...”

“I don’t want to do a pheromone shower. I want my pheromones to be on Lee Yeonsu. Don’t ever say stuff like that again.”

“...Okay.”

Still, I couldn’t help but think it’d probably be better for him to have someone who could actually resonate with his pheromones. But I didn’t say it out loud.

At that moment, David entered the opposite box seat. He was accompanied by several production staff, likely due to a broadcast recording.

David looked in our direction. I quickly averted my gaze before our eyes could meet.

It wasn’t because I was wary of Seunghyuk’s reaction or because David would later try to kill Yeonsu in the original story. I just honestly didn’t like him.

Not just his looks or personality—even his mana didn’t sit right with me. When he grabbed my hand, I’d gotten goosebumps from the weird, electric mana I felt.

Was it because David was an electro-type Esper?

[Espers and Guides, the Aquilus Auction is now beginning. Please take your seats.]

A few moments later, an announcement came over the speakers.

The Aquilus Auction was conducted primarily in English, but attendees could request translation earpieces to hear the proceedings in their native language.

Seunghyuk was fluent in English, and my listening comprehension was strong enough that neither of us requested a device.

Both the box seats and the auditorium were completely full. There was probably no other place in the world where this many S-rank ability users gathered in one place.

As the world’s most prestigious auction, the treasures on display were bound to be extraordinary.

If I could just set aside my worry for Hyeokjin-hyung, I had to admit—I was actually excited. I’d only ever seen the Aquilus Auction in news articles or on TV, and now I was here in person.

“Hyung, if you want something, just press the button. Or tell me.”

“Okay.”

The Aquilus Grand Auction Hall was so vast, and the number of participants so large, that instead of simply raising a paddle, bids were placed by pressing a round button embedded beneath the paddle.

When the button was pressed, the corresponding number appeared on the large display board, letting everyone know who had placed a bid.

What kind of treasures would show up this year? With anticipation, I looked toward the central display.

Because the auction hall was so large, each seat came equipped with a telescope. But since everything was also shown on a massive central screen, it wasn’t really necessary to use one.

On the big screen appeared an image of a beautiful bracelet set with a red gemstone.

“The first treasure is the Bracelet of Roitalraum.”

As expected of Aquilus.

The Bracelet of Roitalraum was a treasure discovered five years ago in the Arctic Gate. Its beautiful and mysterious design had captured public fascination ever since.

It had even been voted the most beautiful treasure in the world. I’d heard it would # Nоvеlight # be going up for auction soon—but I hadn’t expected it to open the Aquilus Auction itself.

Still, despite its fame, it was unclear whether it would actually sell for a high price.

Sure, it was gorgeous—but its ability was... underwhelming.

If you had sex while wearing it, it supposedly reduced the physical burden by around 80%.

Calling it “underwhelming” was generous. Honestly, it was a piece of garbage.

Who the hell would spend a fortune on something like that just because it was pretty?

Maybe the auctioneer knew that too, because he focused more on describing its visual appeal than its function. Not to mention—it wasn’t exactly easy to explain the ability in a formal setting.

After finishing the description, the auctioneer announced the starting price. It was absurdly high considering the ability.

Who in the world would buy that? I was worried it might fail to sell right from the start—when I saw Seunghyuk’s thumb twitch.

No way...

Sure enough, the number 21—Seunghyuk’s—appeared on the display board. He had placed a bid.

“Seunghyuk, you’re really going to buy that?”

I asked in alarm. He nodded and pressed the button again.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Why the hell would you buy that?

Surprisingly, the bidding war intensified quickly, and the numbers on the screen changed rapidly. Whether people were bewitched by Roitalraum’s beauty or genuinely wanted that ridiculous ability, I couldn’t tell. But I was sure Seunghyuk fell into the latter category.

“I came here to buy it.”

...You’re telling me that was the whole point of this trip?

He said he wasn’t interested in the Nemershield Necklace, so I’d been wondering what kind of treasure he was actually after!

“Why? Because it’s pretty?”

Say it’s because it’s pretty! Say you’re not buying it for that maggoty excuse of a power! Say it now, you bastard!

“You’re buying it because it’s pretty, right? Right?”

Instead of answering, Seunghyuk curled up the corners of his mouth in a wide grin. For some reason, that smile gave me a bad feeling.

Dammit, what the hell are you planning...?

But I didn’t have the courage to stop him.

Just like during Korea’s Special Auction, I decided to silently root for the other bidders. In Korea, there wasn’t a single person who could outbid Seunghyuk with money—but this was Aquilus.

Here, world-class ability users, guild masters, and tycoons were gathered. Even Seunghyuk wouldn’t win so easily this time.

“Lot 21, congratulations! You’ve won the bid!”

...Or so I thought.

Sungan was a global corporation, and Seunghyuk—the next heir—had no problem burning money on a global scale.

After winning the brutal bidding war and securing that beautiful piece of trash, Seunghyuk leaned close to my ear and whispered softly.

“Hyung, congratulate me.”

“...Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled with innocent glee.

Maybe he really did just buy it because it was pretty, and I overreacted.

But as if to mock my thoughts, Seunghyuk continued to win bid after bid for more and more dangerous-looking items.

“T-that one just now—why’d you buy it?”

Seunghyuk merely smiled.

Don’t tell me the second semester is going to turn into full-on SM life...

As I trembled in fear that the hardcore scenes from the original novel might start coming true, the Aquilus Auction began approaching its final phase.

And the last treasure was the Nemershield Necklace. Today’s auction had been relatively low-priced compared to usual.

Even I, who had only seen the Aquilus Auction through broadcasts and articles, could feel it.

Everyone was holding out for the Nemershield Necklace, saving their funds for it.

So far, the only one who’d been splurging like mad was Lot 21—Seunghyuk.

At last, the necklace made its appearance. A large teal gemstone gleamed from the center as it was brought onto the stage, drawing gasps from every direction.

Journalists hurried to capture the moment, cameras snapping like mad.

But knowing it was a fake, I couldn’t see anything special about it. To me, it looked like a generic, common treasure.

The Nemershield Necklace was the highlight of today’s auction. Maybe that’s why the description of the item went on unusually long.

Still, the time wasn’t wasted. The auctioneer gave an engaging explanation of the item’s history, power, and the feats of its previous owner—Jameson Foster.

The only issue was that everyone here already knew all of that.

People rested their fingers on their buttons, simply waiting for the auctioneer to finish speaking.

“The legendary treasure—Nemershield Necklace! Starting bid is...!”

With a solemn voice, the auctioneer announced the opening price.

It was far more expensive than any of the previous items—but no one looked surprised. They just started smashing their buttons like maniacs.

31, 516, 1291, 1, 4819...

Numbers flashed onto the screen and disappeared in a blur. The price skyrocketed.

The Nemershield Necklace was the only treasure that could potentially solve compatibility issues. No matter how expensive it was now, its future value would only climb higher.

Winning it meant sitting on a goldmine.

The auction grew even fiercer—between ability users who truly needed it, guild leaders seeking smoother operations, and investors who only cared about profit.

But Seunghyuk had taken his hand completely off the button. He was really trusting what I’d said.

That it was a fake. That Do Hyeokjin would be murdered. A claim with no evidence whatsoever.

“Seunghyuk...”

I wanted to thank him—for believing in me.

He met my gaze.

“Hyung, out of everything we bought today, which one do you like the most?”

“...The sword.”

“Not that one.”

“The gun.”

“Not that either.”

He narrowed his eyes and smiled slyly.

What else is there, aside from the sword and the gun?

Don’t tell me he wants me to pick one of those overpriced trash items that belong in a luxury dumpster...