I Am a Villain, So What?-Chapter 161: Black Market

The Capital’s Underground Black Market was a sprawling, subterranean city hidden beneath the pristine streets of the Aurelian Empire.

It was deeper and far more complex than the sewage tunnels of the Fern Kingdom. Using Julian Vance’s blood-stained crystalline necklace, I bypassed the heavy, rune-engraved vault doors hidden behind a false wall in a seedy tavern. The guards took one look at the Marquisate’s pass, bowed their heads, and let me through without a single question.

Looking down from the entrance platform, the illicit market unfolded before me like a dark reflection of the world above.

With enough money, you could get almost anything here. Illegal alchemical drugs that could kill a man without leaving a trace, military-grade gear supplied only to elite Imperial troops, forbidden grimoires, and worse.

But the marketing team of this underworld worked hard to promote their most lucrative flagship product.

Slaves.

It had been a while since I came here—the last time was to purchase Lily and Alicia’s contracts to save them from a miserable fate. Walking past the massive, iron-wrought Auction House, the muffled, pained groans of the captives echoed through the damp stone walls.

The proposer, executor, and chief operator of this brutal enterprise?

Marquis Vance.

My prey.

’First, I’ve dealt with the most annoying variable,’ I thought, pulling the hood of my Shadow-Weave coat lower.

Julian Vance had been a wildcard. That prideful punk was a hardcore daddy’s boy. In the original Asteria Online storyline, after being publicly humiliated by the Protagonist Party in the diner, Julian ran crying to Marquis Vance and spilled everything. This caused the Marquis to prepare a deadly ’hospitality’ trap for Kael and the others—a thorny, prolonged mid-game arc that nearly got them killed.

But whatever. I’d already put a bullet in Julian’s head. He wouldn’t be tattling to anyone.

’Now, I just need to take down the Marquis.’

Infiltration was proving to be easy. While I put a bullet through the Marquis’s head, the Protagonist Party up on the surface would inadvertently act as my alibi and bait, investigating the diner incident.

I checked my revolver, ensuring the cylinder was loaded with Merle’s newly crafted Magic Bullets. From here, I just had to head to the secret VIP lounge where the Black Market’s top brass, including the Marquis, gathered.

I took a step forward—

"...What?"

I froze behind a thick stone pillar.

Walking out of an alleyway just twenty yards ahead of me was a figure wrapped in a dull, unremarkable gray cloak. To anyone else, it looked like a standard mercenary or a low-tier merchant.

But my all knowing system pierced straight through the high-tier illusion magic layered over the cloak. A glowing blue status window popped up, bright as day.

[Name: Rumina Aurelian] [Identity: First Imperial Princess / Head of Imperial Intelligence] [Level: ???]

This person always popped up in the weirdest places.

"Here it is, Your Highness," a disguised Shadow Knight whispered, stepping up beside her.

"The stench of riffraff here is enough to burn my nose," Princess Rumina muttered, her voice disguised by magic to sound raspy, though her imperious tone remained. "Let’s find that person’s trail and leave this filth."

"The intelligence network is searching everywhere. We have agents monitoring the auction house ledgers as we speak."

"Good. We must find them. The reports from the Fern Kingdom anomaly were clear. The Holy Assassin... the Executioner has returned."

I held my breath, pressing my back flat against the cold stone pillar.

’Sigh... Here too? Why does everyone keep mentioning that damn name?’

I had come down here to shortcut a future main storyline, but it felt like I had just stumbled onto a hidden ending’s branching point. Kael’s delusions had apparently reached the upper echelons of the Imperial Court. Now, the Head of Intelligence was personally hunting for my alter-ego.

"We will succeed this time, Your Highness," the Knight assured her.

"This time, that time—I’ve personally visited every rumored location he’s supposedly been, but I’ve never caught a solid trace," Rumina sighed in frustration. "Dozens of times. Counting is pointless. The ghost of the Holy Empire is slippery."

"My apologies."

"Fine. I’ll browse the market in the meantime. Let’s see... this slave auction house is supposed to be the Vance family’s main hub, right? Let’s see if any Holy artifacts or strange individuals pass through the block."

"I’ll guide you."

...It didn’t seem certain that they knew I was here. But the Crown Princess was personally visiting the slave auction? If she was operating on a tip, there might actually be a relic of the Peacemakers here... or they were just casting a wide net.

I glanced at the distant VIP lounge where Marquis Vance awaited his death, then back at the Princess heading into the Auction House.

’I’ll stop by briefly.’

I needed to know exactly what Imperial Intelligence was looking for. If I assassinated the Marquis right now, the lockdown would trap me underground with Rumina and her Shadow Knights. That was a death sentence.

"Come one, come all, to the Grand Slave Market! A special roster today, ladies and gentlemen!" "Today, we’ve got stock to satisfy every master’s taste!"

Sleazy promoters boldly advertised outside the massive double doors of the auction hall. Entry was free for anyone with a VIP pass, so I flashed Julian’s necklace and followed the Princess inside at a safe distance.

I had to be incredibly cautious. I couldn’t even direct my gaze toward Rumina for too long, lest her high-level instincts detect my stare. I was grateful for the perception-disrupting magic Merle had woven into my tactical suit.

Fortunately, the auction house was packed.

Hundreds of people, all dressed like me—in hooded robes, faces covered with cloth, porcelain masks, or heavy illusion magic—filled the tiered seating. Whether they feared divine judgment, Imperial law, or just saw this as a sick masquerade, I didn’t know.

’Lucky for me, I blend right in.’

I took a seat in the back row, blending into the shadows.

"Now, let’s begin the auction!"

A man in a flashy purple suit stepped up to the brightly lit stage. Soon, a line of chained slaves was led out. Despite having been scrubbed clean for the sale, they looked destitute, gaunt, and terrified.

"A large batch to start the day, right? A set deal! Perfect for warming up the wallets! Ten young workers! Sturdy and compliant!" The auctioneer scanned the participants, grinning greedily. "We’ll start the bidding at 10 Silver."

10 Silver.

I gripped the armrest of my chair until the wood splintered.

The value these monsters placed on ten human lives was the equivalent of a mid-tier lunch in the commercial district.

Hands went up across the dark room, raising the bid with chilling casualness.

"10 silver, 50 copper." "11 silver." "12 silver."

The price climbed steadily, finally stopping at 15 silver and 80 copper.

The auctioneer, immensely pleased at selling ten children for pocket change, slammed his gavel.

"Sold! To the gentleman in the boar mask!"

The buyer’s group sitting a few rows ahead of me began whispering.

"Got a good deal on this batch." "Hm, should we transport them down south and sell them to the plantations for a profit?" "Too far. Put them in the eastern mana-stone mines. Didn’t five workers die in the cave-in last week? Ten kids should match the labor output of five adults." "Good idea!"

Disgusting creatures. The urge to draw my Winchester and paint the auction hall with their brains was almost overwhelming. But I couldn’t save the boys and girls being dragged away into the dark corridors.

Not yet. If I acted now, the Princess would instantly realize who I was.

"Hmph," Princess Rumina scoffed from her seat closer to the front, her disguised voice dripping with utter contempt as she watched the exchange.

"Next up, the second auction! We have fifty premium items today! Enjoy these low-quality slaves as a warm-up for the main event!" the auctioneer shouted, gesturing to the guards.

The next person pushed onto the stage was a boy.

Unlike the others, he was unbound. No chains, no restraints. His scrawny, malnourished frame was covered in bruises, but it was his eyes that caught my attention. They were a deep, abyssal crimson—lifeless, unfocused, and utterly pitiful. He stood there as if he had already accepted the miserable fate awaiting him.

ZING!

My newly upgraded [Sixth Sense (Lv. 3)] flared like a siren in my skull. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The danger detection wasn’t warning me of an immediate attack; it was screaming at the sheer, latent potential standing on that stage.

This boy is extraordinary! He’s definitely not a background extra!

I called out the system to check his status panel.

When the glowing blue window materialized in my vision, I felt my heart skip a beat. I was completely shocked.

’What? That boy?!’

Who was he to make my Wild Instinct and Know-It-All react so violently?

[Name: Nero]

[Age: 10]

[Identity: Nameless Slave / Future ’Phantom Sword’]

[Alignment: Chaotic Neutral / Evil]

[Latent Potential: SS-Rank]

[Unique Trait: Shadow Mana Resonance, Emotion Suppression, Absolute Pain Tolerance]

’Holy crap!’