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Chapter 7
Noah glared at me with wary eyes.
Confusion flickered within those dark pupils.
Now that I was closer, I could see that his skin had split open in places, the wounds swollen and festering. The sight made me feel sick. If I relaxed even for a moment, I felt like my expression would falter.
I slowly recalled the events that were about to happen.
Noah would soon be brought onto the stage as the highlight item of the friendship auction. While demonstrating his value, he would attack the masked Duke who intended to purchase him.
His strike would hit a vital point in a single blow and kill the man—but unfortunately, the victim would only be a stand-in the Duke had planted to test him.
Enchanted by Noah’s ability to target a fatal point despite never having received proper training, the Duke would immediately buy him, and that would become the beginning of Noah’s connection with Yurie.
Remembering that, I hardened my expression and spoke again.
“I’ll ask you one more time. Will that really be enough to satisfy your revenge?”
At my words, Noah hid the dagger deeper inside his clothes and looked at me with even greater caution.
He still didn’t speak easily, but the confusion on his face made it obvious that he felt as though I had read his mind.
To provoke him further, I stepped closer to the cage.
Then I bent my knees until we were at eye level.
Noah pressed himself all the way against the back of the cage, remaining on guard against me.
Ignoring it, I continued speaking.
“Do you know what people out there call your kind?”
“……”
With a cold expression, I answered for him.
“Savages.”
At that word, Noah’s brow twitched sharply.
“I’m sure I don’t need to explain what they mean by that.”
It was a word the Empire used to sneer at foreign tribes beyond its borders, revealing the deeply rooted belief that such people weren’t even considered equals.
Even I found the term disgusting.
For Noah, whose family had been destroyed by the Empire’s slave traders, the feeling it provoked had to be indescribable.
Just as I expected, his rage burned wildly in his eyes, searching for somewhere to land.
For a fleeting moment, I had wondered whether this tiny, frail boy could truly become the man later known as the Bloody Shadow.
But the murderous intent blazing in his gaze made that doubt laughable.
Swallowing nervously, I continued.
“So can you really be satisfied with swinging a blade recklessly right now? The people you need to kill aren’t just the one standing in front of you.”
Unaware of the trap awaiting him, Noah intended to lash out at the auction with the dagger in his hand, blinded by immediate revenge.
But in his current condition, there was no way he could slaughter every noble in the auction hall.
Especially not with mages like Miller present.
At my words, the recklessness faded from Noah’s eyes, replaced by calm reasoning.
Part of why the future Noah earned the title Bloody Shadow was because he handled the Duke’s dirty work like a shadow—but another reason was that he was quick-witted and frighteningly rational.
That was why he excelled at operating alone like an assassin.
It wasn’t even something the Duke’s family had trained into him. Already, after only a few words from me, his expression showed that he had organized his thoughts.
Then, for the first time, Noah finally spoke.
“Why?”
His voice was quiet, but low and steady enough to seize my attention.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
At his cautious question, I answered immediately, as though I’d been waiting for it.
“I’ll tell you after I get you out of here first. For now, the only thing you need to remember is this: I’m going to save you.”
I deliberately emphasized the word save.
It was childish and blatantly obvious, but I wanted to carve the idea into him—that I was the one saving his life.
After all, nothing leaves a stronger impression than a savior.
At my firm declaration, he frowned like he didn’t trust me at all.
“You’re going to save me?”
“……”
Honestly, hearing such casual speech from a brat so obviously younger than me irritated me quite a bit, but I calmly took a deep breath.
Still, his suspicion was understandable.
People who knew I was a Great Mage bowed the moment they saw my flowing red hair from afar, but to someone unaware of that, I was simply a beautiful woman.
Meeting Noah’s gaze directly, I spoke firmly.
“I’m a mage.”
“…A mage?”
“It may be unfamiliar where you come from, but I’m a rather influential mage in this Empire. The fact that I came here alone to see you right before the auction should tell you that much.”
Even after hearing that, Noah gave no visible reaction.
His speech was sparse and his poker face too strong to read.
My own palms were drenched in sweat too. Every word I spoke right now was a gamble.
I forced the most confident smile I could manage, though it felt like the corners of my lips were trembling.
As though reaching a decision, Noah lifted his head and looked at me.
“Then prove it.”
“What?”
Noah jerked his chin toward the special lock sealing the cage door between us.
“You said you’re a mage. If you can really save me, then breaking something like that should be easy, shouldn’t it?”
“……”
Look at this little bastard.
This was exactly why Noah unsettled me more than all the other insane male leads.
In front of Yurie, he pretended to be endlessly weak and harmless, but in reality, he calculated quickly and cut down anyone unnecessary without hesitation.
Even now, pretending to test whether I was telling the truth, he probably would’ve stabbed my vital point with that dagger the moment I unlocked the cage.
As I silently stared at him, Noah spoke quietly.
“Why aren’t you answering? Was it all a lie after all?”
From afar, he had only looked like a starved little child.
But up close, his gaze was sharp enough to cut.
If I wavered even slightly more, I’d completely lose this battle of nerves.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I continued.
“You’re planning to hide that dagger until the right moment, then kill the person trying to buy you with a single strike.”
“……”
As though reading his thoughts, I calmly described the future.
When his eyes shook, I struck the heart of it.
“You believe that’ll be the beginning of your revenge, don’t you, Noah?”
The moment I called his name, Noah burst out.
“How do you know my—”
“I told you already. I’m quite a capable mage.”
A faint smile crossed my lips before I continued firmly.
“So trust me. Because in the end, this is your only option too.”
“……”
There wasn’t much time left now.
“I won’t take the dagger away. Keep it hidden and wait. When I give the signal, pull it out so I can see the blade. That’s all you need to do.”
With that, I stood up.
Noah’s gaze wavered.
He still hadn’t decided whether he could trust me completely—but in the end, he would have no choice except to follow my instructions.
When someone is trapped in the worst possible situation, they’ll grab onto even the last remaining rope, no matter what it is.
That alone proved he was Noah.
Quickly pulling my hood back over my head, I left the area.
*****
The public auction finally ended, and the sun had set.
As the auction hall emptied out, high-ranking nobles wearing masks and carrying invitations began entering the venue.
It was time for the friendship auction everyone had been waiting for.
I took my place on the right side of the stage and watched the masked figures settling behind the curtains.
Now the real auction was about to begin.
Though they hid their ugly faces behind masks, it was obvious they still wanted to flaunt their wealth and status from the extravagant robes they wore.
The hypocrisy made me sick.
Just beyond this curtain, everything looked so glamorous.
“……”
Behind me, I could hear the muffled sobs of those about to be auctioned off.
Most of the people brought this far no longer had the strength left to resist.
Most had already tasted endless despair.
That was normal.
How many times had their hearts been trampled before reaching this place?
Maybe because I had just met Noah, the inner monologues from the novel that had barely been emphasized suddenly resurfaced in my mind.
Even in such despair, he had never let go of his blade of revenge.
Thinking about it now, that felt astonishing.
“…So I suppose I should answer that resolve as well.”
I had acted all confident in front of Noah, claiming I would save him.
But in reality, I was doing this to save myself.
In the end, I was using Noah for my own sake.
That realization pricked at my conscience, but the more it did, the tighter I clenched my fists and forced those feelings back down.
The plan had to succeed.
“I just hope it goes the way I want.”
Once the friendship auction officially began, countless people were sold off as merchandise.
The turns passed quickly, and now the only one left was—
Just as I sensed Noah’s turn approaching, Jeffrey, standing atop the platform, raised his voice energetically.
“The highlight item everyone has been waiting for tonight!”
A strange tension spread through the hall at his announcement.
Enjoying the suspense, Jeffrey deliberately dragged out the moment before finally gesturing toward the stage.
“A descendant of the Ombers, blessed with a powerful body.”
I looked toward Noah as he was brought onto the stage.
His wrists were bound in chains, and like an animal being dragged to slaughter, he was hauled roughly into view.
