The baron's horrific scream was the only sound in the auction hall.

Everyone watched in silent terror as his body began to disintegrate, layer by layer, cell by cell, courtesy of an all-encompassing power that enveloped the area.

It was clear that this mysterious power allowed Helmt to continue screaming, even as his lungs could no longer move air. The power assured that he felt the full force of the pain until he was no more.

When the force was finished and dispersed, nobody inside the hall moved, staring at the spot the baron previously occupied in a stupor. So distracted by the scene they had just witnessed, no one noticed when Maryi moved, launching herself up to the private box that held Danya and Sala.

Danya, too, did not notice Maryi's presence, consumed by her panic at Sala's injuries. Blood leaked from his eyes, ears, and mouth. His breathing was shallow, practically nonexistent.

Maryi swiftly took stock of the situation and retrieved a potion from her storage space. She knelt and spoke softly, not wanting to alarm the panicking champion, "Lady Danya, I have a potion here that should help. I'm going to give it to him, okay?"

Danya started, almost falling over, before nodding and mumbling a quiet thanks.

Maryi fed the potion to Sala and waited with bated breath for it to take effect. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when he began to stir a few moments later. She wasn't sure if she would have enough time to fetch a more potent potion before any permanent damage occurred.

Aura pressure from vastly stronger individuals was notorious for causing severe brain trauma. Victims were often left as mindless husks, only capable of maintaining the essential functions of life, such as breathing.

With Sala now out of immediate danger, Maryi turned to Danya and, seeing blood running from her eyes and mouth, quickly produced another potion.

"Lady Danya, Sala should awaken shortly. Please take this potion to heal your injuries. Damage caused by aura pressure can be serious if not treated promptly."

Danya took a deep breath and smiled warmly at her concern. "Thank you, but there's no need. My wounds have already healed."

Maryi opened her mouth to object but was stopped before she could begin, a world alert appearing before them.

---
ALERT
---
Your gods have a message.
---
We are highly disappointed in the people of Bessinia.
Not even a single day has passed, and an individual had the audacity to attack a champion.

Armand Helmt decided it would be a good idea to apply aura pressure to a champion and her companion. He was given several warnings informing him that continuing his actions would inflict harm on a champion.

In his vast wisdom, he dismissed these notifications without bothering to read them and applied further pressure on his victims.

As a result, he has become the victim.

However, we have decided that simple disintegration and eternal soul torture are not enough of a punishment for such blatant disregard for our words.

The Helmt bloodline will meet its end with this generation. Current members can no longer conceive children and will be slowly and painfully stripped of their power.

Take this as your final warning, and do not let this happen again.
---

Maryi sighed in frustration before turning to Danya and the now conscious Sala. "Please wait here for a moment. I need to take care of the crowd. I'll be right back."

She placed a foot on the balcony's railing and pushed off. As she landed on the stage, she clapped once, gathering the crowd's attention.

"Due to the current... " She paused, forcing a smile, "circumstances, we're going to close out tonight's auction a little quicker than usual. Staff will be on standby in the main lobby to assist with anything you need."

Maryi gave a quick curtsy and gestured toward the rear of the hall. "Please exit the hall through the rear doors. Thank you once again for attending this auction!"

Once the auction-goers began to disperse, she quickly left the stage, returning to the champion duo.

"If you prefer, I'll have someone bring your purchases to this box. Now that your identity has been exposed, I doubt you want to deal with the crowd outside."

Danya took a quick glance at Sala before nodding. "That's fine with us."

"Excellent," Maryi exclaimed, pausing as a thought passed her mind. "If you're still willing to meet with my father, I'll bring him here as well?"

Danya nodded, and Maryi quickly excused herself.

The champion and her companion sat in silence, each staring at the floor. A long moment passed like this before a hiccup tore out of Danya, and the dam holding back her tears collapsed.

She jumped forward, slamming into Sala, wrapping her arms and legs around him, and sobbing into his chest.

"I-I thought I was going to lose you..." She choked out before finally gaining a small semblance of control and mumbling quietly, "I have no idea how I will be able to handle the future. We're certain to be placed in situations much worse than this, but I'm already struggling to hold myself together!"

Danya frowned and continued, "And why have I grown so attached to you already? My social life has been nonexistent, but even I know that's not normal."

Sala held her close and gently kissed the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. You'll have to do much more than that if you want to get rid of me." He stated with finality and began combing his fingers through her hair. 

He thought for a moment and continued, "I don't think the relationship we've formed is anything to worry about, however strange it may be."

They sat in each other's arms for several minutes as Danya slowly calmed down. Eventually, she asked, "Why do you think this has all happened so quickly anyway? It doesn't make any sense to me."

Sala responded after a moment's thought. "It probably has something to do with your race. It's something completely new and unexplored, after all. The other races have some strange quirks, and I don't think it's too much of a stretch for Succubi to quickly build relationships."

A system prompt appeared before Danya, confirming Sala's theory.

---
Succubus Profile Updated

Succubi quickly build strong emotional connections with those who genuinely care for them. This occurs through a combination of biological and magical processes.

These processes are involuntary and cannot be stopped.

The other persons involved in these connections may also be affected.
---

"That's... Frightening... How does it determine if something is genuine? What if it's wrong, and I end up with a strong attachment to someone who wants to harm me? What if the feelings change and that person becomes an enemy?" Danya mumbled to herself as she shared the profile update with Sala. "Gods... This is absolutely terrifying..."

Sala winced, hearing her concerns. "Yeah... That's something we'll have to be extremely cautious about. It's better to be safe, even though the profile says that part of it is magical, and there's likely no danger."

After taking a moment to digest the new knowledge, Danya decided to check the rest of the system notifications she had missed in the heat of the moment.

---
You have experienced a directed aura attack from an individual much stronger than you!

Aura Resistance has ranked up! F -> E
Reduction increased: 25% -> 30%

Your attacker has been warned!

Aura Resistance has ranked up! E -> D
Reduction increased: 30% -> 35%

Your attacker has chosen to ignore the warnings!

Your attacker has been eliminated!

As compensation, you have been awarded the contents of your attacker's storage skill! The items have been placed inside your Inventory.
---

Danya squeaked when she read the last notice.

At Sala's questioning look, she shared the notifications and asked, "That's not supposed to happen, right?"

Sala replied, eyes wide, "Y-yea... That's definitely not something that I've ever heard of. Let's keep this a secret for now, okay? This could be very bad for us if it wasn't a one-time thing."

Danya nodded in agreement as a knock sounded, and the private box's door was opened.

Maryi entered, eyes briefly shining as she saw the duo's position. 

She was followed by a man that appeared to be around the duke's age. He was slightly shorter than Sala, standing a little over 6 feet. His hair, as blonde as Maryi's, was short, barely longer than a buzz cut.

Maryi gestured toward the man. "Lady Danya, Lord Sala, this is my father, the owner of the Wizaron Auction franchise, Solaris Wizaron."

Danya and Sala greeted the man as the incoming pair took seats next to them.

"Lady Danya, it's a pleasure to meet you. Lord Sala, it's wonderful to see you again." Solaris spoke, nodding to each in turn. "I'd prefer to dispense with the formalities and keep this casual. If that is okay with you two?"

"That sounds wonderful!" Danya nodded and visibly relaxed at the fact that she wouldn't have to unwrap herself from Sala.
She blushed furiously when Maryi giggled at her antics.

Smiling wryly at her actions, Sala spoke, "Maryi mentioned before the auction that you wished to speak with Danya?"

Solaris nodded, "Yes. I originally wanted to get a measure of one of our kingdom's champions so that I could get an idea of how we should proceed with support in the future. However, I now have an excellent idea of your character due to the previous incident, and this meeting's intentions have changed." 

He paused, pulling out a pair of black metallic cards and a reusable skill orb.

"Please accept these gifts as an apology for allowing such a disgraceful event to occur under our roof. I have created a new, higher-tier VIP status for the two of you. These cards contain detailed information on the perks and services this will grant you. They can also be used at any of our branches to access the perks without revealing your identity, should you desire."
 
"The orb is for a skill titled, 'Eyes of Insight.' I consider this skill to be the primary reason for my success. It has many abilities, one of the most useful being Mana Sight. I'm certain it will be advantageous to you in the future."

He let out a deep sigh. "Unfortunately, this orb only has one use left."

Danya hesitated, having no idea how to handle this kind of situation. Sala, however, took the items and handed them to Danya to store. "Thank you for the gifts. We'll make sure to put them to good use."

The elder Wizaron nodded, "Is there anything I can do for you before I leave you to your business?"

Danya shook her head, "No, no, you've already done much more than we could have dreamed of. Thank you!"

Solaris stood with a glance to Maryi and bowed, "Then I'll take my leave. I'll send the staff in with your purchases on my way out."